This place was recommended to me by a friend and I must say...she’s got good taste!
I’ve been looking forward to my visit for a few days so needless to say I was already expecting great things. That night we were heading to SoHo to catch a performance of Singing in the Rain, conveniently Honest Burger wasn’t too far away. The cab dropped us off on Dean St. and from there we continued to Meard St, right across from another famed burger dive, Burger and Lobster. (but we’ll leave that for another trip, the line outside was quite long)
As expected the place was compact and a small wait was to be expected. Don’t let them fool you when they say “30 minutes” it usually is about 2-5 minutes (well at least for me). We sat down and ordered a cheese burger, not just any old cheese burger, a mature cheddar cheese burger, with red onion relish and shredded lettuce. For our side we had the house chips with rosemary salt and their homemade lemonade.
Now our expectations were already pretty high, but the actual food delivered in stratospheric proportions. Let me guide you through our dining experience, one we shant soon forget:
The speakers were softly playing a familiar track...guitar heroes...Mick Jagger? “I want to paint it BLACK” Classic. It felt like being stuck between time and space. Is it the 70’s? Am I at a burger joint in Texas? “No,” I remind myself, “it’s January 2013, you’re in London, and yes this magical combination of flavours is happening right now and it is actually your dinner. Lucky me.” These are honest to goodness some good fries, and this is honest homemade lemonade. Tart, a little fizzy, and thirst quenching. For all I knew I could’ve been in the deep south on some porch drinking this lemonade in the time of prohibition, playing jacks with my cousins Laura Mae and Billy Bob. I just made that up.
The burger. I honestly can not remember a better burger. So since this is a new blog let’s just wipe the slate clean and make this the standard to which all subsequent burgers must live up to. Tabula rasa. I’m into tangy tangy toppings. I like my pickles and I love my onions. Raw or caramelized or sometimes both. What Honest offers here is an onion relish that satisfies my piquant cravings and is simple enough to make this burger a winner in its own right. No tomato no fuss. The other simple accessory was the shredded lettuce, neatly placed on the bottom of the patty to minimize slippage and suprisingly to be warm and catch all that smokey salty beef juice before it soaks the bun. Oh that patty! Cooked to a beautiful medium, an almost near perfect medium,(not every place knows how to do that I’ve found.) But that’s the norm here at Honest. (If you prefer yours a little more well done I’m sure they can accomodate that.)
But as soon as I placed my order, they informed me that they normally cook their patties to a medium. And honestly who am I to argue? They obviously know what they’re doing. My advice is, trust them, honestly.
I was in this little bubble of joy and wonder, and I knew as soon as I’d take the last bite, that this bubble would burst.
A visit to Honest Burgers is a high high recommendation for tart toppings, and medium meat lovers like myself. If you’re a well done, creamy toppings person, I suggest you go else where. This place honestly lets the meat do the talking. (Their butcher is non other than the famed Ginger Pig after all! Muslim eaters don’t fret when you read ‘pig’ on the menu, that’s just the name of the butcher ok?)
I’ll be looking forward until my next visit...the chicken and veggie burger sound very appealing.
PS. Space Invader probably dined here...(see pic below)
PPS. If that didn't make sense, look up street graffiti artists or watch the documentary, Exit Through the Gift Shop.
PPPS. Gluten Free buns are available!! Rejoice all gluten sufferers!! Honest has heard your plea!
Take a look at the Menu
Take a look at the Menu
4a Meard St
London, Greater London
+44 20 3609 9524
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