"This place is so awesome that you have to book in advance", is how Atomic Burger was sold to me by friends. So you can appreciate how excited I was when we turned up, reservation made, expecting greatness.
Walking into the place was like entering into a comic book store, toys hanging off ceilings, amazing wall decorations and a TV playing old-school tunes. Very heavy retro-cool vibes.
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| Tributes to Space Invaders, Star Wars, E.T., Ghostbusters and much more adorned the walls. |
The menu is split into different burgers, each with its own theme and a collectible sticker - collect them all for a free burger. Choose from chicken, beef or veggie burger patties and then add your toppings. Choices include the Dolly Parton (two helpings of burger, bacon and cheese), Dead Elvis (swiss cheese, american cheese with bacon and onions) and Tony Montana (ham, pulled pork, pickles, mayo and american mustard) to name but a few. Atomic Burger also has a range of German Frankfurter "not-burgers", what you and I would call hot-dogs, if nothing else tickles your fancy.
My burger was called the Mr T. which is the February special. I read the description and knew it was the one for me, pulled pork, meatballs and bacon on top of a beef burger in a bun. For my side order I chose the Danger Fries, which were tossed in pulled chicken and hot sauce then drizzled with blue cheese sauce and sprinkled with chopped spring onions. To accompany my meal I ordered an Oreo cookie thick-shake. Boy-oh-boy was I excited when this turned up to my table:
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| Mouth watering |
The burger was meaty and full of flavour, served medium rare with a slight char you couldn't ask for more from the centre-piece of this meal. As you can tell from the picture this was too big for a brute-strength approach so I tucked in with my knife and fork, the bacon was well crisped and the meatballs were nicely seasoned. The pulled pork was a bit of a strange addition, it changed the texture of the burger which took a while to get used to but the barbequed flavour complemented the rest of the meats well.
However on this occasion the fries took gold prize, the pulled chicken was literally meat pulled off of buffalo chicken wings, which explained why it was so tender and melted deliciously in the mouth. The "hot" sauce was not overpowering and you could actually taste a hint of slow cooked chillis permeating throughout. This balanced well with the blue cheese drizzle. The thick and creamy Oreo milkshake was also very good.
Score card:
Food: 8/10
I really enjoyed this meal, I would say that the pulled-pork-topping concept takes a little getting used to but I would definitely order the burger again. If you go make sure you try the Danger Fries, they took the meal to the next level.
Atmosphere: 9/10
Fun, funky and a totally different experience. You have to visit at least once just to check out the decor!
Service: 10/10
For a relatively small restaurant I counted 4 wait staff and 3 chefs, they don't leave you waiting in here. Everyone was very friendly and we received our food promptly even though the restaurant had two large parties.
Value for Money: 8/10
My meal came to £16 which some would find expensive but I would come here again. The need to reserve a table speaks volumes about the popularity of Atomic Burger so the price is obviously not turning customers away.
This is an absolute gem of a restaurant, the owner is obviously trying hard to create a exciting dining experience and doesn't fail. From the moment I walked in, to reading the menu, to the food landing on our table I was sold on Atomic Burger. My expectations of greatness were fulfilled.
Over and out
- the EnFoodiast
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