Honest Burgers started as a festival marquee favourite in 2010. Word about the burger joint spread like wildfire across social and print media, with reviews hailing their fare as some of the best burgers in the city. Naturally, an expansion saw HB joints across London and to date they’ve set up six shops, the latest opening in Oxford Circus last month.
We visited the mothership in Brixton Village recently. There’s a sense of raw honesty emanating from this branch and it will always remind me of humble beginnings.
I was gunning for my favourite Honest (£9.5) but I saw that the Louisiana Special (£10) has made a comeback appearance on the menu so I went for it instead. I missed out on this last year when the joint collaborated with HBO in celebration of the True Blood Season 5 DVD London release. Pretty cool. The choice was a bit of a gamble because it didn’t have two of my favourite elements of a burger: bacon and cheese. But hey, it’s only around for a limited period so why the heck not.
Cajun-blackened beef patty, fried onions, bloody mary ketchup, beef tomato, red leaf. Served in a toasted brioche bun and heaps of rosemary fries.
It definitely has a unique taste. As per usual, the patty is succulent and juicy (at one point I restrained myself from licking some sort of dripping down my forearm and wiped it off with a serviette like proper ladies do) although there was only a wee hint of the promised Cajun seasoning. The bloody mary ketchup was spiced and tangy, somehow giving the flavour of the burger a kick. The only thing I didn’t like was my bun, which was quite dry. It’s still a pretty decent burger but not as amazing as the Honest.
The apple and beetroot slaw (£2.5) is an okay filler for your five-a-day. The taste is quite subtle but it gives you much needed texture when you’re having medium-rare burgers. The side salad’s a bit too drenched in oil for me, I’m afraid.
Overall, good burgers and absolutely trusty.
