The best hamburgers in the UK!

[Alessan]

@Chefguy

I’m not sure that “extolling” is the same thing as “snark”, which is what your initial response was, and this bit of sidetrack is over for me. Feel free to continue.

Actually, I wasn’t trying to be snarky. Sorry if I came across that way.

[silenus]

@Baron_Greenback

. How hard is that?

Exactly. Too many “chefs” is the problem. Bring over a couple of guys/gals who trained with Smashburger, Fatburger, Fuddrucker’s and the like, give them some start-up capital, and introduce real burgers to the plebes.

[legalsnugs]

@Smid

…

Wimpy is largely gone in the uk (I am surprised someone mentioned seeing one in Berlin, I only ever saw Wendys for a long time in Europe, McD’s took until late 90’s to make it over there), it didn’t go out of business, it got bought out by Burger King. It went out of fashion (and Burger King in the UK has too, that has all but disappeared from the high street and is a motorway service station/train station chain). I personally think the Wimpy Quarter pounder (it still exists in some places) with cheese is the best chain burger in the uk, far superior to the McD’s effort and the pressed thin pate cardboard of BK. However, here a burger is far less about the food and far more about the toys for the children, and in that sense BK also lost out a long time ago…

Not true. At least, not true in London. I’ve seen lots of Wimpy’s around here and I checked their website to make sure I wasn’t seeing things and there appears to be lots of locations. I have not eaten at any of them yet. I will have to try them one of these days and I’ll be happy to report back.

@Smid

It has probably improved now. Having visited Budapest about 10 times now, I’d say I’ve never been tempted to try a burger in many places apart from that one I tried in that “English Bar” (I think it was called Bulldog or something) by the Danube. I’d be on the goulash or the other massive chunks of meat they serve in their restaurants.

Horses for courses (no, wait, that’s in France).

Budapest has a couple of places that do pretty good burgers: Manga Cowboy on Ráday utca and Ring Cafe on Andrássy út make very good burgers but for a great simple burger, the Black Cab Burger on Mester utca cannot be beat.

[Smid]

@legalsnugs

Not true. At least, not true in London. I’ve seen lots of Wimpy’s around here and I checked their website to make sure I wasn’t seeing things and there appears to be lots of locations. I have not eaten at any of them yet. I will have to try them one of these days and I’ll be happy to report back.

They were, I think they’ve had some of a resurgence, at one point they were largely gone, most of the restaurants were converted to a BK or closed if near one (because they owned them). Bit by bit they’ve reappeared, but in strange places. There are none in towns/cities around the west midlands, but some on the service stations. Down south out in the districts they seem have appeared again.

I’d recommend its quarter pounder, I find it far juicier and tastier than anything McDs produces, and BK’s burgers are cardboard to me, I’m sure they must be much nicer in the states for it to survive over there, but when over there I’d never waste a meal on checking if BK or Subway is any different in the US.

[pulykamell]

@Smid

I’d recommend its quarter pounder, I find it far juicier and tastier than anything McDs produces, and BK’s burgers are cardboard to me, I’m sure they must be much nicer in the states for it to survive over there, but when over there I’d never waste a meal on checking if BK or Subway is any different in the US.

To me, the BKs in Europe tasted like the ones in the US. I’m not a fan of them, either, but I still would eat there very occasionally (when someone else wanted to go there). McDonald’s is an odd duck–I like McDonald’s, but they have a peculiar flavor all their own that is McDonald’s. They don’t taste like your standard hamburger stand fast-food burger.

[the_diego]

@Little_Nemo

Sorry, my British friends, but you’re missing the point. A hamburger is supposed to be simple. If you’re making a fancy gourmet meal out of it, you’re doing it wrong. What you have may taste good - but you’ve lost the quintessence of the hamburger.

What they’re telling us is the art of burger-making never reached the new world.

[jaymac1]

We still have McDonalds and Burger King which is no more expensive than in the US.

[Spud]

@pulykamell

The Shake Shack burger–the second one listed–looks like a perfectly respectable, normal fast-food style hamburger.

Probably because Shake Shack is a US chain.

But even the Shake Shack burger, which seems to be a cheap burger as the commentary says its “only” 5 GBP (about US$7.50). That same burger at In N Out would be under $3. (I can’t remember the prices, but I think it’s actually close to $2 for a single cheeseburger.)

Or for comparison, you can buy the exact same burger for $4.60 in the theater district in NYC (8th Ave and 44th).

[pulykamell]

Well, that would explain it. I had never heard of it before.