Another meal out with a fantastic voucher from Groupon: 2 burgers and 2 sides at Cotham Hill’s The Burger Joint for only £6.75 (RRP £15). I’d heard that the venue was pretty small (and the voucher wasn’t available on takeaway) so I phoned ahead to check the least busy times….and we ended up heading up there for a different take on a Sunday lunch…
The Burger Joint was opened in 2009 by Dan Bekhradnia, after he realised that there was a demand for burgers made from quality ingredients. The restaurant prides itself on making virtually everything on the premises: not just the burgers themselves, but also toppings, sauces, chips and salads. The bread is not made on the premises, but the ciabatta buns that are used are bought from an artisan baker.
With only around 7-8 tables and a small bar area, The Burger Joint is a fairly small venue, but with a fantastic atmosphere. The decor is warm and inviting, with red walls, old-style jazz posters and soft uplighting. When we went at Sunday lunchtime, we were treated to lots of old Motown classics – perfect atmosphere for a lazy, rainy weekend.
Ordering is simple. Menus are placed on the table, and you just need to create your burger and choose your side order (all burgers come with one side dish of your choice) and mark your choices in tick boxes on a separate sheet, which your waiter/waitress will take to the kitchen. I was impressed to see two vegetarian choices on the menu: “The Veggie Joint” – a table next to us had this and it was enormous! – and mixed mushroom, garlic and herb.
Of the meat options, I chose the Welsh lamb and mint, whereas my dining companion opted for venison (there’s always next time to try the 6oz prime beef, grilled chicken or peri chicken options). Toppings and sauces are too numerous to list, so check the website here to get your mouth watering! And if you don’t fancy the bread…then simply order your burger to be served without the bun, on a salad of cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, roasted peppers, red onion and mixed lettuce.
While waiting for our food, we ordered a drink each, taking advantage of the fact that this is a fast food joint that’s actually licenced – cider for me, a beer for him, both bottled. Maybe we’re simply easily impressed, but I never see chilled glasses anywhere anymore, so this gives the place another thumbs up in our book.
The burgers, when they arrived, were meaty, succulent…and enormous! In terms of both freshness and flavour, I can honestly say that it was the best burger I’ve had in Bristol to date. I ordered mine with a side of hand-cut thick chips – more like potato wedges than chips, and with the skin still on, which made me very happy.
A burger plus side costs only £6.95 for the majority of the options. Venison burgers, however, sell at £7.50, and a child-sized beef or veggie option are available for just £5.45. If you generally err on the side of larger portions, pay just £2 more and you can double the size of your burger.
If this sounds like your sort of thing, then it’s definitely worth joining the mailing list – click here to enter your details. Emails from the restaurant bring with them great savings: an email I received in the middle of February, for example, entitles the subscriber to two main meals (either burger plus side or breakfast) for the price of one.
It may be fast food, but it’s great quality fast food – definitely recommended.
Address: 32 Cotham Hill, Bristol BS6 6LA
Telephone: 0117 3290 887
Website: http://www.theburgerjoint.co.uk/
[…] I can definitely vouch for the quality of Dan’s food – we reviewed The Burger Joint back in February 2011, and you can read our review here… […]