MEATliquor. They’re the burger and cocktail guys who went from a burger van in a Peckham carpark to, now, 13 restaurants spanning London, Leeds, Brighton and Bristol. I blame them for my beef patty addiction. It was their first restaurant just off Oxford Street that got me into messy, drippy, sloppy burgers.
But that was years ago. How good are they now?
Their newest opening, down a dark and dingy alley in King’s Cross, is their finest looking restaurant to date. In what feels like an old barn, complete with tall wooden beams, the kitchen and bar are housed in a specially built subway train. A special shout out goes to the toilets, found below the illuminated upside down McDonald’s sign, which have a fancy Victorian-train vibe.
Food all comes out on a big metal tray. Cheese fries (£5) are a beige pile of deliciousness. It’s the addition of raw, chopped-up onions that add to the comfort factor.
The patties in the Dead Hippie (£8.75) lack the pink centre they usually have but the flavour and seasoning is spot on. They’re even doing a Dead Hippie / Pieminister mash up which is on the menu for a limited time. Basically, a burger in a pie which sounds insane(ly good).
Buffalo wings (£7.50) are plump and moist in a fiery house-made, hot pepper sauce, with a soothing blue cheese dip on the side. Simple but perfect. Best of all is deep fried mac ’n’ cheese (£5.50) which is such a wonderful creation. Nuggets of gooey, cheesy Mac ’n’ cheese in a crisp breadcrumb coating. A sweet tomato dip is the perfect dunker.
It’s been announced they’re closing the original MEATliquor just off Oxford Street (blame the building being demolished to make way for a hotel) which is very sad news. But in a fun space, with tunes blaring and super friendly staff, this latest opening is the perfect place to console yourself. It proves MEATliquor isn’t just a chain roll out which has stopped caring. The food is just as good as the day they opened.
Would we go back? Yes.