Overrated burger restaurants

Balanadan

Will these go the way of donut shops eventually? There's a good few chains out there now, both Irish and foreign-owned, that sell only basic burgers, chips, and drinks for extortionate prices considering what you get for the money. You could pay almost €15 just for an average burger, chips and a drink. It's just fast food. The owners and shareholders must be absolutely coining it.

JohnnyFlash

That 5 Guys place is a right rip-off. The food is shîte and it’s rotten expensive. I do think Bunsen is worth the hype though. The burgers are lovely.

WesternZulu

Bunsen Burger is only average.

flatface

WesternZulu wrote: »

Bunsen Burger is only average.

Where are the half of Dublin burger places that are better than Bunsen? They would be my favourite

Cienciano

I know how this thread will go: everywhere is shít

lawred2

WesternZulu wrote: »

Bunsen Burger is only average.

Average compared to what? Chapter one?

stateofflux

5 guys. €15 for the most basic meal deal is robbery

A burger is a burger...not a fillet steak

Ursus Horribilis

Eddie Rocketts, though I don't know if anyone really rates it. It's definitely overpriced.

Bunsen, on the other hand. Mmmmm

ceadaoin.

stateofflux wrote: »

5 guys. €15 for the most basic meal deal is robbery

A burger is a burger...not a fillet steak

The five guys in the UK is extortionate too. I can get a meal here for around $10. That's with more fries than I can normally eat and free soda refills. Don't know why they ramp the price up so much abroad.

biko

I find Handsome Burger very good.
But yeah, there is a lot of "artisan burger" shops around

Maurice Yeltsin

I found that BuJo in Sandymount that everyone on t'internet raves about to be awfully dry and bland.

Thankfully there's a regular chipper next door to it, far nicer.


I do find Five Guys delicious (well, the burgers, the chips are muck). Wowburger is very similar to them and a bit cheaper. Nicer chips too.

Bunsen is grand, I found the service a bit meh in the one off Grafton St though (standing for fecking ages trying to pay after finishing).

One thing...well...I wouldn't say off putting, but odd all the same, the female staff in these places are usually alternative types. More the types you'd find at a repeal march than manning the makeup counter in Boots.

Of course, main thing to remember is what form advertising takes these days. All of these places, donut shops, cafes, bleedin Coppers, they're just thrust into the public consciousness now via paid reviews from rubbish like Joe.ie and the truly awful Lovin Dublin.


Another note- not an artisan burger spot obviously, but Abrakebara really do do a tasty tasty burger.

Wowburger wicklow st best value and don't have to wait long for your burger. it's not much more than mcdonalds but way tastier.

Bunsen good also but you have to go away and wait to be texted unless it's a really quiet time.

5 guys over-rated and over-priced.

Odelay

Burgerland is the best!

HalloweenJack

Box Burger in Bray is delish. They had a stall in the Bernard Shaw at one point.

I tried Bó Bó a while back and it was also top notch.

dudara

A well-made burger using good quality ingredients and toppings won’t be cheap. My current favorite is Bujo, really good quality meat and tasty ingredients. Gráinne O’Keeffe is a chef who definitely knows how to grill meat.

If you think a burger is fast food, then stick with Burger King or McD’s, which are good in their way too.

Rows Grower

Ursus Horribilis wrote: »

Eddie Rocketts, though I don't know if anyone really rates it. It's definitely overpriced.

Bunsen, on the other hand. Mmmmm

Once I ate in an Eddie Rocketts and I just couldn't understand how they were able to get away with the overpricing, they must be working on new customer turnover all the time.

Bunsen is the dogs liathroidi's, walk in starving for a good burger and chips walk out happy, they even do cold beer.

TerrorFirmer

Now in fairness I should've known better then to get wings in a burger joint, but I recently got hot chicken wings in Bobo's Burgers and they were the most bland, tasteless wings I've ever been served in a restaurant.

SEPT 23 1989

I like McDonalds

retalivity

Bobo's is great. Their lunch deal is a tenner, and they are forever on groupon giving away 2 burgers amd sides for €18.
Bunsen are a step above fast food and not as expensive as the rest.
Wowburger - meh, like all the food from press-up establishments, its not worth what you are paying.
Eddie rockets mever did it for me.
Five guys is an abomination though, outright robbery. I had one when it arrived here and it was muck, i had it in canada a few times and it was much better and nowhere near the same markup.

dudara

dudara wrote: »

A well-made burger using good quality ingredients and toppings won’t be cheap. My current favorite is Bujo, really good quality meat and tasty ingredients. Gráinne O’Keeffe is a chef who definitely knows how to grill meat.

If you think a burger is fast food, then stick with Burger King or McD’s, which are good in their way too.

Get off your high-horse - a burger, whether good quality or not, is fast food.

dudara

glasso wrote: »

Get off your high-horse - a burger, whether good quality or not, is fast food.

Fast food by definition is mass produced for sale in high volume, high speed, mass market outlets. There are a lot of burger restaurants that don’t meet that definition. It’s very unfair to consider all burgers to be fast food.

I quite like 5 guys I have to say but the best burgers in the world are in Shake shack, absolutely unreal they are wish they were in Ireland.

Zaph

My favourite is definitely Bunsen, the best burgers in Dublin imo. That said, Bujo is not far behind, but it's not very convenient for me so have only been there once. Wowburger is well worth a visit, as was Generator in Smithfield, but I believe it went massively downhill. If anyone is near Stoneybatter I'd definitely recommend Chili Shack, great burgers, even better onion rings, large portions of everything and ridiculously cheap. They have one in Galway too that's just as good.

On the flip side you have the likes of Bó Bó, which were the blandest, most tasteless burgers I've ever eaten, and The Counter, where your food comes suspiciously fast so the burgers must be pre-cooked, which would explain why they're so dry. Haven't been to 5 Guys, and as they cook their fries in peanut oil I won't be risking it as I have a peanut allergy. I've no idea if peanut oil is safe for me or not, but I'm not willing to take the chance. It's amazing that in this day and age where food allergies are highlighted much better they make such a big deal of using peanut oil.

fxotoole

Maurice Yeltsin wrote: »

Of course, main thing to remember is what form advertising takes these days. All of these places, donut shops, cafes, bleedin Coppers, they're just thrust into the public consciousness now via paid reviews from rubbish like Joe.ie and the truly awful Lovin Dublin.

I don't read either of these sites so those paid ads don't even register with my consciousness

Rows Grower

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

Now in fairness I should've known better then to get wings in a burger joint, but I recently got hot chicken wings in Bobo's Burgers and they were the most bland, tasteless wings I've ever been served in a restaurant.

Don't beat yourself about it, anyone that can do a good burger should be able to do good chicken wings too.

Anyone doing both for a living should have it mastered in all fairness.

dudara

dudara wrote: »

Fast food by definition is mass produced for sale in high volume, high speed, mass market outlets. There are a lot of burger restaurants that don’t meet that definition. It’s very unfair to consider all burgers to be fast food.

another internet definition

Fast food is food which is prepared and served quickly

burger meets that definition. quick to prepare, cook and serve. quality is not alluded to in fast food.

dudara

glasso wrote: »

another internet definition



burger meets that definition. quick to prepare, cook and serve.

No point in debating with you. You don’t seem willing to consider that burgers could be more than fast food aka McD’s, BK.

Zaph

Zaph wrote: »

On the flip side you have the likes of B, which were the blandest, most tasteless burgers I've ever eaten, and The Counter, where your food comes suspiciously fast so the burgers must be pre-cooked, which would explain why they're so dry. Haven't been to 5 Guys, and as they cook their fries in peanut oil I won't be risking it as I have a peanut allergy. I've no idea if peanut oil is safe for me or not, but I'm not willing to take the chance. It's amazing that in this day and age where food allergies are highlighted much better they make such a big deal of using peanut oil.

I wouldn’t advise you to even go inside a 5 guys if you have a peanut allergy. They have large sacks of peanuts piled up around the restaurant and big buckets of free peanuts left around the place to eat while you are there.

Marcus Rashford

I wouldn’t trust the opinion of anyone who’s critical of Bunsen’s burgers.

People are entitled to their opinion but it has to be reasonable.

It just isn’t reasonable to say that a Bunsen burger is anything but lovely.

Zaph

glasso wrote: »

another internet definition



burger meets that definition. quick to prepare, cook and serve. quality is not alluded to in fast food.

The point dudara was making is that not every burger has to be considered fast food. Sure, McDonalds or Burger King definitely are, but I could go into Tomahawk or Asador, for example, and have their burgers and while they may be quick to prepare, I could be pretty sure it wouldn't be fast food.

dudara

dudara wrote: »

No point in debating with you. You don’t seem willing to consider that burgers could be more than fast food aka McD’s, BK.

I can appreciate quality but it's not in the definition.

Wowburger, Bunsen, Five Guys etc - it's all still fast food.

dhaughton99

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

I like McDonalds

Same here. They do it fast and they do it well.

TomasMacR

Zaph wrote: »

On the flip side you have the likes of B, which were the blandest, most tasteless burgers I've ever eaten, and The Counter, where your food comes suspiciously fast so the burgers must be pre-cooked, which would explain why they're so dry. Haven't been to 5 Guys, and as they cook their fries in peanut oil I won't be risking it as I have a peanut allergy. I've no idea if peanut oil is safe for me or not, but I'm not willing to take the chance. It's amazing that in this day and age where food allergies are highlighted much better they make such a big deal of using peanut oil.

https://www.allergicliving.com/experts/is-peanut-oil-safe-or-not/

Looks like its ok but I know if I had the allergy I would err on the side of caution also.

Anyway, consider your allergy as doing you a favour in this instance. Five Guys is utter sh*te and is seriously overpriced.

Farmer Browns do a decent burger. Pubs in general I find do good burgers.

dudara

glasso wrote: »

I can appreciate quality but it's not in the definition.

Wowburger, Bunsen, Five Guys etc - it's still fast food.

I didn’t mention quality in my definition of fast food. My definition was mass-produced for sale in high volume, high speed outlets. McDonald’s would be considered quality in their market.

Omackeral

This is the only spot. A real working class honesty to it.

Marcus Rashford

Bunsen is not “fast food”.

It just isn’t.

dudara

dudara wrote: »

I didn’t mention quality in my definition of fast food. My definition was mass-produced for sale in high volume, high speed outlets. McDonald’s would be considered quality in their market.

yes all those other outlets are still going for quick service and a certain volume.

they far closer to the same business model as McDonald's compared to Guilbaud's

call them "fast casual" which is the segment identifier

Outlaw Pete

Eddies do a €7.95 meal deal that is far better quality than eating McDonald's but yet you'd pay the same for their grey muck.

Like Five Guys but their prices are extortionate.

Rick's are the best value in Dublin by far. Real cheddar too, not that processed crap.

Their buns let them down though, but enough about the staff.

BeerWolf

I make my own burgers... my fav being a beef patty with kidney beans, onions and some seasoning within it.

rossie1977

stateofflux wrote: »

5 guys. €15 for the most basic meal deal is robbery

A burger is a burger...not a fillet steak

Never been into Irish or UK 5 guys but that's their prices in South Beach Miami so 15 euro in Dublin is crazy. Then again Whopper meal in Dublin is like 9 Euro and 3 euro in India (no beef but they do have lamb burgers)

Maurice Yeltsin

Outlaw Pete wrote: »

Rick's are the best value in Dublin by far. Real cheddar too, not that processed crap.

f.

Only went once, thought it was awful myself.

I'm surprised by the hate for 5 Guys here. It is admittedly overpriced but it's delicious all the same (as said, the chips are muck, but the burger is so filling you don't need them anyway)

How Soon Is Now

Zaph wrote: »

My favourite is definitely Bunsen, the best burgers in Dublin imo. That said, Bujo is not far behind, but it's not very convenient for me so have only been there once. Wowburger is well worth a visit, as was Generator in Smithfield, but I believe it went massively downhill. If anyone is near Stoneybatter I'd definitely recommend Chili Shack, great burgers, even better onion rings, large portions of everything and ridiculously cheap. They have one in Galway too that's just as good.

On the flip side you have the likes of B, which were the blandest, most tasteless burgers I've ever eaten, and The Counter, where your food comes suspiciously fast so the burgers must be pre-cooked, which would explain why they're so dry. Haven't been to 5 Guys, and as they cook their fries in peanut oil I won't be risking it as I have a peanut allergy. I've no idea if peanut oil is safe for me or not, but I'm not willing to take the chance. It's amazing that in this day and age where food allergies are highlighted much better they make such a big deal of using peanut oil.

Good to hear haha!

Knew I was the only thing keeping that place going! :P

Id rather make one at home to be honest think I've been there done that when comes to burgers at this stage!

milehip

HalloweenJack wrote: »

Box Burger in Bray is delish. They had a stall in the Bernard Shaw at one point.

I tried Bó Bó a while back and it was also top notch.

+1 for box burger and the owner is sound as well.

1hnr79jr65

Bunsen - it is ok but i think too expensive for what it is
TGI friday - muck
Captain Americas - decent ish
Eddie Rockets - couldnt pay me to eat there
5 Guys - Overpriced, crap portions
Wow burger - meh
Box Burger - nice, but too expensive

Honestly best burgers Ive had are from chippers like Macaris as restaurants tend to overthink burgers or charge too much for the "creation".

Marcus Rashford

Did you ever read the story of how yer man Gleeson set out to create Bunsen?

He’s a chef. He spent around a year travelling the world with a view to researching and putting together the ultimate burger. They mince high quality meat on site daily (hence the ability to serve rarer). The bun is a specific Jewish type of bread he found in New York. He piggy-backed Heston Blumenthal’s work on the optimum type of cheese. I could go on.

So for someone to say “ah my chipper is better” is just patently ridiculous. It isn’t. How can a cheap processed patty made in some factory for the lowest price possible be better?

It’s up there with “I hear ya with your Charlize Theron being good in the scratcher, but Angela Merkel is really the one for me”

NewbridgeIR

Maurice Yeltsin wrote: »

One thing...well...I wouldn't say off putting, but odd all the same, the female staff in these places are usually alternative types. More the types you'd find at a repeal march than manning the makeup counter in Boots.

I noticed this as well. What's the reason for it?

How Soon Is Now

Marcus Rashford wrote: »

Did you ever read the story of how yer man Gleeson set out to create Bunsen?

He’s a chef. He spent around a year travelling the world with a view to researching and putting together the ultimate burger. They mince high quality meat on site daily (hence the ability to serve rarer). The bun is a specific Jewish type of bread he found in New York. He piggy-backed Heston Blumenthal’s work on the optimum type of cheese. I could go on.

So for someone to say “ah my chipper is better” is just patently ridiculous. It isn’t. How can a cheap processed patty made in some factory for the lowest price possible be better?

You can have the best ingredients in world but if the guy or girl making the food doesn't know what there at it what's the point!?

Twice I got a burger in there and could tell it wasn't seasoned that's a basic thing that makes a big difference and I just don't see the point in going back when it's not cheap and I could do better at home.

i've never been to 5 guys. from this thread it sounds like i won't

bluewolf

bluewolf wrote: »

i've never been to 5 guys. from this thread it sounds like i won't

It’s actually very nice surprised at so many people saying it isn’t.

Guy:Incognito

stateofflux wrote: »

5 guys. €15 for the most basic meal deal is robbery

A burger is a burger...not a fillet steak

So a five guys burger is identical to a €1 McDonalds hamburger?

That's clearly not true.

Marcus Rashford

Marcus Rashford wrote: »

Did you ever read the story of how yer man Gleeson set out to create Bunsen?

He’s a chef. He spent around a year travelling the world with a view to researching and putting together the ultimate burger. They mince high quality meat on site daily (hence the ability to serve rarer). The bun is a specific Jewish type of bread he found in New York. He piggy-backed Heston Blumenthal’s work on the optimum type of cheese. I could go on.

So for someone to say “ah my chipper is better” is just patently ridiculous. It isn’t. How can a cheap processed patty made in some factory for the lowest price possible be better?

It’s up there with “I hear ya with your Charlize Theron being good in the scratcher, but Angela Merkel is really the one for me”

yes the meat is good and the bun in particular is excellent.