Hamburger Review: Hamburger Union London

Hamburger Union at Leicester Square London

It has not been the first time I have been here. But as I needed to have a picture of their burger and see if my previous assessment had been correct, I once again tried a burger from Hamburger Union.

Now, the original plan was to go and test Fine Burger. But when I stood in front of their Bond Street outlet (which was still listed on their homepage), I had to discover that it was closed and another restaurant was setting up shop in the location. After calling them I found out that they closed several locations at the beginning of the year, and had two remaining outlets in London (Message to management: Update your website, regularly! Especially when you're closing 70% of your restaurants). Since I did not want to travel to Kings Cross, I changed my plan and settled for Hamburger Union, where I had gone once before.

Unlike in commercials, the pictures you see in this blog are showing the burgers just the way they are served.

Now, let us dissect the basic parts of a Hamburger. The way I see it, a burger consists of three parts. Number one and the most important aspect of a good burger is without doubt "the meat", secondly the bun, and last are the toppings.

The meat in their burger, although not the worst meat I had in a burger, was definitely frozen before. As you can see in this picture, Hamburger Union uses a "British bun" (I call it that, because this is the same kind of bun you would find on a pub hamburger here in Britain). It tastes stale, floury, and gets soggy because it has not (or can not) been caramelized properly. Why don't you use regular HAMBURGER BUNS???

As for the toppings; yes they were fresh, but that could not save the burger.

There are not many positive points to talk about except one; the Onion Rings side dish. Although they are probably not homemade, they taste just the way they are supposed to taste. Same goes for the fries, they taste just the way your average McDonald's fries do (if that was the intention).

Hamburger Union's product is far below par. Somewhere between the front door where it says Hamburger Restaurant and the kitchen, there was an error in communication about what this place is supposed to be. For a place that specializes in Hamburgers, this is simply not good enough, and reminds me of the pub's next door (of which there are quite a few at Leicester Square already). This goes for product quality, preparation, presentation, and even the service. Avoid this place, if there is a GBK close by, and you probably get a better value for money at the Burger King around the corner.

Rating: 2 out of 6

http://www.hamburgerunion.com/