Apparently it is widely believed that the Hamburger originated in Hamburg (hence the name), the invention of Otto Kuase who used to serve butter fried patties topped with a fried egg to sailors. There are plenty of other claims to the first Hamburger, but we like this one, and so we thought we’d take a break from the wurst and give a burger a go in the country where it was (allegedly) invented. So where better when in Berlin than Burgermeister, the go-to place in Berlin for burgers, which frequently features on best eats lists for the city. When I arrived I was amused to see the innately hip Berlin has not missed out on the trend of turning public loos into eating establishments. (Maybe it even started here? Who knows!)
Burgermeister’s location in an ex-public convenience under a subway bridge in the hipster mecca of Kreuzberg is about as cool Berlin as you can get, as are the clientele. We arrived about half 3 on a Thursday afternoon, missing the lunchtime rush but the place was still suitably busy with trendy Berliners (if you aren’t familiar think Dalston hipsters). We had to wait for a few minutes, but I’m told this place is seriously popular and at peak times the queues are huge so we were lucky!
I went for one of the Burgermeister specials, the Meister Aller Klassen – doppelt fleisch, doppelt käse, bacon, barbequesoße, jalapenos. With a bit of guesswork and straining my brain back to year 9 German I managed to work out that meant double patty, double cheese, bacon, BBQ sauce, and (obviously) jalapenos. With that I ordered a side of cheese fries and a beer.
I was delighted when my order came and the cheese fries were drizzled in amazing melty cheese sauce – the sort of stuff you get in America on tater tots – fully artificial, unnatural orangey yellow sheen, gloriously gloopy deliciousness. The fries were light, crisp and well salted, perfect vessels for transporting that liquid cheesy delight into my mouth. The burger was also a thing of joy. The patties were loose, juicy and had a good crunchy sear on the outside. The bacon was crispy, the cheese was melty, and the bun was super soft and toasted on the inside. There was a bit of salad, a squeeze of mayo (this is Germany after all), and the jalapenos were fresh and thinly sliced in the bottom giving a hint of heat but nothing overpowering. Pretty much the perfect burger. Also a really good size, the double burger and cheese fries combo was probably a bit too much for one person, but worry not friends, I powered through to the end. #NoRegrets
Oh, and I almost forgot to mention the price! All of the above for less than 10 Euros! Bargain! I picked the most expensive burger on the menu at €7, the rest of them are under €5! Even with the £ as weak as it is at the mo (thanks a lot Brexiteers), that’s still bloody good value. I’d say Burgermeister ticks all the boxes… cheap, cool setting in a great location, and most importantly excellent food! If you’re ever in Berlin check it out!
Forked by Tolibear
Twitter: @burgermeisterB
Insta: @burgermeisterberlin
fork my piehole 