Yes, we reported on the Soho pop-up, and then the wild giveaway last Friday lunchtime, when meat-hungry queues snaked around Highgate Studios. But we were keen to swing by again last night to do a proper review, now Dirty Burger is finally open for business in its Kentish Town home. (Never let it be said that we don’t take our work seriously. Ahem.)
Even better, they were still doing their 50% off thing. Our intern had reported that on the previous day greedier folk had been gobbling down three or four at a sitting. Yeurgh.
So: cheeseburgers (£5.50, normal price), crinkle cut chips (£2.50) and onion rings (£2.50). A pint of Camden Pale Ale is a hefty £4.50, but that was half price too.
The beef was tender, juicy, leanish (only 15% fat apparently, rather than the usual 20%) and so sloppy the only way to eat it is over the signature wrapper. After our previous experience we asked for ours medium-rare but were told they ‘can’t’ as the beef is aged. Still, the authoritative grey-haired boss bloke promised to cook ours for a shorter time, and it did indeed arrive pleasantly red in the middle, with that moreish tang of American yellow mustard.
The crinkle cut chips were more seasoned than last time too (and almost identical to Chicken Shops downstairs, surprise surprise). And the crispy rings – made with red onion, we now realized as we inspected a morsel before shoving it in – were meltingly soft inside. Just don’t think about the calories. Or the greasy paws afterwards.
Verdict? Definitely our favourite Dirty Burger yet. They must have flipped thousands since it opened on Wednesday morning and they’re now obviously well into their stride. It already feels like it’s been around for months. Service is fast, polite, friendly.
On our visit, at 630pm, the corrugated iron shack was only half busy, a relief as our burger-friendly Jack Russell was being driven half-crazy by the smells. But we can’t imagine how packed it’ll be tonight – on the last day of this super-bargainous offer. Arrive early.
Words & Pics: Stephen Emms
Main Pic: Amelia Horgan
So how did you find it? And how’s the pricing?
5 thoughts on “Review: Dirty Burger Kentish Town”
tried dirty burger the other night. it was great, and obviously a ludicrous deal at half price. but would you agree the full price for the burger is ever so slightly high? there is a very similar place called burgermeister in berlin which is much cheaper. allowing for london being generally more expensive, I would say around 4/4.50 would be a great price for DB. but what do I know? in contrast I think the pricing at chicken shop (which I also tried, and it is outstanding) seems spot on!
We were there at the same time, and saw the Jack Russell going mad by the “burgers in the air” – felt doing the same myself :D.
GREAT burgers indeed, and with the 50% discount it was a great bargain. However I would say that £5.5 for a cheeseburger is a bit on the steep side, considering that it’s actually somewhat small. However I was not a big fan of the chips, seemed over cooked and the chips were too small. Perhaps we got the last scraps of a batch, I don’t know…
Will come back for the burger though, will just skip the chips and CRAZY greasy onion rings.
Hmm, this photo looks familiar..
http://www.spearswms.com/spears-world/food-friday/36187/emilys-openings-dirty-burger-kentish-town.thtml
When did it become acceptable to take a dog to a restaurant? It might just be acceptable to take a dog in to a pub that doesn’t serve food, but this is beyond the Pale.
Apart from being un-hygenic, it shows a flagrant disregard for other customers, who may not wish to have an animal around while eating. Leave your pet at home.
Hi John, relax it’s just a shack in a car park! The restaurants are entirely separate. We asked before entering DB and dogs are welcome. It’s also worth remembering that almost every gastropub in our locale is dog-friendly, one of the blessings of living near the Heath.