Review of 'MEATliquor W1 (Old Location) (NOW CLOSED)'

Ever since MEATliquor opened back in 2011 I have wanted to visit this burger restaurant as I had heard so much about it but every time I have passed by there has been a queue and I have not been in the mood to queue. All this changed yesterday when we were in the area and looking for somewhere to eat. There was a still a queue but we did not mind waiting this time.

You could be forgiven for walking right by this rather unassuming restaurant located behind the Oxford Street branch of Debenhams but then you would also have to ignore the long queue of people waiting to get in (they only take limited bookings for six or more people). There is a rather elaborate queuing system in place which basically means your name goes onto a list, they give you the bad news about the wait and as you get closer to the front of the queue outside they let you in to wait at the bar where they go and find you to show you to your seat.

The interior. Well, what can I say? Amazing and really in keeping with the anarchistic feel of the whole experience - Dark interior with red lighting throughout, spray painting on all surfaces, dangling cables from the (slightly loud) sound system (more later)…I liked it but others might find it a bit offensive (the obscene words on the walls, for example). They have a good assortment of drinks on offer including shakes (hard and soft), and cocktails.

We were shown to a table at the far end of the restaurant past the bar where we tried to read our menus under the red lights. The food menu had “XXXMas Food”, “Fries (not Chips)”, “Beef etc”, “Chicken” and “Sides” section with a bit at the end about their “Triple Chilli Challenge” of three dishes that, eaten in 10 minutes, are free. The dishes on offer are what you might expect with the emphasis here on their amazing burgers which I have had elsewhere, at Meat Market in Covent Garden but also at their various street food stalls. So, today I ordered the “Tower Block Burger” (£8.75) - “Fried chicken fillet with cheese, hash brown, jalapeños, slaw, onions & russian dressing” - Which was good but a bit bland, if I can say so considering all of those ingredients. My companion had their signature dish, “Dead Hippie” burger (£8.75) “2x french’s mustard-fried beef patties, dead hippie sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, minced white onions” which was wonderfully delicious and juicy (the dead hippie sauce is amazing - a sweet mayo-like concoction). On the side we had just a standard order of french fries (£3.25) that were nicely crunchy but extremely salty as we got to the bottom (someone obviously did not mix them very well) and an order of enormous onion rings (£3.50) that I swear looked like donuts but were deliciously crunchy and not oily. All of the dishes arrive on a metal baking trays covered with parchment paper that you can see the waiters carrying above their heads throughout your visit - Very effective and useful given the slightly messy nature of the food.

We had a non-alcoholic milkshake (£4.95) each, I had the “Salted Caramel” which was delicious and thick while my companion was disappointed with her “Soft White” which was a bit like drinking very cold milk…She had tried ordering a malted vanilla and with the loud music her order somehow turned into this…thankfully the food order was right!

At £40.76 for the two of us (not including drinks we had at the bar while waiting for our table but it does include an optional 10% service charge and a £1 Streetsmart donation) this was quite a good deal for the area and we will definitely be considering a return visit to explore other delights on the menu such as the deep fried macaroni and cheese (£5.50) or the wonderful looking buffalo (chicken) wings (£7.50).

Summary: Loud, underground-vibe atmosphere just off of Oxford Street serving up great burgers and chips…sorry, fries! Check out the photo booth (tokens £3) in the middle of the place…

A footnote: As we were leaving our server said that he has trouble reading things in the light and has been asked many times by customers to turn on the lights but has had to sadly decline…so it is not just my old tired eyes that have problems!

— . Since this review, MEATLiquor W1 has relocated to Margaret Street. See here for my review.

Rating: “Nearly perfect, but not quite”

Review Date: 2016-11-26


Cuisine: American/British

Address: 74 Welbeck Street, London W1G 0BA ENGLAND

Public Transport: TUBE Bond Street

Location: London (England) - Marylebone

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Telephone: +44 (0) 2034754061

URL: https://meatliquor.com/london/