Review of 'MEATLiquor W1'

A few years ago we visited W1 branch of MEATLiquor in their original location on Wellbeck Street (see my review [/reviews/restaurants/england/london/marylebone/251|here]]) behind the old House of Fraser, a few streets west of their current location which is just off of Regent Street two streets north of Oxford Circus. At least they are now a lot easier to find!

The new location perhaps is not as quirky at the old (no church-like oval ceilings here) but still has much the same vibe with the walls decorated with funky posters and punk art…never mind the very loud music. Though perhaps we are getting used to it, this time it did not seem so loud. Also of note is a permanent stage just to the right of the long, deep room that makes up the interior. Quirky it still is with a “Photoloo” beside the door if you wish to visit and take a snap commemorating your visit.

We were shown to a table against the wall just inside the restaurant, thankfully away from the rather cool breezes coming in from outside as the door frequently opened and shut during our visit. It was constantly busy despite it being a Thursday night mostly with people having reservations (recommended but they do work hard to seat walk-ins). On the tables there is a QR code to scan to place orders but we found we after putting in our order using the web site it pointed us at we could not submit the order so had to wave over a waitress to do it the old fashioned way.

The (funky, natch) menu is what you might expect divided into “Bits” (appetisers, small plates), “Beef Burgers”, “Dogs”, “Chicken”, “Green & Serene” (new one to us), “Fries”, and “Sweets” with “Extras” and “Sauces” at the bottom. The drink menu was interesting featuring “Shakes”, “Ice Cream Union Floats”, and “Softs” as well as, of course, a selection of alcoholic drinks. Not being a drinker, I was pleased at a good selection here so opted for a “Slated Caramel Shake” (£5) which was extraordinarily thick and had a good amount of salted caramel though it was a bit tricky to drink using the provided paper straw which threatened to disintegrate at any moment but luckily survived to the very last drop.

Although it took me a while to drink my shake we still had even longer to wait before our food arrived, about 35 minutes after ordering.

Having already experienced their wonderful burgers we opted this time for chicken. I had the “Clustercluck” (£10.25; “Fried breast, cheese, spicy green chilli butter, red onions, mayo, lettuce) which was quite delicious - the good sized portion of chicken was deliciously crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside - exactly as it should be, with the “spicy green chilli butter” bringing only a slight bit of heat and therefore not overpowering the flavour of the chicken. Sadly no “dead hippie” sauce on this burger but the mayo, cheese and lettuce topping were a good match along with the delicate, soft bun that satisfyingly melted into the burger. On the side I had their wonderful “Sriracha Fries” (£4.50) which were very well prepared - Perfectly crisp, thin fries with a floury interior coated with a good amount of spicy salt (Sriracha, perhaps in spirit, but the sauce was not present).

My companion had the “Dirty Chicken Cheese Burger” (£9.95; “Fried chicken, mayo, lettuce, American cheese, red onions”) which she very much enjoyed along with a side order of plain fries (£4).

The total bill for the two of us (with only the one shake) came to £37.91 including an optional 12.5% service charge which was reasonable for the area. The loud music continues to be an issue with our struggling to hear what each other (or the waitress) was saying but the music was quite good and it has a pleasant, unrushed, relaxed atmosphere though I wouldn't want to be there with a live band…The staff were pleasant and very helpful though the service, despite the restaurant being only 3/4 full, was quite slow. The food, however, was delicious - burgers cooked simply but very well with excellent flavour and, of course, served piping hot and fresh to the table.

Still very good burgers but only visit if you like loud music…

Rating: “Really good but I have some issues”

Review Date: 2021-10-21

Cuisine: American/British

Address: 37-38 Margaret St, London W1G 0JF ENGLAND

Public Transport: Oxford Circus

Location: London (England) - Marylebone

Map:

Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7224 4239

URL: https://meatliquor.com/