In our continuing Best Burgers of London series, we’ve been visiting (or revisiting) some of the most delicious classic cheeseburgers that the capital has to offer. This week: our old friend, the one that started it all, the OG of the London burger scene… MEATliquor’s magnificent Dead Hippie.

Shock news just in: the Dead Hippie burger by MEATliquor is one of the best burgers in London!

I know this isn’t new news. I am fully aware of that. However, any good Best of Burgers of London list needs to include at least one entry from the MEATliquor gang, as they’ve been leading the charge on London’s dirty burger scene since their inception in a street food van in 2009.

I feel like MEATliquor and their Dead Hippie burger are pretty renowned in London now and most people will have heard of them and know what to expect if they go along. So I was quite amused when I was reading the Time Out review of MEATliquor from back in 2013: Time Out gave them 4 stars out of 5, but readers only gave them 3 out of 5. Reading a few of the 1 star comments I soon realised that the reasons that most people didn’t like the experience at MEATliquor was precisely the reason why I love it! This comment below sums up most of the negative feedback:

So for the benefit of the few people who haven’t been to MEATliquor yet, here are some things to note:

You cannot book a table. They just don’t take bookings. If you go on a Friday or Saturday night be prepared to queue, for like an hour. In the cold. Don’t go if you don’t like queues (see above). They have a strict ‘no queue cutting’ rule so turn up together. How would you feel if you had been waiting for an hour and then 20 people turned up and got in before you? No? Didn’t think so. It’s quite dark inside. If you like well-lit restaurants or have poor eyesight this might be a problem for you. It also very loud inside as the staff play that “dreadful” rock and metal music. If this is not your cup of tea then it’s probably best to avoid the place. Don’t be stupid and take a date here. You won’t be able to hear what they are saying, Probably don’t take your Nan either. She would just straight up hate it. Food is served on trays. On clean paper. Get over it.

If however you are not particularly phased by any of these things then well done! You’ll go far! And most importantly you will enjoy your time at MEATliquor. Please proceed to the Dead Hippie burger review below.

Monkey Fingers (£7.75)

Before we launch into the main event, the Dead Hippie review, let’s catch up on a few of the side dishes, which are not to be missed. First up are the Monkey Fingers: soft battered pieces of chicken with a house-made hot pepper sauce which has a tangy, vinegary twang and a coating that leaves a red stain everywhere. Plus they come with an ace blue cheese dip. Very, very moreish. I get some every time I go.

Chili Cheese Fries (£7)

These never disappoint. Crisp fries topped with chilli that’s so good, really sweet with a bit of heat but not too much. Absolutely loads of fries, a butt-ton of melted cheese, some chopped green jalapeño chillis and a squish of French’s mustard on top. They are mega good. The more miserly among you might balk at the £7 price tag but be aware that these fries are always too much for two people to share, so along with your burgers and any other sides, you invariably won’t finish what you order.

Dead Hippie (£8.75)

A classic. Two mustard-fried burger patties, shredded lettuce, cheese, pickles and the infamous secret Dead Hippie sauce. It used to be this was a real dirty burger and the sauce would run down your arms, but on this occasion it didn’t seem as runny as normal. Still really good though and always takes me back to the first time I had a really decent cheeseburger in America when I was 1o years old, something that I had never had in this country until MeatLiquor came along. There is something about the flavour of the patties that is just pure beefy deliciousness. I still love them. All these years on the Dead Hippie still deserves it’s place in the London burger hall of fame.

SCORES OUT OF FIVE

Bun: 4/5

Patty: 4/5

Cheese & extras: 4/5

Overall: 4/5

Still hungry? Maybe you’ll find something equally finger-licking in our guide to the best burgers from National Burger Day 2016.











Author: Toni Ratcliff Date: 2016-08-05 Title: MEATliquor's Dead Hippie burger Rating: 4