My first thought of Honest Burgers’ new restaurant in King’s Cross? How much it feels like being on a boat – all thanks to the shape of the building and the big windows. It’s cosy, with brilliant views for people-watching. Inside, it is stylish – stripped back, but not bare. The place is packed with a variety of people, girlfriends catching up, couples, and, of course, people just wanting a good burger. It is busy, buzzing and feels like the place to be.

The staff are helpful and passionate about the place. Always a good sign. We order a rose, the Plumpton Estate Rose, England, and a Hawaiian ale, the Kona Big Wave Golden Ale. The rose comes in a normal glass, which I thought was a great touch. Even better; the beer comes in a mini tankard. It’s pretty cool. The rose is a wonderful colour with perfect balance. The ale comes in an ice-cold glass and is clean, light and refreshing with a great flavour. Later, my coke comes in the can with a straw. It is all these little touches that make Honest Burgers great, and I haven’t even gotten to the food yet….<

I order a Tribute and my colleague orders a chicken burger. The chicken is free-range and comes with lettuce, tomato and mustard mayonnaise. The chicken is succulent and fresh, the mustard mayo is delicious and not too overpowering. My colleague described the bun as ‘crispy tasty’ and declared the burger ‘amazing’.

The Tribute is Ginger Pig Dry Aged Beef, cooked medium-rare (pink in the middle – one of the reasons it tastes so damn good) with bacon, American cheese, burger sauce, French’s mustard, pickles, onion and lettuce. Phew. It is, quite simply, the best burger I have ever had in my life. Fresh ingredients, great ingredients. Everything really works and I haven’t even gotten to the chips yet.

Each burger comes with a huge serving of house chips. A serving of what are, frankly, the best chips EVER. I am told a lot of effort was put into making sure that the burgers and the chips were equally as good, and they really have managed to pull it off. The chips are perfectly cooked and dusted with rosemary salt. They are full of flavour, well seasoned and a beautiful, crispy texture. Just writing this makes me dream of them.

Honest Burgers is expanding all the time, with the King’s Cross branch opening as recently as December 12th. I really hope they continue to grow, because frankly, everyone needs an Honest Burgers near them. They really don’t compare to any other burger restaurant I have ever been to. The best burgers and the best chips in town, along with a good selection of drinks.

I will definitely be back.

Honest was started by foodie entrepreneurs, Dorian Waite and Tom Barton,fresh out of uni in 2011 and has grown from an outside catering company to five incredibly successful restaurants in just two years. Honest isn’t simply a fad or a knee-jerk reaction to a consumer trend either, Honest champions the use of great British produce and stands by its name – everything from the food to the decor is completely stripped back and honest. The only thing to go into the burgers is beef, salt and pepper. That’s it.

With Honest’s Kings Cross restaurant situated just seconds away from the huge catchment area of Kings Cross station, and their largest site to date, it’s clear they have big plans.

Having just secured a £1 million investment from Santander, Honest are looking to expand throughout 2014 and into 2015. Currently London-based, Honest hopes to move past the M25, south into Brighton, or north to Manchester or Leeds.

The Honest website can be found here www.honestburgers.co.uk.

HONEST BURGERS KINGS CROSS

251 PENTONVILLE ROAD,
LONDON N1 9NG
+44 (0)20 3302 3452