Restaurant review: burger joint worth shouting about

THE ‘dirty food’ craze seems to have reached its peak — leaving Glasgow awash with burger joints galore offering a real American-style experience.
Napkins at the ready: Cocktail & Burger hot dogs come fully loadedNapkins at the ready: Cocktail & Burger hot dogs come fully loaded
Napkins at the ready: Cocktail & Burger hot dogs come fully loaded

Some are good, some are bad — and it’s safe to say that not all of them are here to stay.

But, having heard through the grapevine that it was one to watch, Cocktail & Burger has been on my list of must-eats for a while now.

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It’s located in a former city centre bier halle basement, and not much has changed; the lights are still dimmed, the cosy booths are still there and there’s a tasty house lager on tap for a relatively reasonable £3.50.

With this in mind, the other half and I headed along for a Friday night nibble and bypassed the cocktails (although they looked promising) for pints.

His was a C&B burger — a six ouncer with bacon and mature cheddar cheese served on toasted brioche. The Aberdeen Angus patty was moist, beefy and perfectly pink — definitely a main event, and not overshadowed by (very good) add-ons.

I opted for a hot dog called the big pole — a huge polish sausage seasoned with paprika and black pepper, which arrived loaded with a nippy sauce, jalapenos, pickles and cider-soaked onions.

I could happily eat another one right now.

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It’s not exactly first date food (napkins are needed, and plenty of them) but this is a spicy, savoury treat made even better by generous helpings of pickles on the side (also served with the burger).

The OH stuck with the standard fries, which were nothing to write home about — but my Coney Island fries, topped with freshly-made beef chilli and manchego cheese, were great; meaty, melty and oh-so moreish.

Health food it isn’t, and original? Maybe not. But Cocktail & Burger is serving up memorable food, at a more reasonable price than others, and at a time when everyone and their granny will offer you brioche-bunned burgers and chilli fries.

I have my eye on popcorn mussels and sliders for next time — and, mark my words; there will be a next time.

Rating: 9/10

Cocktail & Burger

323 Sauchiehall St

Glasgow G2 3HW

Tel: 0141 353 0953