Let’s just start by saying not all burgers are the same. Our 21-year-old son Jack is a connoisseur when it comes to burgers. He’s as pinickety about burgers as I am about cleanliness. We’ve been known to leave a restaurant mid-meal if Jack thinks the burger isn’t up to scratch, or if I’ve been to the loo and found the cleanliness there wanting. To my mind, if the loo isn’t clean, then what hope is there for the kitchen?
Anyway, back to the burger. We’ve eaten at Honest Burger in Cardiff before and loved every minute of it. From the moment we walked through the door, to when the food came to the table by our amazing hostess to when we left, everything was perfect.
We are well aware though that consistency is where it’s at and, as lots of Tripadvisor (other review sites are available), we can all have an off day so, it was with great expectation that, after a morning at the cinema seeing the new blockbuster Tenet (see review here), we thought we’d give Honest Burger another try.
It was a little depressing walking through the city and seeing it so empty during Covid. The footfall was sadly lacking. We quickly found a parking space in John Lewis car park which was always a challenge, even mid week. Not so on this day. You’ve got to hand it to the Big Issue seller, even she was braving it (meagre pickings) but wasn’t having any luck poor thing. As we know in our game of publishing, nobody wants to handle printed material right now.
What would our experience at Honest Burger be like? Would it be unwelcoming and scary? Not in the slightest. Our hostess Grace (by name and nature) greeted us with a massive smile and immediately put us at our ease. The usual Track and Trace formalities done, she asked us where we wanted to sit and we chose a seat by the bifold doors so that we could people gaze as we eat, which is another thing we love to do.
Grace showed us the limited menu on the chalkboard on the wall but it held all of the main dishes that we would have chosen anyway. Mark and Jack chose the Cardiff Burger: Honest beef, candied bacon, Hafod organic cheddar, Cwtch leeks, mustard mayo, lamb’s lettuce and pickles with homemade rosemary salted chips with bacon and cheese (delish). I went for the Halloumi version which consisted of a burger with Honest beef, British halloumi-style cheese, smoked bacon, smashed avocado, harissa mayo, rocket and pink pickled onions, which was just as I like it; having the right amount of spices and heat. We also opted for the house slaw (crunchy and tasty) and enormous battered onion rings (crispy and gooey). Even our Vodka and Soda looked interesting; with strips of cucumber and fancy straws.
Grace popped back a couple of times to make sure everything was to our liking. This would normally bug me. If I wasn’t happy, I would make it known but somehow Grace managed to make it seem as if she was genuinely interested in our experience, which again doesn’t always come off in some establishments.
Did Jack give Honest Burger the thumbs up? No question here. He was rooted to the spot and cleaned the plate, but left a good amount of sauce on his chin and upper lip. Always a good sign that you’re too busy enjoying the food to care about your appearance! I also stayed put for the duration, having visited the loos and gave them a thumbs up.
If you want to sit in or get a takeway (we noticed a Deliveroo guy waiting for an order outside), then we would highly recommend Honest Burger.
They’ve also relaunched their ‘Honest at Home’ burger kits for delivery nationwide, which were first available in a limited number during lockdown as part of Honest’s charity fundraising, when 250 kits were sold, raising nearly £9,000 for Landworkers Alliance, Hospitality Action and Trussell Trust. The kits cost £30 (inc. delivery) and contain everything you need to make Honest’s signature Honest Burger at home. Great to get the family involved in.
To keep Honest’s team safe, the kits are available in limited numbers, going on sale at 9am until 1pm Sunday to Thursday every week. That’s what we also love about Honest Burger – it’s a company with a conscience.
We can’t wait until we return.
Honest Burger
10 Church Street, Cardiff CF10 1BG
029 2130 3446
Lunch & Dinner
Monday to Saturday 12 noon til 10pm
Sunday 12 noon til 9pm
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