MEATliquor

Eaten here loads of times.

Positives - One of the best burgers anywhere. Fantastic fries. Great onion rings. Great value for money.

Negatives - Sometimes have to wait for a table. Trying too hard to be trendy. Interior looks like a Satanists squat. Staff appears to be more interested in fashion than actually serving. Have to eat off trays using kitchen roll.

If you are a burger lover, don't worry about the negatives and just go there. If not, then it is probably not your cup of tea.
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NicZ - View all reviews by this user
7 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, December 11, 2012

I joined the queue for Meat Liquor at 8pm on Wednesday night and had it not been for my boyfriend's insistence (and his birthday) I wouldn't have bothered. We waited around 1.5 hours to get to the front of the queue only to be told at that point that we had to wait longer at the bar for our table. Two cocktails later and we eventually got a seat - slap bang in the middle of two other couples. I could hardly see the menu or hear to have a conversation. When the food came it could have been the best burger and chips in the world and I wouldn't have cared - I had completely lost my appetite. Plus the fact that it was served on a tray with no plate, I couldn't see what I was eating and we had kitchen roll (classy) to mop up the grease, really put the nail in the coffin for me. Now, perhaps I'm not Meat Liquor's target customer. But I fail to see how anyone can justify waiting 2 hours for something similar to what they serve in 3 minutes at burger king (really). So unless you're a burger connoisseur and literally live for this stuff or can visit the place during off peak times - I would recommend giving it a wide berth.
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5 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 8
Friday, August 03, 2012

Zoe Williams review (linked above) nails it.

The burgers are excellent, really excellent, but the less said about the house “hot” sauce, the better - a small bowl of disappointing sub-Tabasco heat-level vinegary rubbish. Finally it took us 15 minutes to pay when there was a massive queue outside, makes you wonder if they’re deliberately keeping the queues long or are just understaffed

Everything else about Meat Liquor is pretty contrived. From beer only available in cans, the wine in jam jars, the notch-too-low lighting and the several-notches-too-loud music. Trying too hard to be edgy – just let the food speak for itself

Think I’ll give Meat Market in Covent Garden a go next time – if it’s just the great burgers without the schtick then it’ll be great.
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Gethin - View all reviews by this user
6 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 7
Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Great food, though the green chillies in the burger were a little bitter.

Would totally go again but I certainly wouldn't queue - we walked straight in at 6...
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John - View all reviews by this user
9 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Sunday, June 17, 2012

Ate here yesterday again yesterday lunchtime. Wings were oh soooo greasy, chilli cheese fries were tepid (are they sitting on their laurels and letting food qulity standards slip?). Chicken burger however, was juicy and tender. Swiss cheese burger again very good. The service was appalling! Someone please tell the wait staff that being sullen, refusing to make eye contact and ignoring your customers does not make you cool, you are just totally unprofessional and amateurish. This place could be so much better if the staff could at least try and be friendly.
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3 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 5
Sunday, June 10, 2012

Great burger. Great fries. The best onion rings in the world ever.

The service was a disgrace, our waitress only cared how good she looked, although the other staff members were helpful in the end, and they did reduce the bill as well, fair enough.
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jelly46 - View all reviews by this user
7 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, May 02, 2012

As town seemed quiet today my partner and I thought we would see if we could get a table at Meat Liquor without having to queue for too long - we often pass here at weekends and have seen the line snaking down the road! We obviously chose the right day and time because we were able to be seated straight away (the queue was in place by the time we left).

The day was bright and sunny outside so it was quite a contrast to enter the dim interior of this restaurant, though once I got used to it it wasn't too bad and I was eventually able to read the menu (I'm just getting old really)! The decor is amazing and the atmosphere exciting and vibrant. The staff were polite, attentive, friendly and very helpful.

The food was simply fantastic - I had the green chilli burger and my other half had the mushroom cheese burger - they reminded us of good burgers that we've eaten in the States. The onion rings were huge and not too greasy and the fries lovely. These were probably the best burgers that we've eaten in England and we have eaten a fair few!! We were grateful for the roll of kitchen paper on the table, this was a good idea, because the burgers were so juicy and messy.

We were in and out in 40 minutes, which is absolutely fine for this kind of establishment, and I would definitely return and also recommend this place to friends.
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FrFlatt
8 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Friday, April 06, 2012

Oftentimes, when a restaurant is talked about and reviewed to such epic proportions, the reality can only be a bit of a disappointment. With this in mind, and after wanting to visit Meat Liquor since it opened, we headed there with an element of trepidation on Thursday night.

The much-mentioned queue was already pretty sizeable just before 7pm but moved at a fairly reasonable rate and we were seated just over an hour later. It's true that the place is quite loud and grungy feeling but not ridiculously so, and service was efficient and friendly.

The cocktails, of which there are many to choose from, were well made and at prices you would expect in London, circa £7 a go. There are also wines and beers but with cocktails this good, I would definitely budget for a couple of those when visiting - particularly the Donkey Punch or Cyder Car!

On to the food - we started with unbelievably good buffalo wings which were plentiful for only £5, alongside some of the deep-fried pickles. Both were delicious and accompanied by a very well balanced and creamy blue cheese dip. When it came to the main event - the burgers - we opted for the chilli cheeseburger and the cheeseburger. Good, juicy burgers well cooked and full of pickles and a bit of salad, all held together admirably by a sturdy bun which didn't fall to pieces the second you took a bite.

We finished rather greedily on the pecan pie and crack pie, both of which were yummy and the perfect end to the meal. The bill was very reasonable and in short, a belly-busting but enjoyable experience was had by all!

If I had to sum this place up in one line it would undoubtedly be 'Forget the queue, believe the hype and go'!!
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SJP - View all reviews by this user
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Friday, March 09, 2012

Arrived just after 7:00pm on a Saturday. The wait wasn't too long. Food was great. (May be the best burger I've had in London.) Loved the interior. Go see for yourself.
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LoLDN
9 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Saturday, March 03, 2012

I went to Meat Liquor sometime ago with my girfriend straight from work and were amazed to see the long queue that had formed already. My partner had attempted to come before but unfortunately, had to give up on it after 1 hour of waiting in line.

We got in the place after about an hour of standing in the cold and were greeted by a dark and dingy place with lots of red and black, and some fairly loud music playing, which created a really great vibe and atmosphere.

I found the service to be very friendly and accomodating and we were fed within 30 minutes of ordering.

I will admit, standing outside in the cold for 45 minutes really wasn't very fun but it was definately worth it! The "Dead Hippie" Burger I can honestly say is the best burger I have ever eaten. The chips were really nice too and my girfriend really enjoyed her chilli cheesburger.

My only regret was not sampling some of their Chilli Cheese Fries which looked absolutely delicous! I will definitely be ordering some of them when I go back.

I really liked the music in the place as well which set a really great rocky vibe in the place without being too loud and detracting from conversation and the food.

Overall I though this place was absolutely amazing and I will going back very soon, and very often!!!
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Christian - View all reviews by this user
9 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Friday, March 02, 2012