Restaurants / Reviews
Burger Bear Bristol – restaurant review
There was a flash of colours from the kitchen of Burger Bear Bristol on Sunday afternoon. And then it appeared in all its furry neon multi-coloured glory: the original burger bear.
Dancing with some of the youngest customers and jumping outside on the pavement, owner Tom Reaney’s costume was a sure sign that this new restaurant does things differently.
Reaney made a name for himself with Burger Bear restaurants and pop-ups in London but he is proud of his Bristol roots and now lives in the city with his young family, where he will be smoking some of the meat appearing at the menu soon at his home in St Werburgh’s.
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The Grizzly Bear (£10) – a cheeseburger topped with double oak smoked bacon and Burger Bear’s own bacon jam
The meat here is sourced from Popti & Beast, also in St Werburgh’s, an inspired choice from one of Bristol’s most passionate food shops.
“You can’t teach passion,” Reaney explained to one table at the restaurant on Sunday, saying that this was one of the reasons why he had to base himself at Burger Bear Bristol to ensure it was exactly as he wanted.
His burgers were first served at his new premises on Gloucester Road (most recently Bagel Boy) from a barbecue at weekends and also at Motion.
Burger Bear Bristol was most recently Biblos
The Grizzly Bear (£10) – a cheeseburger topped with double oak smoked bacon and Burger Bear’s own bacon jam – is just one of the options being served at Burger Bear Bristol and is a clear reason why all the tables here have rolls of kitchen paper for diners, its juice dripping with every brilliant bite.
This is messy and exuberant eating, that can currently be washed down by Keller Pills from St Anne’s brewery Lost & Grounded on tap, with milkshakes promised soon once Reaney unpacks the milkshake machine from the box.
Three young burger fans ranging in age from three to eight enjoyed their kids meals – £6 for a hamburger or cheeseburger with chips – supplementing their own food with a bowl of delicious cheesy chips, as the adult on the table attempted to avert their eyes from the f-word on the front of the menu.
It’s still all very much a taste of what will be on offer at the moment, with five beef burgers and two veggie burgers on offer as well as chicken wings, ‘mac & cheese balls’ and slaw.
But blimey, if this is a taste then Bristol’s burger fiends will be well and truly spoiled.
Burger Bear Bristol, 213 Gloucester Road, Bristol, BS7 8NN
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