Atomic Burger, Bristol

Atomic Burger was an experience I will never forget in a hurry. Walking into the small tightly packed restaurant you are soon slapped in the face with memorabilia, from Superhero posters and Ghostbusters to Star Wars storm troopers you really feel like a kid in a sweetshop (or a big nerd in a burger restaurant).

First Impressions
I visited on a Sunday evening and safe to say the place was dead, there were two other diners in there and they were already on their desserts so soon my dining hell was about to be experienced, eating in a restaurant with just me, my companion and the staff...

The concept of Atomic Burger is simple. Select a burger from the comic book style menu, decide if you want beef, chicken or veggie and then ponder over the side dishes.

The Food
The menu itself is in keeping with the theme of American heroes with burgers such as the 'Dead Elvis- Swiss cheese, American cheese, bacon and onions', 'Daisy Duke- crispy bacon, American cheese and smokey BBQ sauce' and the greatly named 'Forrest Gump- plain and simple burger standing proud'. For non-burger fans they also have a selection of hot dogs.

I went for the 'Messy Jessie' a beef burger with goats cheese, rocket and red onion marmalade with a side of sweet potato fries (£8.95). My companion (who has a very hearty appetite) opted for a 'Dolly Parton' a double stacked beef burger with American cheese and 'Trailer Park fries', chips topped with cheddar sauce, pulled pork and crispy onions (£12.90).

When the food arrived we were both overwhelmed with the size of the sides let alone the huge burgers that were put in front of us. 

My burger was packed with rocket and red onion marmalade which was lightly spiced and delicious. The goats cheese however had very little flavour despite being a great big slab of it which was a little disappointing as I am a huge goats cheese fan. The burger was obviously made of good quality beef and was well seasoned but was very very moist which resulted in a soggy-bun situation (something big burger fans will be all too familiar with). The sweet potato fries were as expected, nothing to shout about but nothing to complain about either.

My companion loved his burger and said again that his was nice and moist (his bun also disintegrated mid meal). The bacon was lovely and crisp and there was 'just the right amount of cheese' for his liking. He was however underwhelmed by his side, when served the cheese sauce was already lukewarm and there was hardly any pulled pork to be seen.

We both failed to finish our colossus sized meals, however this may have been because we sampled some of the milkshakes on offer which were almost a meal in themselves.

Lasting Impressions

Despite being alone in the restaurant for almost the whole duration of the meal I felt neglected by the staff. We were not offered refills on our drinks and we had to leave our seats and walk almost into the kitchen to ask for the bill.

It is a great place to visit if you are a nerd at heart and just want to stare at the memorabilia (as my companion did throughout the whole meal) or if you are a big burger fan with a hearty appetite. Overall I feel the idea of Atomic Burger is great, the theme, menu and prices look great but it comes at a cost in terms of service.

 

Atomic Burger
189 Gloucester Road
Bristol, BS7 8BG
Telephone: 01179 428600
Website: http://atomicburger.co.uk/