Fat Hippo has snagged a prime spot on Great Eastern Street for its first London site. This Newcastle-born burger chain has been building momentum up north for over a decade, biding its time before pouncing on the capital. Enticed by the promise of ‘roll up your sleeves and get it all over your face’ food, we swing by to see if the burgers were anything special.
Despite it being a Friday lunchtime - not to mention the restaurant’s first month - the place is almost full when we arrive. As instructed by the chain’s mantra, we roll up our sleeves and get stuck in. The ‘wachos’ kick things off, setting the tone for a hedonistic blur of fried, saucy and meaty madness. Swapping tortilla chips for the house waffle fries is a brilliant move, one that bumps this dish up from starter to finisher. Thankfully, our drinks offer a refreshing contrast. The ‘Irish One’ is a particular highlight, half-espresso martini, half-milkshake.
To ensure a fair trial, we sample one beef burger and one chicken. The former is a classic double smash burger, supercharged by the addition of melty braised pork rib and a twang of chilli jam. The latter is similarly successful, with crisp buttermilk batter, juicy chicken and a slathering of gloriously garlicky ‘Kyiv mayo’. Another smart move here is the use of ‘demi-brioche’ buns, which offer the structural integrity of a bread bun and the sweet squidginess of a brioche.
Yes, Fat Hippo follows some burger chain tropes, like exposed brick and excessive use of the word ‘dirty’ in the menu. But the food is where it sets itself apart. It’s delicious, the portions are more than generous and there’s tonnes of choice (eight beef burgers, four chicken, five vegan). We’ll happily head back to Fat Hippo, just as soon as we’ve digested our last visit.