Gordon Ramsay Burger Harrods

You’ll have to navigate a couple of challenges to eat at the Gordon Ramsay Burger in Knightsbridge’s glamorous Harrods department store: one, the opening times, and two, actually locating it in the enormous maze of a store itself. It’s only open until 7pm (8pm on Fridays and Saturdays) so if it’s dinner you’re after, it’ll need to be a fairly early one. And we’re ashamed to admit we were five minutes late for our reservation because we got… well, a bit lost between boutiques on our way to the fourth floor.

That said, when you do arrive, your efforts are well and truly rewarded, with a refined retro diner aesthetic - complete with teal leather booths to nestle into - and gourmet burgers and fries that feel elevated well above any ordinary offering. Rather than a set menu of starters, mains and desserts, you kick off your adventure with “snacks”, like jalapeño-studded corn dip or truffle mac ‘n’ cheese croquettes (our personal winner if you plan to choose just one; you get four, the perfect amount for a small sample for the table before the main event).

There’s some variety in the choice of big plates, with hot dogs and salads up for grabs too, but as the name suggests, really it’s all about the burger here. There are five takes on a beef burger - toppings range from classic American cheese to the “Hells Kitchen”, a towering pile of avocado, jalapeños and mozzarella - plus a free range chicken burger, a veggie portobello mushroom stuffed with Boursin, and a pan-seared lobster and shrimp burger with herb aioli, all served in supremely buttery sesame-sprinkled brioche buns. If that’s not quite boujie enough for your tastes, you can order the £80 1849 burger - succulent Chilean Wagyu beef finished with decadent ingredients including a rich mushroom ragu and truffle pecorino. Naturally, it’s also served with truffle parmesan fries.

On the fries front, these were also a firm favourite during our visit, but curious palettes should also consider the sweet potato fries, which come sprinkled with powdered sugar and have a honey jalapeño mayo on the side (akin to eating one of those old-school fried fairground donuts, but in a very good way). Whatever you choose, be aware that the portions are, to put it simply, enormous, with one silver cone of chips more than enough to share - but if you do find space after all, ask the friendly wait staff to round off your dinner with a dessert shake for a sugar hit you definitely won’t forget in a hurry.

Television chef Gordon Ramsay, known for his less-than-friendly kitchen demeanour, already has a whole fleet of restaurants in the capital, including three Michelin starred Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea, Bread Street Kitchen in St Paul’s and pan-Asian restaurant Lucky Cat, which is found in Mayfair.

Gordon Ramsay Burger is a new concept from the chef though, at least in the UK, with this sub-brand of Gordon’s restaurant empire having previously only existed in Las Vegas. Gordon Ramsay Burger may have a simple, fuss-free name, but it’s surroundings are anything but, with the restaurant taking up residence inside of legendary high-end department store Harrods. As you would expect, the main draw on the menu here is a selection of gourmet burgers, crowned with often decadent toppings, although diners can also opt for pimped-up hot dogs if they wish, washed down with thick, sugary milkshakes.

The burger menu in Vegas features a number of hearty options and we expect the London menu to be very similar, although there are likely to be a few items exclusive to the Harrods location. If you find yourself craving a burger, you might be able to tuck into the likes of the Farmhouse (Dubliner cheese, bacon, fried egg) or perhaps the ultra indulgent Truffle Burger, which features tremor cheese, bacon, truffle butter, frisée, pickled shallot, a fried egg and truffle aïoli. You'll also find a Wagyu burger on the menu costing an eye-watering £80. Naturally, guests can also bulk out their meal with a number of sides, including the typical burger accompaniment of fries.

Long-standing Harrods is already home to a number of interesting dining options, thanks to its revamped Dining Hall (launched in the summer of 2019) which offers six restaurants to choose from: a traditional grill, a pasta bar, a sushi bar, a fish bar, a caviar house and prunier, and Kama, an Indian restaurant headed up by well-regarded chef Vineet Bhatia.