Handsome Burger

What should we know about Handsome Burger?

Galway born Handsome Burger hit national headlines after being named best burger in Ireland 2019, in a nationwide competition organised by meat company Kepak for National Burger Day (what a world we live in). Started as a market stall by two friends in 2017, they opened their first permanent premises on Galway's Dominick Street in 2019, before flirting with the Dublin market at Eatyard.

In a surprise move, a Handsome Burger franchise opened next in Dublin airport in summer 2023, with a second standalone site opening on Chatham Street at the start of summer 2024. Their website says they "have two locations in Ireland and (are in) the process of planning a global takeover!", and there's an inquiry form website for potential franchisees to get in touch. These guys have no interest in keeping things small and manageable.

Franchising poses a big problem for business owners who like to be in control of their product - you're effectively handing the reins to someone else and hoping for the best. We've had multiple messages from readers who've passed through the airport and were sorely disappointed with their Handsome Burger experience, and now that the first location in Dublin city centre site is alive and kicking, we thought we'd check both out for ourselves.

Where should we sit?

Seating in Chatham Street is relatively limited, with just three low and three high tables inside, and more outside which will become defunct as winter wears on. The good thing is people should eat fast and move on, but we wouldn't fancy huddling in the middle of the room trying to dive on the next available table.

Outdoor tables are all for two, so not the best idea with a group either, and you'll be blocking the central path if you pull two together.

In the airport, it's an open mezzanine situation - sit where you want at seating so hard and uncomfortable it ensures you won't linger.

What's the menu like?

Complicated. The first thing you should know is that the menu on their website is not what you're going to find on Chatham Street or in the airport. There are five burgers on there that don't appear in either site, nor do the chicken tenders.

On Chatham Street there's a choice of three beef, two chicken and a vegan Beyond Burger, as well as regular fries and two with toppings.

In the airport it's more limited, with two beef, one chicken and the vegan, and fries are mandatory, with no option to just order a burger - they're not here to cater for the low carb girlos.

You'll find their signature "handsome burger" on both menus, with cheese as an optional add on. It also has sticky onions, pickles, rocket and house sauce, which we're guessing is a mix of mustard, mayo, ketchup and gherkins based on this article. It's a juicy burger (if lacking in char) and the sauce is good, but we've yet to be convinced on rocket as a burger filling.

At the airport it was an order at the kiosk situation. There were no options for substitutes (not cool in burger world), and it all felt very robotic and lacking in love - that taste came through in the food. Their flagship burger should be top of its game, but the Handsome was a flop. The meat was void of juice and lacked flavour. The pickles that should have been the welcome jazzy crunch to cut through the richness of the meat were soggy. The cheese, although seen, could not be perceived, and there was a serious lack of sauce. Not to mention the bun was dried out. Sad times indeed.

The B.O.B. comes with lardons, crispy onions, double cheese and house sauce, and is a step up on the flavour scale from the handsome burger. The crispy onions and lardons add welcome texture to all that juiciness, but once again the burger itself needed more char.

Despite asking three times in three different places if Handsome Burger's chicken is free-range, we are still no wiser - their website says nothing about their sourcing. Their social media account told us that they use "Manor Farm free range Irish Chicken 90% of the time - occasionally we have to get another when demand is higher than supply." They didn't respond to a follow up question about what it's replaced with.

The staff in the airport Handsome Burger told us the chicken is not free-range. A senior member of staff in the Chatham Row branch told us it is - after a long pause where he didn't seem sure. We almost went round back for a root through the bins.

The roost chicken burger (which may or may not be free range) had a buttermilk-fried chicken breast coated in a spicy buffalo sauce, which managed to remove all crispiness from the coating. There are pickles, lettuce and not enough Caesar dressing, but it was all so soggy it was probably better off. There's a proper kick to this one, so only dive in if your spice tolerance is high, and your crispiness craving is low.

Meanwhile at the airport... Our vegan counterpart was convinced they had made a mistake with the burgers, as the Beyond Meat patty was so close to the real deal. Similarly to the carnivorous Handsome Burger, the pickles were a let down, and the bun dry. Chips were lacklustre and lukewarm.

Rosemary and sea salt fries in Chatham Street were just about warm and lacking in crunch, but not as bad as in the airport. We didn't finish either portion, and it takes a lot to leave chips behind. The fries on their feed back in 2020 were declared hand-cut and triple-cooked, and look considerably better than what we were served in both locations.

The loaded fries with chorizo, mint raita, grilled onions, chillies and garlic aioli was an unusual if enjoyable combo - somewhere between Indian and Spanish, but a €9 portion that was 25% onions felt steep.

What about drinks?

You're unlikely to be inspired by their drinks menu, and they're unlikely to want you to hang around once your burger's done, so everyone's happy. There's basic soft drinks or water, a white or red wine (Pinot Grigio or Malbec when we were in), a single Galway beer by can, and a German beer on draught. With all the brilliant beer being brewed in Ireland right now, it could be so much better.

How was the service?

Not very enthused. We had a muted greeting, and our food took almost 20 minutes to arrive - people who came after us got their food before us so something must have gone awry.

What was the damage?

€48.50 for three burgers, two fries and no drinks. A handsome burger, fries and a draught beer will cost you €20. In the airport the handsome burger and fries is €14.95 (5c cheaper).

And the verdict?

Maybe we're spoiled by craggy, crusty smash burgers, but Handsome's fatty patties didn't do it for us. Maybe back in 2019 their burgers and chips tasted better than this, maybe the focus on franchising has taken the focus off quality control. If you're in the neighbourhood and the queue for Bambino is too long you could do a lot worse. If you're in the airport, we wouldn't bother. As far as taking the Dublin burger top spot, Dash have nothing to worry about just yet.