Houtsiplou isn't a typical burger place yet it has a good reputation among foodies. Naturally we wanted to check if the place would live up to it. It turns out it did.

Burger Republic was on our radars for a while. A name that sounds very promising to an enthusiastic burger fan it left us with that lukewarm feelings. Turns out Burger Republic is Burger City as its best.



It needs to be said that their burgers are definitely much nicer from what you'd normally get in fast food places, but expect no fireworks. The burgers are solid but rather average and come without any side dishes, salad or anything else. You'll pay extra even for the mayonnaise.

Really Burger Republic? After all, this is Brussels.

Burgers

General choice of burgers is solid but a bit too basic for a place specialized in burgers. Vegetarians won't go hungry but won't be able to choose either.

The buns are quite tasty and nicely toasted to crispiness. If you like your meat well done, you'll enjoy it, otherwise you will probably find it overcooked. It would have been nice to be asked about the meet preference beforehand. Being able to add extra's is a plus and the cheese is good.

Yet overall, the burgers are still far from wow factor and you need to pay extra for anything else (e.g. fries, salad, mayo) except  for ketchup and mustard.

Everything else

The place looks positively hipster with a cool design, bare wall, and nicely styled accessories and well-chosen music. While shying away from reservations for larger groups, Burger Republic offers a cosy stop for a meaty snack. But if you're after great burgers, you might want to look a bit further.



Overall grade: 6.

Cool bun is one of those stylish places that are hard to resist. It has a very pleasant and cosy interior and extremely friendly staff. In fact, if you judged by the service only, you'd never guess it is in Brussels. Naturally, we couldn't resist.

Your burger tasters

Menu
Cool bun has a very good selection of burgers and extras, so you can make sure your burger has all the right ingredients. Vegetarians won't go hungry either, even if the choice is rather limited. Gluten free options are also available. And on top of that, they will treat you with delicious olives to nibble on while you're waiting.


Burgers
One thing we noticed immediately is that Cool bun isn't stingy with quantity. Their portions are more than sufficient. The meat is good and burgers satisfying yet missing that extra juiciness and taste mixture, that would make them really great. Fries are not made according to Belgian "fry it twice" standards.



Ambient
Very pleasant atmosphere with great music and friendly staff. Cool bun was overall a very pleasant experience with little left to complain about.

Practicalities
Cool bun is super flexible with the service and doesn't shy away from big groups or helping out with birthday surprises.


Overall rating: 8.2

Les Superfilles du Tram has trendy Brussels written all over it. Stylish paintings on the walls, colorful serving plates and nice atmosphere all scream: "Try me out!" So we did. The overall experience was satisfactory yet not really exceeding our expectations.

Your burger tasting team

Menu
A good choice of burgers. Vegetarians won't go hungry but won't have much to choose from either. We recommend trying out their  specials. All burgers come with fries that respect the Brussels quality, but no other side dishes. Locally produced sauces from Brussels Ketjep and free tapenade starters are a plus.

Menu

Burgers
One of the main highlights is meat: perfectly prepared and served in a crunchy toasted bun. The rest depends on your choice of burgers. Though one or two burgers are more creative with combining ingredients, they hardly reach the complexity of tastes in  L'Amour fou.

Meat perfection

De Gaugin

Le Ring Bling

Big Joe

Ambient
Stylish paintings and good music create a pleasant atmosphere, adding to the hipster feeling of the place. Don't go there if you're in a rush or after a quick meal. Service is solid but rather slow.

Practicalities
The place is entirely not suitable for bigger groups. Branded plates add a nice touch to the style, however they are not very practical to eat from. The toilets could do without the funny smell.

Overall rating: 7.8

In case you don't find them, follow the smell

Creative toilets

L'amour fou has a certain "hard to get dinner seats" reputation. On top of that it was mentioned as one of those places with supposedly the best burgers. Like knock you socks off burgers. So we went and tested. Our socks stayed on.

L'Amour fou

Best Burger's in Brussels at work

Menu
Very good selection of burgers, meat and vegetarian. Downside is that no switches are allowed among different side dishes that come with burgers. But be sure that salad and potatoes will be tasty, in whichever form they are served.

Double trouble burger

Bon Wallon Burger

Portobello (veggie) Burger

Burgers
Cook definitely shows creativity and skills in combining different tastes (Portobello (veggie) burger ftw!). However, the bread and meat were rather dry and you won't be asked how you like your burger either. Portions are not to big but enough to satisfy hunger.

Ambient
Pleasant surrounding with nice music are definitely a plus. Service is very Brussels style, polite but not very friendly. L'amour fou is definitely a place where you return.

Practicalities
Around lunch time you might get free starters to snack on. Our opinions on their taste were divided.

Overall rating: 8

Our first burger place was Manhattn's, where they promise american style burgers and hand-cut fries. Overall experience was satisfying but not impressive.

Industrial coolness @ Manhattn's

Manhattn's Brussels

Menu: Great choice of burgers, soft drinks and sauces. Options for vegetarians are a plus.

Burgers: Decent meat and really good sauces (especially mayo). But overal no wow affect if lined up next to other burger places. No special creativity in combination of flavours and the buns are a bit too puffy and not warm enough. Fries are hand cut but unimpressive, especially for Brussel's standards.

Manhattn's burger

Ambient: Mantattn's looks positively industrial and gives that cool hipster underground feeling. Black wall paint, a brick wall, industrial looking lights and of course the hipster bulbs. The waitors are very friendly but staff at the counter seems a bit lost.

Practicalities: They have only two toilets, so if you need to go you better be fast. However, they're quite efficient so you won't wait too long for your food even if there is a cue. However their "pay before eat" system doesn't make you feel very special.

Overall rating: 7.5