Review: Almost Famous, Manchester

Smoky & The Bandit Burger

The London burger scene may be booming, but Manchester's burger offering is moderate by comparison. I've enjoyed some incredible meals in the city, from bacon butties to Thai, but on a recent visit I naturally had to check out the burger situation.

The first place by visit bought me to was Almost Famous - a newish former pop-up causing a stir in Manchester. Before I start, take a look at the burger I had. It's truly glorious. If you are looking to get stuck into a really good burger then this is it.

 

Situated in the trendy Northern Quarter, Almost Famous isn't visible from the outside apart from the giant sign on the side of the building. Oh yes and the queue outside. I was so excited to try this place that I didn't mind a queue.

I went for the 'Smoky & The Bandit Burger' (£7) - and it was superb. The burger arrives in a basket with the juices oozing out the sides. Luckily, rolls of kitchen paper are on hand to lay out across your lap. The double patty of the burger was deliciously moist and layered with American cheese and baconnaise which was very tasty. The demi brioche bun was lovely and soft and held it together well despite the sheer weight and sloppy nature of the burger. 

The chilis added a very subtle spice but what I also really enjoyed was the condiments on the table - no bog standard ketchup here, Almost Famous make their own sauces and they are so so good! The Redneck barbeque sauce was sweet and I loved pouring it on every other bite, and the Suicide Sauce was like a spicy Buffalo sauce, mmm. Whilst you don't want to obscure the flavour of this delicious burger, I do love that these are an option.

My friend tried the 'Triple Nom Burger' (er....) - BBQ rib meat, cheese, coleslaw and redneck sauce (BBQ sauce). Although the rib meat and double patty made it a really heavy meat feast, the coleslaw added a delicious crunch and again the bun held it together despite the odds.

The chips (or 'Winning Fries') look a little sad in this photo and for £2 they were OK but not essential. I did really like that the basket included some sweet potato fries though, this is quite a rare find at the moment.

We also tried some 'Trailer Trash Fries' which really didn't do it for me. They were doused in BBQ sauce and onions (great) but the mustard was too much for me.

All in all, it's a good'un.