Lou La Peño Burger @ Lou's Diner

Hello burger lovers,

It's been a long time that I didn't visit my favorite burger joint in Luxembourg. Of course I am talking about Lou's Diner. Lots of my followers have visited Lou, most of them seem to agree with me, the feedbacks are just great and the waiting lines are getting longer and longer. 

For quite some time now, Steve (the owner) has a new sauce for his burgers which I initially requested and already tasted. I'm talking about his chili sauce with different kinds of chilis and jalapeños. I can assure you, it's very hooot!!! Anyhow, since this sauce was never on an official burger, I couldn't do a review about it. Things change, Steve's creation has been baptised Lou La Peño Burger, and it should be available by now for around 7.50 € (tbc).

Evaluation:

Basically the Lou La Peño Burger it's an enhanced version of Big Lou's. It's composed of 200gr American Angus Beef, two layers of cheese on the burger, one layer of cheddar and an additional layer of Swiss cheese, crisp lettuce, fried onions, a few drops of homemade barbeque sauce on the bottom of the delicious buns and the hot jalapeño sauce on top. 

I'll make this review very short: It's the best burger I've had in a very long time, and without a doubt the best during my quest. Go out and taste it!!

The weighted rating is 8.59

/k

One could think that Lou's Diner seems to be a victim of it's own success. I was curious to see if Steve could keep up his good work and the quality. Good news, everything is still the same, he never raised prices and he didn't lose quality. Be patient while queuing it's worth the wait! 

Lou's Diner
33, rue Burgkapp (Camping La Pinède)
6211 Consdorf 
Tél.: 26 78 41 38

Hamburger maison XXL @ Le Bistrot Gourmand

Hello burger lovers,

For quite some time "Le Bistrot Gourmand " was on my list to be rated. I've been here several times and I always found the restaurant very pleasant with it's french menu. The restaurant has been mentioned  in the Gault Millau restaurant guide and has earned a fork in 2012's Guide Michelin. Otherwise the restaurant is known for it's huge wine selection. 

Since the weather was fine and the sun was shining I and my family reserved a nice spot on their lovely terrace. This time I've ordered their only burger on the menu, the hamburger maison xxl with a side salad, coleslaw and fries for 15.50€.

Evaluation:

After a rather long wait I've got my burger. I found it confusing to be the last served, since I was the only one ordering a medium rare. When I took a better look at the burger I've seen the reason. They simply forgot my burger in the kitchen. The cheese was totally stiff and cold and had strangely "hardened". I sent the burger back, I guess there is a first time for everything. Without a word of excuse I had lunch alone 15 minutes later, as my companions were already done eating 

The burger itself was huge. The beef was cooked a bit too long for my gusto, not the way I ordered it. It also lacked a bit of seasoning, it was nearly flavorless. This time the cheese was nicely melt and had a good taste. The buns were a catastrophe, which I actually don't tolerate in a gourmet restaurant. The home made cocktail sauce was tasty and the home made fries were good too, but I don't agree whit the people saying these were the best ones they have ever eaten. The vegetables were fresh, which is no surprise in such a restaurant. 

Overall I found the burger to be too packed. Taste wise I didn't find it exceptional, it was quite okay but I thought it lacked a bit of taste. I've had high hopes and I was disappointed in the end. I can still recommend this restaurant, but personally I wouldn't go with the burger again.   

The weighted score is 6.47

/k

Le Bistrot Gourmand

77 Wäistrooss 
5440 Remerschen (Remerschen) 

Tel.: 26 66 57 93

Cheeseburger maison @ Restaurant E'slecker Stuff "Beim Hunn"

Hello burger lovers,

It's been too long since my last review. This one is about a restaurant called "beim Hunn" in the north of the country, in Wahlhausen. I would say it's a long trip from everywhere you live, but the journey might be worth it.

The restaurant specialized in meat dishes, welcomes you with an open char-grill which you have to pass to get to your table. Oh what a wonderful smell and I really would have preferred a steak instead of a burger. Their menu is huge, the restaurant offers everything from pizza to spare ribs (I've heard they are great). But since I am on a mission I decided to order the cheeseburger maison. For 15,50€ you will get a 200gr beef burger with a side salad and home made fries.

Evaluation:

After a short wait, I got my burger. It wasn't love at first sight since the buns were disappointing, but I've been told and shown that they work on better ones. The beef was just great. Excellently seasoned, and grilled to perfection. The cheese was nicely melt and the vegetables were fresh. The side sauces were quite disappointing since I've been expecting home made ones. That would have been better to dip in the excellent home made fries. 

Overall the burger was really good. Due to the quality ingredients and the size (I was more than full in the end) I did not regret to have taken the burger instead of the steak. (Okay that was a lie, I am craving a steak!)

The weighted score of this burger is a nice 7.40

Please make sure to book your table in advance if you plan to go on a weekend. The restaurant was simply packed! But if you're in the area, just make a stop, they might squeeze you in.

/k

Restaurant E'slecker Stuff "Beim Hunn"

37 Am Duerf 
9841 Wahlhausen (Wuelessen)

Tel.: 92 16 21 

 

Burger du Moment @ Restaurant Original

Hello burger lovers,

There is a new restaurant in town. In the old Wengé location in the heart of Luxembourg, you'll find the Original, a two-storey restaurant. I really liked the interior design of this place. We had a table on the first floor during lunch break (busy in August) with a perfect view on the entrance. 

While consulting the menu on their homepage, I obviously decided to take their only burger on the menu: Burger du Moment (with fried onions, lettuce, tomato, Pancetta, and fries) for 18 €. I was quite happy to see that their burger was part of the "menu du jour" and got it for 12 €.

Evaluation:

When the burger arrived, I was surprised how small it looked. The buns, yes the cheap fluffy ones :/ , were smaller than those I am used to. To be fair, the burger was quite high, and it looked delicious. The plate was nicely decorated and the staff were attentive. 

Tastewise, the beef patty was really good, for my gusto they might add a bit of seasoning to it, but overall it was good and most importantly it was fresh and it was cooked to perfection. The added toppings, fried onions, lettuce and tomato were great in taste and fresh. The Pancetta had a good taste as well. There was no sauce on the burger, due to the onions it wasn't really necessary, but they added a separate bowl of home made cocktail sauce (tasty) which you could easily put on your burger. The fries were good as well, crisp, fresh and  tasty.

I didn't like the buns and the size of the burger. But otherwise I can recommend this burger. In my opinion it is a real option for a lunch break. I wouldn't want to pay 18 € for it, but with the 12 € deal  I felt that I had a good value for my money and I was more than satisfied. The location of the restaurant in the city centre is great. This seems to be a restaurant that needs to be watched. Try it yourself!

The weighted rating for this burger is 6.94

/k

Restaurant Original
15 Rue Louvigny 
1946 Luxembourg-Centre 
Tel.: 27 85 88 86

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Southwestern @ Bagels & Burgers

Hello burger lovers,

I've decided to grant a second chance to Bagels & Burgers. If you need more information about this burger joint, just take a look about my previous review.

This time I ordered the Southwestern Burger with their country potatoes (still no fries) for 9.6€.

Evaluation:

After a short wait my burger was served. The Southwestern burger had lettuce, tomatoes, onions and bacon as toppings. I had no doubts about the freshness of the vegetables, but the bacon was too sloppy and not crisp at all. The beef patty had a relatively good taste but I am sure it was frozen. Nevertheless it was seasoned well, and one of the highlights of the burger was that it came medium rare. Both of the sauces weren't my taste, there was the french mustard and the hot sauce which wasn't hot at all. I didn't like the country potatoes that much. They didn't look fresh and were not my taste. For the buns I simply want to quote myself: The buns looked good, but they were the same fluffy ones as usual, and they were not even toasted! As you know, for me that's a no-go!

Exactly one year after my last review about Bagels & Burgers I still have the same conclusion. There is much potential, but they simply don't use it. The restaurant should offer more sauces, and they should also replace their buns. The price and the choice is fair, but their burger stays an average burger.

For this one, I give them 6.35.

/k

Bagels & Burgers

12-14 Boulevard d'Avranches
1160 Luxembourg
Tel.: 26 29 65 26

Smuggler's Hamburgermenu @ The Smuggler's Inn

Hello burger lovers,

Recently I've had the opportunity to test a burger in an area where I usually don't find myself that often. I got several messages on my FB page that recommended The Smuggler's Inn in Diekirch. You can find the Inn at "Camping Op Der Sauer", a place which seems to be highly visited by locals. I ordered their only burger on the menu, the Smugglers Hamburgermenu with additional toppings of bacon and cheese. The Hamburgermenu included a bowl of fries and was priced at 10,5€. 

Evaluation:

To be honest, the presentation of the burger was a bit strange to me. It came on a funny plate and the vegetable toppings (pickles and tomato) were on the side in separated compartments. The fries came in a big  bowl, which was a good solution, since the plate wasn't overloaded.

Starting with the fries, I didn't like them, they were too chunky and did not have much taste. The cheese was nicely melted, but it seemed to me that it was that processed cheese which you can use for your home made croque monsieur. Don't be shocked, that's all the negatives I have for today. The bun was excellent, as far as I remember it was made from ciabatta bread and it just tasted really good. The beef patty was really good aswell, I am not sure if it was 100% beef, there might be a part part porc in it, which is a good solution to alter the taste and avoid the patty becoming too dry. Additionally, there were fried onions in the patty. Actually, at home I prepare my burgers in a similar way. (Believe me, they are great ;) ) The bacon was crisp and had a wonderful taste! I would have been happier if I had a wider selection of sauces (at the moment only Ketchup and Mayonnaise), maybe even homemade sauces. That's something Smuggler's Inn should look into. 

All in all I had a nice dinner. I was satisfied with the burger and it was great value for the price. If you're in the Diekirch area, go to The Smuggler's Inn and have that burger!

My weighted average is 7.01

The Smuggler's Inn
Route de Gilsdorf
Diekirch
Tel.: 80 85 90

Hamburger de pot au feu au foie gras @ L'Annexe

Hello burger lovers,

Recently I've been asked what I think about gourmet burgers, expensive burgers which are quite trendy nowadays. My answer to this question was that an expensive burger doesn't necessarily have to be better than a regular one. To prove, or disprove my argument I decided to pay a visit to L'Annexe, the little sister of the starred restaurant Clairfontaine. The critiques of this French restaurant are just great, and so I was looking forward to enjoy their burger (Hamburger de pot au feu au foie gras for 21€) on their terrace while absorbing the first rays of sun for this year. 

Evaluation:

My colleagues warned me that this burger might not be the typical burger that I've encountered in my quest. When it arrived at the table, I realized what they meant. There was no ground beef between the buns, but a beef stew instead, which was completely different from everything I've had on a burger bun before. On top of the stew, there was a layer of foie gras, a popular delicacy in the French cuisine. Underneath the stew were a slice of both pickle and tomato. Next to the nicely presented plate I was served salad in a glass, and a cornet of fries.

Quality-wise this was upper class. The only downsides were the lack of sauce and the quality of the buns. They seemed to be the soft fluffy ones, but at least they were pan-fried, so it was an improved version of the ones I don't like. The fries were delicious, they were homemade, tasty and crisp. Taste-wise I wasn't satisfied with the burger. I wouldn't even classify it as a burger. The foie gras and the special preparation of the meat just don't match my definition of a burger. To be honest this burger shouldn't even be in this rating since it is something completely different, and far away from a real burger. Furthermore this burger had to be eaten with knife and fork while I have the opinion that a burger should be eaten by holding it in both hands. I want to clarify that this is my opinion on the burger and it's not to be seen as a judgment of the product itself.

Nevertheless I've rated the burger the same way that I've rated the other burgers. And that's where you can see a disadvantage of a static rating system: even a burger, which I didn't like too much, can due to its quality ingredients have a very good rating of  7.14

It was the first time I've been to L'Annexe, but I will surely be back to try other items of their lovely menu.

/k


L'Annexe
7, Rue du Saint Esprit
1475 Luxembourg
Tél.: 26 26 25 07

Big Tasty Bacon @ McDonald's

Hello burger lovers,

After my holidays I was gathering my colleagues and told them that we are going to try a different burger. Of course they were very happy about it, and joined naively. They didn't know that I was about to take them to McDonald's. After they found out, they weren't happy, but I told them that it's not me making the rules of the quest, but the quest itself.

Anyway, I heard about the Big Tasty Bacon burger, and I've been told that this would be an extraordinary burger. In a meal the price was 8.40€ which was good, since I've only had a restaurant voucher with exactly that value and wasn't carrying any cash at all. I wanted to top the meal with additional ketchup, but simply couldn't afford it... there's a first time for everything I guess.

Evaluation:

After a short wait, I got my burger, fries and diet coke and tried to find an empty table. I don't often go to McDonald's, but I was shocked at the fact that this restaurant always seems to be cramped. There were mostly students, but also young mothers with their little kids.

The Big Tasty Bacon, with 840kcal, was optically no surprise, but didn't look anything like in their advertisement.

The meat was too dry and had a taste which reminded me of cardboard, furthermore there was too much "tasty" sauce on the burger and the bacon was crispy but had not much taste. The sauce, the main feature of a fast food burger, was okay. It seemed to be made of mayonnaise and mustard which is in my honest opinion not the worst combination. The lettuce and tomatoes were pale but alright, nothing spectacular though. The raw onions which are not my favorite ingredient were tasteless, good thing in this case. I think I have to admit that I am fan of their fries though, they were hot and crispy.  You must be familiar with my opinion about the sweet soft buns.

If you want to know more about my opinions of McDonald's please read my review about Mc Donald's Big Mac.

This burger wasn't bad, but if we talk about McDonald's, I think that the Big Mac stays my favorite, at least if you don't consider their seasonal specials. I also found that with 8.40 € the Big Tasty Bacon was overpriced, since I left the restaurant hungry.

The weighted rating is 5.08

/k


McDonald's
address: everywhere

The burgers are ready...

Hello burger lovers,

Please have a look at kitchenrocker Damien Klein's burger creation. You might have guessed it, these burgers are nothing else than most delicious muffins.

So who's craving a "burger"?

/k

Femmes magazine

Hello burger lovers,

Please enjoy Femmes Magazine's article about the burger quest.

click on the image :)

/k

FB Page

become a fan on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ilovemyburger?fref=ts

Cheeseburger @ Red Beef

Hello burger lovers,

A colleague of mine told me that a new burger place opened it's doors in Cloche d'Or Gasperich, Luxembourg. It's called Red Beef, and it serves mostly, as the name implies, beef. The restaurant is located in between many offices, not far from PWC and is only open during weekdays' lunchbreaks. The interior of the restaurant is stylish, and adapted to office workers. 

Among a small selection of burgers I ordered their cheeseburger, 200gr for 13.30€ with fries.

Evaluation:

While receiving the burger, I was a bit surprised to see a completely different bun compared to those that I've had during my entire quest. They were made from Italian focaccia bread. They were nicely shaped, and fit perfectly to the rest of the burger. The cheese was nicley melted around the beef patty, and had a nice taste. Unfortunately, the 200gr beef patty had not much taste as it seemed not to be seasoned, but it was fresh beef. Luckily the bun had a great taste which was overpowering the rest of the burger. There was no salad nor tomatoes on this burger, but it was served separately on the plate, and you can just top your burger with it. The cocktail-ish burger sauce seemed pretty nice to me, no complaints here. The frozen fries on the other hand weren't anything special. Mine came pale and cold. 

The main feature of this burger is the focaccia bun. I am not quite sure if it is the right bun for a burger as I prefer a more classic way of preparing a burger. Nevertheless I liked it, and you should at least try it yourself.

I can recommend Red Beef! Therefore the weighted rating is 7.00

/k

Red Beef 

12d, rue Guillaume Kroll

1882 Gasperich-Luxembourg

Tel.: 27 49 59 10

Double Cheeseburger @ Upton Park

Hello burger lovers,

Actually I wanted to try Urban Belval, since I've never done the comparison between Urban City and Urban Belval, but on concert nights (Rockhal: Two Door Cinema Club) the bar is simply too busy, which will obviously impact the quality of the food or at least the preparation. But no worries Urban Belval: You can't escape my ratings forever ;)

Just next to Urban, inside the Belval Plaza, I spotted a different burger place. It's called Upton Park, supposingly named after a London area which is a synonym for the well known home ground of the football team West Ham United. Anyway this sounded nice to me and I decided to try it right away. I was a bit surprised that nobody ever suggested this place to me, maybe Belval Plaza is even less visited than I thought.

The restaurant looked nice. It had a modern interior, with orange plastic chairs and dark tables. Unfortunately we were sitting just next to the open front door, I realized too late that there were also chairs and tables outside, hence the traffic in my back.

Among a a wide offer of different burgers, I decided to order a Double Cheeseburger with bacon and fries for 10 €.

Evaluation:

The first bummer was when the waitress asked me if I wanted Andalouse, Ketchup, Mayonaise or Barbecue sauce on my burger. I knew right away that nothing was homemade, that's why I chose a combo of Mayonaise and Ketchup. Luckily I didn't choose the Bbq sauce, which I had the pleasure of tasting afterwards... just don't ever try it.

The presentation of the burger was a bit disappointing. Too many fries were just smashed on the plate, and the burger had the cheap soft sweet buns. The cheese wasn't even melted and you could see which cheese they used, I could even tell you the brand and the price.

Tastewise I wasn't surprised. The buns were just sweet, the tomato and lettuce had nearly no taste (too watery) and the bacon wasn't crisp at all. The fries were too big, cold and slobby. There was no salt on them and they weren't tasty. I think I just ate 3 or 4 of them. The beef was my personal nightmare. It had a terrible taste, (of course I had to order a double one), and I could barely eat it. I am doubting the freshness of the meat, but even when frozen, I cannot explain this taste. 

This was the worst burger I had in my entire quest. I felt disgusted by the people on the table next to me who seemed to enjoy the burger. 

The weighted rating is 3.77

/k


Upton Park
Centre Belval Plaza
7, Avenue Rock and Roll
4361 Esch-s-Alzette
Tlé.: 26 57 33 55

Hello burger lovers,

Please enjoy Luxuriant's article about my burger quest. The article is in French and in Luxembourgish. My thanks to Johann, Sebastien and Anna (and Simon ;) )

www.luxuriant.lu/

/klot

Cheese Bacon Burger @ Bistro Borderline by Bootik Hotel

Hello burger lovers,

There we go for my first review in 2013.

I've been contacted by a fellow burger lover to test a quite new restaurant just opposite the railway station in Luxembourg. The restaurant is called Bistro Borderline, and is part of the newly refurbished Bootik Hotel. The pictures and critics on booking.com were positive, so was I.

The restaurant has a positive vibe, I really liked the interior, their new clean design aswell as their open kitchen in the corner. The menu looked nice aswell, newspaper style, but more importantly the dishes all sounded worth a try. As I was on my burger mission, I ordered their burger.  The Cheese Bacon Burger, medium rare with fries for 15€. 

Evaluation:

When the burger arrived I was both surprised that the presentation was very nice (tomato on top) and disapointed that they used the standard hamburger buns. The fries were no highlight as their cut was too big, but I've had worse. The toppings were good, pickles and tomato (no lettuce) were fresh and their homemade burger sauce (cocktail-ish) was really tasty. The roasted onions were not bad at all and the bacon was crisp and savory aswell. The cheese was nicely melt around the 200gr beef patty. Speaking of the beef, it was great, it was fresh, it was tasty and it was cooked to perfection. Honestly, I was surprised. The downside, my buns were soaked and I had to finish my burger with fork and knife (which is a no-go by the way).

Regarding the quantity, the quality of the fries and buns and considering the competition on the burger market  I think that the Cheese Bacon Burger might be a bit too expensive. As it is linked to a hotel, I can understand their prices, but on the other hand it will be difficult to attract locals or working people from the neighborhood. Nevertheless the beef was tasty and of a high quality, plus their burger sauce made this burger kind of special.

I can recommend it!
The weighted rating is 7.03

/k

Bootik Hotel - Bistro Borderline

4, rue Joseph Junck
1839 Luxembourg Gare

Tél.: 27 49 93 1

The quest for the best burger 2013

Hello burger lovers, 

Good news for people who love bad news... ehm no, I think this might actually be good news.

In the following days I will relaunch the burger quest. So there is definetely going to be a 2013 edition.

Please send me you burger suggestions, adresses or any other inputs regarding burgers in Luxembourg. If you spot a new burger joint, or if you love a burger which I haven't rated yet, feel free to send it via my FB page.

Thanks for your support and stay tuned,
Klot

And the winner is...

Hello burger lovers,

it's about time to sum up the 2012 burger quest:

- Best Burger in Luxembourg - Big Lou @ Lou's Diner, Consdorf 

- Best Burger in Luxembourg-City - Classic Burger @ Urban Bar, Lux. 
- Best Dining spot - Mama Loves You
- Fitness Burger - INDEPENDENT Café

'Lou's Diner', 'Urban Bar' and 'Mama Loves You' have 2 burgers in the Top 10. 'Independent's' and 'Café Belair' both have 2 burgers in the Top 15. Obviously these restaurants are my favourites.

Feel free to check out the current ratings under the rating section.

Congratulations to the winners and all the participants.

Yours truly,
Klot

visiting Ben's Club Live

Hello Burger lovers,

Today I was invited as a guest at Eldo TV's Ben's Club Live.


video clip (the burger part starts at min 21)

/k

Hot Mama's Burger @ Mama loves you

Hello burger lovers,

I was absolutely looking forward to testing the last burger of the quest, as I knew it would be a good one. I already had a sneak peak of the burger at Mama's Burger Tasting, and now they finally added it to their menu.

If you need a description of Mama Loves You or to better understand my comments about this burger, just read my previous review. I suggest to visit their lovely homepage and consult their menu. Even if you're not a burger lover, you will surely find something else to make your mouth water.

The Hot Mama's Burger is a burger where the meat patty is stuffed with cheese and jalapeños. I know this way of preparing a burger from Urban Bar, where they stuff their burgers on a regular basis. The 300gr burger (17,5€) comes with fries, but I've topped it with cheddar for an additional € (I left the bacon out, but it looked delicious on my friends' burgers).

Evaluation:

The burger was great. Not only by the looks, but also the taste. The meat was really good, (you might remember the "meat incident" with Mama's Burger)! The lettuce and tomato were fresh, and their fries (whiche were served aside) were a dream as always. I was a bit disappointed with the side sauces for the fries (ketchup, andalouse, mayonnaise, cocktail), not that they weren't good, I only expected something more creative c.f. Urban sauces, or other different home made dips. The cheddar was nicely melted, and gave the burger a plus. Tastewise the buns were good, but they were too crisp in my opinion. The burger sauce wasn't my taste aswell, but as they kept it decent on the burger, it wasn't overpowering the other great flavours. Honestly, I would have preferred a hotter sauce on a hot burger. I am a fan of the stuffed burgers. In this case my favourite ingredients were included in the stuffing. Nevertheless I have to admit that I didn't find my burger hot enough. 

When I critisize this burger, it doesn't mean that it was bad. Don't get me wrong, I can assure you that this burger is better than 90% of all burgers I've eaten (and I ate far too many) this year in Luxembourg. It's high level criticism. 

The burger was simply great. I find the price a bit high for a burger, but I am willed to pay it, since it is a quality piece of meat. Mama, I love you too! 7.80

/k


Mama Loves You
42-44 Rue de Hollerich
1740 Luxembourg-Hollerich
Tel.: 48 28 95