If it’s not the artificial turf, it’s the myriad of toys hanging from the ceiling. If it’s not the burgers for the main course, it’s the roasted marshmallows heated with a roaring flame on your own table for dessert. If it’s not the SNES-era Super Mario wallpaper in the restaurant, it’s the floor made out of retro comic books.
It’s difficult to know where to start when describing Atomic Burger on the Gloucester Road, a new burger joint that has certainly got Bristol’s twittering community chattering since opening at the start of this week.
Burgers are of course the speciality of this restaurant – the second after the original in Oxford – and they are good enough to come back and try again and again, not just to complete the menu which is also a sticker book.
The 22 different burgers have names like the Dead Elvis, Swiss cheese, American cheese, bacon and onions; the Sergio Leoni, roasted peppers, chorizo and sour cream; and the Dolly Parton, double burger (geddit?), double American cheese (geddit now?), jalapenos and bacon.
My own choice was the Chuck Norris, and it packed a substantial punch with barbecue pulled pork, onions and American cheese.
Each burger, costing between £6.75 and £11, can be beef, chicken or veggie, with a side coming with each burger, a choice of plain chips, “sci fries” (with chilli and garlic), salad, onion rings or “cosmic” coleslaw.
The nostlagia trip isn’t just confined to the decoration, and there are also milkshakes, brownie sundaes and waffles. While reminiscing about roasted marshmallows at Cub camp when younger, I admit that I felt a pang of guilt while drinking a bottle of Peroni.
That trip down memory lane continues throughout a visit to Atomic Burger, whether your childhood is one of ET, Thundercatz, Home Alone or Mallet’s Mallet, with it even continuing with quotes on the receipts. “Roads! Where we’re going we don’t need roads,” was mine, from Back to the Future.
It’s impossible not to have a fun time in Atomic Burger; an experience that will no doubt involve plenty of memories and reminisces, and some damn fine burgers.
Atomic Burger, 189 Gloucester Road, Bishopston, Bristol, BS7 8BG. 0117 942 8600.
Website: www.atomicburger.co.uk
Twitter: @atomicburgers
My partner and I went last night and broadly enjoyed ourselves. The decor is a bit much for me but that’s pretty much the point of it. The burgers were -amazing- and really, they’ve done well to restrict the menu to mainly what they’re good at.
A few little niggles like they ran out of chicken wings, all sorts of teething problems were evident, our bill was a bit wrong and things like that. Give it a fortnight and I’d be more than happy to go again and keep my fingers crossed that the problems will have been ironed out.
Avoid this place people 2 hours wait for 5 people , it came out the worst burgers ever 0/10 complete shit !
I really wanted to love this place especially as an expat…but we were ignored by staff so seated ourselves, we’re given alf frozen starters after waiting 45 minutes and had burgers that would make McD seem gourmet. Not sure if it was an off night or what but it was a waste of ££