Hesburger

Hamburg, Germany
www.hesburger.com/food



The Order:  Hesburger (Double Burger), with shredded iceberg, American cheese, 3 buns, 2 patties, pickle, ketchup, and cucumber & paprika mayo.
Side Order:  Does not come with a side
€3.50
Drink Order:  None
Burger Menu Rating:  5.5/15




Hesburger is a Finnish burger chain, known in Finland as Hese, with locations in Finland, Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, and Ukraine.  It's had a long history, starting in the 1960's, but really began to grow starting in the 1990's.  It has a larger presence in Finland than McDonald's, and blah blah blah.  None of that is important.  There are four in Germany, three of which are in Hamburg, and two of which are located on the Reeperbahn, the area where I was working.  What you need to know about this place, is that the burger, at the right time, is dirt cheap, tasty, and worth every cent.


This lone man handles ordering and making all the burgers here.

During rush hours, I would avoid Hesburger if I had the time to go somewhere else.  With only one person running the establishment, at least at the location on the east side of the Reeperbahn, the guy makes a ton of burgers, beforehand, in order to handle the lunch and dinner-time rush.  What this means, is while they're still tasty, and inexpensive, they're not fresh, and that's where you really get the value on your burger.  During the rush hours, your burger will have been sitting under a heat lamp for an hour or two before you consume it.  The time to go to Hesburger, therefore, is late at night, after a drink or two, perhaps.


Andy LOVES Hesburger.

A coworker of mine, Andy, LOVES Hesburger, and had been trying to get me to go with him for a few weeks, when finally we had time to go together (Andy had been going virtually every day in the interim).  We walked up to the stand, ordered our Hesburgers, Andy also got a Cheeseburger and waited at the hi-tops.  The sole cook/cashier/order-taker/honcho made our burgers quickly, all the while taking the order of a few drunken German tourists, who were also expounding upon Hesburger's many fine qualities.  The two patties are thrown onto the grill, while each piece of bun is lathered with mayo and topped with condiments, including the cucumber and paprika mayo (by far one of the standouts on this burger).  By the time he's done with that, he slides the patties onto the buns, stacks it all together, and wraps it to perfection.


A shot of the meat, looks like he forgot the toppings on the top half.

The burger is simple.  No frills, just consistency and normal fast food burger taste.  The American cheese makes this burger sweet, but buns are lightly toasted and the shredded iceberg is fresh.  The mayo with cucumber and paprika provides a cool and crisp flavor to contrast with richness of the beef and cheese.  They DID forget to put the toppings on the top half of the burger, which is unfortunate.  With this burger, you don't get to order at a specific temperature, nor do you have any really fancy toppings, nor, apparently, do you really even get something all that consistent.  What you get is a freshly made burger that will certainly satisfy your post work/beer cravings.




Cooked Correctly:  1/5 - Medium Well, can't ask for specific temperature
Design:  1/3 - Cucumber&Paprika Mayo!
Plating:  .5/3
Value:  3/3