Berlin, Germany
After a long night out in East Berlin, and a very late start to the next day, I happened to walk past Burger Meister on my way into the U-Bahn at Schlesisches Tor. I had heard about it as one of the top burgers in the city, so I concluded that it would make for a perfect breakfast. The stall is built into a converted public toilet right under the railway arches, with a few tables outside. There were only about 3 groups in front of us, so I thought it would be a quick stop. After paying and getting the ticket, I had a look at the number screen above, and realised we were in for a long wait. The 'dings' would come every five minutes, and it felt like forever before it was finally my turn to pick up the burger. I guess it's good that they put some time and effort into preparing the food. I unwrapped the beauty and dug in. The two slices of cheese were perfectly cooked, not too runny like in Patty & Bun. The lettuce and tomatoes were crips and fresh. There was a tiny bit of red onion, giving the flavour some punch without taking over the entire assembly. The bun not only looked beautiful, but had the perfect size, texture and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. The meat was really juice, not too bloody, and with a bit of a charred surface from the grill. All of it worked really well together, and I could have easily ordered another, if it didn't take so long to get it. By the time we finished, the queue had grown, as it was getting closer to dinner time. More people were impatiently waiting around for their burgers to arrive. My friends and I shared a standing table with a tall, beautiful couple with glitter on their faces, who told us they had just come from a boat party. They asked if it was worth the wait, and we affirmed that it definitely was. The crowd generally was quite mixed, and not very touristic. The service was friendly, and the general atmosphere around the stall was relaxed. With a bottle of glass Coke to go with, this was the perfect afternoon breakfast. I cannot think of a single bad thing to say about this burger, hence it is getting a full score on the Hanger-Meter. If only we had a Burger Meister in London...
