Grillshack

Grillshack has more seating space than your eyes would initially be led to believe, with tables both upstairs and in the deceptively hidden downstairs area, where we were seated. Drinks were ordered, and I went with my classic choice of Camden Hells!
The most prominent part of the menu was the foodstuff that seems to have taken London by storm over the past year or so — the humble yet ever-​reliable burger. I went for the Shack Attack — beef patty, Monterey Jack cheese, bacon, salad and mayo. Keeping it pretty classic, really. All burgers also come with a (pretty generous) portion of fries, which wins brownie points from me as I hate having to add on another three quid just to up my carb intake.
Grillshack’s burgers are certainly a good size and very meaty and juicy, with the wide beefy patty spreading out beyond the confines of the soft brioche bun, and served up in a new-​cool enamel bowl that reminded me of my Scout camp days. The lettuce was crisp and fresh tasting, and the cheese and bacon complemented the patty rather than overpowering it.
I stuck to just the burger and chips but there are also plenty of sides for the bigger appetite — I did almost order a side of the buttermilk onion rings as they sounded pretty tasty. From the non-​burger side of the menu, the Chilli Mac & Cheese also sounded like something I’ll be going back to try out another day.
Coming in at under £15 for my main and drink, I’d say Grillshack is pretty good value. The menu is definitely a well-​selected affair with a great choice of options, and it’s definitely the kind of place that would be perfect to refuel at during a hard day of city shopping. And, if you come in the daytime, you can take up their ‘Beat the Clock’ offer — with burgers at just £4 from 4 – 5 or £5 from 5 – 6. TOTAL BARGAIN.

Nice lunch spot in soho doing their own take on American diner food for an expensive audience. Speaking as an American this is not the diner experience, but was still enjoyable. My chicken sandwich was great and I LOVE seasoned fries. But they need fountain drinks and refillable coffee and more to be accurate.

So been meaning to check this place out for a long time, and thought I’d take my friend for their happy birthday promotion.
The shack is their staple and was the bargain price of two pounds, so my friend opted for that and for me, I went for the vegetarian halloumi cheese burger with fries.
The burger itself was quite nice, but a little bit too much relish for my liking and could have used more flavourings in there. Like sweet chilli sauce. The fries I was less keen on, as were too salty for me, and definitely needed the ketchup to go on top. My friend loved her shack burger and the fries and polished them off in no time.
The menu impressed me and definitely want to try out some of the other choices, and the desserts, they looked amazing. Next time it has to happen.
The meal ended kinda disappointingly as we were given the bill and then waited for an age for a card machine, before going up to the till and waiting for a while again to pay. I think this was more due to how busy they were than anything else.
All in all, I quite like the feel of this place and will return again to try out more of the menu.

We ended up there after Flat Iron said there was a 2h30 queue (I mean who would queue that long for food?)
From the outside the place looked like a very nice/​trendy diner and the menu looked good.
Food was a bit disappointing though. Not that it was not good but I wasn’t impressed at all.
I tried the barbecue ribs and meat was ok but not what I expected from a diner (I wanted tender melting in your mouth meat). My Dad add the steak and fries which was litterally 0,2 inches thick. He asked for well cooked but it was so thin that it was really dry.
Every dish comes with its sides, but it looked more like decoration to me: 5 fries, 1 leaf of salad and one teaspoon of slaw.
Waiters were really nice although they forgot to bring our starter and it took a good 30min to get our meals. They did offer us a discount which I really appreciated.
If you’re desperate for somewhere to eat without a booking on a friday night, walk to covent garden and go to five guys.

Now that I’ve come to Grillshack a few times and tried a few dishes I can say that, actually, I’m really not impressed. Each time I’ve visited I’ve felt either underwhelmed or disappointed with the flavour of the food, and the service has always been adequate or very slow. Most recently I’ve tried the chicken nuggets (which were dry and oddly bland) and the hallumi salad (which was very oily). On more than one occasion there were items that didn’t belong on our bill. I keep ending up here with colleagues and friends for lunch or an easy post-​work dinner, but I wouldn’t be actively recommending this to friends looking to dine in Soho.

4* for cheap, quick and reliable food. This place is not a patch on Bodean’s or Honest Burger, but it doesn’t necessarily need to be.
For me, this place helped me and my boyfriend out when we were in a rush pre-​Book of Mormon for some quick grub central. I always loved the Alphabet bar, so was at first really disappointed it had been replaced with yet another grill-​type restaurant. Anyway, time wasn’t on our side so we jumped in and were pleasantly surprised with the food.
I had the halloumi burger with a side of pulled pork (warning: super spicy!) and Ned had the buttermilk chicken which he confirms hit all the right notes.
Will come here again when I need food served in record time!

What can I say — it was just great. These guys know how to make burgers. Tha staff is really friendly and they make your visit worth while. Burgers from 8£ and a cosy atmosphere. A bit noisy, but ok for a «shack».

Cue sad trombone sound. Oh man, I had such high hopes for Grillshack when I saw their brunch menu. Declaring itself a proper diner, I assumed it would be but no it’s just another Soho wannabe.
It so misunderstands the concept of a diner that it doesn’t even have filter coffee or coffee refills. Why even bother calling yourself a diner… oh to screw money out of people, of course.
We had come here for breakfast and so ordered the steak and eggs and the Big Shack breakfast. I’m pretty sure the only way they make it look big is that they pile it all on a small plate. Fail. It was fairly substandard. The pancake had barely any syrup, the toast came with no butter, there was a paper cone of beans and the rest was average full-​English fare. Pretty blah.
My friend’s steak and fries wasn’t much better looking. Just a minute steak slapped ontop of some fries. She ordered a millkshake specifically asking the waiter if it was a proper thick milkshake and not thin. He said yes, of course. But it wasn’t. It’s a glorified glass of chocolate milk with oreos in it for £4.50. Jesus. So pricey.
Meh, this place is so average, I mean it’s fine, but I wouldn’t bother coming back.

Deeply disappointing. The menu somewhat resembles an American menu, but the breakfast dishes are really mainly English breakfasts with baked beans and such. The pancakes are alright, but the blueberries served with them are those tiny canned blueberries that Americans only use for baking.
The fried chicken breading was soft, soggy and falling off the dry chicken. All of it was in desperate need of seasoning, it was terribly bland.
The fries tasted like they were fried yesterday and then thrown into an oven: starchy and tough, inedible. The coleslaw was really only two tablespoons of coleslaw on some lettuce.
I would hate for anyone to think this represents American food. If this is where Brits get it, then I can see why they think American food isn’t good. The only good thing here is the service, which was exceptionally friendly.

This place is clean, quick, and relatively empty on week nights. It feels more like a diner imitation chain than an actual restaurant, but the food is decent enough.
More of a stop gap than a destination.

Come here for the desserts.
Main courses are mediocre.
On a previous visit we had the buttermilk pancakes, brownies and ice cream sandwich between a party of 4 and these were all good to excellent — really worth a try.
Yesterday we had the cheese and onion bites which are actually very tasty and not oily at all, but everything else was disastrous — my burger was insipid and everything tasted of vacancy, the Mrs got really greasy and unseasoned buttermilk fried chicken. The fries had been forlornly dusted with some type of Cajun seasoning and my oreo milkshake tasted like a Nesquik with oreo crumbs wiped in from a side plate after someone else ate the real thing.
The décor and menu conjure up imagery of the idea of Americana which is fine if you haven’t been or are yearning for that feeling BUT if you are actually after nourishment and flavour this is a mis-​step especially with so many superior options in the vicinity — Vinoteca and Polpo to name but two
The extra star is for the dessert but I wont be back for anything else

Tried here for tea — mainly as I fancied ribs and I was passing!
Tried the buttermilk chicken nuggets for starters — was very nice! Crisp but succulent!
For the main event I had the BBQ Ribs. A full rack appeared and they simply fell off of the bone. The fries accompanying them were gorgeous. Had some form of addictive flavouring on them.
To wash it all down I had a strawberry milkshake.
Service was very attentive. Reasonably priced. Would definitely go back and would recommend you give it a go!

Grillshack is a ‘hit or miss’ on Beak Street. The very colourful, modern off-​diner look adds to its charm, which the smells and cursory sights of the food beckons the passer-​by.
I was a bit ticked off, when my medium-​rare steak came out borderline well done. But then I tried a slice of the buttermilk fried chicken (breast) and it was some’n else. Hopefully someone will tell me what this buttermilk fried chicken is, until then I will revel in my new found experience that chicken breast could taste reasonably delectable.
The English breakfast was like anything else, and the pulled pork bun didn’t hit the spot.
Overall, while this might be another Caring restaurant, adjectified heavily, adorned with stylings to beat many of it’s neighbours, the food is not extraordinary or cutting edge.

I walked past here the other night and asked about the all day pancakes. The reply I got to my unusual question was friendly and I resolved to come back.
I followed through on my resolution last Sunday. I had been for a long run and had a craving for some tasty and filling food.
It was a scorching day and we were pleased to have a pick of the tables deep inside the restaurant, in the shade. I found everyone to be attentive to us but without making us feel rushed. A few times, they seemed to know what was on our minds, like when they asked if we wanted some other sauces with our lunch. Easy going and not fussed.
My wife was tempted by the Oreo milkshake while I was weighing up whether it was crossing the line of reasonableness to get a 2 pint jug of craft beer just for myself. In the end I went for it, but asked for an extra glass for my wife under the pretense that the beer was for both of us.
For our meals, my wife chose the Big shack, which was a breakfast fry-​up. It came with a pancake which impressed my wife. The bacon was delish. I went for the buttermilk chicken which came with fries and coleslaw. The chicken looked nice and it was tender to eat. However, the batter was a little undercooked once you got beneath the crispy outside.
The bill for the lot was just under £40. It is a reliable place for diner style food and friendly staff.

How this place consistently gets four stars I do not know. The décor’s cool (a super trendy European take on an American diner, if a little over designed), the staff’s friendly but when it comes to food, all I can think is. MCDONALDS + general disappointment /​this is pretty sad guys :(
Fair enough, I came for brunch and didn’t get to try the burger everyone raves about but there’s no way I’m coming back. Ordered the cinnamon french toast and it came all (seemingly) deliciously golden brown on the outside, liberally dusted in cinnamon sugar. Promising! But hey hey, I cut into it and it oozed a milky yellow goo, like runny pancake batter. The semi-​solid bits didn’t even have the consistency of soggy eggy bread, just undercooked mush.
That was bad but the eggs were even worse, and not just bland with no hint of butter or milk. They *looked* fluffy, like real scrambled eggs but something wasn’t quite right. The friend I was with hit the nail on the head — liquid eggs! Yknow, the kind they use at mcdonalds. Exactly the same in texture and taste. (In all fairness I don’t know for a fact if it’s liquid eggs but if they taste like it, that’s bad enough!) BOO.
Same with the bacon! It initially tasted great, smoky and a little sweet — I was quite enjoying it till halfway through my first piece. It just started to taste so synthetic. My mind went straight to that ‘how it’s made’ video — mass-​produced bacon being doused in liquid smoke to give it flavour. Nasty nasty shizz that I could get in a supermarket for next to nothing. I don’t dine out to put this rubbish in my body!

Grillshack are one of the latest burger-​selling kids in town and they’re pretty good, particularly for the money.
The burger is smallish but still good value for £5. In fact I can’t think of a cheaper burger amongst the serious burger chains (Maccy Ds doesn’t count). I opted for the shoestring fries which were pretty ordinary (the French fries are likely better) but the side salad wasn’t bad. For dessert, we both opted for the ice cream sandwich — wow. I’ve only tried one other such sandwich, at Fire and Stone, and Grillshack’s was much better.
But there’s more to Grillshack than just the food and excellent prices. It’s possible to order in three ways, including via an app you can download to your phone — innovative. The interior is benches and white-​panelled ceilings akin to those found in 80s-​era open plan offices. I never thought I’d see the day when they were ‘cool’. The music was a mixture of hip-​hop and Americana.
In all, it’s an interesting offering. Right now, I think the combination of the low prices, decent-​enough food and quirks (the app, the ice-​cream sandwich) make it worthy entrant into this highly-​competitive food category. But this market doesn’t stand still, so I’ll be curious to see how it adapts to stay in the game.

Unlike everyone else’s reviews, I didn’t think this place was very good, apart from the friendly concierge dude who was really funny!
It’s all about ordering your meal in different ways, from the self service kiosk to the iPhone app… Which is all well and good but you get a tiny sized portion (admittedly at a very reasonable price) but its not very tasty. My burger arrived practically raw when I wanted it well done and my friend was vegetarian so had a choice of halloumi salad or staying hungry.
The menu is limited and although the place has a nice atmosphere I think it fails as a modern version of an American diner.
I wouldn’t go back when there are so many other choices in the area.

So to top off a brilliant Unilocal event night, me and Yinnie C teamed up with Teresa C, Jane G, Isabel F and of course Alex S to pig out on juicy burgers in Soho. Where else could we pick? Especially as they had a cheeky deal on, ‘Grill shack on the house!’ got us some cheeky free drinks and dessert.
If you want good value burgers, quick service and amazing staff then this is the place to be! Obviously popular, we were looking for a table at 9pm and managed to squeeze 7 onto a 6 person, good thing we’re so friendly! £5 for a damn good burger + £2 on fries is a super deal. Also try their special sauce (ooh err missus), it’s a bit of a BBQ/​hp cross and totally works,
Pudding, ice cream cookie thank you very much. Who can resist?
Fast good without the fast food negatives, mmm

This place rocks! As soon as you walk through the door the smell of delicious food hits you! there are so many lovely little touches, such as a sink in the restaurant, glasses and tap water easily accessible, and the sauce station. The staff were all lovely, helpful and full of menu and sauce suggestions. Soft drinks include a free refill, which is great.
The menu is just right, simple enough to make ordering easy but there are plenty of ways to personalise your order. I had a burger, and I am glad I did. It was delicious, cooked just right and the brioche bun was soooooo good. I had the French fries as suggested by my waiter, which were really nice, but also nicked a few shoestrings and can vouch for them too!
The ice cream sandwich was really nice. I will definitely be back, and am hoping to try the breakfast sometime — cinnamon French toast I am coming for you.
The only problem I had was deciding between the fries, maybe they will introduce a half and half option one day.
I had a brill time, with good food and great company!

Grill Shack is a brand new American diner style restaurant in Soho on Beak Street. It officially opened today, but I swung by there last night as they had a soft opening.
Grill Shack straddles the boundary between fast food and a family friendly/​casual restaurant with table service. Indeed on the Tuesday night there were several waiters milling around, however, unlike practically every other restaurant, these waiters do not take orders or wait on tables. Instead these friendly waiters where there to explain «the concept.» And it’s a 4 step process at that! First, you are seated by a hostess and given menus. Second, you then order either at the counter, or at a kiosk, or on their iphone app — the later was still being worked on. Third you pick up your drinks and/​or sauces. Lastly, (and only a few minutes later) your food appears. Maybe these waiters do more than explain the concept after-​all. I’m still not bought into the wonky concept, however, I did like the prices…
Speaking of which, Grill Shack is remarkably affordable, Try £4.95 for a burger or about 9 quid for a rump steak with fries. There was also a tasty looking ½ chicken for just under £8. That’s practically fast food prices but with the quality you’d expect at more up-​market chain like Byron. Soft drinks come in under 2 quid and come with 1 free refill. The food was actually good especially considering the price. My burger came on a nice brioche bun (I ordered bacon as an extra). It was cooked medium and was on par with what I’ve had at GBK and Byron. However, Grill Shack is much much quicker and a bit cheaper. They also have ice cream cookie sandwiches and carrot cake for dessert.
All in, despite the unusual ordering system (it’s never great when they have to have staff explain how to order food in a restaurant) I liked my experience at Grill Shack and would be back. It’s priced right, the food came out ridiculously fast and was rather tasty.