[Invite] – click here

At the time of writing, Gourmet Burger & Fries were sponsoring the Cambridge Foodies blog with a banner

For years, a takeaway institution has thrived on the Romsey Town side of Mill Road bridge – Gourmet Burger & Fries.

Also known as ‘The Pizza Company’, it has consistently delivered popular American classics across the city, building a strong reputation in the process.

The restaurant has been a familiar sight on my walks past the Mill Road bridge but a review has failed to materialise. Considering the pedigree of the team – the same folks behind Wing Brothers/Grill Brothers on Newmarket Road – a visit for my burger league table felt long overdue.

The Interior

Predominantly a takeaway, Gourmet Burger & Fries also offers limited indoor seating. While perhaps not an ideal choice for a formal family meal, the owner, Viresh, has shared promising news of upcoming interior investments that could significantly enhance the dine-in experience in the future.

Watch this space!

The Menu

Studying the menu, I found the pricing to be quite competitive, with a similar price point to other rival takeaways located further out of the city. A standard burger hovers around the £7-9 mark and monstrous triple-decker options fall into the £16 bracket. The selection was vast with numerous globally-inspired burgers making an appearance, like Korean and Tex-Mex options, further proving that Gourmet Burger & Fries is an exciting place for any passionate burger fiend.

The milkshake list was also extensive, with anything you could possibly want, no matter how niche. A wide range of fruit and brand name chocolates were available.

I also caught wind of their huge 24″ pizzas! 🍕😱

Apparently, this is popular with the hospital wards on Addenbrookes and with big corporate businesses like Microsoft (presumably to share between a team).

This is something I simply need to try for my next visit!

Who thinks I can manage it by myself? 🤣

Burger time!

I started with both their chicken and beef burger. Both were served in a brioche bun along with American cheese and salad. My initial thoughts were how ordinary it looked but once I started to get stuck in, it all started to make sense.

The thick slab of beef was sourced from a local butcher in St Ives, giving it a high-quality juicy bite that really hit the spot. The burger was heavy on their house sauces that were oozing out of the bun but also added a variety of exciting flavours. I was worried that the burger would struggle to hold it all together but I was pleasantly surprised by the strength of the brioche bun which handled it without a sweat.

I also noticed very little grease, making it taste lighter and, as a result, making me feel less groggy and sluggish than I often do with other burgers – a testament to their cooking process and ingredients.

The chicken burger was also decent. It came with a large chicken breast that had a beautiful crispy skin. On its own, the chicken was slightly dry but was luckily doused in their house sauces that invigorated it with a juicy texture and lively flavours.

Between the two, I couldn’t pick a favourite but both passed the test.

The burgers weren’t one of those overly indulgent ones where they cram as much as humanly possible into a bun (though you had the option to, if you wished). Instead they were sensible and well executed, with quality local ingredients. If I ate a burger everyday from most other takeaways in Cambridge, my health would suffer significantly but I felt Gourmet Burger & Fries was a slightly cleaner and more practical option, living up to the gourmet name. I can see why people use them for their go-to burger joint.

Milkshake

I was lucky enough to try both the vanilla and Ferrero Rocher milkshake. Both were so thick and milky with a subtle sweetness rather than an overpowering one, that allowed the flavour to do more of the talking. This, for me, is how milkshakes should be, as too many places load it with sugar (and god knows what else) to compensate for the cheap ingredients. Both shakes gave me a home-made feeling, rather than a processed one, and though I have no idea how it was made in the back, I could tell the vanilla quality was not cheap.

Jamaican Jerked Chicken

When I saw the Jamaican jerk chicken from the menu I knew immediately that I had to try it. There aren’t many Jamaican restaurants in Cambridge and the only one I can name at the top of my head in neighbouring St Ives. I have been disappointed with previous Jamaican restaurants, like Dutchie & Grill in Ely, that is sadly no longer with us, so I was excited to see if their take could revive my excitement.

The chicken is served as a reasonable portion of half a dozen chicken legs. They look quite small by eye but were surprisingly meaty and had a warm spicy punch that slowly built up the more you ate. It isn’t going to blow your head off but it will challenge your average customer with its feisty flavours. The chicken wasn’t overly tender but that was actually a good thing. It was nice to have a soft piece of chicken with a little give, that really reminded me that I had a piece of meat in my mouth.

Cheesy Bites

Despite their initially unassuming and somewhat timid appearance, Gourmet Burger & Fries’ cheesy bites quickly dispelled any reservations once I took a bite, by unleashing an unexpected and thoroughly enjoyable explosion of gooey flavour.

I highly recommend giving these a go as they are great fun!

Chicken Tenders

The chicken tenders were a decent execution and presented as an appealing arrangement of six generously sized strips. Their light crispy exterior proved to be the ideal canvas for the accompanying side sauces. By themselves, they were a little bland and failed to stand out from the other exciting dishes around me, especially when compared to the likes of Slim Chickens tenders but nobody will order them and leave disappointed.

A takeaway for the people!

In a neighbourhood where prices can sometimes be a little alienating for the average person, Gourmet Burger & Fries stands out as a remarkable exception, offering quality and value. Their commitment to locally sourced, butcher-quality ingredients and a balanced approach to flavour, evident in their subtly sweet milkshakes, delivers a truly attractive takeaway that I could see myself using frequently (if I lived a little closer). There is a wide variety of choices on the menu, giving me a reason to come back and I am confident it will be enough to satisfy even the most picky of people.

I’ll be back for the pizza! 🍕

Thanks for reading!