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Craft Burger Bar in Heritage Square
Craft beer and craft burgers go hand-in-hand at this new burger joint in Cape Town’s CBD
Nestled between Mars Music and I Love My Laundry, Craft Burger Bar is the latest addition to burger joints in the CBD. Serving up some of the best burgers in Cape Town, Craft Burger Bar pairs succulent patties with local craft beer, creating the perfect pairing of grub in Buitengracht Street.
At first glance, the twinkling reflection of suspended lights bouncing off the stainless steel finishes of the bar catch my eyes as the wooden couches and grey walls paint a modern, sophisticated picture of the new Buitengracht burger joint known as Craft Burger Bar. We are warmly welcomed by manager, Banele Tuswa, who has grown with the Craft Burger Bar brand, which started off in Sea Point, and now welcomes its sister branch to the CBD. “I like the concept of building your own burger because you can tick whatever you like,” says Banele. “So you can come in and you can say if you don’t like a bun, or if you only want half a bun, and instead of wasting the ingredients that comes standard on a burger, you get exactly what you want.”
Banele then hands me the burger menu, which includes handcrafted burgers for those who might not be keen on choosing individual ingredients. This menu features burgers named after various suburbs in the Mother City, such as Kalk Bay, which includes bacon, cheddar cheese and mushrooms; Century City is a combination of three cheeses, cheddar, camembert and blue cheese, with sautéed onion and a dollop of Hellman’s mayo; and the remarkable Gugulethu, which beautifully blends chakalaka and guacamole, and is served with the famous homemade potato chips, which Banele swears are the best he’s ever had. The burgers are beef but can be swapped out for a filleted chicken breast or a vegetarian option and are garnished with lettuce, tomato, red onion and gherkins. As we were enjoying the last few bites of our succulent burgers, we hear a very happy customer review his meal: “You guys make the best chicken burger in Cape Town! I’ve been here a couple of times and I’ve never been disappointed.”
Building a burger at Craft Burger Bar is super fun and easy too:
Step 1: Choose a beef, chicken, or vegetarian patty or sirloin steak roll.
Step 2: Choose a bun, half a bun or no bun at all.
Step 3: Choose how much you want to have your patty grilled.
Step 4: Choose between four different toppings, including lettuce, tomato, olive tapenade, red onion, gherkins, chillies, grilled pineapple, sautéed onions and/or Hellman’s mayo.
Steps 5 to 8: optional and additional costs are included. Opt for extra cheese (ranging from blue cheese to camembert), an extra premium topping (including basil pesto, bacon and sautéed mushrooms), a sauce (either chakalaka, pepper or tzatziki) and a side (such as deep fried yams, chips, salad or the chef's selection of veggies of the day).
Wash it down with a Boston Premium Lager gluten-free beer and you’re good to go!
Tip: Craft Burger Bar also allows patrons to bump up their burger with an additional beef patty, chicken breast or vegetarian patty, at an extra cost.
Not only does Craft Burger Bar encourage getting exactly what you want in a burger, but the #fitfam can get exactly what they want too, with the build your own salad option!
Note: Every Friday night, Craft Burger Bar gets the party started between 5pm and 7pm with DJ Tino and their bottomless bubbly special. For R150 patrons can drink as much bubbly as they want, with some groovy deep house setting the tone for your weekend!
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 11pm
The Bill: Handcrafted burgers: R109 – R129 | Handmade potato chips: R19 – R33 | Create your own salad (base: R35 | Salad additions (bacon, olives, feta, mushrooms, blue cheese, camembert): R12 per addition | Add chicken: R24 | Create your own burger: Starts at R65 and varies according to toppings | Extra toppings: R12 per cheese | Premium topping: R12 per topping | Sauce: R19 per sauce | Side: R19 per side | Bump up your burger: R29 – R39 | Dessert: R33 – R48 | Craft beers: R43 – R66 | Ciders: R52 – R60 | Craft beer on tap: R24 – R48
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63 Buitengracht Street | Heritage Square | Cape Town | +27(0)21 439 7407
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By Marian Volkwyn | Video Credit: Garth Prins
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