Annie's Burger Shack, Nottingham

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Annie's Burger Shack, 5 Broadway, NG1 1PR Reservations: bookingatannies@gmail.com 

Annie's Burger Shack is a new restaurant for an already popular owner. Annie first opened the Burger Shack in 2009 as the kitchen in a city centre pub of Nottingham after moving from Rhode Island to the city in 1994. The demand then got so high and with hourly waits on food Annie needed a place of her own to serve her customers. Enter the opening of Annie's Burger Shack in the Lace Market area of town and you have a popular and usually full burger joint. 

They currently do not have a booking system or telephone line so all bookings are made either in person or via email. I suppose this is because they are so busy however, it can make it a little stressful to try and book a table. After emailing but knowing it can take up to 10 days to get a response I went by to book a table in person as it was for Jensen's (the boyfriend) sisters birthday.

Arriving at 7pm for our table we were greeted by a friendly host who informed us our table was being relaid and offered us a seat at the bar whilst we wait. We reluctantly took a seat and waited for the rest of our party to get there; 35 minutes later we were still waiting for our table to be relaid, however by this point it was quite obvious this was not the reason we were waiting. It turned out the people on the table had paid their bill and they were waiting for them to leave, I was a little considerate after my own experiences being a waitress in the past but it left me slightly annoyed. Again, the staff were all very kind and offered us free sides and desserts for the whole table, once we were seated. 

A few moments later we were all seated and 2 plates of onion rings arrived to occupy us whilst we looked over our menus. If you like burgers and relaxed American style bars then this is your place. With a menu of 30 burgers and adequate sides (although the portion size is more than enough to not order sides) you will be in heaven trying to choose which dish to have. The Burger Shack houses choices such as 'The Elvis' - Half pound burger with peanut butter and raspberry jam or 'The Sunday Dinner' - A burger topped with a roast chicken breast, homemade Yorkshire pudding, a stuffing ball, mini roast potatoes and mini vegetables all covered in gravy. Oh and all burgers come with skinny fries, curly fries or wedges - now do you see why sides aren't necessary?

My green looking burger above is 'The Lemmy' - a burger topped with American style cheddar, lots of Jalapeños and their own 'Jack Daniels' style mustard. As I am not a fan of huge meaty burgers (I know you're all wondering why I am at a burger restaurant if I don't like burgers) I chose the vegetarian option of a patty made from kidney beans and beetroot and a portion of curly fries. 

An interesting combination of flavours that left me a little disappointed. The burger was slightly dry and the taste overpowered the other flavours of the burger meaning I felt like I was just eating the burger and jalapeños with no taste of cheese or mustard. Slightly disheartening but I enjoyed it non the less.

Taking advantage of the free desserts I chose their Apple and Pumpkin pie with Vanilla Ice Cream. Very seasonal and had a lovely smell of cinnamon, I think the pumpkin was a puree and mixed with the spices turned this pie into a warming apple pie minus the taste of pumpkin. Still a very enjoyable dessert and after the huge main course I was well and truly stuffed.

After my experience I would give some benefit of the doubt to the staff being new and the restaurant still new. Thus making me believe that with more experience, a more enjoyable dining experience the customers will receive. The overall atmosphere is relaxed but somewhat lacking as by the end of the night I got the feeling we were overstaying our welcome and that the staff wanted us to leave so they could go home. I would not recommend this as an establishment for couples, more for groups of friends or colleagues or family.

I may return but possibly in a year or so to see if things have changed and to see if my perception can be altered. Understandably the staff do try their hardest to accommodate for the mishaps and hopefully they can take these into the future and help turn around any other situations that may arise. I would also be interested to see what new items will be on the menu and if I can be brave enough to try them!

Let me know if you have been to Annie's Burger Shack or if you're planning to in the future xx


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