The gap in the Cape Town burger market is closing.
My favourite Cape Town burger is the Bree Street Burger served at Weinhaus + Biergarten (formerly &Union) – it’s just special; you have to try it yourself. I have also long been a fan of the Dog’s Bollocks burger – although I mostly go there because the place is so cool and my friends refuse to go anywhere else.
Now a new burger bar has opened, and IYO Burgers offers everything a burger bar should. Awesome burgers (we will go into much detail about those soon) and just a great eco-friendly vibe. Location is spot on. Right next door to vibey La Parada – you just pop up some stairs, and if you have a window seat, you can enjoy the action going on down below on Cape Town’s unofficial gourmet strip.
IYO stands for Inside & You’re Out burgers. Basically, they stuff the patty with all things amazing – like organic cheddar cheese, bacon and other stuff you can just imagine oozing out of your patty as you bite/cut into it. Yum!
The guys behind this burger bar are Jonah and Jean Marc. Jonah comes from an advertising and multimedia background – hence everything is hip and original and you can’t fault it at all. The better news is that Jean Marc is a chef – who has done stints at some of Cape Town’s top restaurants like La Colombe, Test Kitchen and Potluck Club. That is why the burgers taste so good.
They are both genuine guys who really do care about the environment and the community. They are ALL about sustainability. See for yourself when you go there, they are always happy to chat and you can tell straight away by the eco-furniture.
It’s pretty much self service – you get an order sheet with your menu. Fill it in and hand it in at the counter. Not hard.
With burgers like the B-BLT (Better BLT), Brie Street Burger, Umami BBQ and the Whiskey Braai BBQ burger you are all set for an evening of satisfied tummies. The burgers range from R74 to R86 in price.
Then the side dishes – all sorts of great burger-friendly options – their aim is to create the full burger eating experience, so picture curly fries, sweet potato chips (awesome), seasonal salad and even kale chips.
If you don’t fancy a burger, they have enormous starters, ironically called Small Bites on the menu. They are not small. They range from mini burgers to veg croquettes, chicken wings, Asian salad, pulled pork pancakes with a jar of whiskey-honey (I am drooling) and last but not least… pork belly cubes.
As far as drinks go – wines, craft beers, kombuchas and other manner of healthy options like home made smoothies including some epic ones like peanut butter smoothies, are served in recycled jar-like glasses. Very cool.
For dessert – there is a small helping of macarons, ice cream and some rather amazing cheesecake. Oh, and a vegan cheesecake!
Now, if none of that appeals to you – then you must be from another planet.
I urge you to take someone you love there. Whether it’s a first date or just because you want them to have a great time – it’s a treat!
Enjoy!