Let me start this review by saying that I love the West brewery. I’ve been a fan of their own in-house produced beer for many years now and the bar itself is one of my favourite places to meet up with friends and family on a rare hot summer’s day in Glasgow. I love nothing more than finding a good table outside in the huge beer garden and enjoying an ice cold glass of hefeweizen and letting the hours whittle away. I had never eaten in West before and in all honesty, it was never somewhere that came to mind when thinking of burger stops in Glasgow. Several weeks ago, I received an e-mail from one of our readers who had recently visited West and had sampled the double burger. They described it as being “cooked perfectly with a sliver of pink through the middle; juicy and well-seasoned”. They also attached the photograph below:
I practically drooled as I read the e-mail and scanned over the photograph and knew that I had to book a table and try it out for myself. I had never eaten at West before, but if the beer and atmosphere was anything to go by, the burger had to be as good as it looked in this photo, right?
Unfortunately, I was left feeling less than impressed with the West double burger. I opted for the same burger that was described in the photo – the double patty topped simply with cheese, as shown below:
The first thing that I noticed is that it didn’t look quite as impressive as the one shown in the photo that was sent to us by our reader; however, I didn’t let this concern me too much since no two dishes look identical to one another. As I cut into the burger, the patty seemed soft enough and didn’t appear to be overcooked; however, it simply didn’t look as impressive as what I’d been sent by our readers. I took a bite and was just left feeling a little underwhelmed overall.
The double patty provided a decent size to the burger; however, taste and presentation-wise it was all a bit bland. There was no distinct seasoning that really stood out and after a few bites, I wasn’t able to taste much of anything at all. I felt like I was eating an average burger and I couldn’t pinpoint any particular flavours that stood out at all. Usually, I am able to tell what seasoning has been used in a burger or the type of mince that has been used to form the patty, however nothing really shone through here. The cheese was melted perfectly, although I felt that there wasn’t quite enough of it. The bun itself was fairly standard and although it did a good job of holding the burger together and didn’t make much mess, it didn’t stand out in any way or compliment the taste of the patty or the toppings. The burger was served up with skinny fries and there was the option to upgrade to hand-cut chips for £1 extra. After our burgers, we decided to try West’s hefeweizen ice cream. Despite the fact that our site isn’t called James vs. Ice Cream, I will say that this dessert was absolutely incredible! Some of the best ice cream I’ve ever had and the wheat-beer taste works beautifully. It’s something that I never thought would work well in this sort of dish, but I’d happily order this each and every time I go to West and recommend it to everyone I know too.
I had high hopes for the WEST burger. As stated previously, it’s long been one of my favourite bars in Glasgow and I absolutely adore the beer. It’s in a perfect location and is ideal for escaping the hustle of the city and enjoying some fantastic drinks in great surroundings. I can’t comment on the other food on the menu other than the hefeweizen ice-cream which was fantastic, but I’ve heard good things from friends who have eaten there before. Unfortunately, the burger did not reach the same high level of quality as West’s own produced beer and was fairly bland overall. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but I struggled to find any positives about the burger as I left the brewery and instead, wanted to rave about the hefeweizen ice cream to my friends all night long.
Price: £9.95
SUMMARY
+ The hefeweizen ice cream and WEST’s beer are fantastic
– Burger looked bland and nothing like what had previously been reported to us
– Poorly seasoned.
– Not worth the price. There are better burgers in Glasgow available at lower prices
– Very forgettable. You’ll struggle to remember much about it after you leave
Have you tried this burger? Did you love it? If so, vote for it in the ‘Glasgow’s best burger’ award by clicking here.
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WEST Brewery
Templeton Building
Glasgow Green
Glasgow
G40 1AW
Phone: 0141 550 0135
Website: http://www.westbeer.com/
James vs. Burger 
I quite enjoyed this burger when at the West Brewery and would recommend it. Mind you I was fairly burst by the time I tried it so I may have lost a sense of objectivity. I will further qualify my original statement by saying it was a free meal and everyone loves a free meal. Hefeweizen is good.