Inn Deep Burger – Inn Deep, Glasgow

I had never visited the Big Blue Bar & Restaurant, which formally occupied 445 Great Western Road. I had heard good things about their burgers but simply just hadn’t found the time to stop by. Whilst I was planning out a list of upcoming reviews, I was surprised to find out that Big Blue had recently closed it’s doors to make way for a new venue – the Inn Deep, owned by the Williams Brothers. I spotted a photograph of the Inn Deep’s steak burger on Facebook and had been told that they were also stocking one of my favourite beers, which is near impossible to find anywhere else in Glasgow. I thought I’d head along and check it out for myself.

As we arrived at Inn Deep, I soon found out the reason behind the rather odd sounding name of the bar. As we walked in, we immediately went down a large flight of stairs, turned a corner, went down another, turned another corner and went down yet another. It felt like we were heading underground, which was a very cool and unusual setting. As you walk in the bar, you’ll first come to a fairly large seating area which is almost circular in shape. Through a doorway, you then come to the bar and another seating area and an outdoor section to the back. We grabbed a seat at the bar and were given some menus. The bar itself, as described, is quite unusual in terms of layout and location, but that isn’t a bad thing. The inside of the bar area features wood panels all around and almost feels as if you’re sitting inside a massive beer barrel – pretty cool considering the fact that Inn Deep offers one of the best beer selections in Glasgow. For a bar that has only been around since September, Inn Deep are quickly gaining a reputation as the place to go if you are serious about beer. You’ll see rows of signs featuring all of the craft beer and real ale that is available lining the top shelf of the bar – so much that it’s almost impossible to choose your first drink of the evening! As mentioned, I had found out that Inn Deep stocks one of my favourite beers – Maisel’s Weisse. This beer, which is produced in Bayreuth, Germany is the best wheat beer I’ve ever tasted and after becoming a huge fan during a trip to Europe several years ago, I found it impossible to find anywhere in Glasgow and have had to resort to buying expensive bottles online. Normally, we’ll only ever drink water when out for reviews; however, since Maisel’s Weisse was available on draught, I had to order one.

On to the food – Inn Deep’s menu is kept simple and features hearty pub grub, but not the bland, pre-frozen kind that you’d expect from large high street chains. Inn Deep freshly prepares their food and locally sources all of their ingredients and the bread is made in-house on a daily basis. The burgers are offered in three varietes – steak, chicken or vegetarian and are served up on their homemade toasted ciabatta. There are various toppings available which range in price from 50p to £1, depending on what you order.

I decided to go with the steak burger and opted for bacon, cheese and chorizo as toppings. What really surprised me was the price of the burger when browsing the menu, as it’s rare to find a good burger that is made in-house and priced at only £6.50. I was looking forward to finding out if this recession-busting burger was as tasty as it was value for money.

Taste wise, the Inn Deep burger certainly delivers. I’ve eaten many burgers in the past which claim to be made with steak mince and then end up tasting like every other burger; however, you can tell that the guys here are putting out exactly what they say they are. The steak mince has such a distinctive, almost peppery flavour and the patty was seasoned well with mustard throughout. The patty was charred on the outside and was rich and dark in colour. On the inside, it was a cooked medium and had a lovely sear of pink throughout. Steak mince has to be cooked just right, otherowise it can often end up being very dry when used to make burgers; however, Inn Deep’s offering was nice and juicy and cooked how a burger should be. The mustard seasoning added an extra little kick to the already deep, peppered flavour of the steak mince and the cheese and chorizo that I added gave it a smokey, rich finish. It’s great to see somewhere offer burgers that are both handmade, fresh and friendly on your wallet.

As mentioned, Inn Deep make all of their own bread in-house and this is clear from the moment you take your first bite. The ciabatta is fresh and light; however, that type of bread is never my preferred choice for a burger bun simply because I find it a little too crunchy when toasted and feel that it works better as a sandwich as opposed to a burger. That is not to take anything away from the bread itself – it is extremely well made, tastes fantastic, soaks up the juices from the meat and it even holds the contents of the burger very well.

The Inn Deep burger comes served with chunky hand-cut fries and salad. We also ordered a side of Inn Deep’s onion rings, which are coated in Williams Brothers beer batter. Easily the best onion rings I’ve ever had.

The Inn Deep is still a young establishment and in the process of finding it’s feet and putting their stamp on this new venue. They are certainly off to a great start! Offering up great burgers, live sport, friendly staff and one of the best beer selections in Glasgow, you should make a point of heading along to check it out. If you like to pile your burger high with toppings, you may end up spending a little bit more on the food, but if you are looking for a high quality, hand-made gourmet cheeseburger, tasty hand-cut fries and some delicious craft beer, you won’t even have to spend £10, making Inn Deep one of Glasgow’s best value spots for a great burger.

Price: £6.50 (extra toppings 50p – £1)

SUMMARY
+  Great value!
+  High quality ingredients
+  Rich flavour
+  Wash it down with some of the finest beers around
—  Ciabatta bun a little too crunchy

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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Inn Deep
445 Great Western Road
Glasgow
G12 8HH
Phone: 0141 357 1075
Website: http://www.inndeep.com/