Flower Burger

The first London outpost of European chain Flower Burger finds its home on Fitzrovia’s fancy Charlotte Street. Flower Burger is a relaxed affair though, a fast casual concept best known for its signature range of rainbow coloured vegan burgers. The dining room, split across an intimate ground floor and a larger basement space, is colourful and kitschy, paying homage to the hippy culture of the 1960s. Psychedelic patterns are splashed across table tops, the purple ceiling is covered in ‘groovy’ floral prints and walls are plastered with pun-tastic sayings such as “give peas a chance”.

Guests order at the counter and are able to choose from a succinct menu of snacks, burgers, sides and desserts. Flower Burger’s rainbow coloured buns are the restaurant’s USP and while they are certainly primed for Instagram, health-conscious diners will be glad to know they are not full of fakery and filters. In fact, the colour of the buns forgoes artificial colourings altogether, instead relying on vegetables to get their distinct hue. For example, the pink bun gets its colour from cherry and beetroot extract.

Instead of trying to replicate chicken or beef, Flower Burger’s fillings are a surprisingly unique celebration of vegetables. We opted for the Cherry Bomb, which consisted of a lentil and basmati rice patty which boasted a pleasingly grainy texture and came topped with vegan cheese and a slathering of ‘rocktail’ sauce (a winning combination of ketchup, mustard and vegan mayonnaise given an extra kick by notes of brandy). We also enjoyed that Flower Burger’s sides consisted of thick potato wedges rather than skinny fries, although we did find the price point of our meal (up to £14 a burger) a little high for such casual food.

Despite rejecting meaty mimicry, Flower Burger does have some fun with its short dessert menu, which includes slabs of chocolate ‘salami’ (essentially a chocolate tiffin). Drinks wise, there are a variety of bottled softs available, including lemonade and blood orange sips, while cheery staff and swift service complete the Instagram-worthy picture.

Having already made a splash across Europe, vegan burger joint Flower Burger has now opened its first UK site, setting up shop on Fitzrovia’s Charlotte Street.

The fast casual concept is a grab-and-go affair, with guests ordering their food from the counter, although there are a number of tables available for those looking to dine-in. The restaurant is decked out in bright colours, with floral prints splashed across the walls and tables topped with geometric patterns.

Flower Burger’s USP is its signature range of rainbow coloured vegan burgers, boasting buns in hues of bright pink, neon green and deep purple. Before you get to that bit though, there are two appetisers to choose from. The first is a gnome burger (essentially a mini version of the main event), while the second is a pot of Flower Bombs, which are fried seitan and red kidney bean bites rolled in breadcrumbs.

As for the vegan burgers, options to try include the Jungle Burger, which sees an oat and red bean patty topped with oven baked courgettes, tomatoes, lettuce and vegan cheese and sandwiched between a neon green bun sprinkled with black sesame seeds. For diners looking for some heat, there is the Spicy Chickpea burger which includes a chickpea patty topped with onion ‘tartare’ and a tongue-tingling sauce.

To pad out your meal, you can add on side orders such as edamame beans, potato wedges or patatas buenas served with red sauce and mayonnaise. Desserts meanwhile, mix the expected with the unconventional; keep things indulgently simple with a warm chocolate fondant or pursue roads less travelled with the ‘chocolate salami’. There are also two varieties of a dessert pot which resembles a cheesecake, but is in fact a creamy mix of coconut, nut grains rolled in espresso coffee and cocoa roasted nuts.