#OxTweatUp - Atomic Burger

After my recent restaurant review of The Royal Oak and it's new Burger Monday Menu, I felt I'd developed a bit of a taste for burgers. Having never really been much of a burger eater, apart from the odd cheeseburger here and there, I was a little surprised by this; so what turned me.

In my previous experience, most of the 'gourmet' burgers on restaurant menus were huge great hulking lumps of meat, mostly home made, but far too big and chunky for me - daunting in fact; I'd never manage to eat the whole thing and I'd generally ignore the top half of the bun entirely. This new type of gourmet burger, however, is more about the extras; yes the burgers are still home made, but the focus seems to be mainly on the toppings.

So, that got me thinking, and tweeting... Should I be doing some burger benchmarking?

See... not a single psycho in sight!

The Twitter response was immediate and pretty damn conclusive... Atomic Burger was the Burger Daddy in Oxford! My initial tweet snowballed into a get together for nine of us in total, some of whom had never met; all of which were salivating over a #burgerytweetup at Atomic. The team included: two local food critics, several food enthusiasts with extensive knowledge of the Oxford food scene, a number of regular #Oxtweetup attendees and many Atomic Burger fans... Bring on the burgers!

Meeting up at The Oxford Retreat for a few pre-burger drinks, we all got to meet the real people behind the online profiles, and guess what... There wasn't a single psycho in sight - phew! Everyone was lovely, with plenty to chat about... food, films, Oxford, gimp masks (?! Ask Zubi_Q); in fact I don't think anyone was stuck for conversation the entire night. That's one of the things I love about Twitter, connecting with people you actually have something in common with - anyway, that's another story. On to the food!!

Sharing Starters, clockwise from top left: Hot Wings, BBQ Wings, Cajun Wings & Nachos

Atomic had kindly offered to provide a few sharing starters for us, so we kicked off with a selection of nachos, Cajun wings, BBQ wings and hot wings - all very simple but delicious! The Cajun and BBQ wings are great for those who may be put off by the fiery heat of Hot Wings, but were well cooked and tasty; for me though, it's all about the hot wings... I couldn't partake in the blue cheese dressing, so requested some mayo for dunking. I'd happily tuck into a big bowl of the Hot Wings all to myself; the sauce isn't 'rip your face off' strength but some may struggle, there is a lovely warmth to them, accompanying a piquant taste - a few thought they were a bit too vinegary, but I found a little dunk of mayo counteracted this nicely.

Tucking in!

With chat flowing freely and starters demolished, we moved on to our mains. We'd all pre-ordered, so Atomic had everything ready for us in good time. As advertised on their website, Atomic's burgers are all hand formed to their own recipe and are available as beef, chicken or vegetable, with a free side order of your choice. For the coeliacs out there, the beef and chicken burgers are also available as gluten free.

The menu at Atomic is comic book inspired, with in-your-face colours, cartoon characters and retro film references; you can order Scooby Snack Tater Tots and Speedy Gonzales Nachos, followed up with burgers named Forest Gump, Audrey Hepburn, Dead Elvis, or Babe Ruth; with a side of Cosmic Coleslaw and Sci Fries.

The Chuck Norris with Sci Fries

Me? I was sold on The Chuck Norris (Slow cooked BBQ pulled pork, American cheese & onions... OMG!), with Sci Fries (Double fried with a chilli rub) and Cosmic Coleslaw on the side. On delivery Atomic didn't disappoint: the burger itself was meaty, a little pink, well proportioned (not a big hulking monster like the type I mentioned at the start) and a perfect base for the toppings; the toppings themselves were glorious, the BBQ pulled pork standing out in its own right, but mixed with juice onions and gooey cheese it was an utter delight... mmmmmmm. The Sci Fries and Cosmic Coleslaw were good, however I personally would have preferred more of a kick from the fries - I'd expected them to be a bit hotter and maybe seasoned more thoroughly as opposed to what seemed like a sprinkling of chilli flakes.

I will admit, whilst this visit was originally designed as a group review, the socialising did take over somewhat - we really did have a fantastic time. I fully intend to revisit Atomic when I have a bit more time to focus on the food... and take better pictures. As a venue, Atomic is great fun; I'm not sure my Dad would be a fan, but I'd certainly take MrF, the MiniF's, plus any of my friends!

So... what did everyone else think?!

@Ox_Bex

Love the Norma Jean, combination
of  cool cream cheese, jalapeños
and of course, bacon is just amazing!
But I frequently get led astray by the 

amazing specials, definitely worth an 

extra visit if Mr T is making an 

appearance. 

@hannahbond8
Debate over - the best burger at
Atomic is the Messy Jessie. Beef, as
if you even had to ask. The delightful
marriage of goats’ cheese, rocket
and red onion marmalade is
something you really shouldn't pass
up.

@inoxfordwilleat

I had the Jake'n'Elwood. Particularly

enjoyed the tasty plain chicken wings,

and the fries were pleasantly dry

and moreish. 

@kalicer

Still as exciting and fun on a
twentieth visit as it is on the first, but
they never lose sight of the most
important thing: grilling great
burgers

@rogeraskew

Definitely the best burgers in
Oxford I recommend the James
Earls Jones and the peanut butter
milkshake..!

@wisdom440

They make the most scrumptious
burgers in Oxford. Top quality food,
top quality venue, top quality staff

@joolsteare

Fun, quirky atmosphere,
excellent service & the most
awesome burgers in town. I had
the Chuck Norris, a burger
with pulled pork on top. 

Pleasure on a plate

@Zubi_Q

Ordered Smokey and the Bandit
burger with Chicken and Sci Fries.
The burger itself was very succulent
and one of the best I have had for
a long time! Fries were topped 
with chili powder and this gave it a
lovely kick! Highly recommended
for future visits!

Atomic Burger

96 Cowley Road

Oxford

OX4 1JE

Twitter: @Atomicburgers

Facebook: @Atomic-Burger

Website: www.atomicburger.co.uk

Phone: 01865 790855