Chuckleberry’s review

There are so many new places in Camps Bay, most are franchises so don’t need to be reviewed (Vida, Kauai, etc) but I ate at the new gourmet burger joint called Chuckleberry’s just around the corner from Caprice.

It’s very brave of them to open a burger joint around the corner from Caprice was awarded the accolade of ‘Best Burger in Cape Town’ a few years ago. I’m personally a big fan of the Burger Royale at Caprice. I suppose it’s a completely different target market though as Caprice is frequented by the trendy and schmodel types whereas Chuckleberry’s is very casual and will probably appeal more to families and other casual diners.

There are so many different burgers in the menu, all the classics are there like cheeseburgers, pepper burgers, etc. Then there is the long list of gourmet burgers with all sorts of interesting toppings. I tried the California Burger (R55) which involved bacon, guacomole and some other stuff I can’t remember. Another person had the 5 Sirens chilli burger (R45) and we also tried the Blue Cheese Burger (R50).

I’ve realised that the secret to a burger is the patty. These pattys were definitely 100% beef, fresh and made in house, much like all the other gourmet burger places in CT (Royale, Gourmet Burger, etc). I personally found them to be a little tasteless, there were no herbs and spices added to the patty. I assume they are relying on the toppings to provide the flavour, which is maybe how it should be done, but I personally like my patty to have some flavour.

The burgers can be ordered in 3 sizes, we had the smallest option and it was more than big enough, especially seeing as it is served with (good) chips. We drank softdrinks and I didn’t even look at the wine list, I don’t imagine that many people who go there would be ordering wine anyway.

The place is really new and the staff are still learning the ropes, taking that into consideration the service was acceptable. If you’re a burger fan, then you’ll want to check it out but overall I’d say it’s average.