Junk in Soho London is a viral smash burger spot that has come from Paris and taken over the social media scene in London and London foodies are flocking there like there’s no tomorrow. The queues are a testament to its popularity. We put this spot to the test on our recent visit to Soho. And it was definitely an interesting visit. To say the least!
Disclaimer: You will not find a post (I hope) of mine where I (over) criticise the food for its taste. a) because taste is subjective and b) we, as Muslims, are encouraged to not speak ill of food (but it is kinda my “job” (not my real job but you know what I mean). Usually, if I don’t like something I’ll generally describe the dish (as opposed to praising it) or experience as opposed to criticising the taste (that’s a hint to decipher my real thoughts). Spoiler: However, this right here was objectively bad. Read on.
Minimalistic French smash burger spot
Minimalistic French smash burger spots seem to have randomly become popular and there’s a newcomer in Soho which has taken social media by storm. There’s crazy hype on them online as well as in person. I’m not really sure where the hype has come from, but it seems like there’s a few of them popping up in different countries and cities, and London is no different. One opened a while ago, called Supernova and it was super popular amongst the foodies, but I don’t think it is halal. And then this is where these guys come in. Junk look exactly the same and have that exact same feel and their origins are the same (i.e. French), but they are halal.
Location
Let’s talk about the location first. It is right in the heart of Soho, right next to Chinatown and Covent Garden too. Making it an instant hot spot. And then couple that with the fact that it is halal and there aren’t too many halal savoury options in the area, it was going to be buzzing. And then another point is that there aren’t too many halal burger joints in the area (I think there’s one other), so yeah that’s another positive.
Decor
Think minimalistic. Aside from the fries and cookies, it’s just one burger (and the option of truffle) and you’re basically only choosing the size of burger. So, perfect for those who have difficulties when it comes to choosing. I think there’s seating round the back, but we didn’t really get the opportunity to see. It was ram packed in there! The queues were outside the shop! But it does go quickly. The first queue is to order and then the second is to collect. It felt like the collection order was definitely longer, but still nothing blameworthy. We got our food quickly considering how busy it was. No complaints so far.
The food
We got the M burger and fries, which came to a steep £12.50, but it’s calm. This is Soho. These prices are to be expected. The fries were way way too salty. We couldn’t finish it even though it was a tiny portion. The burger? Same issue. Salt overload! For a second I was wondering if I’m at the Salt burger spot (dad joke). And again this was inedible too. Now look – I’m a very tolerant guy. I like most things I eat and I definitely finish and no amount of salt is going to stop me from doing that. But here the salt was actually too much. I think and I hope this was a one off and most people who claim to love it, actually are having a well seasoned burger. But again, there’s not much seasoning you need to do on burger and chips – it’s literally one thing you need to get right. The salt. Shocking.
If you’re after a proper smash burger in London, check out these spots:
2. @bunandsum
3. @cookin_lab_
5. @inapikel
Getting there
Nearest station: Leicester Square
Nearest mosque: Muslim World League Goodge Street (10 minute walk)
Parking: Ossulston Street – free evenings and weekends – plenty of parking spaces on Sundays – about 20-30 min walk from Soho/Chinatown, but it is just outside congestion zone
Google Maps link
