SGM REVIEWS: Are No.2 Church Lane’s Fancy Burgers Worth the Price?

If you ever fancy a burger, it probably isn’t hard to come by one.

The most common and abundant fast food in existence, your options are many. From typical fast-food chains such as McDonald’s or Burger King, to your local fish and chip shops, or served up on most pubs menud, there’s no scarcity of Burgers.

But what if you wanted something a bit more fancy? That is not getting a burger for the sake of getting a burger, but something more quality and of course… pricey? That’s usually what “high-end” Burger specialty restaurants are for.

And as it happens, Sunderland has its very own version of this sort of place. Known as “No.2 church lane”, sitting just opposite the Dun Cow and Sunderland Empire, behind the Minster Church, the restaurant offers you a series of “premium” styled burgers with prices to match it.

As you can expect in this type of restaurant, the menu attempts to fashion itself through providing a series of unconventional names and stylings to try and add a funky quality to it, such as “Tyrannosaurus Mex”, “The American” or the “Plucking Swine”.

These types of names, of course, are also used as a branding exercise to justify the pricing of an apparently superior quality product that goes far beyond conventional market rates. What of course, truly makes the difference between a £5 or so “McChicken Sandwich meal” and the “Smothered Comfort” valued at nearly £16?

So anyway, as pictured above, the author went with “The American”- which is described as a Cheeseburger with pulled pork and Gherkins, complete with Ketchup, Mayonnaise and Mustard, but of course the question we’re all waiting for… was it worth it?

First of all, what can be praised is that No.2 Church Lane does put a lot of effort into making its own original fries, and isn’t just importing ready-made frozen products from elsewhere. These were home-made chips, and they had that “original” authentic taste with them in turn which was very distinct from pre-prepared mass-market products.

The Burger itself was highly substantial in content. The products here are much more filling than what any regular fast food chain would have given you, and won’t leave you still hungry afterwards, as what McDonald’s can sometimes do. In putting it together, the restaurant makes the effort to blend a variety of tastes together to create a final product which really packs a punch. There’s nothing “bland” about what they serve.

When this is considered, the effort to create that “superior product” which high-end burger restaurants hinge their reputation on is not merely a marketing exercise, but is sincerely attempted and passed with flying colours. There was nothing wrong with the burger or meal.

Saying that, some may be less easily pleased and given the margin of the prices, and the jury might still be out as to whether spending up to £20 on a burger, chips and a drink is truly worth it.

Despite this, No.2 Church Lane excels in its a certain quality of “urban” cuisine into Sunderland, that is the pricey Burger. They promise an upgrade in quality, they deliver it.

Better than your average burger? By a country mile. This is a cracking local business above all, and a firm established up market alternative to your typical fast foods.