Big Fernand

I am not the biggest fan of red meat but was introduced to this spot for a quick bit of classic American. The bloke who took my order guaranteed that I would be a fan of Big Fernand after this first visit. And he sure was on point. I was pleasantly surprised by how juicy and tasty the burger was. I ordered the Le Bartholome and side of fresh cut fries. The mound of cheese, bacon, caramelised onions, and homemade barbeque sauce — all so amazing. I am now a frequent visitor to this takeaway. Happy belly.

Big Fernand’s been on my to-​go list for ages and I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect at first. Most of my favourite burger joints are classic American so I was intrigued/​nervous to see a French take on it.
I needn’t have worried. One of the most tender burger patties I’ve ever had, the condiments were amazing, and the fries were lovely and crispy. The staff were helpful and service was very fast. Plus, there’s free wifi! Definitely one of my favourite burger places in London. I’d recommend the Bartholemew, which was the beef burger I ordered.

The concept of this restaurant is pretty straightforward: the French do fast food better than Americans. You go in, place an order at the counter and the food is brought to your table when it’s ready. And let me tell you, it was FAST. Within five minutes, our food was on the table. Part of the reason for this is that this is the only restaurant I have seen where you can ask for your burger to be cooked rare or EVEN BLUE.
So what about the burger? I had Le Bartholemé, which was essentially a bacon cheeseburger with caramelised onions and chives. The cheese was raclette and oh my god did it work. The burger was juicy and the cheese was great. My qualms come twofold: the patty was very thin (the size of a McDonalds patty) and the flavours on the whole were a bit too sweet for my tastes. For those reasons, I’d say this is a step below the truly great burger places in London like Bleecker Street
The fries were not too exciting. Not particularly crispy or flavoured. Drinks wise there’s a good selection of soft drinks and a few French beers. If you’re looking for cocktails this is not the place
Finally, desserts are very small for the price they are and the salted caramel crème was pretty underwhelming with little flavour
But ultimately, if you’re looking for a burger this isn’t going to make you profess your love to it under your breath with every bite but it’s still a damn good burger

I really enjoyed my burger here but they have a long way to go on the service side of things!
Why I’ll probably come back:
— The burgers *are* really good. Lots of my friends told me they love this place, I can see why.
— The staff are super sweet and friendly
— We came with a big group so they let us take over the whole of the upstairs section
— When they make your burger, they’ll bring it up to you once it’s ready
But, there is so much chaos! Several people in our group were given the wrong orders. The staff were really sweet… but it was all a bit fawlty-​towers-​esque comical as some of them don’t speak much English.
I ordered a cider, and took it upstairs with me. They then brought me another cider (as if I hadn’t already taken it.) I was honest and said it must not be for me as I’d received mine already, but they let me have it anyway — woot!
Then when they brought up my burger, the bloke looked at my receipt to make sure he gave me the right thing… but he didn’t actually check the receipt, so gave me the wrong burger. I was chatting so I didn’t notice the mistake for a while. Once I’d noticed, I found the server and told him I’d got the wrong burger, but that I didn’t mind as it still looked tasty (I wanted him to know in case someone else got mad after receiving my burger…)
About 25mins later, they brought be the right burger (I was confused as I thought I’d told them it’s no biggie.) They said I could have it on the house as they got my order wrong. Double woot!
So due to the madness I received 2 ciders and 2 burgers (I walked over to my husband’s office to give it to him.) The service was pretty bad, but they have won me over by making it up to me with free food.

It was their first birthday and the first 100 people to turn up at noon for their celebration event would get their birthday burger to try or another of their choice. The queue started to build up around 11.30am. The process of getting the burger cooked and served was actually quite slow. When eventually we got served we were asked if we wanted fries and a drink with that, and it was not clear that it was not complimentary until they asked you to pay! Should not offer it at the same time as offering the free burger, if it was not complimentary.
Anyway, the burger was quite disappointing, a thin burger between a bap with a thin layer of sauce. Also I asked for it to be well done and it came raw and cold, so did not feel it had been cooked through. It was not as big and thick as in the photo either.
Service was pleasant and friendly enough though.

I came for a birthday party, so I knew what to expect. But to see their veggie «burger» was just a mushroom and was MORE EXPENSIVE than their standard burger, is a bit of an outrage. (There was a choose-​your-​own sandwich option, vegan was questionable).
The staff were friendly but absolutely clueless. People were being brought the wrong burgers, extra burgers, fast burgers, slow burgers… I know they’re new, but it was a bit of a mess.
People were happy with their (or someone else’s) burgers, although not the most amazing thing ever.
I had a pomegranate mint lemonade because it sounded fab! It was sadly not fresh, and neon pink which was a bit off putting. Just another fizzy drink to be honest.
+ the staff are nice, the place is clean
— won’t be back

I’m a big fan of anywhere which will serve me a blue burger. Which is pretty rare (hehe!) in most parts of London. But Big Fernand were happy to oblige and the patty (albeit smaller than expected) was perfectly pink and delicious, and clearly made of good quality meat.
I went for the Valentines special — ‘Le Valentin’ — topped with wild mushrooms, sweet mayonnaise and Neufchâtel cheese with chives and truffle oil in a poppy seed bun. It was all perfect. No criticism at all. Although I wished I’d doubled up on the beef but I have a hearty appetite so I should have done that in the first place!
My companion tried the veal. They preferred beef, but that isn’t the fault of the restaurant. I like the fact that veal is an option, it’s not something I’ve seen in a London burger restaurant before that I recall.
The fries were lovely, and I also had dessert — a pistachio financier. It was good. Not spectacular, but this is a burger joint, not a patisserie and I couldn’t expect more really, I’m just a bit picky.
The drink I tried was odd — it was their own brand elixir — menthe and citron cordial. Not sure about the mint, but that’s my personal taste. It was beautifully bottled though.
The staff were friendly and keen to assist with the menu options, and the food was quick. I like the atmosphere within the restaurant. Downstairs is quite open, yet to the back around the corner is a nice intimate table for a larger group. You have to venture upstairs, it’s like walking into an old fashioned living room, very odd!
Overall, I’m a big fan of Big Fernand, and it’s up there as one of my top burgers in London. And that’s pretty tough going.

I think I was a bit drunk by the time we got to Big Fernand. I dunno. Probably. My memory of this place is a bit… fuzzy at best.
It was great that they served it cooked to different temperatures– especially for those of us who actually like food cooked perfectly to rare. I now vaguely remember that I was really excited that the burger came with raclette cheese but I couldn’t taste it. I liked the fries but it came with this cold bearnaise type mayo… it was a bit weird. I was going to say the bun was a bit meh but I am sure that’s Honest the week before not Big Fernand. Not memorable.
Flirty french people I liked, upstairs granny room I liked, but not sure I’ll be back. It’s good, but I prefer Bleeker Street and I’d rather spend the money there.

Why didn’t I love this? I feel like I was supposed to.
A few of us came here for a burger after happy hour drinks at Delancey’s nearby. The concept is ‘better than fast food’ fast food so you order at the counter, pay and take your food to one of the tables. We got a very giggly, flirty French man serving us which was rather distracting but not unpleasant. The staff seem very sweet and put up with the fact that half of party were drunken well.
The concept is that you either order a burger off the menu or one you make up yourself. I’d recommend just ordering one off the menu or you’ll end up paying more. They seemed to have a deal where your first burger of the year is £7, despite me saying it was I didn’t get a discount.
I ordered a beef burger with blue cheese, aubergine, sweet mayo and chives. Maybe I ordered wrong but I just didn’t feel that it worked. There was too much going on. I think the sauces they offer are too unique/​overpowering to combine with blue cheese. If I was going back, I’d order one straight from the menu, they probably know best what works.
Also I felt the burger wasn’t big enough for the bun so they need to do some work on the ratio, I couldn’t even take a proper food porn pic to post here until I bit into it.
I didn’t finish my fries as I just wasn’t into them, and the sweet mayo is a weird accompaniment as it looks like mustard, doesn’t taste like mayo or anything. I wasn’t delighted that I had paid £14 for the meal.
I just didn’t love it. But maybe you will! Go check it out, these guys are friendly and doing something different from the usual burger.

Big Fernand makes a tasty burger, but the price tag for the product is simply out of touch for the London burger scene. Their standard Big Fernand burger is £7 without fries — it’s not that this is a unusual price tag for London — but rather that the size of the burger you get is simply not a good value.
The beef is shrimpy compared to the burgers you would get at competitors’ joints. It gets lost in the bun, which is a normal-​sized bun (and quite tasty) but just overwhelms the beef as a focal point. With the more complex burgers coming in at £9 and up, I believe you get more for your money in other places.
Le Bartholomé, which I tried, comes topped with Raclette cheese, bacon, caramelised onions, chives and a homemade BBQ sauce called ‘Bébé Fernand’. The burger costs £9 — add fries and a drink and you’re close to the £15 mark.
To be fair, the cheeses and sauces are great and you can definitely tell that they are unique and sourced from France. The homemade buns are soft and fresh — baked in-​house — but it’s just that either Fernand needs to cut back on the bread or the cost (or up their beef game). Another strange thing is that the beef is UK-​sourced, while everything else is from France. For the cost, I’d think they can source some French beef and really set themselves apart from the crowd!
The décor of the interior is quite nice, new-​age rustic with lots of unstained wood and a nice wrought iron spiral staircase taking one up to the first floor. It’s a nice, light environment and I wish I could say better things about Big Fernand. It’s just «okay» — you can read more of my article on
, my burger review site.

I usually order a double beef patty medium rare, raclette de Savoie cheese, grilled peppers, sun dried tomatoes, caramelised onions, sweet mayonnaise and tarragon. Just amazing :)

What a joke. So you pay £10 pounds for a burger and fries served on a tray where the fries are cold and the burger slightly less good than a Whopper. Just add a bit of fancy French young design and you get away with it? And why on earth do people want to know how you like your burger cooked. It is minced meat from an unknown source!

Best burger I’ve ever had in my life. Seriously. Served by some friendly and polite French guys.

Big Fernand came upon my radar recently. Until this weekend, I just never managed to get here (even though I work close by), mostly because I could never really justify getting a burger for lunch. So luckily when I was out with a few friends for Friday afternoon drinks, I said the word «burger» and they were in.
Big Fernand is a French import burger chain. And honestly, it’s much better than the American import burger chains that are springing up all over London. That’s right I said it. This is how I truly know I’ve been integrated into European culture.
Anyway, we arrived between 7 and 8 pm on a Friday. I don’t know the exact time because of alcohol, but I was surprised to see it wasn’t packed. It did end up getting packed during the time we were there.
They are fairly simple burgers in the sense that there aren’t a whole lot of toppings. And I like that because you get to taste the meat which is why I’m eating a burger in the first place. However, they do put a lot of delicious French cheeses on the burgers. I ordered Le Victor (with a double patty) which is a veal burger with blue cheese, coriander and onions. And it was delicious. And they cooked it just the way I asked. Kudos. The chips and salad were also great.
My friends ordered Le Bartholome. Also really tasty, although the BBQ sauce made it too sweet for me. But hey, it turns out they also allow you to build your own burger, so next time I can make my own without the BBQ sauce if I so choose. Next time I may have to give the lamb burger a go.
All in all, I was super happy with the burger, and it’s definitely one of the best ones I’ve had in London since moving. And I’m not just saying that because I had been drinking when I went. There’s also quite a bit of seating as there’s an upstairs area you can sit in as well.

Good burgers but NOT good value for money. Recommended if you have cash burning a hole in your pocket but there are plenty of better value burger places around.

I was really excited to try this place on my recent visit back in London. All my favourite burger places are in this city and I find it hilarious that although burgers are typically considered an American food the UK and Europe make them better than any I’ve had stateside. I can now add Big Fernand to my list of faves.
It was a toss up between several of their menu options and I wanted to try them all but I ended up ordering Le Bartholomé medium rare. Forgot to order the fries (which look really good from the photos on Unilocal) but my burger was a big enough meal on it’s own. There was a lot of flavour packed between their awesome sesame seed bun! Between the caramelised onions, bacon, BBQ sauce and cheese with every bite you get a lot of smokey/​sweet flavour on a perfectly cooked beef patty.
I love that the menu isn’t just different toppings for the same beef patty; each burger choice is a different meat and flavour profile completely. Each choice seems to be thought out and strategically paired. Plus you can even create your own unique signature burger combination! I do hope they add a few more options though in the future, especially for sides.
Overall very pleased with this place and their burgers. Now that I’m based in Los Angeles again, I’m sad that I can’t stop here for a quick weekday dinner. I hope they consider expanding worldwide; guys please come to LA!

Je vous plante le décor: vol Bordeaux-​Londres décalé de 2h, arrivée à Londres vers 21h après 1h de trajet depuis Lutton, le froid et la faim commençaient à nous envahir avec mon ami tandis que nous marchions sur Oxford Street…
Soudain nous nous sommes rappelés qu’une amie travaillait au Big Fernand pas très loin; nous nous y sommes donc rendus et je crois que c’était un de plus beaux moments de notre vie (oui). Nous avons commandé nos menus et avons pris une limonade en terrasse pour nous reposer, et cette boisson artisanale super rafraichissante était vraiment un délice ! Nous nous sommes ensuite installés sur une grande table dans ce chouette restaurant (j’ai adoré l’éclairage un peu tamisé), et là, une explosion de saveurs dans nos bouches: la viande est vraiment excellente, le fromage aussi (mon coté français n’y est pour rien, c’est totalement objectif !) et le pain maison est une tuerie. Les frites étaient également délicieuses; rien à redire.
Alors oui c’est un peu cher mais :
1/​on est à Londres dans un quartier central et vraiment sympa, est ce étonnant ?
2/​la qualité est vraiment excellente, c’est le prix de produits exceptionnels
3/​c’est à peu près le même prix qu’en France au final
4/​pas si cher pour un moment d’extase culinaire !

The burgers are good, tasty and quick but not exactly worth the price they are paid for. Nevertheless I would come back again:-).

Come here for delicious burgers and even better fries!
Yes, it’s another burger joint in London with counter service that gives you your burger in a bag to bring to your table, but the décor is kitsch and the upstairs reminds me of a living room in a house in a good way. (Large mirror on the wall, sofa, typewriter, framed pictures…)
I tried Le Bartholomé with beef, bacon and raclette cheese and it was fantastic. Absolutely divine, cooked just as I’d ordered and I couldn’t decide between savouring every bite & inhaling so I could get more flavour into my mouth faster.
The fries are also great and seasoned with salt & paprika. I had mine with homemade mayonnaise, though there were other options to dip, and ketchup on the table, too.
I’ll certainly be back — and I can’t wait till then!

Ok burgers. It’s the beginning and they are just starting out so it might feel like they are still finding the balance between cool and try-​hard but the image is on the right track.
The food however is something else. The burger is slightly on the salty side but flavoursome. Too much is going on in the burgers it seems. There are plenty of simple decent burger places like Honest and Byron so they are trying to be different but the try-​hard image kind of creeps into the menu and the burgers as well.
Overall burger is something that wins if it stays the same for a long time. Burger joints of any sort will find their clientele and thrive if they focus on a style and don’t drop the ball. I’m still out on this one. I hope they find their message.

If you already know Big Fernand from Paris, then you know it’s the place to go for delicious burgers and even better fries !
And if you never had an «hamburgé» (a burger from Big Fernand), then now is your chance !! You can choose from many burgers (with beef, chicken, lamb or vegetarian) or imagine your own.
My favourite is Le Bartholomé with beef, bacon and raclette cheese. Sooooo good ! And a little sweet thanks to the caramelised onions and the special sauce: perfect.
The fries are perfection too. Super crispy and topped with salt and paprika: you will love them and become obsessed ;)
Just give it a try !