Annie’s new Burger Shack is flippin’ marvellous!

Belly-busting burgers with tempting toppings have made Annie’s Burger Shack one of the most popular places to eat in Nottingham. American-born Annie Spaziano has been running her pop-up burger bar at two of the city’s pubs for several years but now she is going it alone with a brand new restaurant in the Lace Market – and we were lucky enough to visit just ahead of the grand opening tomorrow (Friday). The restaurant, which is housed in the former Bluu bar, has been fully-refurbished and with its exposed brick-work and carefully-chosen pieces of Americana, it is more sophisticated than your average diner. There is also a well-stocked central bar serving real ales and craft beers, including Shipstones. The vast menu features Annie's classics like the ‘Elvis’ and ‘Sunday Dinner’ burgers as well as a Nottinghamshire-inspired ‘Sherwood’ burger with broccoli stalks which is presumably a reference to our beloved forest. All the burgers come in meat, veggie or vegan versions and are served with wedges, fries, sweet potato chips or salad (if you’re trying to be healthy!). I’d gone for the Mexican burger and when it arrived I was blown away by the size of it. The hand-made beef burger was brimming with guacamole, cheese and sour cream and a good portion of spicy wedges. My colleagues were equally impressed by their choices, especially the vegetarian member of our party who declared it was the ‘best veggie burger’ she’d ever eaten. Given the size of the portions, we all did remarkably well and there was hardly anything left on our plates by the end. Everyone agreed that the food was delicious and we are already looking forward to making a return visit. Perhaps the only improvement we could think of would be the addition of a side order of Notts-style ‘musheh’ peas! Annie’s Burger Shack will be holding an official launch party on Friday evening. For details and bookings visit the website.