Review Gourmet Burger Kitchen Trafford Centre

The Gourmet Burger Kitchen (or GBK) has introduced a new exclusive menu at the Trafford Centre ideal for families.  We were invited along for a review. 

If you have never visited before, GBK is a UK chain restaurant famous for its burger menu. The Trafford Centre restaurant takes pride and place on the top floor of The Orient.

They recently launched a new menu exclusive to the Trafford Centre and I was invited to check it out with my family. 

We were provided with a contribution towards the meal however all views are honest and of our own. 

Review of New Menu at Gourmet Burger Kitchen Trafford Centre

We had a table booked in advance (recommended during busy periods) however, the restaurant does accept walk-ins. 

On arrival, we were offered the choice of a table indoors or out, well outside their building but still under the Trafford Centre roof. We opted to sit in, downstairs to avoid the noise and hussle of The Orient. 

On being seated it was explained that you can order via a QR code on the table, the GBK app or at the till with your table number. 

After ordering it took around 15 minutes for the food to arrive. However, it was quiet on the day of the visit so this time may vary during busier periods. 

GBK Smash Burgers 

As mentioned above GBK is well known for its burgers, no surprise given its name. The new menu sees the addition of Smash Burgers and Patty Melts.

They have two Smash Burgers on offer, the Smashed Classic (£10) and the Smashed Blue (£11) , both of which come with the option of 2, 3 or 4 patties and can be made gluten-free. 

Whilst I opted for the 2 pattie Smashed Blue with a gluten-free bun, my husband went for the 3 pattie Smashed Classic. Neither of us was disappointed. 

The Smashed Classic came with lots of American cheese, gherkins (you can ask for it without if you’re not a lover) their house mayo and was served on a brioche bun. 

My husband is very particular about his burgers, always preferring thinner choices and he couldn’t rave about the Smashed classic enough.

With three patties it was a good size burger he said that there was plenty of cheese, just enough mayo and that the patties tasted amazing. Plus the bun didn’t fall apart as he was eating it.

In fact, he said it was one of the best burgers that he has ever had.

The Smashed Blue has everything great about the classic but with the cheese swapped for a blue cheese crumb and a blue cheese sauce.

I love blue cheese but often when added to dishes there is either too much that it is overwhelming or not enough that you can’t taste it.

However, just like with my husband’s Classic everything about The Smashed Blue was perfect with just the right amount of cheese. 

The quality of the patties was also clear which I later learned are made from 100% British Grass Fed Beef. 

I am currently on an exclusive diet, avoiding gluten and therefore opted for the gluten-free bun. Over the last few weeks, I have tried a fair bit of GF bread and found it’s not the best. However, I could hardly taste the difference with GBK bun and didn’t feel that I had missed out in the slightest. 

The Patty Melt menu features The Piggy Melt with a smashed pattie, bacon and lots of cheese. Plus The Hot One where the bacon is swapped for habanero jam.

They cost £9.00 each and are only available Monday to Friday until 5.00 pm.  As we visited at the weekend we weren’t able to try them on this visit. 

GBK New Burgers 

Along with the Smashed burgers the new menu also features a range of new traditional-style burgers. These range from  the Classic Cheesy One and The Gravy Train. Chicken burgers such as K-Town and Satay Bomb as well as their Vegan options The Classic Veggie, and Californian.

My 14-year-old son, who prefers a thicker burger couldn’t resist the Classic Cheesy One.

This came with a choice of American or cheddar cheese, GBK relish, lettuce, onion, tomato and the house mayo. Plus you can add on an extra pattie for £3.50 and bacon for £1.50.

My son opted for one pattie and added on the bacon. When it first came he commented that it didn’t look very big and wished he had ordered a double. However, it turned out his eyes were bigger than his belly and the burger was more than enough for him. 

Gourmet Burger Kids Menu

Families will be glad to hear that GBK has a dedicated kids’ menu designed for under 12s. 

The menu offers a choice of a cheeseburger, chicken burger or vegan bean burger with a choice of fries or simple salad. This costs just £6.95 and comes with cucumber and carrot batons. Along with either a fruit shoot or spring water. 

You can also add on a milkshake for £2.00 and two scoops of vanilla ice cream for £1.50. 

My 11-year-old daughter went for the cheeseburger with fries and added on a chocolate milkshake. 

She is currently at the age where kids’ meals can be too small but adults are too big. We usually order an extra side, cue the Truffle Mac and Cheese mentioned below. 

It was therefore great to see that her meal was a great size. The burger was the same size as ours but with one thin patty and there was a fair amount of the veg sticks. She was over the moon to see lots of fries on her plate.

The kid’s menu also doubles as an activity and colouring sheet. 

Side Dishes 

None of the main menu burgers come with sides. You need to order these separately and range from fries and coleslaw to mac and cheese and wings. 

We ordered one lot of skinny fries, (£4.00) a simple green salad (£3.50) GBK coleslaw (£4.00) from the classic sides. Plus the Truffle Mac and Cheese (£6.00) from the Premium sides to share.

The coleslaw and salad were both a good size and my kids and husband adored the Truffle Mac and Cheese. My daughter said it was one of the best she had tasted – she orders it a lot. 

The fries were the only disagreement of the meal. Although they tasted great, I and my husband thought they were too thin, however, the kids loved them. When we visit again I will be ordering the curly fries instead. 

We also added on the GBK relish and Beef Dripping and Red Wine Jus (great for dipping your burger in) from House Recipe Sauces. We weren’t disappointed. 

The Shakes 

I would be doing GBK a disservice if I didn’t mention their milkshakes. 

They have lots of choices from chocolate (£5.75) and vanilla (£5.75) to Oreo (£6.00) and Biscoff (£6.00) and more along with a vegan option. You can also Oreo and scoops of ice cream to any shake. 

Whilst my husband and daughter ordered chocolate my son went for the Oreo. I had a taste of both and they were everything you want a milkshake to be – rich, creamy and very thick. Or as my hubby described his as ‘super thick, super chocolatey and super delicious’. 

They were also a great size, with even my daughter’s kid’s shake being more than enough for an adult. 

What We Thought About The GBK Menu at The Trafford Centre? 

If you have read the rest of the review it should come as no surprise that we all enjoyed our meal GBK Trafford Centre.

All the food was of a high standard, with good-sized portions and the menu had lots of options. It is also great for families. 

They have a great children’s menu which goes up to age 12, higher than other family restaurants. Plus we didn’t have to wait too long for food – a must when you have impatient kids. 

The smash burgers are a great addition and we loved that you have a choice of the number of patties. Ideal for older kids when the kid’s menu is too small but the adult menu is too big. 

We would highly recommend a visit to Gourmet Burger Kitchen on your next visit to The Trafford Centre. 

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