Burger Liquor presents itself as Wellington's first dedicated burger bar, and its Willis Street format is built around easy choices rather than ceremony. Limited reservations are available for lunch and dinner, but part of the room is held for walk-ins, while pickup and delivery cover meals at home. The compact focus is the attraction: smashed burgers, fried chicken, fries and bar snacks are matched with cocktails, beer, bourbon, rum and hard shakes. It is a casual restaurant, but its attention to New Zealand produce and house-made components gives the menu its own identity.
The beef burgers begin with patties smashed to order for crisp edges and a juicy centre. The Standard keeps the combination direct with cheddar, pickles, house ketchup and mustard mayonnaise. The Smokey adds bacon, barbecue sauce and buttermilk onion strings, while the Bernie layers beef with special sauce, shredded lettuce, pickles and diced onion. Chicken has two distinct routes: the Schnitz uses buttermilk fried chicken with garlic aioli, and the Jungle Bird pairs grilled thigh with carrot, crispy shallots and a chilli, lime and herb mayonnaise.
There is considerable room to customise. Gluten-free and dairy-free buns are available, burgers can become salad bowls, and plant-based 'not beef' or 'not chicken' patties can replace meat where the other ingredients allow. Snacks have just as much personality. The handmade jalapeño poppers are stuffed with mozzarella and cream cheese before crumbing and frying, while Punjabi poutine covers seasoned fries and mozzarella with butter chicken sauce, garlic aioli and crispy shallots. Broccoli with toasted seeds and walnuts adds a lighter counterpoint.
Dessert leans into the same sense of fun. Deep-fried Oreos can be topped with soft serve, and the sundae bar moves from berry and marshmallow to cookie dough with salted caramel. Milkshakes span strawberry cake, triple chocolate malt, banoffee and salted caramel, with several available as hard shakes. An espresso martini supplies a more grown-up finish. That mix makes Burger Liquor work as well for a quick burger and fries as it does for a longer catch-up built around shared snacks, cocktails and something sweet.
Address: 129 Willis Street, Te Aro, Wellington 6011, New Zealand
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