Have you herd?

herd. Burger and chips 

Herd, the new burger restaurant in Bedford opened its doors last week to muted fanfare. With a limited online presence and on-trend branding, interest around the new restaurant has been high. The basic premise seemed fool proof, a hipster-pleasing array of craft beers and a fine selection of burgers. This is just what Bedford has been waiting for, especially as gourmet burger restaurants are popping up all over the country.

With this in mind, our first visit to herd was rather disappointing. With customer service skills lacking we were abruptly told there was a waiting list and it would be a 45 minute wait until we could be seated (no bookings taken). The wait is to be expected in a new restaurant. We got some drinks (disappointingly some of the beers were out of stock) and sat in one of the stylish back rooms. We were finally invited through to the restaurant area and seated on stools facing a wall which is hardly conducive to good conversation over a meal! This highlights a bigger problem, the restaurant area, however stylish, is very small. Considering the two back rooms are sparsely populated by drinkers it would make sense to extend the dining area into one of these two rooms. This would reduce the wait during busy periods and allow for a more thoughtful seating arrangement in the dining area.  

For my taste the burger was overdone, cooked through rather than medium. We were not asked how we would like our burgers cooked. The relish and other accompaniments were all fresh and very good. One of the drinks we asked for failed to materialise apart from being listed on our bill and there was a hair nestled smugly amongst the chips. The chips (minus the hair) were the unsurpassed success of the evening, hand cut with rosemary and garlic seasoning - very tasty. The buns were fine but when we noticed one of the staff tearing open a four pack of bread rolls behind the counter it immediately left a bad taste in our mouths. We’d much rather imagine they were being prepared fresh in the kitchen or delivered fresh from a bakery!

The Park - burger

If you’re a fan of burgers then I suggest you try the Park’s mouth-watering patty (pictured) or the Smoke Shack for another perfectly cooked burger. We're sure herd will only get better as they find their feet. There's certainly room for this type of restaurant in Bedford and we will certainly be returning! 

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