Guarango Burger and Beer

Smash burgers and a blend ground in house

The base of every burger is a beef blend the venue mixes itself, put together from several cuts. The patties are pressed flat on the hot plate – hence smash – until a thin, dark crust forms while the centre stays juicy. The standard is a potato bun, gluten-free bread is available on request, and fries come with every burger.

The list stays short and runs from plain to lavish. The Cheese Burger arrives with cheddar and the house thousand island sauce, the Clásica Americana adds tomato, red onion and romaine, the Cheese Bacon brings pickles and bacon. There is also an Oklahoma and a Crispy Chicken with chipotle mayo. If you want it richer, take the Guaranga: yakiniku mayo, sautéed mushrooms, blue cheese, truffle and rocket. Without meat it works with a plant-based patty, rocket, tomato, cheddar and caramelised onion, vegan cheese on request.

The Uruguayan thread at Guarango

Two burgers carry the founders' origins openly. The Charrúa, whose name points back to Uruguay, comes with chimimayo, mozzarella, bacon, onion and peppers from the griddle and a fried egg. And then there is the Chivito, a classic of Uruguayan cooking: beef tenderloin on a brioche bun with mayonnaise, romaine, tomato, bacon, havarti, onion, red pepper and another fried egg.

The thread runs on through the small dishes: milanesitas, breaded beef escalope cut into strips with alioli, stand next to tequeños, the fried dough rolls with a cheese filling from Latin American cooking, served here with a red fruit jam. Nachos come with melted cheddar, guacamole, pico de gallo and jalapeños. One of the founders trained at a Latin American culinary institute – you can tell where the handwriting on this menu comes from.

Craft beer from rotating taps

Beer is no sideshow here. Nine and more taps run in rotation, supplied by breweries from the region; what is hooked up is written on the board, cans and bottles sit in the fridge. The card carries, among others, a copper-coloured red ale with citrus notes, a blonde honey beer, a hazy, tropically fruity NEIPA with Citra and Mosaic hops, and a pilsner under the house's own name, aromatic and mild in its bitterness, with plenty of American hops. If you cannot decide, take a tasting across several beers.

To share, to finish, to come back for

A lot of it is meant for sharing: fries under melted cheddar with slow-cooked beef and spring onion, vegetarian with mushrooms, plus onion rings with parmesan and lemon zest, fried chicken with coriander and lime mayo, sweet potato with truffle mayo. Parmesan runs right through: fries and sweet potato can be upgraded with it, one step further with truffle, and generous shavings of it lie in the Caesar salad. The sauces are made in house, from chimimayo to honey mustard.

To finish, a cheesecake on a crunchy biscuit base, a sundae of vanilla ice cream, cream, brownie pieces and dulce de leche, or a warm chocolate cookie with banana ice cream. There is a stamp card scheme too: after ten burgers, the next one is on the house. If you would rather eat at home, you order through their own delivery service; tables are booked through the venue's own booking system. And should things take a moment at the bar, board games are on hand.