Easy Tiger is Bree Street’s new burger bar, and it might just give Clarke’s and IYO (winner of Best Burger Eatery for the Western Cape at the 2015 Best Everyday Eateries) a run for their money.

The outside seating at Easy Tiger. Photo courtesy of Nikita Buxton.

Owned by the Harbour House group, which is also responsible for Tiger’s Milk, La Parada and Lucky Fish & Chips (which previously occupied this spot on Bree), the new Easy Tiger brand is also going to be popping up to replace Lucky Fish in Sea Point and La Parada in Kalk Bay in the coming months.

Linda Scarborough and Nikita Buxton hit Easy Tiger on Bree at lunchtime to find out if the fast-casual food measures up.

Food

A short and sweet menu has just seven burgers, pork ribs, chicken wings, chips and a nod to the greens with coleslaw and chilli poppers. Our portion of cheesy chips arrives in a little cardboard box smothered in white sauce with just the right amount of tanginess. Some of the skinny fries still have skins on, proof of their former lives as actual vegetables – always a good sign.

The Rockstar beef burger is easy to love. A superb crusty-on-the-outside-and-rare-on-the-inside flame-grilled patty is topped with a few red onion rings, tomato, pickles, avo, cheese, secret sauce and crispy bacon, and served on a darkly glossy brioche bun. The bacon is not mentioned in the menu description (we are warned when ordering), the avo has been replaced by guacamole, and the cheese is actually a square of that bright yellow plasticy stuff, but you can’t be mad at it – the sweetness and smokiness of everything works so well together, the patty is fall-apart tender, and the secret sauce is delicious.

Burgers and chips at Easy Tiger. Photo courtesy of Nikita Buxton.

The Big Cheese burger is exactly that – large and perfectly cheesy. A patty that’s pink and juicy on the inside and gloriously charred on the outside works wonderfully with the square of pre-sliced cheese and a nutty bite of mature cheddar that melts into the secret sauce.

All the burgers can be served with chicken patties if you’d prefer to forgo the red meat, and there’s also the vegetarian Tree Hugger burger with aubergine and truffle-infused mushroom sauce.

Drinks

At the moment it’s just sodas and milkshakes, but craft beers will be flowing once the liquor licence process is complete.

The entrance to Easy Tiger. Photo courtesy of Nikita Buxton.

Service

We’re greeted warmly as we enter, and are kindly offered little paper menus after staring up at the sign above the counter for a few minutes. Once we order and pay (cash only; the machine is on the fritz), we find a seat and try to stem our salivating until the burgers arrive. Wooden boards do the work of plates and our plastic cutlery is delivered folded up in paper serviettes. Enamel bowls on the table hold further napkins; you’ll need those. The small team is all smiles and things progress smoothly.

Inside seating at Easy Tiger. Photo courtesy of Nikita Buxton.

Ambience

The twang of country music and the sizzle of grilling burgers floats out the huge windows onto the street. It’s amazing how the team has transformed the space from its former Lucky Fish self. The formerly white walls are now painted a moody charcoal that has been adorned in Steve McQueen photographs, a golden bull’s head and pops of brick red. The small space with its wraparound counter doesn’t seem cramped and the communal seating inside is a nice touch. Weathered wood and leather add a rustic feel, and for those warmer days, high tables and stools line the sidewalk.

Another view of the interior at Easy Tiger. Photo courtesy of Nikita Buxton.

And…

As another fast-casual restaurant to join the ranks in this busy side of town, they also do speedy takeaways. Easy Tiger would be a great lunch option for a tough Monday or a quick stop for dinner on your way home from work.

Eat Out critics dine anonymously and pay for their meals in full. Read the editorial policy here.

Have you bitten into a burger from Easy Tiger yet? Tell us about it in a review.