Fast food chain from Netherlands that ‘beats McDonald’s’ has launched in London

The chain is said to have ‘the best’ burgers in Amsterdam (Fat Phill’s)

We’ve seen an influx of American and Canadian fast food chains setting up shop in London lately, but a burger joint from the Netherlands has just opened its doors.

Fat Phill’s, which is said to be home to Amsterdam’s ‘best burger’, has quietly launched in Clapham Junction, serving up smash burgers, American style sandwiches, loaded fries and mac and cheese.

The chain, also known as Fat Phill’s Diner, is still relatively new, having only been founded in 2019 by Armin Vahabian, but it’s already got 18 locations across the Netherlands. 

It’s been brought over to the UK by Freshly Baked Ltd, the franchisor behind pretzel joint Auntie Anne’s UK, and the first site here opened in December. 

The Big Belly Burger (Picture: Fat Phill’s)

The menu is all about the burgers, and the theme is very much the bigger the better, with customers able to triple any of the items as they please.

Perhaps the largest item on the menu is the Big Belly – a quadruple cheeseburger served with crispy bacon. However, it’s the signature Double Cheeseburger that the chain is best known for.

There’s also a Tamale Burger for those who like it hot which features a Double Cheeseburger, glazed onion, grilled jalapeños, spicy mayo and mustard.

But if you prefer chicken to beef, there are also a few chicken options made using Nashville Hot chicken. 

Other items on the menu include the Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich which sees thinly sliced ribeye steak topped with cheese, onions, jalapenos and Phill’s secret sauce. There’s also loaded or layered fries, Buffalo Wings, a selection of sauces such as Ranch and Truffle Mayo, and milkshakes in flavours like pistachio.

They also serve a range of American sandwiches (Picture: Fat Phill’s)

Online the chain has garnered numerous rave reviews, with people branding the food ‘amazing’, ‘delicious’ and ‘insane’.

Food blogger By Row claimed the chain is better than competitors like McDonald’s, writing: ‘I can confidently say that this restaurant beats out McDonald’s and KFC any day of the week.’

While many said they make the ‘best’ burgers. On Reddit u/Dependent_Monitor215 posted: ‘Fat Phill’s Diner has the BEST burgers in Amsterdam. I’ve ordered from everywhere. Trust me on this one.’

The London branch has only been open for a few weeks, but it has already drummed up some great reviews, garnering 4.7 stars on Google.

Matt Gough gave five stars, saying: ‘Fantastic food! We tried the meaty burger, the Nashville fried chicken burger, loaded fries and mozzarella sticks. All amazing. Deffo recommend checking this place out if you need some fried goodness!’

And Minemar2 Martinez shared: ‘Delicious burgers, the flavor of the meat is unique, everything is very fresh and super smashed. The quality and quantity are excellent.’

FaithsStardust added: ‘Just had one of their Nashville hot burgers at their launch….demolished it in seconds, yummy! The Greeter serving the food was lovely too. It’s nice that McDonald’s in Clapham Junction, finally has a competitor.’

This comes after Metro went behind the scenes at Louisiana fast food chain Popeyes, to learn the secrets of their famous fried chicken.

The chain is best known for its ‘Shatter Crunch’ chicken, which is incredibly crispy, and it seems the trick all comes down to a ‘magic tossing’ technique when adding batter.

The chicken is tossed in a seasoned flour mix exactly 20 times, before being coated in batter. After this, it gets tossed back in the flour another 20 times before going into the fryer.

But there’s a specific way they toss the meat which involves placing the chicken breasts in the flour and then, with your hands in a claw shape, you scoop the chicken and flour up, lifting and dropping it as you go.

After the final toss, the chicken is given a double tap, and it’s at this stage when the magic happens and you finally start to see the ‘shatter crunch’ appear. 

‘If you tap it very sharply, you see all these nodules come, and that’s what the famous shatter crunch is,’ Dave Hoskins, head of food at Popeyes UK says.

‘It’s the batter doing that for us, with adding the aeration in the flour. As the little nodules cook, that’s what gives you all the crispy bits.

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