The Charrd burger may be Melbourne’s most hyped-up bite right now. Is it any good?

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In the past fortnight, I’ve spent 2 hours, 22 minutes and 16 seconds standing in lines. Unlike thousands of others, I wasn’t waiting to buy gold for financial security. I was just there for a burger.

From Charrd in Brunswick East, this burger may be Melbourne’s most hyped-up bite right now. A perfect storm of food influencers, herd mentality and some international press in September has caused lines that stretch way down the street. It also helps that the burgers are halal, catering to a broader sweep of the community.

On weekends, they’re selling more than 1000 burgers a day, according to owner Ogulcan “OJ” Atay, whose family also run nearby Turkish restaurants Yakamoz and Halikarnas. Sales have dramatically picked up since Charrd’s cheeseburger was named one of The World’s 25 Best Burgers by Upper Cut Media House, a British outfit.

The burger was originally a Sunday special at Yakamoz, but in July, Atay and chef Cağri Ergin added this grab-and-go burger window at the rear.

Grab might be the wrong word. I visited Charrd twice, waiting for over an hour each time.

The line includes lots of families, women in hijab, a few men wearing do-rags, young people who have clearly seen Charrd’s burgers on TikTok. Some people bring canned G&Ts to kill time. I overhear lots of speculation. “I wonder how they actually taste. Do you think they’re small?” Some groups, tiring, start making a plan B. “What else is around here? Schnitz? Thai?” But most stick it out.

So, is it worth it?

There are lots of things I like about the two burgers on offer. Whether you go the classic (a cheeseburger) or the house burger, the single patty option isn’t too big. You’re satisfied but not bursting. I like the way it looks: it’s almost like a perfect cartoon burger that’s leapt off the screen. The aroma when I open the box brings a rush of memories of junior Whoppers at the end of the school term.

I’m a big fan of the special sauce you can add on the side. It’s the colour of a ’70s bathroom vanity (mustard lies within!), with a nice citrus punch thanks to orange zest and juice.

The Charrd burger is a condiment-lover’s delight. Chilli jam and truffle aioli join a layer of caramelised onions. The amount of mayo on my burger was a little out of whack, overwhelming the other ingredients. But the patty – cooked over charcoal and made by Brunswick halal butcher Madina – had some nice grill-crusted edges and a pleasant fattiness to it.

I was confident the cheeseburger would be more my jam. I like a burger with the bite of both mustard and green coins of pickle. Charrd’s has both, as well as chopped raw onion.

But again, this burger seemed to be swimming in sauce while simultaneously being dry: the patty was a little overcooked this time, the bun didn’t seem as fresh, the burger was not that hot, which seems odd when the kitchen’s churning them out for a steady queue. The fries also seemed to vary in temperature.

The cheeseburger is almost like a perfect cartoon burger that’s leapt off the screen.

Charrd is a smart business model for our times, part of a move towards tightly focused menus (in this case, just five items). Fewer dishes means a leaner operation, which equals friendly prices for customers. It’s takeaway-only; again, less staff means lower overheads. Interestingly, it’s not on any delivery platforms. If you want the burger, you need to get in line. And that line is doing thousands of dollars’ worth of marketing.

But an hour-long wait for food also raises expectations – and pressure. How do you maintain high standards when you’ve got 60 or 70 people waiting? And after that much anticipation, can anything live up to the hype?

This team is doing a heroic job cooking thousands of burgers in a day. I don’t envy them.

I saw flashes of greatness in this burger. But with a little less pressure and a little more consistency, I reckon those flashes will become sustained.

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.