When it comes to Grill’d, there is such a thing as a free meal, especially with the opening of every store. Located on the burger competitive Rundle Street, this is Adelaide’s second store and first one here that is company owned.

Burgers are usually synonymous with fast food and being unhealthy. Grill’d is trying to change that perception by providing healthier burger options. The beef and lamb used is grass fed, lean and free of hormones and antibiotics. The chicken cuts are lean breast meat and all the vegetables are fresh and locally sourced.

With a long and narrow floor plan, the place appears to be smaller than it’s Norwood sister store, however, I’ve been assured that the footprint is the same, and establishment can cater for 140 people if you include the outdoor seating area.

While every Grill’d store is different, there are certain characteristics that are a hallmark of this burger franchise. The exposed brickwork, the low hanging light fittings, the prominent use of timber work, and wall sections that are covered with posters, are some of the features we’ve come to expect. Like most stores down Rundle Street, there’s a limited amount of natural light that flows in due to the small frontage, and in that respect, I would say their Norwood store is better.

The Simon Says Chicken Burger consists of avocado, bacon, salad, relish and herbed mayonnaise. I’m not usually a fan of chicken burgers but I have to say this was one of the best I’ve ever had. The chicken was tender and succulent and full of smokey flavours. Eating the meat by itself would have been satisfying.

The contrasting flavours and textures really made this burger work. The avocado was soft and creamy, the bacon was lean with a slight saltiness, the salad was fresh and crisp, the relish had a subtle sweetness and the herbed mayonnaise was smooth and tangy. The panini bun was fresh and firm, and held all the ingredients in well.

The Crispy Bacon and Cheese Beef Burger has bacon, cheese, salad, relish and herbed mayonnaise. Just when I thought the last burger was good, I was even more surprised to find this one was better. The beef patty was so juicy and full of flavour, I thought I had died and gone to heaven.

All the other components of this burger were secondary, but they certainly helped take it to the next level. The bacon was crispy with a subtle saltiness, the salad was fresh and crisp, the relish was sweet and the herbed mayonnaise was tangy. All these ingredients worked together to create a truly exceptional burger. The traditional sesame seed bun was nice and firm, and held all the ingredients in well.

The Goats Cheese and Hummus Lamb Burger has goats cheese, hummus and salad. I have to say that I’ve never had a bad lamb burger, but this burger was the least of my favourites out of the three. Not that there was anything wrong with it. For me, it was just lacking that wow factor.

The lamb was well marinated and tender, and the patty was well cooked. The salad was fresh and crisp, while the tangy salty flavour of the goats cheese complimented the grainy texture of the hummus quite well. Once again, the panini bun did it’s job by hold all the ingredients in.

On their first day of opening the service unbelievably quick. The burgers arrived at the table within 5 minutes of ordering and the plates were cleared soon after finishing. With the long line up of customers waiting for their free burgers, the atmosphere was somewhat vibrant, but I imagine things will be different once the hype dies down.

Prior to arriving, I was expecting to have a similar experience to what I had at their Norwood store. It was a pleasant surprise to actually have a better experience. One burger was above average, one was amazing and the other was out of this world.

WHERE: 187 Rundle St, Adelaide