Hamburgers that Kick Ass at Kung Fu Burger in Bern

UPDATE: Kung Fu Burger will close for good at the end of April 2019.

To best describe Kung Fu Burger, let's do a quick thought experiment: Imagine the most recent Chinese restaurant you have visited. Now make it way more stereotypical. Now replace all the chopsticks with forks and knives. Now replace all the Chinese food with burgers and fries.

Et voilà! Kung Fu Burger is born.

Located in a formerly Chinese restaurant, Kung Fu Burger even surprised our friend from Bern: "But wait, this used to be a Chinese place, right?".

Yepp. Up until March 2013, Restaurant Peking in Bern's alternative/artsy/neo-hispster Speichergasse was your average Chinese place serving noodle and wok dishes.

The new tenants stuck to the theme and converted the place into a burger joint. They have left most of the decor, including jade dragons, red and black furniture, and even a framed magazine cover of "The Bund" featuring a young Tarantino:

Restaurants in mega-cities New York City or Tokyo surely serve some fabulous gourmet burgers (rice burger, anyone?). But Bern? You bet!

During tonight's visit, we are positively surprised by the diversity on the menu: From a seasonal game burger featuring deer and caramelized chestnuts, to a BBQ burger with a kick, a goat meat burger and even a vegan/vegetarian burger! We learn that they even serve salads, but our eyes are set on the burgers...

The Fries Come in a Chinese Dish

When the burgers arrive on this bustling Friday night, we cannot believe our eyes: We ordered small sizes for 17 francs, but the burgers are huge! The crispy buns are made of local Ittingen flour, and they set new standards in our Burgerverse.

The meat and most ingredients are locally sourced. The burger patty is juicy and tasty. But is there some kind of lettuce plague? Because lettuce is virtually missing in our burgers... Either way, you get the point: No Chinese imports here!

 
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The house tomato ketchup> has a slight kick, which does not surprise as it is called Kung-Fu-Sauce. (We could not quite put a finger on its ingredients, though.)

Then, again utter delight: The order of tiny, crunchy fries is actually served in a Chinese dish! This place goes all the way in paying tribute to the former Chinese restaurant.

Finally, something that is rarely seen in Switzerland's restaurants: Unlimited free refills of tap water!

Conclusion

Our dinner at Kung Fu Burger was an overall success, both in terms of food choice and quality, but also in terms of experience. This restaurant is "klein aber fein," as they say in German: Small, yet unique. Definitively make a reservation in advance - this place tends to get busy!

As we walk out through the arched gate and notice all the Berners lined up for a table, we feel just a tad more like locals. We only have one question: What ever happened to the chopsticks?

More Information

- How to get there (Speichergasse 27, 3011 Bern)
- Opening times: Mo - Fr 11 AM - 2:40 PM // 5 PM - 12:30 AM, Sa 11 AM - 12:30 AM, closed on Su