Stax Diner, W1B

The Halal: It’s the attention to detail and quality which is unique… The meat served at Stax is organic, free-range beef sourced from pedigree Sussex cattle and supplied by Abraham natural produce. The meat is all stunned halal and no pork is served on the premises although alcohol is.

The Place: Finally a decent halal burger joint that you don’t have to travel to outer suburbia for! Stax diner opened earlier this year and business seems finger lickin’ good. The restaurant is the brainchild of Bea (of Bloomsbury) – whose scrumptious cupcakes are well known. The menu and storyboard are inspired by her childhood memories of the Deep South, long road trips and tasty food breaks. Stax can be found on the first floor of buzzing Kingly Court on Carnaby street. Decor is understated and casual: old vinyl records, stools and steel pendant lighting.

The Food: The ‘must-have’ item stated on the menu was the Cajun onion blossom: essentially a deep-fried onion cut into a floral shape. It was pretty tricky to eat in any dignified manner and after a few minutes of attempting neat dissection I gave up and got stuck in with my fingers! I really don’t want to know how many calories were consumed but it was the most gluttonous thing I’ve eaten in a while!

For mains everyone I could see was ordering the halal organic beef burgers, most opting for the novel beef bacon option. The burger patty itself was cooked and seasoned very well. The beef bacon was quite salty and overpowering but I’m informed by frequent visitors that this is not usually the case.

Although I haven’t tried them, I’ve heard very good things about the Cajun popcorn shrimp and the buttermilk battered chicken on waffles. The brunch menu looks like it would be worth a visit too!

Of course no American diner is complete without the right drinks and Stax has milkshakes, ice cream floats and root beer! They’ve thought of everything except a good old fashioned juke box!

 

The Price: Burgers are around £8-10 each. So you’re looking at around £20-25 per head when you factor in starters, sides and drinks.

The Verdict: Stax is a sound choice if you’re looking for good quality halal meat in a Central London location. The ambience is fun and relaxed so it’s great in a group of friends. The only downside was that the kitchen was quite small for a busy restaurant so expect a little wait- and try not to stuff yourself on addictive onion blossom while you do!