Holee Cow

Holee Cow – Holee Cow Burger

Holee Cow Burger Review

Price: £9.00.

Deliveroo is finally delivering to BLHQ and our first review using the platform is the very popular Cheltenham-based independent, Holee Cow.

Checking their menu online, I was toying with the Smokey Bacon & Cheese or even the Kim Jong-Un’s, but in the end, opted for the signature Holee Cow.

The reason for this being, that I wanted to sample their HC Burger Sauce which is on the Holee Cow but not the Smokey Bacon & Cheese (that has Chipotle Mayo).

You can do swapsies on the app so maybe next time. Will there be a next time…!?

Holee Cow. Burgers. Beyond. Belief. Located just off Cheltenham’s High Street and “serving the juiciest, naughtiest, sexiest, most beautiful burgers in all of Gloucestershire.” according to their website.

They must be doing something right, as they launched the initial restaurant in 2017 but had to move premises in 2018 which is where they still remain in 2022.

Ironically, that location is where Real Burger moved to in a bid to expand and shortly after, met their demise.

Real Burger. Now that’s a name I’ve not heard in a long time…

Back to the task at hand. Holee Cow.

Below, you will see our new “Deliveroo Data” section. This gives the headline stats from our experience and with 24 minutes from order confirmed to delivered in my hands, you really can’t argue with that.

The food was a good temperature (Excellent in our ratings system) so I opened the delivery bag with much hunger, excitement and anticipation.

Why has it taken me the best part of 5 years to review [one of] Cheltenham’s best burger joints?

As you can see from the pictures, the Holee Cow Burger is very well presented – a shiny brioche bun and a lovely looking beef patty with the perfect amount of caramelisation on it.

Oh baby, I can’t wait for this one!

If you think it looks a bit small, then you can always double up for an additional four quid to make it a bigger burger.

I’m good with a single thanks and have a portion of their Skin On Fries to go with it (£3.50).

£3.50 seemed a bit steep at first for some fries, but then I remembered a) this is the first “gourmet” review I have done in ages and b) the actual portion size was very commendable.

And to be honest, these were some of the best fries I have had in ages.

I’m more a fan of fries than thicker “chips” but these are actually really bloody lovely.

They travel well, the skin on gives it a rustic feeling and KFC could learn a few lessons from these fries.

Perfectly salty and crispy, I would definitely order these again or perhaps the “Loaded” version with pulled pork, jalapenos, spring onion and chipotle mayo.

Back to the burger…

The American Cheese had a nice melt over the beef and obviously with the small travel time that gave it the time it needs to melt to look like that. Cracking.

You’re obviously going to get a warmer and better presented burger when eating in the restaurant (and they do booze!) but for a Deliveroo order I can’t fault this one bit.

But how does it taste?

Biting in, your teeth glide through the high-quality, South West Gloucestershire dry-aged Longhorn Beef to give the carnivore in you a satisfying mouthful in every bite.

It’s a well-seasoned, soft beef patty with a high standard I would expect from an independent that has been around for 5+ years offering locally sourced ingredients.

A massive step up from your usual high street offering, easy.

There was just something about the burger as a whole I couldn’t put my finger on.

It seemed to be a strange, almost fishy smell coming from the burger.

I couldn’t tell if it was the sauce but once I smelt it, it detracted from the overall enjoyment. That was a shame. A real shame.

Don’t get me wrong – this was not a terrible burger and I would be willing to try the Smokey Bacon & Cheese and/or Kim Jong-Un’s (especially if I get those fries again).

But this is possibly the first ever review I have done, where I’ve come away more hyped about the fries/side than the main event – the burger!

I’m sure it is up there with the very best in Gloucestershire but does it come close to some of the past heavyweights such as Solita, Almost Famous or Patty & Bun?

Not even close.

The ensemble of ingredients on this build are classic – beef, cheese, lettuce, gherkins, tomato relish (prefer this to ketchup or fresh tomato) and red onion.

You get a bit of sweet, bit of salty but then there was that odd smell/taste now and then. It HAS to be that HC burger sauce.

I’ll have to order a pot of it next time to check but it was strange to me.

Maybe it was because I had spoilt myself last time – the excellent Waagyu Burger Kit with that delectable Wagyu Beef and rich, smokey burger sauce.

I’ve got a feeling I am going to like this new Deliveroo category on the BURGER LAD website so the only thing to ponder is what to review next…

Overall, the signature burger from Holee Cow was decent enough (can’t argue with the Deliveroo experience) but it just fell short somewhere with that taste/smell.

The burger looked fantastic and there is no denying the beef is of high quality. I just felt ever so slightly disappointed in the end which is such a shame as I REALLY wanted to like Holee Cow.

I forgot to mention that the heel bun was also suffering by the time I ate this, but that again is more down to travel time than anything so it gets a pass.

24 minutes from order confirmed to delivery at the door is exceptional IMO, considering we are 2.6 miles away and it was around dinner time on a Sunday afternoon/evening.

It’s a neutral from me for the burger but those fries/chips are amazing – this is ironic as I always claim they do not travel well.

I am going to give Holee Cow another chance in the future but in the meantime, there are plenty more burgers out there to review.

Thanks for reading and be back soon.

Burger Lad

Website: https://holeecowburgers.co.uk/

Deliveroo Data
Day: Sunday
Timeframe: 16:00 – 18:00
Delivery Time: 24 mins
Distance: 2.6 miles
Service Fee: £0.99
Delivery Fee: £0.00 with Deliveroo Plus
Look/Temperature: Excellent
Current Rating: 4.4 very good (500+)