Burger Liquor

A light blue colonial-era building on Willis Street is home to a great burger joint. With street art on the outside depicting sharks and geometric faces, and a large neon burger sign, Burger Liquor sets an expectation of fun. Inside, it delivers in spades — along with a tasty selection of quality burgers. 

As the name suggests, the restaurant offers (for the most part) burgers and liquor. Owned by local Wellingtonian Dan Haycock, his approach to the menu is similar to the fit-out — fun, casual, and a little bit silly. Burger names like ‘Hot Mess’ and the option to ‘pimp ya buns’ make for a giggle. If you want a serious burger (by name and reputation) then look no further than The Smokey. With beef, smoked bacon, and smokey BBQ sauce, it’s a local favourite. “I would never entertain the thought of pulling it off the menu,” says Dan. “I think we’ve served nearly 200,000 so far.” 

The drinks menu has earned a reputation as well. It’s not just beers and fancy cocktails here. You can order alcoholic milkshakes and slushies to wash down the curly fries and burgers. Dan thinks going out for a burger should be fun, so he endeavours to throw a dinner party every night of the week. “We try not to take ourselves too seriously. We love to turn the music up, and the lights down.” 

The inspiration for opening Burger Liquor came to Dan after spending time in America during his student days. Cruising around the States on a limited budget, he discovered the concept of the American burger bar. “Some were more ‘burger’ than ‘bar’, and some the other way around. You could just rock up, grab a cheap beer, and smash a great burger.” It’s that casual take on dining that motivated Dan to recreate it in Wellington. In 2014 he opened the doors on the Willis Street venue and has been serving burgers ever since. “This building has hospitality history in spades. It’s been a popular bar or eatery in some form or another since the 80s, so it was an obvious choice to open here.”