Happy Place: The Burger Circus

Brandie is an American living in Hong Kong with a British husband, a Chinese pug and a Parisian soul. Her "Happy Places" column for The HK HUB is inspired by her favourite things to do in and around Hong Kong - eat, drink, hike and travel.

Hurry, Hurry, Hurry ladies, gentlemen and children! The CIRCUS is in town and they are serving burgers! Big, tasty, messy, juicy burgers. Yes!

Burgers, fries and shakes? Yes, please. I have a confession. I crave burgers. Like, every day of my life. I am an American girl… it’s in my blood. The problem is, when I indulge this craving in Hong Kong, I am often left feeling disappointed. So, when I heard about the opening of Burger Circus, I was reluctant to try it out. I walked straight past the adorable train carriage-inspired diner several times saying, “Don’t do it, Brandie”. Finally… last week, I broke down and went in. Oh my goodness gracious. It was divine.

First of all, the diner itself is really swell. The servers all wear soda shop inspired uniforms — complete with black bowties, suspenders (braces) and white paper hats. The counter is lined with thick, vibrant straws and candy toppings that are just screaming to be part of a milkshake.

There is even an old-school menu board which hangs above the open griddle kitchen and swinging tunes that will make you want to get up and do the twist. It’s American nostalgia at it’s best. I think it’s physically impossible to frown in this restaurant. Especially once your food arrives…

Drinks: The drinks menu at Burger Circus is pure happiness. Milkshakes and house-made sodas… how can you not smile when you are drinking one of these things? They have milkshakes with brittle, pie or candy. They have cream sodas and mandarin creamsicle sodas.

The only negative is that it is SO hard to choose just one. After serious deliberations, we settled on a salted caramel milkshake ($68) and a ginger soda ($48). We were ecstatic with our choices. The salted caramel milkshake was salty and sweet at the same time and was covered in a massive helping of whipped cream. The ginger soda was spicy and tangy and made my nose tingle. Oh, and it came with a stripey paper straw. I think that made it even better.

I’m looking forward to working my way through Burger Circus’ drinks menu which also includes candy shakes ($68) , pie shakes ($68), drunken shakes (with booze! $88), wine ($48/glass) and even some local beers ($68).

The Burgers: Step right up and meet the star of the show. Hello, lovely. The burger menu at Burger Circus offers 10 different choices; but, I knew exactly what I wanted. #3 – The Circus Burger ($95): 5oz of USDA prime beef covered in bacon, caramelised onions and cheddar.

I really stopped reading after the word bacon. I took one look at this and felt like I was back in California. It was wrapped in paper, came in a box and dripped down my arm when I bit into it. This burger was luscious! Perfectly cooked meat, savoury bacon, mellow onions and creamy cheddar. It was hard to eat with a HUGE smile on my face; but, I managed. I’m telling you, this is the best burger I’ve tried in Hong Kong.

Combos: The combos at Burger Circus are the way forward and definitely the best value for your money. For instance, you can get a Circus Burger (reg $95), fries (reg $30) and a house-made soda (reg $48) for $138 as part of Combo B. If you want to change your soda to a milkshake, it’s an extra $15. Or, you can change it to a beer for $25. PLUS, you need the combo because you know you want some french fries. We couldn’t finish all of our fries, but we were certainly glad that we had the option!

All in all, I had a delightful dining experience at Burger Circus. The servers were friendly, the atmosphere was charming and the food was absolutely delectable. I’ve definitely run off to join the circus. You should, too!

Burger Circus is located at 22 Hollywood Road in Central Hong Kong. They are open Monday-Wednesday, 9am-Midnight and Thursday 9am – Sunday @ Midnight (24hours).

Brandie is an American living in Hong Kong with a British husband, a Chinese pug and a Parisian soul. She believes in making bold decisions and living a life full of happiness and laughter. A few years ago, she quit her job as an attorney to explore the world and she blogs about it here: