Magic Roundabout

Ended up here last saturday evening, after a few pints and a great football game! I was walking in the Old Street tube station, when I heard pounding house music «gotta check that out» I thought. Up the stairs and here I am, right in the middle of Old Street, on an open-​air area, kind of. Picnic tables here and there, heaters on, massive bars and great music, it’s everything I needed at that very moment. I can only picture this place when the sun in shining during summer…
Oh, and Ady, if you’re reading this, do give me a ring, I assure you I’m a great DJ and would love to spin some smooth as warm-​up act soon ;)

The Magic Roundabout is literally located in Old Street underground station, very easy to get to. The first thing you hear is the thumping good music. When you climb the stairs you’ll find a couple of bars, lots of seating areas and one or two food stands. There’s no roof so you are open to the elements, great in Summer but when the weather turns rainy and cold it might not be so comfy. All the seating areas are covered though and there’s heating stands dotted around.
I have to mention the toilets which I was not impressed by. Firstly you have to walk over gravel in the seating area to get to the loo’s. Bad idea if you’re wearing heels, as you have to wade through as you sink with each step. When you get past that you’ll find the toilets are actually unisex portaloo’s, lined up in a row. I visited at night and when I opened to door to go to the loo I found there was no lighting, I had to use my mobile light. The portaloo’s are very small so not a lot of room to manœuvre. It was all rather dingy and dirty, I won’t be using it again.
The thing that saved the day was Burger Bear. I got chatting to the chef who was very knowledgeable, he was able to tell me about the beef, where the cows were reared in one farm and what they are fed, all good stuff. He also told me the beef tasted extraordinary and that I should try it, so I did. I had a Burger Bear Classic and although the beef was a bit too rare for me, I could actually taste the full flavour of the beef. It tasted fresh and was so good I tried to eat it slowly to savour the taste!
Overall The Magic Roundabout is a good sized place to hang out with good music. It’s very masculine, with the gravel floor and portaloo’s, it doesn’t cater to lady comforts. I can see mostly guys hanging out at this place. If you’re female and want to go, definitely wear flats. That said I would definitely come back just for a Burger Bear.

If there was an option to give a sixth star, burger bear would get it. This is without doubt the best burger in London. The patties and meaty but at the same time melt in the mouth. They are cooked to perfection (pink) and topped with streaky bacon, cheese and… BACON JAM. The location of the new burger bear restaurant above Old Street station, and it has lovely picnic tables for eating in the sun. There is a bar that sells an excellent selection of beer. To top it all off, Tom, who runs the place, is one of the friendliest people you will meet.

Rooftop area in the middle of the old street roundabout. We went there to eat at Burger Bear. Had the Grizzly Burger — bacon, bacon jam and cheese on a brioche. My Burger was perfect medium rare. My mate’s was slightly on the rarer side. We were not greedy enough to get the Greedy Burger (two patties!) — standard burger was enough. We saved space to get some hot wings and angry fries. The wings were great. Would definitely come back here. Only downside was washroom facilities, couldn’t find the sink to wash my hands after devouring all of the food

I don’t really know what to say about this place other than its yet another rooftop bar. To be fair I was here at 7:30 am for the Lipton Ice Tea Daybreakers event but still I just didn’t feel like there was much to be excited about. The décor was fun and vibrant but it felt very much like every other Shoreditch bar. Perhaps I am becoming cynical in my old (ahem) age but It wasn’t very original. I think the coolest thing about this place is its location (right in the middle of Old Street Station) you are literally in the middle of all the hustle and bustle of London life but removed from it at the same time. Which is a surreal experience.
The event we attended wasnt very long and so I dont feel like I got the full feel of the place but I will say one thing, the caterers associated with this pop up are a.m.a.z.i.n.g. The insanely talented and entrepreneurial Burger Bear were incredible. For the Daybreakers event they put on a morning menu starting with the classic ‘Breakfast Bear burger’. This heaven between buns composition was comprised of grilled pork, smoked bacon, egg, American cheese and Lipton Ice Tea infused bacon jam, meanwhile other options included the Blackout Bacon Roll with smoked bacon, egg and Lipton Ice Tea barbeque sauce.
Cheese lovers could opt for the Tom’s Grilled Toast option, which was made using three different types of cheese, truffle oil and grilled sourdough French toast. Absolute heaven. It was the perfect way to start a very sunny Friday morning and I thoroughly recommend going here if only for the food alone!