8bit., Footscray

12/23/2015 burgers , footscray , lunch/dinner 0 Comments

8bit. is a small burger joint in Footscray that has become quite popular in the last few months, and I finally got around to trying it a few weeks ago. The burger joint is located about a ten minute walk from Footscray station on the Werribee line, just off one of the main busy streets. The burgers were good, but I really don't think it was worth the one hour wait, which was one of the main downsides of my experience here.

The name 8bit. is derived from the computer processor, and most of you would probably know it as the sort of pixelated, simple graphics. I thought it was a creative name for a burger joint, and this was reflected in the table number stands we got which had 8 bit style characters on them, and the boxes that the burgers came in had pixelated pictures on them. The decorations/design of the whole place was quite simple, and brightly lit - there were basic lights hanging from the ceiling, the paper our burgers came on had a pixelated style burger on it, and some of the windows had pixelated looking smoothies, hot dogs and fries stickers on them. The atmosphere of the place was quite lively with the loud music, and sounds of the kitchen that took up a large section of the joint.


There's a good range of burgers on the menu as well as sides and hot dogs, and a variety of sides can also be added to the burger. We went at around 1:30pm on a Sunday, and were told it was going to be at least a forty minute wait for the food. Initially, we didn't think much of this and were happy to wait, but after awhile, we were observing the staff making the burgers and didn't really understand why it takes so long to make a burger. Most places I've been only take about fifteen to twenty minutes at most, and we waited over an hour for our food to come. We came to the conclusion that it just wasn't very efficient processes running in the kitchen - though there were sounds of cooking in the kitchen, it didn't have that fast paced, hustle and bustle to it, and the staff looked like they were working at a really leisurely pace, instead of trying to get the food out to its customers as soon as possible. There also seemed to be confusion in the kitchen with people getting in each other's way (I counted 8 people in the kitchen at the one time), and we weren't sure where the food was going because everyone seemed to just be waiting for food, whether it be eating in or take away.

Both of my friends went with the 8bit burger ($8.50), and I ordered the 1 UP Mushroom Burger with an extra beef patty ($9.50 + $3). We also got small potato gems ($4) and large cheese and bacon fries ($7) to share, and a soft drink each ($2.50). The 8bit burger consisted of beef, tomato, lettuce, red onions, pickles, mustards, cheese and 8bit sauce. The burger had good flavours with a nice bun that didn't get soggy, though the patty was a little on the thin side.


The 1 UP Mushroom Burger consisted of a crumbed portobello mushroom, cheese, tomato, red onion, green tomato relish, lettuce and 8bit sauce. I got a beef patty to go with it as I thought it wouldn't be filling enough, but the portobello mushroom was actually quite a large portion, as it had been designed to replace the meat patty. I thought the beef patty was really thin considering I had to pay an extra $3 for it, and it was just average - not dry, but not juicy or tender either. The mushroom however was cooked really great with a thin layer of batter covering it, and despite all the ingredients in the burger, the bun didn't go soggy or fall apart when I was eating it.


The potato gems had a really really crunchy outer layer and tasted good by itself, but even better with the tomato sauce for an enhanced flavour. The cheese and bacon fries were beer battered fries with a cheese sauce, bacon and spring onions. The bacon had a nice crunch to it, and together with the chips kind of reminded us of the Cheese and Bacon Shapes biscuits. The cheese added extra flavour to the already seasoned chips, so it did become a bit salty when they became cold.


We all felt that the burgers were for the most part really enjoyable, but a little on the salty side - probably from the cheese. Two of us had soft drinks with our burgers so it helped to wash it down, but one of my friends didn't order a drink and was getting really thirsty during and after the meal. This, plus the long wait we had to endure is the main reason I wouldn't really want to come back again. You would think that after a few months of being opened, they would've had found a more efficient process so customers didn't have to wait as long.

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