16th Street

We visited 16th Street Restaurant in Blackburn just before heading to the cinema, and it turned out to be a great little pre-film stop. When we arrived, it was fairly quiet, with just one other family in, which made for a nice, chilled atmosphere and no stress finding a table. Ordering is done through a digital kiosk near the counter. It’s all very modern and straightforward. Just tap through the online menu, pick what you want, pay, and the kitchen gets cracking almost immediately. I always appreciate a system that lets you avoid that awkward moment of deciding what to eat while a server stares at you. We all went for the combo box meal, and our daughter had the Little Burger. The combo boxes came with a fresh smash burger, a large crispy chicken tender and a generous portion of seasoned street fries. Everything looked great when it arrived and, more importantly, tasted just as good. The burger was juicy and well-seasoned, the chicken tender was golden and crisp, and the fries were flavourful with just the right amount of bite. Portions were solid too, not over the top, but definitely enough to fill you up and leave you satisfied. For a casual bite before a film, it really hit the spot. Now, onto a couple of small gripes. When we sat down, we noticed a few leftover bits on the table, nothing major, but it looked like it had just been given a quick wipe instead of a proper clean. A little more attention there would go a long way. My wife also mentioned the bathroom could’ve been a bit tidier. There was some toilet paper on the floor, and a few marks on the wall that looked like someone with food on their hands gave up on using toilet roll and opted for the wall instead. Not awful, but definitely something that could be improved. That said, none of this took away from the fact that the food was genuinely excellent, the service was quick, and the atmosphere was relaxed and family friendly. With a bit more care on the cleaning side, this place could easily hit five stars. We’d definitely go back, especially for another combo box, and hopefully next time, the walls will have stayed sauce-free.

Nice design of asthetics, I ordered the cartel burger and felt the flavour was overpowering with too much flavour and seasoning, burger sauce was too rich. Chimmichurri smash potatoes was disappointing and way too greasy. I took one bite and didn’t finish it. I check the bottom of the pile of potatoes and was a puddle of grease. Tables wasn’t cleaned properly and unfortunately rested my elbow on some sweet honey somebody left spilt earlier. It’s a nice brand but the owners need to really taste your own food and see how you can improve it.

Will definitely be coming back - highly recommend the cartel burger and the nashville fries, won’t find a better smash burger in the area!