Meat eaters and vegetarians are catered for with gourmet burgers at Knapps Bistro in Needham Market.
By day it’s a historic coffee shop, serving fluffy scones, cakes and coffee. But now, by night, The Angel Coffee Shop in Needham Market has been transformed into a gourmet burger joint – Knapps Bistro.
On Saturday nights only (for the time being), owner Luke Wilden puts the ‘oo’ into food with his handmade beefy creations, all in memory of his partner Johnny.
“I’ve had the café for five and a half years and we used to flip it around as a bistro in the evenings. In 2016 my partner passed away and my heart wasn’t really in it so we shut at night but now I’ve decided to re-open in his honour. I’m a bit of a burger fiend, and we used to love going to Byron’s together. This is something he loved.”
Seating just 20 downstairs and 20 upstairs, the petite bistro has already become a hit in the village, selling out tables well into December.
“It’s been really successful so far,” Luke says. “We’ve had brilliant support from the butchers and the local bakery where I buy my bread and in general from the local people.”
What elevates a ‘normal’ burger then to gourmet status?
“It’s my own recipe,” reveals Luke. “All my mince is from Smiths butchers a couple of doors down. A selling point is my recipe is completely gluten-free so we can cater for that. I have gluten-free baps here and I’m looking into getting dairy-free ones too. We also make two vegetable burgers.”
And they sound delicious. The Veggie Delight brings together cauliflower, kale and smoked cheddar, while The Zest burger incorporates mixed vegetables with lime, lemongrass and cumin.
Including meat-free options, eight burgers feature across the menu (or you can build your own).
There’s the Signature Burger – topped with smoked ham, caramelised red onion and Camembert.
The Johnny Bee (named in honour of Luke’s partner) is smothered in barbecued pulled pork, crispy onion rings and cheese.
And The Greek is topped with mint, red onion and marinated feta.
Don’t miss out on the sides either, such as battered pickles which have been so popular, Luke laughs he’s had to buy double the pickles this week to meet demand!
Also on the side are prawn twisters, buffalo chicken wings, pork belly bites and more.
There are desserts too – including a huge knickerbocker glory.
And, as he wants to really welcome families, Luke’s devised a menu for children priced at only £6.95 for a main meal, ice cream and juice from their own set menu.
“I can’t believe how well it’s going,” he adds. “It’s brilliant.”
For the full menu find Knapps Bistro on Facebook.
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