Need Street Food
Need Street Food is run by duo, Pete and Stu, and specialise in mighty burgers and good-tasting sides. Their tagline ‘taste good, do good’ is a special one and anyone who has sampled their burgers will be able to agree with taste good. Their do good, on the other hand, is somewhat less known and we’re going to tell you all about it, along with a lowdown on their grub.
Need Street Food are a caring bunch and they’re in businesses to save lives by supporting charities tackling malnutrition across the world. For every order you make, they send one pack of food to those in need. This food, called Plump’d, is packed full of nutrients to treat emergency cases of malnutrition. I think this is a wonderful initiative and if I’m honest, I wasn’t aware of Need Street Food’s efforts for some time.
The Merchant House
Their burgers, however, I knew from the offset. My first encounter with Need Street Food was when they arrived at the Merchant House back in 2018. I also tasted their epic French dip rolls at Victorious in 2019 which was also outstanding.
Since moving to Southsea, admittedly we’ve enjoyed Need Street Food every week.
`The Merchant House on Albert Road is our local and we love it! Since moving in around the corner, there’s rarely a moment we walk or cycle past without us stopping by. “Cheeky half pint?” we ask one another. It would be rude not to. Ever-changing taps of craft beer coupled with a feed from Need – it’s the perfect combination.
The food
I think we may have worked our way through the menu including the new dishes which were launched earlier this month and I can honestly say, I like it all! The quality of ingredients is outstanding, the presentation tantalising and the portions an epic size. We do have a couple of firm favourites so let me introduce you…..
The Benny Burger
Fried Chicken Thigh / Maple Bacon / American Cheese / Shredded Lettuce / Smoked Garlic Mayo
Yep, those ingredients right there make the perfect fried chicken burger and one that’s become our usual. It’s crispy, it’s sloppy, it’s spiced, it’s slightly sweet and it has the right amount of smoked garlic mayo not to keep you up at night. This really is one of the best burgers in town. The T-Bird takes runner up.
The Bless Up Burger
Panko Crumb-Fried Halloumi / Ginger Beer Glaze / Mango & Papaya Salsa / Natty’s Jerk Sauce / Shredded Lettuce / Smoked Garlic Mayo
Halloumi has to be one of my favourite things to have sandwiched between bread. It’s soft, it’s salty, it’s so so flavoursome, just like this burger. What’s more, it contains Natty’s legendary jerk sauce which makes it another regular go-to.
Brisket Burger
Beef Patties / American Cheese / Shredded Smoked Brisket / Lettuce / Truffle Mayo
Now, I’ve only had a bite of this burger because I don’t like beef and I must admit, I found it very tasty. This is Carlos’s new favourite Need Street Food burger and I can see why. The meat is of great quality, it’s fully loaded and the truffle mayo tops it off nicely. This is new to the menu and we hope it stays.
McLawsuit Burger
Moving Mountains® Patty / Homemade Burger Sauce / Fake Cheese / Diced Onions / Shredded Lettuce / Pickles
When I’m being a good little vegan I head to the McLawsuit burger which could well be mistaken for the real deal. Moving Mountains® are my favourite vegan patties as they are always so moist and have a great texture. The combination of fake cheese, onions and homemade burger sauce make this one a sloppy one so don’t forget your serviette.
Sides and fries
Sometimes it’s hard to make room for sides or fries but in this instance, I really think you should. The chips here are oh-so-good and if you’re not into loaded fries then the house fries (with rosemary) are just as good. Delicious cheddar mac and burnt ends are welcomed newcomers, just in time for winter. If you love your chippy chips, try one of the loaded fries. We tried the Hanoi fries and the vegan Muchacho Fries – both amazing and definitely one for sharing or eaten alone instead of a burger.
As you can probably tell, we really rate Need Street Food and we hope they’re here to stay. As well as taking up residency at the Merch, they have a street food van and do events and private functions. They can also be found on Uber Eats seven days a week and literally saved us during lockdown.
Service – 9
Quality 9.5
Value 9
Ambience 9
Return? Yes (every week!)
Overall 9.5/10
Living life, loving messy burgers from Need Street Food,
H x
Photos by the talented Southsea Snapper.