Overview
Once home to "fast food made good" eatery, Food Truck Garage, ground zero of the Bayleys House in Wynyard Quarter is now occupied by an entirely different takeaway experience, and one that makes eating burgers at sunrise entirely acceptable.
Hatchburger arrives courtesy of Nick Ward — the founder of The Food Truck television series and subsequent dine-in and takeaway restaurants. With the reworked space he hopes to create an "unpretentious, fun and friendly," environment and somewhere "perfect for a healthy midweek bite or a naughty Friday lunch treat."
From 7.30am the Hatchburger kitchen serves LA-inspired breakfast brioche sandwiches, before shifting to classic burgers, wraps and salads for the lunch crowd. Heading the kitchen is Amit Stern, who mastered his craft at Soul Bar, and his best mate Tim Chambers. Architects Ctrl-Space created a gas strut window (or hatch) that allows the pair to pass orders straight to hungry customers on the street.
Customers are encouraged to grab a coffee from Atomic next door before sampling early morning starters like the Chook Norris: a breakfast sandwich with marbleized egg, caramelised onions, sriacha and smoked cheddar, and the Yolko Ono: a mouthwatering delight loaded with egg, truffle mayo, eggplant relish and baby spinach.
The lunch menu takes a more classic approach to the humble burger, offering your foolproof cheeseburger, fried chicken and falafel. Toasted wraps are another feature of the eatery, including headline proteins like chipotle chicken, pulled pork and crumbed fish. Pair your order with fries with bloody mary ketchup or kumara fries with chipotle mayo. For the health conscious there are a bunch of house-made salads.
Hatchburger is predominantly a takeaway venue though offers seating inside and out. Find it at 30 Gaunt Street. It's open Monday-Friday, 7.30am-2.30pm, and closed weekends and public holidays.