Phat Buns (Loughborough) — Restaurant in Charnwood

Tucked away just past the town centre sits Phat Buns, a fairly small, quirky fast food joint. The signs on the walls and overall brand design is quite impressive, not tacky and not too over the top. Shortly after stepping through the doors I was greeted by an angry, demanding bark from one of the employees telling me to close the door (which locks open upon pushing it). Not the greatest way to start, but I shrugged it off. The menus are quite overwhelming at first glance but have a decent array of items to pick from.

We ordered the dorito burger with tots and the classic hotdog with crinkle fries, each with a frozen Fanta and frozen Coke. Both orders arrived together and took approximately 10-15 minutes, not too bad. The hotdog was well made and was generously garnished, although maybe slightly on the small side. The dorito burger was a bit all over the place, the burger itself tasted good, however was ruined by the addition of the doritos and very difficult to eat. Completely down to individual taste but not to mine. The fries and tots were both very good and can highly recommend.

Unfortunately we spotted a few spiders hanging around in the windows and dirty seating areas. Could definitely do with a regular clean at least twice a week. Asking for extra sauce received an eye roll from the staff member previously mentioned also.

Such a shame about rude employees and overall cleanliness, as this has the potential to be a favourite of mine in the...

Honestly, this was one of the worst takeaway experiences I’ve ever had. I ordered from Phat Buns expecting a decent meal, but everything about it was disappointing.

First of all, the delivery was ridiculously late — way past the time they said it would arrive — and there was no update or apology. When the food finally turned up, it was cold, soggy, and looked like it had been thrown together in a rush. The burger bun was falling apart, the fries were greasy and tasteless, and the whole thing just felt cheap and poorly made.

What really put me off was the hygiene. The packaging was messy and oily, and the food itself didn’t seem fresh or properly handled. I later checked and found out they actually have a 2 out of 5 food hygiene rating, which honestly makes a lot of sense after seeing the state of my order.

To top it all off, when I tried to contact them about the issues, the owner was incredibly rude and dismissive. There was no apology, no attempt to make things right — just a bad attitude that made the whole situation even worse.

Overall, everything from the food and hygiene to the delivery time and customer service was a complete letdown. I definitely won’t be ordering from here again and would seriously recommend thinking twice before spending your...

Reviewing on here as they haven’t made a Tripadvisor for the Loughborough branch yet (though having seen the numerous negative reviews on the Leicester one this might be why). Food is good, but takes far too long to come out. Fast food this is not. This is made worse by the fact there’s no real parking nearby so you’re waiting inside and risking getting ticketed or bouncing to and from the car. It’s very cramped inside and people queueing can’t socially distance. They hire staff who speak very poor English (probably paying them nothing) which makes ordering from a relatively complicated menu a relatively complicated process. To keep this going (as the food and branding are strong), I’d recommend focusing on simplifying menu, dropping the prices (they’re too high for repeat custom honestly in a town where people just don’t have £10 to spend on a burger) and having proper management. Owner’s son who was there today was taking too long doing everything and it was complete chaos. Lots of disgruntled customers about including a couple who simply got bored of waiting and...