Fionn MacCool's Burger Review – Hamilton, ON
Fionn MacCool's Burger Review – Hamilton, ON
We took the Gold Medal Burger quest out of Niagara and into the Hammer for this one. Robyn and I stopped at Fionn MacCool's Irish pub on Stone Church Road East in Hamilton, and after a long wait at the bar, the burger landed at a 5.7. That's good for #121 out of 140 on my Gold Medal Burger rankings.
My order and the wait
I ordered what I always order: a hamburger with lettuce, onion and pickle only. It came to $17.52, which puts it on the pricey end of the quest. The bigger issue was the clock. Our server said ten minutes, but Robyn and I sat at the bar for roughly 25 to 30 minutes before that burger showed up. We made the best of it with $5 Sunday Coronas, good music and a friendly waitress, but by the time the burger came out, it wasn't hot.
Fun moment while we waited: when I mentioned we were from Niagara, our server brought up oddbird, the St. Catharines spot sitting at the top of my quest. Word travels!
What came out
The presentation looked promising. A nice toasted bun, grill marks on the patty, red onions, chopped lettuce and horizontally sliced ruffle-cut pickles. It even came with wet naps. Then it was time for one bite, everybody knows the rules.
First bite
It's a thick, hefty patty with a little sweetness to it, and those bread and butter pickles were a highlight. But the temperature was the story. Half an hour for a lukewarm burger. I know some of you tell me, Joe, rate the burger, not the wait. Not on this quest. Everything counts. It's the whole experience, not just what's between the buns.
The breakdown
- Bun: Nice and toasted, one of the better parts of the plate.
- Patty: Big, thick and grilled, but lukewarm instead of hot.
- Toppings: Sweet bread and butter pickles, red onion and chopped lettuce. I liked those pickles.
- Service: A friendly server, but a long wait. We had a similar wait the last time we were here too.
- Value: $17.52 for a burger that isn't hot is a tough sell.
My verdict
Fionn MacCool's is a fun place to sit at the bar with cheap Coronas and good tunes, but the Gold Medal Burger didn't make the trip worth it. I'm definitely not driving all the way to Hamilton for it. A thick patty and sweet pickles earned some credit, but a 30-minute wait for a warm burger lands it at a 5.7. People keep telling me I have to leave Niagara to find the best burger. This stop didn't prove them right, so we kept rolling through the Hamilton leg in search of a better one.
Find Fionn MacCool's
1786 Stone Church Rd E, Hamilton, ON
