HAMBRGR Burger Review – St. Catharines, ON
HAMBRGR Burger Review – St. Catharines, ON
Everybody had been telling me to try HAMBRGR on St. Paul Street in downtown St. Catharines. I finally went, and the visit started with high hopes and a surprise I did not want. HAMBRGR scores a 5.9, good for #117 out of 140 burgers on my Gold Medal Burger rankings.
Our order
Robyn placed the order: lettuce, onion and pickle only, written right on the receipt. It came to $12.43. They spelled Robyn's name wrong on the bag, which she let slide. She did approve of the napkins in the bag, though.
A first look
It looked like a fancy burger. The toasted bun had regular and black sesame seeds, the pickles were sliced the way I like them, and the red onion was a little light. Then I spotted it: tomato. I checked the receipt and showed Robyn, who makes no mistakes when she orders. No tomato was asked for.
DQ or no DQ?
I had to ask the question. My ruling: cheese is a DQ because once it's on, there's no turning back. A tomato can be pulled off. So HAMBRGR was not disqualified, but if you put tomato on a Gold Medal Burger, especially when the receipt says otherwise, you're getting hit hard.
First bite
One bite, everybody knows the rules. With the tomato off, the burger was steaming and delicious. It's a good burger.
- Bun: Fancy, toasted, with two kinds of sesame seeds.
- Patty: Hot, steaming and good.
- Toppings: Sliced pickles, light red onion and lettuce, plus a tomato nobody ordered.
- Value: $12.43, about average for the quest.
Dressed up in rubber boots
Here's how I'd sum it up: it's like getting dressed up for a gala in something fancy and then putting on rubber boots. A good burger with a fancy bun, and then a tomato.
The bar
The highlight of the visit was inside. I was impressed with HAMBRGR's liquor lineup, including Hangar 1, my favourite gin, which not many places carry, and Dillon's, another gin I like, plus some whiskeys you don't see too often. Robyn wants to come back and hit the patio in the summer, and I'm down.
My verdict
A 5.9. It's a good burger that lost points for an unordered tomato. I don't know if I'll have another burger here, but I'll definitely be back on St. Paul Street for the gin and the patio.
Find HAMBRGR
St. Catharines, ON
