Rickijo's Restaurant Burger Review – St. Catharines, ON
Rickijo's Restaurant Burger Review – St. Catharines, ON
I had never even heard of Rickijo's before this stop at 286 Bunting Road in St. Catharines. The place surprised me: not small, with a cement floor and a bar that reminded me of a racetrack bar, and lots of people inside. The Gold Medal Burger scores a 6.9, landing at #90 out of 140 on my rankings.
My order
A hamburger with lettuce, onion and pickle only, for $12.42, about the average price on the quest. It came in a plastic bag stuffed with napkins, cutlery and packets of relish, mustard and ketchup, none of which a Gold Medal Burger needs. That bag is getting recycled, assuming the wind doesn't take it first.
What was inside
A sesame seed bun, iceberg lettuce, a single vertically sliced pickle and red onions, all on what looked like a homemade patty. Before I even took a bite, one of the women working there made her pitch: best burgers in town.
One bite, everybody knows the rules
The flavour was decent right out of the gate, and I'm fairly sure the patty was homemade. But the first thing I noticed was that there wasn't a drop of juice in sight. The patty was slightly overcooked and a little dry. Everything else held up: the bun was fresh, the lettuce was fresh, and the red onions had a crunch I enjoyed.
I'm keeping myself to less than half a burger per stop these days, so every bite has to tell me something. I went back in for the pickle. I don't think it's homemade, but it was doing fine with this burger. The sesame bun and the crunch of the red onion kept pulling me back. That staffer's passion fired me up, too. She nearly talked the score up on her own.
The breakdown
- Bun: Sesame seed and on point.
- Patty: Likely homemade with good flavour, but slightly overcooked and dry.
- Toppings: Fresh iceberg lettuce, crunchy red onion and a pickle that did its job.
- Value: $12.42, around average.
My verdict
Best burger in town? Not quite, but she gets credit for the best enthusiasm. I know exactly what's holding it back: cook that patty with a little juice left in it and this burger gets into the sevens, maybe higher, because every ingredient was good. On this visit to Rickijo's, it scores a 6.9.
Find Rickijo's Restaurant
286 Bunting Rd, St. Catharines, ON
