The George Hamilton Burger Review – Hamilton, ON
The George Hamilton Burger Review – Hamilton, ON
On a road trip to Steeltown, Robyn and I visited The George Hamilton, which bills itself as Hamilton's oldest public house. I fact-checked the date on the sign with a gentleman inside, and yes, it's been around since 1853. The Gold Medal Burger scored a 4.1, placing it #135 out of 140 on my Gold Medal Burger rankings.
Friendly from the start
The staff were super nice. When I walked around outside after paying, a server made sure we weren't leaving without our burger. The price was $16.95, about average for the quest, but a big jump from the cheap burger at our previous stop. When I asked about the price, I was told they'd changed the burger: it's now an eight-ounce homemade patty.
My order
A hamburger with lettuce, onion and pickle only. It came in a plastic container, with ketchup and relish packets in the bag (thankfully not on the burger), plastic utensils and napkins. Inside: a salt and pepper style bun toasted on the crispy, crunchy side, a big slice of red onion, a piece of leaf lettuce and a single vertical pickle slice on top of a very big patty. One bite, everybody knows the rules.
First bite
Nobody's saying there's not enough burger here. I could tell the patty was fresh and homemade, and it actually tasted pretty good, but it seemed like eight ounces of patty rather than eight ounces of beef, with something mixed in. Borderline meatloaf. The bun was absolutely buttered, and I got a full butter bite. The trouble was everything else. The bun looked tiny next to the patty, one thick slice of onion was as wide as a finger and there was a single pickle slice for all that meat. I had to dig past a lot of beef just to find the onion and pickle. The patty also came cut up, which I'm calling steel town style.
The breakdown
- Bun: Buttered and toasted, but far too small for the patty.
- Patty: Eight ounces, fresh and homemade, but borderline meatloaf.
- Onion: One huge, thick slice of red onion.
- Pickle: A single vertical slice, nowhere near enough.
- Value: $16.95, about average for the quest.
My fix
Here's my plan for them: go back down to a six-ounce patty or get a bigger bun, cut that onion slice in half, and double or triple up on pickles. Then you've got yourself a burger.
My verdict
The ingredients are good and the place is fresh and friendly. The proportions are just way off. I scored it a 4.1 "with a lot of potential," and a couple of tweaks could push that score much higher. I'd come back for the brews, and if they change up the burger, I'll give it another try.
Find The George Hamilton
Hamilton, ON
