The Rex Hotel Burger Review – Welland, ON
The Rex Hotel Burger Review – Welland, ON
The Rex Hotel at the corner of Lincoln and King in Welland is one of my all-time favourite restaurants. Back when I lived in Welland and went to Brock, Sunday meant Rex takeout and The Sopranos. I know the pasta, the pizza, the wings and the Greek chicken salads. What I had never tried was the hamburger. It scored an 8.2, landing at #38 out of 140 burgers on my Gold Medal Burger quest.
The place is huge. There's a cannoli room, a pizza alley and horse betting, and walking in feels like being in Italy.
My order
I was a little worried before ordering. Great pasta doesn't always mean a homemade burger. Staff told me it was homemade, and the price was $7.00 flat. A good start.
Something different
Inside the box: lettuce, sliced ringed white onion and pickles, a little sloppy after I wandered the building looking for Robyn, plus a pickle spear on the side. The real surprise was the bread. Instead of a regular bun, the burger came on a ciabatta or baguette style Italian bread, a first for the quest.
First bite at the Rex
One bite, everybody knows the rules. Dripping, a nice char on the patty, and Italian style flavour all the way through. This bread is an aggressive play. It's the kind of bread I'd normally want with mortadella, prosciutto, cheese and roasted red peppers. But the more I ate, the more it made sense.
- Bread: Italian bread that soaked up the juices. The bottom piece was even better than the top.
- Patty: More moist than juicy, seasoned well. If I made burgers at home, this is what they might look like.
- Toppings: Ringed white onion, lettuce and a generous amount of pickle, on the burger and on the side.
- Value: $7.00 for a homemade burger is a good deal.
Sopping up the juices
This burger was sitting in the sevens for me until the bread worked its magic at the end, like mopping up the plate juices at home after dinner. I even teased an 8.5 before settling a little lower.
My verdict
An 8.2 for a very unique burger. I give the Rex a lot of credit for making a strong play in the burger game. If you're driving through Welland on King Street, you can get a good burger here, and anything else on the menu is fair game too.
Find The Rex Hotel
Welland, ON
