This announcement about Hamburger Mary's opening a new location in Tampa, Florida, made us think, "What the heck is Hamburger Mary's?"
Started in 1972 in San Francisco, the family-friendly restaurant and bar currently has seven locations across the country and stands out as being "the ONLY national franchise actively marketing to the gay community." Activities and events held at the restaurant that you probably won't find at your local burger joint include "Maryaoke," bingo, and drag shows.
The menu offers salads, sandwiches, and desserts in addition to their nine kinds of burgers, but the burgers may be the only thing worth getting, according to this review of the Denver location The burgers are actually "really, really good," says the reviewer Jason Sheehan.
Has anyone been to Hamburger Mary's to try the burgers? Or live through the Maryaoke?
there's a hamburger mary's in west hollywood right near my house. on wednesdays they have drag queen bingo, with some pretty good prizes! i have actually never even had a burger there, only drink specials. ha.
Yeah, I've been to the one in West Hollywood and Long Beach, which pretty much as the most awesome gayborhood around (aside from San Francisco, of course). Here's the thing: You don't go to Hamburger Mary's for the hamburgers; you go for the drinks and drag queens. That being said, I wouldn't mind trying one of their burgers. Maybe I'll check one out the next time I'm in that neck of the woods.
I've been to the Hamburger Mary's in Andersonville (Chicago). It's obnoxious and the foods is maybe a little better than TGI Fridays. I'd suggest working on gay marriage and equal rights first and then turning our attention to making sure the gay community has its own crappy "casual dining" chains.
Yup, we had one here, but it closed! I liked the burgers and the ambiance! They used to have something like a big party on whatever night the L-Word showed.
according to my aunt in San Fran, the original location is now closed, which makes me sad. I went there once, nearly ten years ago, & it was a trip, but I it seems like reproducing its kitschy charm elsewhere wouldn't really work. there's one not too far from where I live, but I don't eat there...sometimes I feel like there's a fine line between "the ONLY national franchise actively marketing to the gay community" & "the ONLY national franchise actively exploiting gay culture."
I've been to WeHo and San Diego. San Diego has a really good brunch with extremely large mimosas. I love drag queen bingo at the WeHo one, but haven't been for a while. I think I have tried almost everything on the menu except a real burger. The veggie burger is alright though.
Years ago, I took overnight trips to Portland frequently and insisted on dining at the Hamburger Mary's there on all occasions. I thought their hamburgers were superb. Not long ago, I visited the Hamburger Mary’s in Vancouver (Canada), and though their burger wasn’t bad, their service was just awful.
The hamburgers are pretty good, around Fuddrucker's quality maybe- not amazing but tasty. Good drinks and brunch. The Palm Springs location is one of the nicest but San Diego has a great patio...
I've been to the one in Phoenix, Arizona, several times. The food is decent for the price (better than, say, TGIFriday's), worthy of going back a second time. They had specials for the local liberal radio station, which is how we ended up there. It was the middle of the day each time we went so I can't say much for the crowd, which was sparse (and seemed to mostly be happy gay & lesbian couples).
I don't have one locally now, however, so I can't go anymore.
I've been to the one in Denver. They have decent burgers with a huge variety of toppings, but they're a little pricey...you're paying for the theater, not the food. It's a fun place overall, and good for a night out that's a little different.
Also, thanks for the shout out to Jason Sheehan. I think he's one of the best food writers in the country right now, and, having just moved to Houston, I miss his very entertaining restaurant reviews from the Westword.
We used to have one here. It may have been marketing to gay people but at lunch it was mostly just business folks. Burgers were actually pretty good (and at that time, not many good burger joints were close to downtown).
I looooved their burgers when I was in college. Always ordered mine with avocado, lettuce, mayo, mustard, and ketchup. I would hang out with a friend of mine at a club next door (Hula's) and then eat there for lunch instead of going to classes. That was ~15 years ago - time flies! Around the time we left for the mainland, Hula's and Mary's closed down.
I used to live down the street from the one in West Hollywood and loved it! The fries were crispy, the veggie burger was tasty, and the mimosas during brunch were very generous. And, of course, drag queen bingo - one of my favorite things in the world!
There used to be one in Cincinnati that had an excellent happy hour, and once hosted a Dan Savage reading. And in a city like Cincinnati, yes, there are burger joints that refuse to serve gay people.
I love that there's a restaurant chain marketing to gays. I find it amusing that it's a still big deal to some people in this country. I still wonder what the burgers taste like though... hmmmm
Anyone want to venture a guess as to when one of these will open in Palin's hometown?
I live a couple blocks away from the Denver Hamburger Mary's. The burgers are decent -- but not great -- say a little better than Red Robin. The atmosphere is awesome, and the wait staff and drag queens are great. The building is kind of funky-cool, with big curtains and outrageous crown moldings and that sort of thing. It's a fun place to take co-workers or others (especially when you are trying to make some of them uncomfortable), but the burgers at City Grille a few blocks away are far superior, and where I normally go to get my burger fix.
I go to the one in Chicago all the time, and I think the burgers, as well as the drinks, are pretty fantastic. Haven't made it to Maryoke yet, but since I live in the neighborhood, I'm sure I will!
In what i think of as a quintessential San Francisco experience, I went to the SF Hamburger Mary's many many years ago (26, count 'em!) after attending the first weekend screening of the film "Gandhi". It was my then-partner's birthday and that's what he wanted to do. It was pretty perfect, even factoring in eating cow after seeing that movie. From sublime to ridiculous, sort of. Great food, lovely flamboyance. I'm truly sorry to hear that location no longer exists. I'm not sure i can get my head around it being a franchise now.
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26 Comments:
there's a hamburger mary's in west hollywood right near my house. on wednesdays they have drag queen bingo, with some pretty good prizes! i have actually never even had a burger there, only drink specials. ha.
megannesta at 2:16PM on 09/11/08
Yeah, I've been to the one in West Hollywood and Long Beach, which pretty much as the most awesome gayborhood around (aside from San Francisco, of course). Here's the thing: You don't go to Hamburger Mary's for the hamburgers; you go for the drinks and drag queens. That being said, I wouldn't mind trying one of their burgers. Maybe I'll check one out the next time I'm in that neck of the woods.
PumpkinBear at 2:59PM on 09/11/08
I've been to the Hamburger Mary's in Andersonville (Chicago). It's obnoxious and the foods is maybe a little better than TGI Fridays. I'd suggest working on gay marriage and equal rights first and then turning our attention to making sure the gay community has its own crappy "casual dining" chains.
ButterButter at 3:00PM on 09/11/08
Yup, we had one here, but it closed! I liked the burgers and the ambiance! They used to have something like a big party on whatever night the L-Word showed.
OneWallKitchen at 3:02PM on 09/11/08
according to my aunt in San Fran, the original location is now closed, which makes me sad. I went there once, nearly ten years ago, & it was a trip, but I it seems like reproducing its kitschy charm elsewhere wouldn't really work. there's one not too far from where I live, but I don't eat there...sometimes I feel like there's a fine line between "the ONLY national franchise actively marketing to the gay community" & "the ONLY national franchise actively exploiting gay culture."
courtguerra at 3:03PM on 09/11/08
I've been to WeHo and San Diego. San Diego has a really good brunch with extremely large mimosas. I love drag queen bingo at the WeHo one, but haven't been for a while. I think I have tried almost everything on the menu except a real burger. The veggie burger is alright though.
dishingupdelights at 3:12PM on 09/11/08
Years ago, I took overnight trips to Portland frequently and insisted on dining at the Hamburger Mary's there on all occasions. I thought their hamburgers were superb. Not long ago, I visited the Hamburger Mary’s in Vancouver (Canada), and though their burger wasn’t bad, their service was just awful.
practicallydone at 3:16PM on 09/11/08
have a waitress looking like that bring me out a burger and i'll eat there every day
suburbangourmet at 3:24PM on 09/11/08
The hamburgers are pretty good, around Fuddrucker's quality maybe- not amazing but tasty. Good drinks and brunch. The Palm Springs location is one of the nicest but San Diego has a great patio...
karenita at 3:30PM on 09/11/08
I've been to the one in Phoenix, Arizona, several times. The food is decent for the price (better than, say, TGIFriday's), worthy of going back a second time. They had specials for the local liberal radio station, which is how we ended up there. It was the middle of the day each time we went so I can't say much for the crowd, which was sparse (and seemed to mostly be happy gay & lesbian couples).
I don't have one locally now, however, so I can't go anymore.
slowandsweet at 4:10PM on 09/11/08
I've been to the one in Denver. They have decent burgers with a huge variety of toppings, but they're a little pricey...you're paying for the theater, not the food. It's a fun place overall, and good for a night out that's a little different.
Also, thanks for the shout out to Jason Sheehan. I think he's one of the best food writers in the country right now, and, having just moved to Houston, I miss his very entertaining restaurant reviews from the Westword.
bialy at 5:11PM on 09/11/08
"Family Friendly"... also ... "Drag Queen Bingo".
Yes, it does sound like a great place to bring the kids.
FastFoodCritic at 5:20PM on 09/11/08
@FastFoodCritic: Eh, they gotta learn sometime.
Robyn Lee at 5:24PM on 09/11/08
We used to have one here. It may have been marketing to gay people but at lunch it was mostly just business folks. Burgers were actually pretty good (and at that time, not many good burger joints were close to downtown).
hkydiva at 5:38PM on 09/11/08
I looooved their burgers when I was in college. Always ordered mine with avocado, lettuce, mayo, mustard, and ketchup. I would hang out with a friend of mine at a club next door (Hula's) and then eat there for lunch instead of going to classes. That was ~15 years ago - time flies! Around the time we left for the mainland, Hula's and Mary's closed down.
Cassaendra at 7:12PM on 09/11/08
I used to live down the street from the one in West Hollywood and loved it! The fries were crispy, the veggie burger was tasty, and the mimosas during brunch were very generous. And, of course, drag queen bingo - one of my favorite things in the world!
charmon at 8:09PM on 09/11/08
Do some burger joints refuse to serve gay people?
wunami at 10:20PM on 09/11/08
Didn't the one in San Diego (in Hillcrest) close?
robfadams at 10:34PM on 09/11/08
There used to be one in Cincinnati that had an excellent happy hour, and once hosted a Dan Savage reading. And in a city like Cincinnati, yes, there are burger joints that refuse to serve gay people.
thatgrrl at 11:04PM on 09/11/08
@Roboppy: Yeah, this is true. Maybe it will go something like this...
-- Mommy, why does that lady have a beard?
-- That's not a lady, dear, now be quiet and eat your gayburger.
FastFoodCritic at 1:22AM on 09/12/08
I'm still waiting for people to say, "I've never eaten there, but I've got lots of friends who have."
worldcupfever at 8:46AM on 09/12/08
hmm...marketing isn't really appealing sorry.
hungrychristel at 10:04AM on 09/12/08
I love that there's a restaurant chain marketing to gays. I find it amusing that it's a still big deal to some people in this country. I still wonder what the burgers taste like though... hmmmm
Anyone want to venture a guess as to when one of these will open in Palin's hometown?
foodinmouth at 10:36AM on 09/12/08
I live a couple blocks away from the Denver Hamburger Mary's. The burgers are decent -- but not great -- say a little better than Red Robin. The atmosphere is awesome, and the wait staff and drag queens are great. The building is kind of funky-cool, with big curtains and outrageous crown moldings and that sort of thing. It's a fun place to take co-workers or others (especially when you are trying to make some of them uncomfortable), but the burgers at City Grille a few blocks away are far superior, and where I normally go to get my burger fix.
JGordon at 3:00PM on 09/12/08
I go to the one in Chicago all the time, and I think the burgers, as well as the drinks, are pretty fantastic. Haven't made it to Maryoke yet, but since I live in the neighborhood, I'm sure I will!
amydistel at 3:18PM on 09/12/08
In what i think of as a quintessential San Francisco experience, I went to the SF Hamburger Mary's many many years ago (26, count 'em!) after attending the first weekend screening of the film "Gandhi". It was my then-partner's birthday and that's what he wanted to do. It was pretty perfect, even factoring in eating cow after seeing that movie. From sublime to ridiculous, sort of. Great food, lovely flamboyance. I'm truly sorry to hear that location no longer exists. I'm not sure i can get my head around it being a franchise now.
Fluffnik at 6:46PM on 09/15/08