i never had a chance to make it to the ponsonby or newmarket branch and had heard good things, so it filled me with anticipation when i heard they were opening in takapuna. perhaps because i had such big expectations i was left a little disappointed, whereas if i had no expectations i would of been happy enough.
first visit: i got the beef burger, 'medium rare' ($12), and added cheese for $2 extra. my friend got the chicken burger with no extras, and we shared some overpriced shoestring fries for $8 - the portion size was small considering the $8, and they tasted a little strange (i think it was the oil which i didn't like). the pricing structure of the burgers is also strange, the base prices are okay ($12) but then $2 to add lettuce or $5 to add bacon?!!
my beef burger was a let down. it says on the menu it is cooked medium rare (which i love about eating beef burgers at good burgers places in the us, but haven't found very often in nz). however there was no pink at all in mine, it was more like medium-well done. a small part of the beef was gristly, but worst of all the burger was smothered in way too much mustard/mayo/pickle sauce, which completely overpowered the beef which should be the star of the show. the $2 cheese slice was super small, almost non existent. my friend liked his chicken burger, but didn't find it amazing.
second visit: i came with a larger group and got the special - the 'mcfly' chicken burger (fried chicken, lettuce, bacon, cheese); it was awesome. the only downside was the $18 price tag, considering i could easily eat two of them. my vegetarian friend found a very obvious meat bone (we assume chicken) in his vegetarian burger! luckily he isn't the sort of guy to make a big deal out of it, some vegetarian's would go ape s**t! he complained, and it was quickly replaced, with an apology and he was not charged for his meal. he enjoyed the burger despite the initial experience and it couldn't of been handled better by the staff after he let them know. the others in my group got the lamb burger, one of them thought it was just 'okay' the other 'really good'. the potato skins we shared were a big improvement over the shoestring fries on the first visit.
i noted they have a really good beer list; lots of craft beers, which is a big plus!
all in all, good burgers without hitting the amazing level i was hoping for - the mcfly was close, the beef burger a big let down. the prices are expensive considering the size of burgers, particularly the 'extras' and some of the sides, which is the biggest reason i'm rating this so low... this place is not good value for money at all, for their prices the quality should be much higher.