hamburger mary's

relocated. hamburger mary's has relocated from their original crossroads restaurant to 3700 broadway. expect a new menu soon.


-----15 mar, 2010-----

fun-tastic place. we stopped in about happy hourtimefor a few drinks and something to eat. some of the appetizers half half price after 4 pm, and we just ordered the chicken quesadillas. the drinks were great, and the food pretty good. but what we really liked most was the "vibe" of the place. the interior is funky-fun, sort of like pee wee's playhouse might look like if it were a bar and restaurant. and the wait staff and bartenders were all super. super friendly, super funny to watch and listen to, and not bad to look at, either. prices are about where you would expect them to be,
this is first and foremost a burger/sandwich place catering to anyone, but aiming for the glbt "family." the obvious sense of playfulness and sarcasm will go a long way to win the customer over, but the food has to be at least decent to keep them coming back. in this regard hamburger mary's is on track to be a success in the crossroads district.

please patronize other establishments. request to all:

please do not patronize hamburger mary's.

a few months back we were at a hamburger mary's bearbust having a great time. normally we just pay in cash throughout the night, but since we hadn't gone to the atm, the bartenders on the upper patio suggested we open a tab. we did. at the end of the evening, i asked the bartender what our tab was and he said it was $89. when checking our bank account, we noticed that our bill, which was $89 on the receipt i signed plus tip was showing on the account twice (one at $89 and the other at $99)

we waited a day or so to see if the second charge would be removed and it wasn't. we therefore disputed the charge with the bank. it was resolved with the smaller of the two charges being refunded to our account.

today, we were at hamburger mary's. had lunch and was enjoying beers andtimewith friends on the patio and were approached by the two bartenders from the upper patio who suggested we open a tab. we were told that we were no longer welcomed there due to a "conflict of interest". they said this was at the direction of the manager. after repeated requests, we were never able to talk to the manager directly. in fact, it was almost as if they were trying to avoid having to get the manager.

so, i would urge everyone to check your account statement when using your credit or atm cards at hamburger mary's. particularly upstairs. i originally just chalked this up to some sort of mistake. they happen. but after being approached and "tossed out" by the two bartenders who also were involved with the disputed charge, i fear there may be something more sinister happening. i hope i am wrong, but the situation is really odd to me.

i hope we all may find some other place to enjoytimewith friends.

thank you for your support.

an old familiar face , food subpar, loud. the year 1972 ushered in liza minnelli's oscar winning performance in cabaret, " and the introduction of hamburger mary's to the soma district of san francisco where i worked as a waiter and bar tender. with humble beginnings as an eclectic late-night beer and burger joint, hamburger mary's quickly established itself as a staple in the san francisco gay & lesbian community.

you could say that mary has "gotten around" over the years, with locations up and down the west coast and as far-spanning as hawaii to tampa. the original hamburger mary's in san francisco is no longer open, and other locations have opened and closed (and some even reopened again) over the years. through it all, mary has tried to stay true to her roots and maintains the standards people have come to expect, not to mention her unforgettable smile and great figure!

from cleverly mismatched dinnerware to colorfully framed artwork hung in crooked collages across boldly painted walls, today's hamburger mary's is much like the original san francisco location. walking into any mary's is an act of stepping out of the chaos of daily life and into mary's comfortable home. each restaurant may be unique in its eclectic décor (mary can't ever seem to make up her mind)

unfortunately, i found this location to be somewhat too chaotic,understaffed and mismanaged. there was no one at the reception desk when we arrived, so we sat ourselves in the open air lounge area,away fro the loud drag queen brunch scene.the bartender/one man waiter was obviously annoyed and stressed because he had no back up and although he did his best, was surly and brusque, but not in a good way .
we ordered 4 sliders for $2.75 each because the regular cheese burger was a whopping $14.these mini burgers tasted nothing like the regular burgers and were mostly bread and a very teeny bit of meat,tasting of fillers and fat. the bloody mary was served in a glass with only the liquor and then you make your own at a bloody mary station, which i thought was a clever idea because people love theirs so differently. loved the fun women's salon hair dryer lamps over the bar and enjoyed meeting the handsome owner eric.

the old business and hamburger mary's name is now under new ownership since 2007,i guess this is why the local branch in san diego changed to mo's. the franchise system has grown to ten locations across the united states and is distinctive because they are the only national franchise actively marketing to the lgbt community.

a trip to hamburger mary's is all about the experience. and mary knows how to entertain! while each location is different, most have a patio for the warmer months and offer late-night entertainment such as maryoke, hambingo, weekend djs, and drag shows.

mary also likes to mix a goodtimewith a good cause. one thing that sets hamburger mary's apart from other restaurants is their fervent commitment to supporting our local communities. from hosting charity bingo events and fundraisers to sponsoring local athletic leagues and theatre troops, each location does its part to give back to its surrounding neighborhood. over the years, hamburger mary's has helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to worthwhile organizations.

"eat, drink, and be… mary!"

i went with a group of friends to hamburger mary's the other night, and was not quite sure what to expect of the food. i ordered a spicy black bean slider, a crab cake slider, and a side salad. i was pleasantly surprised with the size and freshness of the side salad. the spicy black bean slider left me a bit disappointed. it wasn't spicy, and in general the taste was quite lacking. the crab cake slider, however, was very tasty and moist. i would order it again any day for a fun alternative at a hamburger joint. my only issue was that the sauces that were suppose to be on both sliders were practically non-existant. i couldn't even see it on the black bean burger. i got to try the sweet potato fries which were just ok - i've had better, and the fried twinkie dessert which i didn't care for at all. the star of the evening though was the rockstar hamburger. my friend couldn't eat all of hers, so i was of course obliged to finish the last bites : ). absolutely fabulous. i will be ordering it the nexttimei am there. overall, it was a fun experience and i'd return for something out of the norm.

wait time. i wish i could say this was a review of the food, but i never got that far. when i entered to eat, there was a party of 4 ahead of us. we all stood there, not being acknowledged by anyone on staff for a good 4 minutes. the restaurant area appeared to be full, but an entire room to the left of the front door, appeared empty. once a woman finally walked over to the host stand, she whisked the party of 4 to some table. my cousin and i continuted to stand there, not being acknowledged or noticed by anyone for another 4 minutes or so. by thetimethe same woman came back, she informed us that it'd be 20 to 25 minutes before our party of two could be seated. nothing on the menu was something i couldn't live without, so we left. and i doubt i will be back. mainly due to lack of respect from any server there, and the fact that we waited for 10 minutes, only to be told it'd be 20-25 more! i wonder if those first 10 counted in that total? i didn't care to wait around long enough to ask.