Hamburger Mary’s

Went here with my friends spur of the moment after Pride fest. Morgan McMichaels from RuPaul’s Drag Race was performing that night. Originally we were told they had one bench left so we sat and waited a good 30 minutes. We were approached and offered an open table on the stage and we gladly took it. The presenter was hysterical and fabulous. I could have listened to her talk all night and went home satisfied. Most of the performances were fun and Morgan was a bad ass, doing a one handed cartwheel with sky high stilettos. You win.
Their menu is overwhelming at first, definitely nothing plain or average included on it. Everyone I was with got burgers. I got the BBQ burger with mac and cheese. The burger was huge and delicious, the mac and cheese was covered in various cheeses and very tasty.
There was a $ 10 per person fee added on each person’s bill, so be prepared. Also, don’t forget your dollars to tip the divas. Overall really fun experience, can’t wait to go back.

I took my boyfriend here for his birthday last week for late night dinner and a drag show… his first! And we had so much fun! I have been to uhhh… quite a few drag shows, in various levels of sobriety and all have been a FANTASTIC time! So why the hell not for his birthday?! Break him in! ;)
Anyway, we had lots of fruity martinis and huge margaritas in mugs — the table was shellacked with glitter (winning!) and the décor was really neat.
The drag show started just after we got our food, the wings were delicious and we got the mini Mary sliders (Yum!) and then for his birthday… deep fried PB&J… Yeah we went there… and it was amazing! You wouldn’t think that a deep fried peanut butter and jelly would make sense, but it just… worked. Or… at that point we were both really blitzed and didn’t really understand what we were eating or why. Either way, thumbs up!
Go here for drink specials — go here for the slider burgers and try them all — and go here for the fabulous dancing ladies in their drag show! It’s a GREAT time!

Happy Hour from 4:00 — 6:00 has half price appetizers. We were seated upstairs with a very odd and verbally assaulting waiter (Steven B.). He said no one can move seats, and went on and on about it. When we mentioned a few people were running late his reply was «well then I will have to move some tables out of this group!». There was not one other person upstairs at any table other than our group???
The plus– basically private bathrooms and no one around us. Half prices apps.
The downside– rude waiter who made up rules as he went such as slider appetizers have to be ordered two or more (this is not stated anywhere on the menu). Gratuity added to bill 20%. We were rushed down to our seats for the show at 6:15 (7:30 show). Food sub-​par.
Half of our group arrived late and was not allowed upstairs. I am not kidding. When they did walk up the stairs and sit down– the short, older, opinionated man of a waiter literally grabbed there menus and told them his manager said not to serve them! We ALL would have walked out but already had reserved four tables for the drag show. We tried to talk to manager Andy about the situation and he only made things worse. Most people stopped eating and drinking for the entire show due to these issues. Two people did walk out. They could have made a lot more money on our group of 30!
The only bright light was a female manager who was nameless she was very accommodating and tried to correct the wrongs of the men on the staff.
The drag show was the only reason to return. Seems the only people getting it done at Hamburger Mary’s are the LADIES!!!

Great food and hell you can watch a drag show too. Food is good and I always have a great time when I’m back in STL. They received 4 stars instead of 5 because service is typically slow. So, if you have time go to Hamburg Mary’s and be Mary

I’m giving four stars to the entertainment. Its food, not great food but not bad. Fun place to go. Ive been here on nights that don’t have performers and the service was like snails pace slow. Like snails caught in molasses in January slow. Just a heads up if you have somewhere to be.

I need to start off by suggesting we stop labeling places like Hamburger Mary’s as a «gay bar,» because it is so much more than that! When you line up Mary’s with some of the other so called «gay bars» in the area, you are truly doing it an injustice, and here is why:
First off, the food here is excellen. Perhaps the best burger I have ever had, in fact. I dare you to not like these burgers, they are fantastic!
Secondly, yes, the menu «toys» with innuendo and hints of «gay» persona, but it is by no means directed only to the gay community. The menu even points out that it is for open minded people, and the establishment is accepting and accommodating to all patrons.
Next, the crowd is about as diverse a group as you will find at any mainstream chain restaurant, which I have never seen at a traditional «gay bar.»
Finally, this place could be filled with men in spandex wearing fairy wings and tossing glitter on every table and it would only add to the fun of hanging out here. The atmosphere is fantastic, entertaining, and overall one of the best I’ve visited in St. Louis.
Labeling this as a «gay bar» just feels unfair, not just to the people that run this place, but to the potential patrons that may feel intimidated by the label itself. I think there are plenty of people that hear «gay bar» and then pass, expecting the same tired old dive bar with loud music and stiff cocktails and Adelle blaring every third song. It’s not that. It’s so far from that that it’s not even close to comparison. This is a fun night out for anyone!
I cannot wait to go back!

Loved this place! Really fun décor, great music and service. The kitchen was a little slow today for us, with just two sandwiches taking 20+ mins.
I have to say though, I had the Redbird chicken sandwich, and it was one of the best chicken sandwiches I’ve ever eaten. I got the Tata’s on the side, and really wish they weren’t frozen tater tots, it would’ve given this place a full 5 star. My suggestion would be homemade sweet potato tater tots. Make it happen guys and gals!
The girl got the Hawaiian burger, the big kahuna. It was good, but definitely could’ve used a slathering of teriyaki sauce on the bottom or top bun, it was a little dry, but very close to the ultimately messy and delicious Red Robin hawaiian.

Luuv the décor.
Good Burgers, great fish-​n-​chips. Everything done exactly as we wanted — even when the children were at their most naggy and annoying, and we weren’t sure WHAT we wanted (perhaps a couple cyanide capsules for the parents?). Very patient server. Absolutely no attitude.
Went with some mildly metrosexual dude friends too in the middle of the day and had a grand old time.
In general, a much better choice than Five-​Guys, Five-​Star (?), and way tastier than Blueberry Hill. Also a step up from Bailey’s Grunge. No pricier however.
Still not the burger joint I’m dreaming of, but I guess that’s not a dream coming to St. Louis anytime soon.
Great for kids! Curious why anyone would say otherwise.

I had two of the mini burgers/​sliders. I believe one was the Lil’ princess. Their garlic aioli sauce is great and another had bacon which was crisp and covered the whole sandwich vs just being a small strip in the center.
The fries were burnt with no salt or taste. So I can pass on those next time.
I also ordered loaded Mac n cheese to go but had a bite before putting it in my fridge and I really liked the taste. By itself, it’d probably be suitable for the 12 and under. But with bacon, onions, tomatoes, and peppers it was just right for an adult.
The drink prices are reasonable. Usually you can’t find a discount on drinks on a Saturday night but the pink Cadillac was only $ 6. I ordered another drink and was charged only $ 6 as well (we had a large party so that may have been done to be nice).
Be a willing participant in the show bc the entertainers are really fun. Bring money for tips (they’ll give you ones:) and leave your children at home so the adults can have an enjoyable time without being censored.

Came here with a friend for brunch a couple weeks ago. Was not very satisfied.
Nothing stood out on the buffet — bacon, eggs, dry pastries, fruit, biscuits and gravy. There were some other things, but like I said, nothing stood out. The fruit was probably the best thing there.
I wish they had more made-​to-​order items for breakfast entrees.
On another note, bottomless mimosas usually make or break brunch for me (partly because I like to drink). These mimosas had very little, if any, champagne in them. Felt as if I was drinking orange juice from a flute. Very disappointing.
Will probably not return for brunch.

I’ve been here for there drag show before and both times I love, love, loved it.
The girls and I went there this past Saturday for my bachelorette party and we had so much fun!
If you have never been, you need to see it.
The reason I didn’t give them 5 stars is because they told us (after we made the reservation a month a head of time for 6) Mary’s called us a week before and told us we had to be there by 6 and leave by 7:45 because SLU bought the place out for the rest of the night. I wish we where not so rushed.

Sunday Brunch Drag Show Review… review & straight man survival guide
The décor was interesting Moulin Rouge on a budget.
The brunch buffet’s French Toast was great, but the rest was just OK.
I have never been a fan of Champagne & adding orange juice to create Mimosa made it even sweater.
The show was initially just funny then uncomfortable at times, but usually entertaining, then after an hour I «tapped-​out».
I went as an event with other Unilocalers.
I put up a Facebook post that I was going to a brunch & drag show & turning in my «man card» because this is a Sex in the City girlie thing to do. While strangely entertaining, this event is not aimed at a straight man.
By estrogen level– I mean this is for the women & (IMHO) by wanna be women. The show is mostly about women’s bodies & specifically their tits (Mammary Monologues). I think, straight men can enjoy the spectacle of the show… HOWEVER, straight men are the like the adults that can not fully play like the children because we are not children. We play with women’s body with desires & knowledge of consequences.
I could be persuaded to come back here again with an Ambassador/​girlfriend. However, she must realize I would only want her sexually with no makeup, barefoot, naked & straight hair (like from the shower) for the next week or so. A drag show maybe the perfect place to bring the man in your life that is obsessed you getting breast implants that you do not want.
Straight Survival Guide
Warning– somebody has the stage, a mike & sound system that thinks they have «gay-​dar»
Before you go to a drag show! Answer the question «who was your first crush? The crush before you really knew about sex & just knew that person made you happy, excited & not in full control»
That answer negates what ANYBODY wants to project on you even with a mike & audience.
So… Do not worry about «gay-​dar» because that is just hopeful thinking on his part & laugh it off.
Then– take the supportive role… like have dollars for your lady friends to give to the performers.

Sometimes nature calls and you feel the need to get pissed on and this place never disappoints in doing that. Have been to most of the other Hamburger Mary’s and this one, at least employee-​wise is the worst. Went on Monday during happy hour half priced appetizers. They were good (chicken wings and chicken strips) because they were half priced other wise would have been over priced for what you get.
Asked the bartender for the wireless code. Use to have it but got a new phone so did not auto connect. My friend I went with was connected to the wireless as he still had the password in his older phone. Bartender unbelievably says cannot give out code as it is tied to the cash register and if he did the same credit card chaos would happen as it is at Schnucks. Why then do people that had had the password and auto connect still have it? Why are so employees so spastic there but not at other Hamburger Mary’s?
Parking is always a nightmare as the city lot next door is full of broken glass bottles and other garbage. Plus the lot meter does not work right and witnessed many getting $ 10 parking tickets even tho their meters were not expired. The parking lot ticket-​er is just plain stupid and saw others taking pictures of him.
Hopefully that would have been the last time I go to that Hamburger Mary’s, but say that every time I go there around 6 months or so. Friends always talk us into getting pissed on!

It was a Friday night at 10 PMish. We just took a break from a concert at the Firebird, looking for hamburgers. The nearby Hamburger Mary’s popped up on our phone. We opened the door to a full blown drag show which took us by surprise as we thought it was just a dive bar where you could grab late night scrubs. Unfazed we sat down at the bar, ordered some food, and watched the crowd amuse themselves by three drag queens moseying their ways up and down the stage. This place has great set ups for drag shows. The «stage» if you would call it, is parallel to the bar and is long and wide, so a large number of tables fit directly in-​front of it and everyone can see the action without hovering over someone’s head. The decors were «kitschy» and full of in-​your-​face colors… definitely fun to look at.
Now the food, which we came for. The wings were pretty ho-​hum. dry and overcooked, but the burger was huge and perfectly cooked to a medium, and all around delicious!
Last but not the least, best looking bartenders in STL! I don’t care if they swing a different way! :P

Friendly staff, creative menu, good food.
I didn’t get to watch any of the entertainment on my visit. We just had dinner before a concert at Scottrade. However, I can say the food was good. The burgers were humongous, and I’m glad I ordered sliders for myself, which I still couldn’t finish.

I was picking glitter off my clothes for a couple of hours after my lunch at Hamburger Mary’s. That already makes it somewhat of a success, right? No doubt that this place is fun to look at, fun to dine in, and there won’t be a shortage of things to talk about. The interior isn’t really my style, but for a lunch or dinner every now and then, it’s a great choice.
The staff here is very eccentric and during my most recent lunch, our server was in training. Usually that wouldn’t be a huge deal but it did delay things quite a bit. Once things got rolling though, we were in good shape, and decided to start off with the mac & cheese fritters. They were pretty good! We asked for the wasabi ranch with it but just got regular ranch, so that was kind of a bummer. I would definitely order them again, though, if I was craving something fried. Comfort food at its finest!
I absolutely LOVE the house-​made black bean burger here. It’s so full of flavor and you can tell it’s fresh, and when you pair it with Mary’s sauce, lettuce, tomato, and pickles, you really can’t go wrong. I ordered the steamed veggies as my side, and unfortunately was so disappointed. They had about ten times more seasoning than they should have, and were so salty that my mouth stung when I tried to eat them. I ordered sweet potato fries as a replacement, and they were much better!
Fun, colorful place in Midtown. Stop by for a burger or to witness some entertaining karaōke!

Wam, bam, and no thank you ma’am! Tonight was an unfortunate bust. Busty Miss Mary struck out this evening, but hopefully the Cardinals played better than she did.
We got here around 5:20pm. Not many people had rolled in just yet which left us the opportunity to get pretty good seating. Jason was complaining he didn’t get the ‘view seat’. They sat us in the corner where you could view the whole place. I really liked the added décor they had put up since our previous visit. They added a Christmas tree, some hanging stars, and some disco globes. The disco globes may have already been there… I am pretty unobservant sometimes.
Our server stopped by to get our drink orders and food orders. We both settled for water since we were going to a wine club after our meal…
Jason ordered the Miss Mary burger which came with all the usual fixins’ — lettuce, tomato, cheese, and red onions. He ended up getting gouda cheese on his burger and I followed suit. It sounded really good to add. Plus he got sweet potato fries for a $ 1 extra.
I ordered 2 Mary Sliders with a side of herb mayo and gouda to put on them which were decent size and a side of sweet potato fries. The sliders are very cheap for their size which I liked. They are $ 1.75 a piece. To my dismay the fries that Jason and I both got weren’t that tasty this time around. A basket of them I got was $ 3.95 and totally not worth the order, unfortunately. I love sweet potato fries and out of the 5 times we’ve been to Hamburger Mary’s, this was the first time they failed with their fries. I was disappointed, but overall I liked my meal.
What gives this review 3 stars it this…
Our food was cold. Jason ordered his meat medium rare, and when you bring meat out that’s cooked at such temperatures, it makes you wonder if they cooked it all the way through. This made us both a bit unsettled. I assume our food had been sitting out for awhile, but we don’t for sure actually know. I guess we will find out soon enough if he will get food poisoning or not. As of this very minute at 10:30pm on July 24, 2012, he seems fine. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that he shall remain that way.
My food was slightly cold too, but still warm enough where I didn’t desire to send it back. When our server asked how our food was, Jason replied that it was simply ‘alright’. She pressed further to ask what was wrong, and he told her. She was really nice about it. She said she would go and check to see if the lamp that kepf the food warm before delivery was out. She never got back to us about it, but I guess by the time she returned Jason had already finished his meal. He was pretty hungry tonight. When he says he is extremely hungry and the food doesn’t taste that good, you know something is wrong. He eats just about anything without complaint.
OK, Hamburger Mary’s, take this to stride. Please oh please let me give you a 4 or 5 star on our next visit. We really do love your place, but tonight just seemed a bit, well, not as good as usual. *Sad face* What sucks is we are moving next week and this will be the last time we will be here for a pretty long while. We will miss you!

When you hear the name «Hamburger Mary’s» what do you think? Personally, I think of a place with hamburgers cooked by a lady named Mary. Sounds good, right? Well, I was a little nervous when I agreed to visit since I do not eat red meat and I am definitely NOT a hamburger fan. I made sure to confirm with others that I would be able to order something other than a hamburger. I also wanted to make sure a lady named «Mary» would be present, but unfortunately she was not. I did get a picture with her statue though.
Upon arriving I was greeted promptly by the host who was adorable! Then before I knew it our server greeted me by calling me «sweetie»! I love pet-​names and it has been a very long time since I have been referred to as such. He immediately put a smile on my face and a drink in my hand! Love him! Nick rocks my socks (if I wore socks)!
While waiting for others to arrive I was able to glance around the venue to see all signs of the female flair. Pink was everywhere. Why can’t all places be like this? I loved it. I decided to order some mac and cheese fritters; good choice. They were crispy and delicious. Once the group arrived we were able to look over the menu and place an order. I asked out server for his recommendation and it was decided that I would order the Caramel Crispy Chicken Salad. It was a good choice, but not the greatest ever. I was a bit disappointed since the chicken wasn’t as juicy and tender as I would have hoped it to be. The salad itself was good, but thumbs down on the chicken. It was tough and dry, Not at all what I expected.
Overall, I would say the atmosphere is what I would go back for. They have different areas and Nick even brought us upstairs to show us the private area with the balcony! It’s in Midtown so the view isn’t amazing or anything, but it sure was nice to be able to just look around and see the area from a different perspective. This might be a good place for a private party, I’m sure it would be fun.
Hamburger Mary’s will be seeing my face again. Not sure when, but it will happen.

Okay so I am re-​reviewing Mary’s now that I’ve returned for the full menu.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t too floored by the food. I was heavily anticipating the Lobster Mac n Cheese but when I ordered it last night, I was sorely disappointed. First of all, they bring it to you in a GIGANTIC bowl. (See uploaded photos.) I am not even joking. This thing had to be, like, 8″ in diameter, maybe bigger… and it was SO deep. I seriously thought it was bottomless. It comes with some green onions on top so if you don’t like those or if you’re allergic to them, beware! I was skeptical of the «lobster» they were going to put in the dish but I was pleasantly surprised that it was actually really good lobster. The lobster tasted good, and like the real thing anyway… the pasta was even «al dente» just the way I like it! – but the real let down was the sauce. Ugh. It was so bland. So tasteless. I could only bring myself to eat about 5 bites of this thing and then I was full-​ish plus I hated the taste so I had to stop. It was more like an alfredo sauce than mac n cheese. I don’t even get why they call it mac n cheese – it should be called «Gigantic Lobster Alfredo.» I felt bad about sending it back and reasoned that if I took it home, I could re-​heat it in a big pot or skillet and maybe add some more cheese or even tomato sauce to it to salvage it because there was SO much leftover. It filled up an entire one of those large-​size clamshell styrofoam cases. They REALLY should offer half portions. Hamburger Mary’s staff: I know you’re a chain, but if you’re reading this, please consider offering a half portion of this! I never thought I’d say this, but damn. I almost wanted to add hot sauce or pepper flakes to this because it was so bland. Meh. It also did not taste like there were four different cheeses in there. It was more like only 1 or 2. The only thing I can’t complain about at all is the price. It was $ 14.99 which Sean thought was «expensive» but in all fairness, there’s a similar dish at Syberg’s which costs about $ 17.99 or so, maybe I am wrong or slightly off, but for the amount of food you get in this dish plus the fact that it’s (presumably) real lobster, you’re really getting a good deal if you can stand the blandness.
Sean ordered a bacon cheeseburger. The waitress didn’t even ask him if he wanted any garnish (es) on top or what type of cheese he wanted or how cooked he wanted it. She literally just said «bacon cheeseburger? OK.» and scribbled it down and ran off. He had to grab her to tell her he wanted American cheese on it. When his burger arrived, the bun had traces of rye on it which disgusted him as he hates rye, and the meat itself seemed dry and overcooked to him. He was starved though, so he just ate as much as he could without bothering to send it back. We were both pretty damn hungry and it took a while to get our food so we didn’t feel like waiting for them to bring out new stuff for us.
The décor is a solid ⁵⁄₅ stars in my book as well as the music/​atmosphere (when they’re doing the live piano stuff that is!) but the food is unfortunately like a ²⁄₅ for me and the service only ³⁄₅. So maybe I’ll just leave it at ³⁄₅ for now. I had to use the ladies’ room during this visit and I discovered it was wayyy in the back of the restaurant and I had to squeeze through a crowd of women who looked like their body fat was under 15%. I was seriously afraid of knocking them over and breaking their bones or something. It was twilight zone bizarro back there, but I suspect it was some type of event since I saw a SLU newspaper photographer there whom I recognized snapping photos (which I was trying to avoid being in the way of too.) Once I braved the sea of dangerously-​skinny women, I managed to reach the bathrooms which were really lacking which surprised me because the rest of the restaurant is so… uh…decorated? LOL. There were only two stalls and I had to wait in line on a Wednesday night. It was kind of weird. But the bathrooms were clean and I am sure they just worked with what they had in the space they renovated so yeah. Maybe add some air fresheners or body spray like they do at the Scottish Arms.
I will probably return for bingo night because I freaking love bingo and it’s for a good cause but the food is still just «meh» in my book. Maybe we just went on an off-​night or something because the sliders I had last time were really tasty. Maybe I’ll just stick with those from now on? The place is so conveniently located for me and I love their charming décor that I will probably be back in the future if only for the sake of affordable food, convenient location, and nifty décor.
PS: There’s a parking lot next to Mary’s but you have to pay to park there no matter what hour it is which kinda sucks. I am sure the city owns it and Mary’s can’t do anything about it but it kinda blows, especially if you try to go when there’s an event at SLU.

When it comes to hamburgers, I’ve totally become my mother. TEN DOLLARS? For a BURGER? It’d better be damned good!
Well. It wasn’t.
I ordered the Big Kahuna burger, which is supposed to be a teriyaki marinated burger with pineapple and cheese. One very long wait and one overcooked, flavorless burger later, I took two bites and handed it back to our server. I should mention that I really do not like beef burgers, and was disappointed there was no turkey burger or veggie burger option (aside from black bean, which just sounded weird with their toppings.)
The cheese added no flavor. There was no teriyaki that I could taste and the pineapple wasn’t even passably ripe. The fries had obviously been reheated and were inedible. I didn’t feel like waiting another 30 – 40 minutes for something else, so I just opted to sit there and watch my friend eat. This place made me crabby. It’s a burger. Your name is Hamburger Mary’s. Come on.
So, if you don’t come to Hamburger Mary’s for the food, you definitely come in for the super fun ambiance, right? Which is what I was looking forward to. Unfortunately, we were seated upstairs at a high top table in what looked like any other sports bar I’ve ever visited. Absolutely nothing special about that dining area, unless you’re really into old sports memorabilia. The downstairs is really awesome looking, though and I might have had more fun if we could have been seated there.
It was really a two-​star experience, but I’m giving three because I’m hoping this place pulls it together soon. I definitely want to like it, but I see nothing special enough to warrant a second visit.