When Mary’s Burger Bistro opened Aug. 20, a flood of customers drawn by the buzz of local blogs waited two hours or more for their lunch orders. Eight weeks later, burgers come off the grill in about 10 minutes.
That’s a considerably shorter wait, but I wish the burgers, fries and breakfast burritos I ordered at Mary’s Burger Bistro in the past month had spent a few more minutes in the kitchen. Burgers could have cooked longer, and fries and other foods needed more salt and pepper.
Mary’s Burger Bistro dusted off a decade of neglect from the shell of the former Art’s Hamburgers, which operated from the early 1950s to the mid-’90s at the corner of Pacific Avenue and 23rd Street in downtown Tacoma. Art’s had nine stools, punch cards and pull-tabs. Mary’s has 41 stools and little more than country Muzak and a view of light-rail cars on Pacific to keep you occupied while you wait for your meals and drinks.
Mary’s serves four burgers of various heft: quarter-pound minis, third-pound regulars, half-pound Mighties and full-pound All Mighties. The $1 minis didn’t satisfy the wait. The full-pounders ($7.28) didn’t appeal to my waist. The third-pounders ($4.99) and half-pounders ($5.88) were just right.
I like the construction of Mary’s burgers: sturdy patties on soft, thick Kaiser rolls or sourdough bread, loaded with condiments. I have a beef with the beef, however. Underspiced, the burgers were bland. Undercooked, the beef was dull gray, in need of more grilling and browning.
Mary’s burgers are variations on the all-American burger theme: lettuce, tomato, onion, dill pickle, mustard and ketchup. The Fiesta burger subs jack cheese for American cheese, salsa for ketchup and jalapeños for pickles. The barbecue burger features grilled onions and barbecue sauce.
Skin-on fries had good spud flavor but needed salt. The ones I ordered were limp.
Breakfast burritos ($3.99) rose to the occasion. They, too, were nicely built. Everything was cooked separately – scrambled eggs, sausage, onions, peppers and hash browns – and then assembled in a folded and toasted flour tortilla.
Creamy shakes ($2.78 for a medium) were easily sucked through straws. The ones with real fruit (peach, strawberry, blueberry, banana) taste better than the ones they make with syrups.
Slow burger orders I can tolerate. But I wished I didn’t have to wait to so long for beverages. I wished someone would have made and served my shakes and coffee while someone else cooked my food. Art’s Hamburgers was notorious for stiffing customers on drinks – no free coffee refills – and those who wanted water were directed to Art’s drinking fountain, according to The News Tribune’s archives. Mary’s doesn’t have to establish its own beverage torture.
Mary’s fried egg sandwich ($2.29) with cheese – plus ham, bacon or sausage – on a toasty English muffin was more satisfying than McDonald’s. A more whopping version, with two eggs and more meat ($3.99), is served on sourdough the size of Texas Toast.
Mary’s also serves coffee drinks, deli sandwiches and salads, the latter of which are made at S&P Shaker’s, a sandwich cafe on 27th and Yakima that’s owned by the woman who owns Mary’s.
The 2,000-square-foot building that houses Mary’s feels a lot bigger than it looks from the outside. Bright tiles and a corrugated aluminum counter give the restaurant a bright and comfortable, if simple, feeling.
Owner Mary Meecham said she wanted to tear down the structure and rebuild, but that would have required the addition of 10 parking stalls.
As with most restaurants in downtown Tacoma, parking is an issue. Mary’s has a two-space parking lot in the rear of its building. One of those is for handicapped drivers. Meecham said she’s working with the city to change parking on 23rd Street from parallel to angled parking. In the meantime, Meecham said, neighboring US Bank allows burger customers to use the four parking spaces in its lot that are closest to Mary’s. * * *
MARY’S BURGER BISTRO
2301 Pacific Ave., Tacoma; 253-779-0777
CUISINE: Burgers, fries and shakes
ATMOSPHERE: Bright, colorful and casual
PRICES: Most burgers $4.99
HOURS: 7 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays-Fridays
SERVICE: Friendly but slow
RESTROOMS: Nice
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