So we originally wanted to go to Beast and Cleaver for our last burger stop of the trip. We get there and were sadly informed that they do not have the burger on their regular menu every day. They only serve it during special pop up burger days.
For a place that has a reputation for good burgers, how can you not have it on the regular menu?
Anyway, we had a quick planning meeting on the sidewalk, went through the list and map and settled on Big Max Burger Co in Queen Anne since it was not too far and it opened soon.
Burger Crew Meeting called to order on Sunday, June 23rd at 11am
- Members in attendance: Angela d. (that’s me!), Trevor Y., Wayne T., and Innie C.
- Slider members in attendance: Marty d.-Y., Lucy Y., and Ellis d.-Y.
- Special Guests: Chris Y. and Anella d.
I. Ordering
Trev and I ordered The Big Max ($14) – Two patties, lettuce, B&B pickles, caramelized and chopped red onion, aged cheddar, ketchup, max sauce, challah bun.
We made it a combo ($8) with large fry and large drink. We got the little ones chicken nuggets ($10) and the lil sammy slider ($5) – half patty, house ketchup, aged cheddar, challah slider roll.
Chris, Innie, and Lucy got the Big Max, chicken nuggets, regular fries ($5.50 for a large), and vanilla bean milk shake ($8 for a large).
Wayne also ordered the Big Max. Hey, can’t go wrong with the namesake of the restaurant. 🤷🏽♀️
Anella decided to break the groupthink and went with the Queen Animal ($14) Smoked bacon, frizzled onions, avocado, house BBQ, lettuce, B&B pickles, caramelized and chopped red onion, aged cheddar, max sauce, challah bun.
II. The Burgers
So it was obvious that this place was trying to clone McDonalds. We’ve seen that a lot. And we’ve seen it fail a lot as well. Burger Max actually accomplished it! It was spot on. the sauce tasted like big mac sauce, the shreddece and toppings all reminded us of a McDonalds Big Mac. They even went so far as to copy the packaging. I love the attention to detail.
Now, what differed from McDonalds was the sear. I would dare say that it had the best sear we had in Seattle. This was a true smash patty with lovely crunchy edges. Someone likened them to beef chips! Despite enjoying the sear, Wayne lamented that the meaty flavor was just not there. He argued that it tasted more burnt than meaty. I think the rest of us disagreed. I would have loved to just eat the outer edge of this burger! In fact, since Trev and I were sharing, he found that the edges disappeared rather quickly.
The rest of the toppings were good. I mean, the shreddece made the meat slide around, but that’s all part of the Big Mac Max experience. I don’t typically like bread and butter pickles, but I actually liked these. I would have liked to see the sesame seed bun, but the challah was quite nice.
III. The Fries
As discussed in previous reviews, Seattle’s fry game has been weak. But Big Max helped us finish strong in the Emerald City. These were shoe string (not sure if Innie busted out the tape measure, but there was little argument about these fries) and had an herb seasoning. We really liked them. It was like eating potato chips. I dare you to just eat one.
The home made ketchup was meh. Just give me the fancy ketchup. the max sauce was like a mustard, mayo sauce that was really good. The larger order was quite large and we had quite a bit of fries left over.
IV. Miscellaneous
The nuggets were also a McDonald’s clone, but they didn’t have the boot shape vs. the round shapes that we grew up with. I think it was because there was no need. The chicken must have been brined because they were all juicy and flavorful, thus no need to distinguish between the boot shape and the round shapes. The nuggets came in orders of 6 with sweet and sour sauce.
The milkshakes were good. They tasted like melted ice cream and I believe were made with Tillamook ice cream.
The place was really kid friendly. They had coloring pages, rocking horses, a mesh changing station in the single bathroom, and even offered to split the milkshake for the kids.
They had both indoor and outdoor seating. They also had fountain drinks.
Parking is a bit difficult as it’s street parking in the Queen Anne neighborhood.
Overall, it seemed like a pretty great place to hang out. If I lived in Seattle, I think I’d frequent this place.
V. Value
I ask the members how much they would pay for their burgers. We would pay anywhere from $9 to $15 so at $14 these burgers were decently priced. Don’t come here if you’re looking for a bargain basement burger.
VI. The Verdict
While it didn’t make the initial cut for our burger crew list, I’m incredibly grateful that Beast and Cleaver didn’t have their burger available. This was a wonderful way to say good bye to Seattle. The ratings: 3.3, 4.3, 4.4, and 4.7.
