Shannon M.
Yelp
So if you have lived in Chicago for a while, you may recall when Hamburger Mary's was a longtime fixture in Andersonville; it's part of a chain, but that was the only location in Chicago, and it closed during the pandemic. Happily, this location in Edgewater opened a few years later, bringing great food, friendly staff, and fun events to the area.
I should mention for practical purposes that if you're offended by Pride flags and the like, this is not going to be the restaurant for you. But for queer folk and allies, Hamburger Mary's offers great food, as well as events such as Drag Brunch, HamBingo (benefitting different charities), and MaryOke (karaoke), as well as Dinner with the Divas.
We stopped in for dinner before a movie at the Music Box, not far away; we were there before pretty much anyone else rolled in for the evening, so the vibe was quite chill, but our server, Loren, was very friendly and checked in on us a bunch.
The food was really great (which cannot always be said for places that are leaning into a theme: sometimes they just get by with so-so food because they know people will come for the 'gram factor). I had one of the flatbread that was named for The Golden Girls (I got The Sophia Petrillo, which was topped with pesto, balsamic glaze, mozzarella and arugula, and was really a delicious combo of flavors; our server Loren said it was his favorite of the flatbreads); my husband got the garlic parmesan "wangs," which he polished off in short order. I also appreciated that their mocktails were only $5, as opposed to some places where they cost just as much as an alcoholic drink!
Already planning to bring some friends for Drag Brunch. Oh Mary! Keep up the good work!