Romer's Burger Bar (Kitsilano)

nuts, donuts and a hunk of beef in between...

Food:



a half-consumed Mango Mint Iced Tea, an 'old-fashioned' root beer
 with pickles and nuts to boot

We started our gluttony-filled meal with a side of their Spicy Kosher Dill Pickles as well as a side of their warm, lightly spiced assorted Nuts (cashews, hazelnuts).  At $2 a pot, the pickles and nuts served as great munchies as we patiently awaited the arrival of our burgers.

Onions Rings & Poutine

For my main, it was a bit of a toss-up between the Wicked Deadly Cheeseburger and the Rodeo Star.  In the end, I opted for the latter: compelled by the immediate conjured senses produced by the tastes and smell of horseradish jack cheese and the applewood bacon.  Served on a warm and soft Brioche bun, the burger did not disappoint (though extra bbq sauce on the side would've been 10x better).  The beef was cooked just right and the patty itself was quite a hunk of a serving.  All in all, definitely an enjoyable burger.  For my next visit, I'm already thinking of tackling the  $20 Ultimate Kobe Classic, hehehe...

my 'Rodeo Star'

The one prominent limitation of Romer's is probably the fact that sides are not included with the burger.  Thus, it can be quite costly.  Regardless, I was happy that I had two dining companions with me on this night.  We shared the Onion Rings Dusted with Reggiano and the Poutine.  The onion rings were pleasurable for its extra crispy and crunchy exterior, accompanied with a tzaziki-like sauce.  Although they were quite skimpy on the portion (7 onions rings for $7? Not cool!) The poutine was satisfying, though I don't think I would order it again.  There was definitely a lack of cheese curds, the gravy was forgiveable but the hand-cut fries were good.

Drunken donuts...*drool...

A meal at Romer's would definitely not be complete without an order of their popular Drunken Donuts! Donuts are probably one of my most favourite sweets/desserts/guilty indulgences (if you must...) and to have them served with a trio of dipping sauces? Score! I strongly enjoyed all 3 sauces: kahlua nutella, limoncello and the maple whiskey.  In comparison to the famous mini donuts from the PNE (although the ones at Roger's Arena are pretty good too), the donuts at Romer's were crunchier and similar to a cake donut texture, as opposed to the softer and flufflier texture of the ones sold at the PNE.  I love both.  Afterall, a donut is a donut...is a donut.  Any donut is a good donut in my opinion (hehe!)

Service:

Friendly and attentive

Value:

Not the greatest, but keep in mind that you are paying for quality ingredients (burger-wise), not sure about the other items offered.

Ambience:

Pretty darn busy on a Tuesday night with an occupancy of about 80%.  They've got multiple tvs and a bar situated in the mid-front of the restaurant.  We were seated in a nice, spacious booth.  They've also got a pretty fancy vault downstairs for big parties and such!

Overall: 7.2/10

Yay: Come here for all-natural range-fed meats and their drunken donuts! Burger "pimpin" optional.

Nay: A little costly. Skimpy 'sides' portions.

**Interesting fact: Executive chef, Jim Romer (and owner, I presume) was formerly the exec. chef at Milestones for 20 years!