Holman’s Restaurant
15 SE 28th Ave Portland, OR 97214
Holman’s Restaurant is a dive bar (or not – they don’t have PBR on tap) in SE Portland at 28th and Burnside. The outside doesn’t seem too inviting, and the only reason why I even ate here was because it was raining and 3 other restaurants didn’t have any open tables. I would say the menu has a nice selection considering it’s a bar, but the pricing is a bit high for food. There were 4 or 5 specialty burgers available, as well as a build-your-own-burger option. A burger with lettuce and onion starts out at $5.50. I added cheddar cheese ($1.00) and tomato ($0.50) and a side of french fries ($1.95). Ten minutes later, my plate arrived:
I didn’t order mayonnaise, and I didn’t see anything on the menu mentioning it’s inclusion, but there was a fuck-ton of it slopped on the bottom bun. I am fine with a bit of mayo, but this was entirely too much. Also, the cheddar cheese was just shredded cheddar thrown atop the patty after the fact (I HATE THIS) and was not melted. The burger did not seem visually appealing in any way, lowering my expectations considerably, but I changed my opinion after having a bite. Plus, those 2 tomato slices tasted even better when I remembered I paid an extra $.50 for them.
There is a “Meal Wheel” which you are supposed to spin when you’re done eating and about to pay. If you line up the tiny arrow on the wheel with the tiny arrow on the wall, your meal is free. Our waitress forgot to mention this to us and we didn’t get to try it out. LAME.
**Update** 3/5/10
I went here during Happy Hour (every day from 4pm-7pm) and ordered the Burger Sliders. Two mini-burgers with a ton of pepperjack cheese, 1 pickle, and special sauce with a few fries for $3.75. I should mention that both the menu and server said nothing about the inclusion of the special sauce, and it was slathered on both the top and bottom bun. They’re not bad, but they’re also not good.
You get what you pay for.
Burger Ratings:
Burger: 7
I was not really expecting much from this place, and set the bar pretty low prior to ordering. However, it turned out to be a totally juicy, totally delicious cheeseburger. The meat was a bit overcooked, but still flavorful and tasty. I really liked the bun – it was soft and fresh, slightly toasted. My biggest complaint would be that my cheddar cheese came in giant, shredded mound form instead of a slice. A melted slice of cheese is so much more appealing.
Side: 8
The french fries were really, really good. Thick-cut skin-on fries that were fresh and amazing. They weren’t overly greasy or oily, and the portion size was perfect. Love ‘em!
Environment: 7
The inside of Holman’s reminds me of a furnished basement from the 80′s. Wood paneling, dim lighting, assorted decorative plaques, and a fuzzy big screen TV that may very well be from that time period. In short – I’m into it.
Value: 4
My burger with cheddar and tomatoes came out to be $7.00, and the fries were an additional $1.95. Great bar burger, great fries, not so great price – not quite worth $9.
OVERALL BURGER REVIEW:
Holman's Restaurant
15 SE 28th Ave Portland, OR 97214
(503) 231.1093
Tags: classic sauce sneak, holman's restaurant, mayonnaise lovers, mayonnaise slab, meal wheel, owls, portland, SE, sliders
Listed Under: 7 - Real Good