There are a handful of places to eat at Maasmechelen, and we were excited to grab a gourmet burger here. The place was packed and there was a line - it seemed promising... but it failed to deliver. Maybe it is because of the location and the lack of need to impress (I mean, when will you be coming back??). They are planning to open 2 locations in the Netherlands, so perhaps I'll visit them again when they do.
Food: 3/5
I had the Guaco-Waco Lamb burger and I found the meat patty to be flavorless. The flavor is supposed to come from the sweet chili sauce and guacamole, but there was not enough of it. The only time it was flavorful was when I squeezed all the sauces to one end of the bun by accident. Guy C.'s Ellis bacon had a similar problem of proportions; there was only a few small pieces of bacon on his burger. It was an ok burger.
What was a surprise was how well they executed the sides though! The fries were crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and served with mayo (ketchup is on the table too) and the cole slaw was a good proportion of salad and mayo dressing, they even had raisins which gave it a nice touch of sweetness.
Service: 4/5
I don't know if this is normal Belgian service or if it was because we were sitting by the bar, but the waiter checked in on us at least 3 times during our 45 min meal. It is too much! Most of the time I had food in my mouth and can't say anything - I did not miss this from the US! I really wanted to say "please leave me alone and let me eat my food in peace..." Ah, Dutch bluntness is rubbing off on me.
Overall, the staff were friendly, nice, polite, attentive, etc. and smiled a lot.
Atmosphere: 3/5
It is a fairly large space which is good because then the wait isn't too long. The decor is hip and fits a burger place. I really like the t-shirts the staff wears - you could identify waiters because they wear a shirt that says "Order here" and the manager has a shirt that says "I'm the boss"
Value: 3/5
At around 10 euros for a burger, it is a normal price for a burger. Sides are around 3-4 euros. If you are the thirsty sort, you can get a pitcher of lemonade or iced tea for less than 10 euros. read more