Virginia Y.

Call me a stuck up American, but how is this place serving the best burger in Sydney? The fries were soggy and it wasn't any different from Mcdonald's fries and the burger was meh. It didn't have a good sauce and the meat wasn't even medium rare. It's pretty overpriced given that it has the quality of a fast food burger. Since the setup is a speakeasy, I'm assuming this is the drunk food of choice in Newtown. Maybe after a couple of beers and shots I'll realize how "amazeballs" this burger is. Don't come here on a Sunday afternoon sober.

Howard C.

M is for the Munchies. M is for Magnificent. M is for MmMMMmmmm and M is for Mary's. Found on Mary Street (of course) in Newtown, this place has been making the rounds as the next best thing. The vibe is loud, cool, and hip, plus the service great. The menu is simple: burgers, fries, fried chicken, and mash+gravy. You get the option of a cheeseburger (cheese, pickles, tomato sauce,) Mary's burger (cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mayo,) and shroom burger (for the veggos.) You can add extras to each burger, either a double patty, trashcan bacon (streaky bacon HELL YES,) or the burger double down style, meaning two patties with no bun. With the fries you can ask for shoestring or thick cut. For the fried chicken, half chicken comes with 5 pieces, and a full chicken comes with 10 pieces. The Larry Bird is two full chickens. Some have said it's the best burger in Sydney...and well, It's pretty damn good. If you're all about the no frills, greasy type burger then this will be THE BEST greasy burger in Sydney. If you like gourmet burgers, head to Rockpool. The Mary's burger is mouth-watering tasty...it's just...right. You need to get this with the trashcan bacon, and if you're hungry I'd order a double patty. The cheeseburger is like a McDonald's cheeseburger on steroids (a good thing.) The fried chicken...it's Southern style (USA Southern) with hints of celery and spice. It's extremely tender and the skin peels right off. If you've ever had Bojangles, it's kind of like that. It's awesome. My only gripe is that at $14 a burger, or $21 for streaky bacon + a double patty, it's on the pricey side, especially since the burgers aren't that large. But damn...is it tasty.

Anita D.

Burgers? Yeah! Fried Chicken? Yeah! Craft brews? Yeah! Whiskey? YEAH! Metal tunes? HELL YEAH! I heard along the grapevine that a couple of metalheads ran this place and I had to check it out. Just off the King Street in Newtown, you will see an old white looking building with a massive line up outside. It was Wednesday at around 7pm when I arrived and there was a line up of around 30 people to get in and then another line up to get into the dining area upstairs. That impressed me for sure! Just note if you can manage to get a table downstairs you can order food from the bar. This place is definitely now one of my fave eat outs in Sydney. It's a grungy, dive bar, burger station with a awesome selection of craft brews and whiskey's. The writing on the menu is written in a Slayer style font, there are skeletons on the walls and the staff are really laid back. It's a metalhead's dream to find a place like this. After waiting for a while to get upstairs (don't worry, you can get some brews for your wait); we were seated in the attic style restaurant. It's pretty dark up there with candles for a little bit of light. No worries though, you know what you are getting for food. Burger & chicken. The menu is on the roof, look up! The burgers here are like a typical American style in&out burger. Nothing complicated. But, damn tasty! Great seasoning in that patty, juicy and not overcooked. The Mary's Burger is a beef patty, lettuce, tomato, onion and cheese. You can add bacon if you like. Very good! It comes with thin fries (similar to Maccas) in a basket. We also had to order a whole fried chicken. Chicken was meant to taste this good. Southern fried style and so juicy. Best served with beer and high fives! As for the tunes (which was an important part of the experience for me) it was a little hit and miss. First up I heard some Strapping Young Lad, then some Korn, Slayer..... but then it went into some pop/dance music. Hmmmmm..... that was a little weird? Look, when you go into a place like this you are going to expect to hear some heavy tunes. Come on, there is a big demon on the wall?! I think it's important to stay true to what you love and not try to appeal to all audiences. From what I could see, the patrons were lovers of all different styles of music. They were totally just there for burgers. But, playing those pop tunes with metal is just going to upset your metal brothers and sistas! Apart from that, LOVE THIS PLACE!

Fernanda S.

My Goodness, where do I begin? I have no words for the awesomeness that is this place. And that is coming from someone who had to line up 30 mins for a burger. I don't recall ever lining up that long for a burger before, but it was worth it. When my friend and I got to Mary Street and spotted the massive queue going down te block on a Friday night, I walked up to the bouncer and asked if there was any kind of event going on. Nope, he replied, it's like this most nights. The guys at the start of the line encouraged me and my friend to get in line because the 'burgers were amazing and definitely worth the wait'. And they were. While we waited in line, a nice surprise: waiters came out with bowls of hot chips that we could munch on - they were hot and fresh and definitely helped the wait on that cold winter's night. 30 mins passed and we were in, fortunately it didn't take us long to get a table. We both ordered the Mary's burger (I got mine with the trashcan bacon), plus half a bird to share and cocktails. Now I'm not a big burger person, and the main reason for that is the fact that I don't enjoy the massive, solid buns that most places use for their burgers. These buns, however, were perfect for my taste: soft, squishy and easy to flatten. A lot of people have mentioned the burgers taste like Maccas and I think they really are a bit similar, probably because of the mayo sauce. The chicken was amazing as well, perfectly coated and a bit spicy. Combined that with awesome cocktails and great music in the background (rock and roll, baby!) and you've got yourself a winner. Mary's, you rock.

Richard H.

Ahh, the famous Mary's burgers... The stuff (delicious) dreams are made of. The burgers are consistently juicy, beefy and melt-in-your-mouth. The patty is sufficiently meaty but not overly thick. The cheese and Mary's sauce complement the meatiness while the classic lettuce and tomato combo gives a nice crunch. You could even opt for some bacon to top it off. The service is prompt and the music deafening. The place gets packed during weekdays and damn packed during weekends. The bar is nicely stocked with local craft beers and cocktails too. Slayer juice on tap takes the cake. I could go on, but honestly it's simpler to say it's damn good.

Wassim M.

This joint had been on my bucket list for months and finally decided to pay it a visit while it was bucketing down in Newtown on an early Saturday evening (pardon the pun!) A dark, industrial establishment with music cranked up a tad too high with aggressive metal. Mary's was completely packed to the brim!!! Ground level filled with locals enjoying pub drinks, while hungry patrons enduring 30 min+ plus waits on the second level to feast on their small, but ever popular menu. Was little disappointed on the burger front though. The 'Mary's Burger' was nothing too spesh in my eyes!! Expected more tbh. The sure-fire winner was the Boneless Fried Chicken. Shared a half bird with a mate and it was finger-lickin' good!!! Little bit pissed when my burger came out with bacon (I didn't ask for it!) however the wait staff made up for it by bringing back a new one within minutes. They also gladly scrapped it off the bill - that was a warm gesture. If it wasn't for the burger stuff up and deafening music - they would have got 4 stars from me.

Aaron T.

Mary's is rad. Pretty simple reasons that make it my "kind of place". 1) They play cool music, and play it loud. 2) The place is dark like my favorite metal night spots from the 90's and 2000's, full of heavy metal style street art and slayer type font for all the menus 3) The burgers are awesome American styled and tasty 4) The fried chicken is everything KFC wishes it was. Quality and amazing taste. Hot sauce was on hand for some punch. 5) The staff were really nice, happy to be there and cool. 6) They have a great beer selection It was worth the wait in both lines we had to wait in. I'll definitely return.

Luke C.

The minute you go in, nevermind that, even when trying the find the place, you will realise that this isn't your typical hipster trendy joint. It's more like an American bikey underground cult. Underground, because it's extremely dark and cult - you will understand when you see the decor. The bar's wall looks like an alter with a prominent portrait of Pierre Marco White at the centre surrounded by liquor bottles as you would see a portrait of Jesus surround by candles in a church. The informal service and heavy metal music even mysterious girl is loud but does fit well with the theme. There is ample seating consisting of small 4 seater table and high tables too. Orders are placed at the bar and the Kurt Cobain waiter might seem disinterested but he is real and skillfull - able to balance 8 sets of burgers on a tray. MARY'S BURGER $14 Mary's Burger is the closest burger to Melbourne's Huxtaburger and probably most accurately described as the most authentic American burger - no brioche bun, no aioli, no beetroot in sight. I like it a lot: the soft bun melts in the mouth, the beef patty is firm but still moist and the salad fresh but no crunch and this seems to be intended to not interfere with the burger. Overall the texture and flavours work well together. The shoestring fries were cooked perfectly, just imagine freshly fried Maccas fries but twice as good and a little thinner and with free flow ketchup. HALF BIRD $18 One of the best friend chicken I've had in a while. Why is it worth the price? it's de-boned where it is annoying but kept in the drumsticks and wings. The chicken is cooked to perfection; moist inside that above average thick battered skin without being oily or feeling oily in the mouth. Even the breast pieces were succulent and moist which is always a good sign of quality execution. The spices in the batter might be too overwhelming for some but I liked it. Conclusion Their image is underground, no bullshit and not the place to bring out your parents type place. The service is of course not exceptional/conventional but it fits the theme and adds to the experience, however their customer service was tested when they got my order wrong, no fuss was made, waiter came up to say "we f***** up" with apologies and fixed it with the error in my favour with no extra charge and I was very satisfied how it was dealt with. The food is the star: classic American staples executed perfectly with personality. There are also lots of cocktails on offer but didn't try any at this time around. @thesydneynoob

Scott B.

If dark, electric, moody and amazing food is for you then come to Mary's. Had the cheeseburger and it was just like that I have had in American dinners in the states! The bartender was amazing with giving us a full glass of cider and ice on the side. As he said, why take up space with ice! Cannot agree more with him.

Joanne P.

The day I went to Mary's was a great day. I got a birthday cake at work (3 months late). It was a face cake. The face was Pippi Longstockings. With her pet monkey. 3 people asked if it was me as a kid. And Mary's was my birthday dinner. I love a birthday dinner at any time of the year but this one was special and Mary's made it so (the cake helped). We arrived at 7pm on a Thursday to no line. "This can't be!", we exclaimed as we walked in. It wasn't. Cleverly and deceptively, Mary's has moved the line inside. We joined at the bottom of the stairs. Nothing like a drink to ease the wait so my dear friend and Birthday dinner buyer went to the bar. Suddenly she was gesticulating excitedly and motioning me over. No! I can't leave the line, are you crazy?! But her waving arms just got wavier so I went over in case they fell off. What's this? Two seats at the bar? Best belated birthday. Ever. We sat down with our lovely cocktails. I can't remember what it was called but I think it had blood orange and ordered the whole menu. Don't look at me like that. It's three items. We had the Mary's burgers with chips. Shared half a chicken and shared the mash. All were pretty good but need the hot sauce. I'd read some pretty scathing reviews online about the service here but I thought it was fine. The bartender did try to convince us that the picture of Marco Pierre White behind the bar was the guitarist from Coldplay but we had his number. When it was time to leave I felt positively beatific giving our seats to two girls who also couldn't believe their luck. As I was heading off I looked down and saw my week's affirmation on the bottom of a fridge, "Don't be shit". I'll try Mary's, I'll try.

Emma L.

Trudging down a laneway in the pouring rain i was wondering where I'd been taken to when I saw two very satisfied patrons emerge from an unmarked slightly dilapidated building and I knew we'd arrived. Walking though the entrance into Mary's the smell of burgers and fried chicken was enough to wet the apetite of two very hungry and slightly hungover travellers who'd crossed town to eat at this Sydney institution. You could be forgiven for thinking that you'd walked into a dive bar in Brooklyn or New Orleans and the food is on par. The menu is simple burgers served with French fries and fried chicken. The burger variations aren't complex either .., cheeseburger, Mary's burger (lettuce and tomatoe) and vegetarian with the option of double meat and cheese or trash can bacon. We opted to share half a bird (smallest serving of fried chicken) and get a burger each. The chicken was delicious. Now I'm not typically a fried chicken kind of girl I'm usually the one eating it poached or grilled but this was super tasty and not to be missed. The breast was succulent and juicy whilst the exterior was crunchy but only lightly battered. Best of all it's served piping hot straight from the fryer. The burger was equally as good with super soft brioche buns and a delicious sauce. I had bacon with mine and have to say that it was a great decision. But when is bacon not a good decision? I'm glad I was hungry as I could enjoy the food and have both chicken and a burger. It felt like being transported back to the US. Mary's is first and foremost a bar but there is a steady stream of people coming for food including families with children and others grabbing take away. There are plenty of drinks options including cocktails, and wine but the bar seems to call for beer or whiskey. There is an eating area upstairs and downstairs with upstairs having more of a diner feel. All I can say is next time I'm in Sydney this will be on my to do list for sure.

Naomi B.

If you have time to wait, this place is awesome. The staff are laid back, chatty and friendly. The Bloody Mary is like nothing I've seen and comes with cheese, bacon and a pickled onion. The burger was also good albeit more expensive and slightly less good than jacks Newtown but still the 2nd best burger I've had and that includes in and out burger. The venue is cool and unique and even though they forgot our cutlery even despite us asking for some, I won't hold it against them. I'd go back!

Paige W.

Hidden off the main road, down a side street with the word "Mary's" in hand writing on the wall outside the entrance. I wouldn't have known it was there if I hadn't had Google maps and read about it in the "top 10 burger places in Sydney" BUT that's what's so good about it! The cheeseburger with Trash can bacon was good however it was made better by the cool atmosphere, a very laid back place with a very cool "I don't give a f***" vibe and I loved that! Graffiti and art all over the walls with drawings from what looks like has been left there by patrons of the past. Music was quite loud and a little hard to have a conversation however the choice of music was on point, I would definitely go back for drinks with friends and to try their fried chicken which looked mouth watering good!