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| - Before choosing to come to Harvey's Wineburger tonight I read all 82 previous reviews and was totally confused. While many were positive, way too many were so negative that I almost decided not to go. It was only after reading them in order from oldest to newest that I could see what was happening. In a nutshell at one time Harvey's Wineburger was a great little bar with excellent cheap food. Then the owner died and the place went down the toilet (kind of literally), then someone else bought it and it got a little better and then it was recently sold again. So do yourself a favor and save the time I spent by ignoring all reviews (positive and negative) from before 2014 and only read the one's that apply to the place AS IT IS TODAY because whatever used to be before now is meaningless to you, the former restaurant is gone, it's in the past and should just be forgotten.
We walked in and looked around and discovered that yes it looks like something from the set of "Cheers". Bravo! I will never understand people who choose to go to a classic dive knowing that it's a classic dive, decide to stay and eat/drink, then go home and write a 1-star review because it was a classic dive. When they drove up in their Bentley and walked in with their snooty Beverly Hills attitude they weren't smart enough to figure out based on the neighborhood and look of the building that this is an old neighborhood dive bar? And they're so proud of their ignorance that they proclaim it publically in a review? Wow!
So, personally, I loved the "look" or lack of it. The place is divided into 3 sections, a dining area to the right (with a pot belly stove) which is separated by a half-wall from a long western-style bar, which is separated by a full wall from the noisier and more boisterous pool tables and other gaming gear.
There was a group of about a dozen customers at the bar who had been drinking and were loud and another dozen or so at the pool tables who we couldn't hear because of the solid wall. I'm sure this would have outraged Mr & Mrs Bentley from Beverly Hills - to think of it! The nerve of those people drinking and making noise in a bar!!!
We seated ourselves and a really friendly young bartender immediately came over to greet us. We decided to get into the spirit of the place and have $2 PBR's in tall cans and to try the original Harvey Wineburger with the $2 add-on side of onion rings and fries. As we waited we noticed the 3 brand-new 70" TV's on the wall and that the speaker in the dining room was playing some loud music. Not annoyingly loud ... bar loud. I can just hear Mr & Mrs Bentley freaking out that a bar was playing music instead of serenading them with a strolling violinist.
We didn't have to notice the TV's for long because the burgers were brought to us in less than 15 minutes. Yes, I know, the string of McDonald's franchises Mr & Mrs Bentley own serves their burgers in less than 5 minutes. How RUDE to make a customer wait 15 minutes for a burger that's hand-formed and actually cooked instead of microwaved.
Both the bartender and a waitress came over numerous times to ask how we were doing. Both of them extremely nice and friendly. The customers at the bar were also pleasant, not at all like some people have described them. Oh, and as more people arrived to eat, the management was courteous enough to shut the music off in the dining room and leave it on only in the game room.
So, bottom line, how was the food? Well, there are a few things that are consistent in my reviews. One is that I love a real hamburger made by real people in a mom & pop dive. Two is that I don't believe it is possible to call any restaurant's food the best as in "best hamburger" or "best pizza" or anything like that. The variety and differences you find at local mom & pops are what make exploring and experimenting fun. That being said, Harvey's Wineburger ranks as one of the best burgers I've tasted anywhere. Adding the wine gives it a truly unique flavor. The condiments are simple and you add them yourself ... ketchup, mustard, onion, lettuce, tomato, pickle and mayonnaise. The burger patty is obviously hand-formed, thick and cooked perfectly well-done. The bun is nothing special, which is good because it doesn't take away from the flavor of the meat.
Now, compare that to the "best burger" lists you see in newspapers and on the internet. They are always accompanied by photos of a 3' high burger with crap on it that no one can even pronounce that no mouth ever made could wrap around it, and priced at $25 for a freakin' burger. Not for me! I like my burgers honest and Harvey's Wineburger serves one of the most honest there is.
So, when you add it all up it's 5-stars for the quality of the food, the friendliness of the service, the promptness, the value, the honest hominess ... everything works unless, that is, you go in with a Beverly Hills attitude. In that case you'll hate it.
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