Walking into Royal Meats Barbeque was a welcoming treat with a full staff smiling and ready to take my order. I stood there a moment gawking at the giant chalkboard menu trying to digest some of the items including a $799 meat platter, say whutt? and trying to put my finger on what set this place apart from other typical suburban strip mall burger joints. I finally asked for a burger with onion rings because, well, onion rings are the best when they are home made. Only after reading some of the other reviews did I realize the Eastern European or Serbian influence on this licensed establishment. I didn't have a beer, but their selection looked very interesting and the bar was well stocked as if they could host a boisterous wedding without a hitch.
The burger was quite good and very out of the ordinary, at least compared to the typical gourmet burger that I've been enjoying lately in the city. The meat was seasoned and not greasy, and more on the dry side, but very good. And the bun was exceptionally good with a chewy texture and it had a hearty grainy structure to it along with a unique flat shape, very unusual and delicious too. The toppings were ordinary except the barbeque sauce which was an interesting orange colour and had a great undertone and kick to it. The onion rings were crunchy and dry with a thick seasoned coating. They had the rings piled on a skewer (kind of a theme it seemed) which looked very appetizing, but exposed them to the surrounding air which cooled them more quickly than I liked so I devoured them. They give you a choice of ketchup or mayo as a compliment alongside the rings. I think I'll have to return to try some of the Serbian treats sometime.