RESTAURANT SPOTLIGHT

/

Mary’s manager Jay Parton is ready to serve up one of many specialties of the house.

MARY’S ON DAVIE

Mary’s On Davie, at the corner of Davie and Bute, had been a West End institution long before it relocated to Davie, and has a queer little backstory that may be a bit foggy even in the minds of the current owners.

Back in the gay old ‘70s Gerry Goguen (fondly known as “Mrs. G.”) was a nightclub scene personality, running such venues (some legal, some not so much) as the Music Room, Mrs. Goguen’s Pool Parlour, and the Downbeat, reaching a crescendo of madness when Blondie’s, a second-floor club on north Seymour, was flooded out of business in a spectacular fashion.

One evening in 1979, shortly after that debacle, hanging out at the Luv Affair, Mrs. G. fell to chatting with John Kerasiotis, who had co-owned many of our favorite dance halls, including Luv Affair and Celebrities. Mrs. G. was no doubt polishing up his version of how that flood had happened and letting John know that he was looking for a new opportunity.

“Well, Gerry,” John said, “I’ve got a little place on Denman and they’re not paying the rent. Want to do something with it?”

So Gerry sashayed down to the hole-in-the-wall that in more recent years was known as Cupcakes and is now a pizza outlet, tossed some burgers on the grill, and Hamburger Mary’s was born.

Four years on, having moved north to another Denman location after the fire department took a dim view of his flame-grilling hamburgers without the benefit of a proper exhaust system, Gerry accepted an offer from a young gay couple who quickly moved the establishment to its present location.

All this time no mention was ever made of the San Francisco–based Hamburger Mary’s chain, founded in 1972 with branches in every gay “village” in the US. Mrs. G had flown completely off their radar. Later owners likely felt the need to do a little rebranding, as the name evolved from Hamburger Mary’s, to Hamburger Mary’s Burger Parlour, to Hamburger Mary’s Neighbourhood Diner, and now Mary’s On Davie.

A sassy newspaper ad announcing the new Davie and Bute location of Hamburger Mary’s.

After several ownership changes, today four groups co-own Mary’s, including Brent and Rachel Christianson, and Astrid O. Lalonde and Michel Duprat who also have the Fountainhead.

Since the very beginning, as the original name suggests, Mary’s has been first and foremost all about excellent hamburgers. Through several changes of ownership and menus, that hasn’t changed.

The six-ounce Mary’s Burger is still a favorite, and has been joined on the menu by tempura-battered Fish & Chips, a crispy Chicken Burger, a clubhouse sandwich, and, keeping up with the times, you can substitute a veggie patty for your burger.

Along with omelets, scrambles, and Steak & Eggs, the breakfast menu also offers an array of Eggs Benny options, and a dish intriguingly called “Eggs In Purgatory”.

You could also spend many visits exploring their celebrated cocktail menu, including a Moscow Mule (not a comment on current events), Lychee Martini, and ‘Gin and Basil Gimlet”.

In case you’re wondering, Mrs. G has often lunched and brunched at the latest version of his iconic eatery and gives the menu and staff a two thumbs up!