Big Max Burger Co — Restaurant in Seattle

I’m torn leaving this review but I feel it’s warranted. I’ve been wanting to try this place for months ever since I heard about EHP during the pandemic. We don’t make it to Queen Anne very often but we had an opportunity with an event we were attending at Climate Pledge Arena.

First off, since we were attending a show I contacted the restaurant to find out approx wait times for the time we were going to be there. I tried calling the day before but I couldn’t reach anyone so I sent a DM via IG and got a pretty quick response. They told me 6pm on a Saturday is busy but wait shouldn’t be more than 15 mins. No prob.

We get there around 6:15pm and enter our order via kiosk at 6:20pm. We ordered two big max burgers, large fry, Brussel sprouts, and chicken nuggets. We sat down in the dining area and there were three other parties sitting down, no one with food. A bunch of to go for orders were coming in and it seemed all waiting awhile too. I gave them some grace time knowing they might be either short staffed or working out kinks with their new system but it seemed like the kitchen was really behind on orders. 15 mins pass, then 30, then 45….we get our food at almost 7:10!! Almost 1 hour after we ordered…smh. Wasn’t this supposed to be fast food/fast casual?? The guy who brought our food apologized for the wait and asked if we wanted a free drink, but we passed.

Now onto the food. After that long wait, the fries were stale, not hot and my gf’s bun was burnt. Barely edible. We were too hungry to say anything and didn’t want to wait any longer. The burger was good, but nothing crazy special. The patty was cooked perfectly medium not overly cooked and well seasoned but the burger got soggy pretty quickly. We really liked the chicken nuggets, reminded me of mick Ds but actual real chicken. The sprouts were decent. But I felt like this was not worth the $60 and 1 hour wait. I’d rather go to Red Mill or Shake Shack for same quality but way cheaper and not nearly long of a wait. 8oz burger would be the same price even but a better experience.

This could’ve easily been an off night but I don’t see us going back here any time soon. Really bummed because we drove far to eat here and was so looking forward to this spot.

Wish them the best of...

One of my favorite burger places in Seattle! The burger patties are unique and flavorful since they put bacon in the patty itself. The buns are Challah buns, which are quite tasty and usually hold the burgers / sandwiches together pretty well. I've been multiple times and tried a decent amount of their menu.

Queen Animal - Lots going on in this burger with the bacon, avocado, frizzled onions, pickles, and sauces but usually one of my go-tos.

Big Max Burger - More of a classic burger, easier to taste the difference in the patties since it doesn't have quite as much going on as the Queen Animal

Hot Mama Hen - A great chicken sandwich! They've recently changed the recipe for the hot sauce which tastes a bit sweeter to me. My only criticism is sometimes, there has been too much sauce with both the ranch and the chili sauce which has made for a bit of a messier sandwich but most recently it seems like this has been dialed back down.

Falafel Veggie - I rarely get this since there's so much other good stuff on the menu, but it's a pretty good sandwich for vegetarians. They also offer substitutions with Impossible patties for their other burgers.

Chicken Nuggets - These nuggets are huge, and delicious. Can't miss the dipping sauce. Quite substantial. I once got these instead of fries with a burger and it's definitely hard to finish both.

Fries - Thin fries with a herb seasoning on them. Can also be ordered without the seasoning. Ketchup includes malt and maple so definitely has a bit of a vinegary taste, which took some getting used to but I don't mind it now.

I have not had a chance to try the salads, which look great but honestly every time I've gone I've wanted a burger!

Please check this place out if...

Year number 7 for my best friend and I Xmas burger journey has landed us on a well waited but excellent spot as big max, spent $30 for burger fries and order of chicken nuggets. Waited for our food and got to meet a buggy, charismatic and nice person that ended up taking the photo for us. Overall the burgers are top notch and smashed to perfection, the condiments and topping all blend so perfectly well, that doesn't overwhelm the quality of the beef, I would definitely recommend getting the extra bacon as it's done right with just the perfect amount of crunch but not over cooked. The fries are shoestring but the seasoning is the shining star as you'll find yourself eating them even if you feel full, onto the "nuggs" the order menu mentioned "best nuggets you'll have" and it was spot on. The bbq and ketchup seem to be house made and the giant nuggets put to shame what McDonald's has tried to do for centuries. They came out piping hot and a tad greasy but the oil was fresh and the like Tempura batter was crispy on each bite. I was wowed the first time I ate there but glad to come back for a special moment that will live on in my memories as one of the best burger joints we've had over many years....