Wahlberg Hangover Part 2: Wahlburgers

posted on November 13, 2011 by Bianca Garcia

Remember when I had a Wahlberg hangover?

I gave high praised to Chef Paul Wahlberg, forgave Marky Mark for the Funky Bunch, and asked Donnie to call me (he never did). Oh and my friends and I had a spectacular meal at Alma Nove in Hingham.

Last week we ventured out to Hingham again to try the much anticipated Wahlburgers.

This burger joint has gotten a lot of press (E’s headline: Donnie and Mark Wahlberg Serve Up Fresh Meat) and I was really excited to try it because I loved the food at Alma Nove, so I was looking forward to trying more of the chef’s creations.

was it worth the hype and the drive?

Coming into Wahlburgers was like coming into someone's house

there are lots of photos on the wall so it's like being in someone's family home

that is, if your family can line the ceilings with the titles of movies and bands that your siblings have under their belts

and you want giant pictures of your son in a little band called New Kids on the Block

or another son in a little known film called The Fighter

or if, you know, your family sells merchandise ;)

But back to the burger…

I had the signature burger

The 5 oz. burger was topped with American cheese and served with “wahl sauce” plus lettuce, tomato, house made dill pickles, and onion. A classic right? And it tasted like a true classic burger too: the burger was meaty and juicy, giving a perfect bite with the soft bun and crisp veggies.

This was one of the specialty burgers (it was called Our Burger and marked with “Paul’s choice”). The other specialty burgers were the Thanksgiving Burger (Mark’s choice) and the BBQ Bacon Burger (Donne’s choice). Paul’s choice was FLAWLESS.

of course we had to try some of the sides too: tater tots, yukon gold friees, and onion rings (the tater tots stole the show)

I also tried some blackberry soda...

... and a couple of bites of the Stray Dog ("you're gonna wanna aadopt this puppy")

I really, really liked the Stray Dog – it had brown mustard, sriracha sauce and house made smoked tomato salsa. The smoky tomatoes paired nicely with the spicy sriracha sauce. I am not sure what to get next time: the burger or the hot dog? And yes, there will definitely be a next time. I still want to try the frappes!

that's Daisy, me, Elizabeth, and Alex

Overall, Wahlburgers is a very pleasant experience. While the restaurant feels a little bit like a shrine to Mark and Donnie (I’m not complaining, I have my own shrine at home. Just kidding! Mom, I don’t, I really don’t), it has that comfy, welcoming quality that makes everyone feel at home. It is a great place for an easy, low-key dinner. And most importantly, the burger was really good! Or as I like to sing say, it was the right stuff…

Have you been to a celebrity-owned restaurant?

posted in meat, restaurants, review

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29 Responses to “Wahlberg Hangover Part 2: Wahlburgers”

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1

Meghan@travelwinedine posted November 13, 2011 at 11:57 am

Looks like such a fun place!
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2

Emily @ A Cambridge Story posted November 13, 2011 at 1:05 pm
The burger looks excellent! Those Wahlbergs just need to move their ventures in the city!
- Bianca Garcia replied November 13th, 2011 at 7:49 pm
  
  There are rumors of them opening up a joint in Boston!
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3

Michelle posted November 13, 2011 at 2:02 pm

This place looks like a lot of fun! Those tater tots look AWESOME!
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4

Alaina posted November 13, 2011 at 4:25 pm
I would so go there just to gawk at pictures.

And the burgers look good too! ;-)
- Bianca Garcia replied November 13th, 2011 at 7:49 pm
  
  Gawk – take a bite of burger – gawk… heeheehee
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5

MelissaNibbles posted November 13, 2011 at 7:06 pm

I want those tots! It looks like a fun place.
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6

Amanda L. (Tales from a Kitchen Misfit) posted November 13, 2011 at 7:15 pm

My husband just gave me the side eye when I showed him this post. I love EVERYTHING Wahlberg :D
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7

Lena H. posted November 13, 2011 at 7:56 pm
As if I didn’t want to head down there bad enough already…

Amanda — Let’s go!!!
- Bianca Garcia replied November 13th, 2011 at 8:08 pm
  
  Hi Lena! Can I go with you and Amanda? :)
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8

Megan posted November 13, 2011 at 9:52 pm

I’ve been to Alma Nove and have been excited to check out Wahlburgers ever since I heard it was in progress. I’ll have to make the trek soon!
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9

Alex R. posted November 13, 2011 at 10:48 pm
Where are the photos from the drive there? ; )
- Bianca Garcia replied November 14th, 2011 at 11:19 am
  
  You mean the drive there AND back… “How many food bloggers does it take to navigate Alex?” :p hahaha
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10

Elizabeth posted November 14, 2011 at 11:36 am

Mmm, I could go for some frappes and tots now :)
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11

Daisy posted November 14, 2011 at 4:15 pm

this was such a fun night!!! the comments about re: the drive, crack me up!
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12

Kim K posted November 14, 2011 at 4:46 pm

that place is definitely on my must-try list! yummy!
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13

Simply Life posted November 14, 2011 at 10:01 pm

I’ve never heard of this place- great to know!
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14

Joanne posted November 15, 2011 at 7:48 am

Really GOOD burger places are seriously hard to find. I’m so glad this place was worth the drive! I want some of those tater tots…ASAP.
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15

Heather posted November 15, 2011 at 3:35 pm
Fun! There is truly nothing better than a good burger joint, and this one looks fantastic.

I LOVED NKOTB when I was younger. When they performed on Dancing with the Stars last season I actually shushed my boyfriend because he started talking while they were on. I revert to being a star struck 12 year old whenever they are on!
- Bianca Garcia replied November 16th, 2011 at 10:16 am
  
  Haha I didn’t know they performed on Dancing with the Stars last season, I would’ve watched too!
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16

Shannon posted November 15, 2011 at 6:49 pm
I’m a sucker for tots! This is the first review I’ve seen for Wahlburgers and I’ve been pretty curious since they started construction on the place… I may have to check it out soon!
- Bianca Garcia replied November 16th, 2011 at 10:17 am
  
  Me too! I can resist fries, but not tater tots! At Tavern in the Square, they have truffled tots that are pretty amazing.
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17

Juliana posted November 15, 2011 at 8:45 pm

Wow, it sure seems like a fun place, and the hamburger looks delicious!
Hope you are having a wonderful week Bianca :-)
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18

cassie posted November 16, 2011 at 12:12 am
i had no idea they had a restaurant.. very cute..
- Bianca Garcia replied November 16th, 2011 at 10:19 am
  
  They have 2! hehe but yeah this one is very cute :)
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19

shannon posted November 16, 2011 at 1:41 pm

hehe, the right stuff. nice. i’ll take the tots and our burger, please :)
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20

Lin @ BeantownEats posted November 17, 2011 at 2:45 pm

This place looks so fun (and that is coming from a girl whose first concert ever was KNOTB). It’s nice to hear that the food is great too, instead of someone just using a last name as an excuse to open a mediocre restaurant.
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21

Erin @ A Nesting Experience posted November 18, 2011 at 6:58 pm

First of all, I must say, I love your infatuation with the Wahlbergs. I’ll admit, I have a lot of love for all things NKOTB and Mark Walberg (maybe not so much the funky bunch). The burger looks fantastic. I’m going to have to make Alma Nove and Wahlburgers a stop on my next trip home!
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22

grace posted November 20, 2011 at 4:51 am

mark could’ve absolutely gone the other way and bombed, but he didn’t. he’s successful and he’s earned it, i think. i’m mostly excited by the name of this joint–so clever, and the food looks great!