*Under new management since the time of this review*
414 Manitou Road Southeast
Calgary, AB
T2G 4C4
Wunder Bun’s Overall Score: 87/100
Overall experience 9/10
(Now let me digress, I promise to fill you in later)
I’m on vacation and I’m sitting in a hole in the wall hotel. We went online and bought into some PricelineOrbit/best deal in town to make your vacation you dream for pennies type deal and of no surprise, here I sadly sit. There are pillows with skid marks laying on sheets with holes made by cigarette butts. I think the linens have been washed, but there are still oil stains that will not come free no matter how many times they are put to laundry. I’m looking out the window to a pool in the courtyard that we promised the kids would be the jewel of refreshment after a 12 hour drive. There is an old boot strapped voice of a lady smoking butts and dipping her yellow toenails into a pool that begs for an open sore. There are some kids with water wings having, what I think could be their last swim, if they ingest to much of the yellowish brown water. The carpets smell like a biker party and the stain on the landing outside our room could easily have been adorned with police tape the day before. I’m exhausted, the kids are bummed out and my wife is already preconceiving nightmares of bed bugs and scabies. I am busted I’ll pick this up tomorrow.
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9 hours of sleep and a few miles further down the road.
I woke up with the notion that maybe the lack of sleep had me judging this place to harshly the night before; but as my senses began to come online the smell of funk and a feeling of having been e- ripped was even deeper. We forwent the continental breakfast when we saw the lady form the pool last night walking past us with a bowl of something flakes that bore a striking resemblance to her scungy toenails. We sucked up the loss and headed on with another example of how most times you can judge a book by its cover.
What does this have to do with the burger at Manchester Deli? Hopefully nothing. Let’s grab a beer, I’ll meet you by the pool and we’ll discuss the works burger at Manchester.
Bun 23/30
Now this bun is a crumbler, it is over toasted and I wanted to bust into a rant with every bite. But every bite tastes better and better so I can’t dismiss this cracker bun outright. It is not a shrinker, rather it informs the overall burger with deep caramelized flavors so to this fantastic flavor profile it is a strong component. Unfortunately, this comes at a crumbly cost that flies in the face of your perceptions of what a bun should be.
Meat 28/30
I will not abandon my morals. High quality ground chuck, seasoned with salt and pepper and seared on a flat grill is king. I will however concede after partaking in this Manchester masterpiece that a flame broiled, garlic infused, herbed patty can elevate itself from the knuckle dragging status that I normally apply. In fact could I have been wrong? Has my bias been exposed? Am I loosing the edge on my critical approach?
Not a chance quest haters, but this patty is a stunner.
Toppings 27/30
Read it: bacon, shaved ham, mozzarella, cheddar, lettuce, onion, tomato, mustard and mayo. Fresh, placed with intent and care. I ordered the works burger and had them skip the mushrooms. Mushrooms have no place on a burger. Yeah I know, but before all you incense burning tree frogs take mother natures nipple out of your mouth to gripe at me you’ll need to take a number and get behind WhiteGravy, as he is going to rant on me good and proper first. I will take the tongue lashing as I have long suspected to now be proven to be true that Gravy is a tree hugged free lover.
Now that GreenpeaceGravy has been exposed, let me talk to the toppings. This stack of savory is a complex and dense twist of succulent illusions. This is a meat lovers treat that does not just stack proteins rather, it stacks flavor like a wizards tongue ride.
Other considerations
Worth noting is that the fries at Manchester are a shake of seasoning salt away from the long fabled Willie’s French fries. Cooked just passed golden and succulent as the day is long. These alone are worth the trip.
So I jaunted through a long winded explanation of a hole in the wall hotel where we got everything we should have expected when we laid eyes on the place. The Manchester inside and out is the hole in the hole in the wall, but this joint reads like The Old Man And the Sea. Simple, focused and committed to a story titled. DO NOT judge this book by its cover. I cannot say enough good things. This place is family run and you can feel it, the service is to the point and friendly. I was talked to like these people had known me forever yet it was my first time in the place. No pretense served with a love of caring for people through great food. Another gem in the crown of the quest
Final Evaluation: What would you do to have one of these again?
I will lie on a resume to get a job next door to this place to make sure that I could have at least a couple of these a week.
Flavour Sabre’s Overall Score: 80/100
Overall experience 6/10
Given that the Olympics are in full swing, I almost feel obliged to have an Olympic themed review. The Manchester Deli is the little known athlete from the country with the delegation of six athletes. They look a little rough, have unorthodox technique, but somehow manage to compete and even surprise you. It’s the kind of place that the annoying and partially brain dead commentators latch onto and won’t shut up about. It becomes one of those heart warming almost-but-not-quite stories that is quickly tossed aside as soon as the favorite shows up and destroys the field. They do the montage with some spa style music about the athlete who is a goat farmer and learned to pole vault when he saw the Olympics on the village TV. He then incredibly practiced in the dark by tying a bunch of sticks together with twine, jumping over a hut and landing in a pile of rocks and glass. He is so full of passion, as we learn from his parents who are fat people with a fit child, making him even more incredible. Then they cut away to him at the event, talk him up with phrases like: he is the personification of the Olympic spirit, or just a simple goat farmer…and then he loses and he is forgotten and the montage roles about the athlete from the favorite country with its imposing techno music and it talks about how this guy has been training since he was two and has kicked ass his entire life at everything. His parents aren’t interviewed, but rather the coach who molded this athelte into the grand champion he is.
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So being the outsider, the Manchester Deli looks a bit rough and offers a so so atmosphere. But is has heart, and it’s what the spirit of making and serving burger is all about. It’s just a small place near the industrial area. Let’s see how it performs.
Bun 25/30
Given that the Manchester Deli has an unorthodox background, it comes as no surprise that its bun is laden with herbs. It’s a quirky style that it developed on its own, much like our celebrated pole vaulter, but it somehow works. It had good crunch on the outside, was nicely toasted on the inside, and contributed some flavours that made the overall burger experience interesting. Roll slow motion footage of the quirky technique while brain dead commentators beat it to death with mind-numbing commentary. Our guy is still in contention.
Meat 26/30
The meat in this burger is a solid, thick, and juicy patty that is well cooked. The heart of any burger, the meat must stand up and this burger certainly represents with pride. Olympic burger coverage will resume after a slo-mo cut away of our pole vaulter completing a jump, while commentary says, ‘he’s in it, but we are still yet to see (insert name of pole vaulting powerhouse).”
Toppings 23/30
Great bacon on this burger is the highlight of the topping portion of this event. The other toppings, particularly the tomato, were lacking in the freshness department, which really hurt the overall score. They were not terrible, but when compared to the quality of the meat and bun, they stand out as a weak point. Olympic burger coverage cuts to slo mo of our intrepid pole vaulter wincing after a failed jump with commentary saying, “What a story, but the difference in training regimens ultimately made the difference,” and go to commercial to never hear about this guy again.
Other considerations
I should note that the fries at this place are spectacular. They are thick cut, fresh, well seasoned, and come with your own bottle of cold ketchup. I also had a soup with my meal, which was equally impressive.
The Olympics teach us that you are only cool and relevant as long as:
1) you have a story that can be manipulated into something absolutely ridiculous
2) you win
Our friend the Manchester Deli falls into the first category. It’s an unknown hole in the wall in a hard to find place. It made waves for a bit and could have been a contender, but it unltimately has not cracked the medal platform and therefore, will be forgotten, as someone with a crazier back story, like a tennis player from an island nation that no one has heard of, who traind with a wooden racquet that washed up on shore using ball made out of tape by hitting it against the wall on the one school on the island, surely emerges.
Final Evaluation: What would you do to have one of these again?
I will watch Olympic coverage with the sound on.
White Gravy’s Overall Score: 86/100
I love industrial park eateries.
Rarely do they disappoint, largely because the food is so damn authentic.
Journey into anyone of Calgary’s many blue collar areas and you’ll find dozens of cafe’s, delis, and diners – and for the most part they are all pretty good.
Acting on a tip from a reader, BQ recently took a trip to the Manchester Industrial Park to see what the Manchester Deli Cafe could offer up (yes it is apparently both a deli AND a cafe – so it has to be good).
Overall experience 10/10
This is the kinda place where
- They open early because their customers start their days early
- They call you by name, and if the don’t know your name “sweetie” is good enough
- When you ask the waitress/owner what you should have, she gives you a clear and strong opinion
- She also gives you shit for not finishing you meal
- Random things adorn the walls, including a photo of a panda, a sketch of a polar bear, a photograph of the LRT that has a price tag of “$1,500 or OBO”, and a calendar complete with the dates that the Visa, MC and some gal named Donna are all due
- The cooks books placed on a side table seem to have been stolen from the Calgary Public Library long ago
- You can have a great meal for under 10 bucks (not including tip)
Yup, this is my kinda place.
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Bun 22/30
Probably the only weak point with this burger, and the lone thing keeping it out of the top 3, is the bun. While nicely toasted, I found it to be quite crumbly, to the point that it could not maintain its integrity through the entire meal. This is a weighty burger, with big, juicy toppings – it needs a bun that can handle that.
Meat 28/30
The meat is what makes this burger a standout. 7 ounces of quality beef, wonderfully seasoned, flame broiled and topped with perfectly crisp bacon. No chintzing out here – these guys are sourcing quality protein and preparing it in the right manner. If you are a true meat lover – you can triple your fun by having beef, bacon and ham all together on your burger.
Toppings 26/30
I’m not a Tomato guy but Manchester deserves a special shout out for finding the most burger-perfect tomatos I’ve ever seen. This things seemed genetically engineered to be the precise size to cover the entire burger patty and fit under the bun. Freakiest damn thing I’ve seen.
The lack of a pickle is a bit disappointing, but it is more than made up for thanks to the quality of the ingredients that are there. The aged cheddar in particular is a fantastic ooey-goey flavorful mess.
Other considerations
If Willy’s Hamburgers was still around, they would probably be in my top 5 – in part because of their French fries….which were thick, crunch and full of flavor. While not quite at that level, Manchester’s fires are the closest I’ve found.
A lot of Manchester’s business appears to be via take-out, but I would recommend sticking around to enjoy this food and to soak up the fantastic atmosphere. The staff are great – friendly but not afraid to kid around. It is the type of place that gets better every time you go there.
Final Evaluation: What would you do to have one of these again?
Finding this place is pretty tough – and while I pride myself on having a keen sense of direction (my wife probably disagrees) I will take the time to print out a google map of how to get to Machnester Deli – to ensure I don’t get lost along the way and miss a chance to wolf down this amazing grub.
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This place must be under new ownership. Had the burger, a tastless frozen patty. The “real american cheddar” overwhelmed everything with that disgusting processed cheese taste. Then the giant under cooked fries and tastless gravy. What a waste of time and money. Definatly not the same burger these guys had.
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