The Next Act Pub - Edmonton, AB

My friend Kat is an avid reader of "All Eric Can Eat" (literally a groupie for this website), so when I told her I needed an eating companion for the blog, she JUMPED at the chance. It's always a great thing when you find people who will go try new restaurants with you. I had mentioned a couple of restaurants that I wanted to review and out of all the options, Kat chose The Next Act Pub.

Located in a great area (just off the busy street), The Next Act is in a perfect spot to attract people walking on Whyte Ave. Best known for their burgers, the Next Act Pub has a very lively atmosphere. It was a beautiful Thursday night and this place was definitely a full house, including a number of people enjoying the weather outside.

The menu at the Next Act isn't very big. It's really only a page of classic pub food consisting of burgers, sandwhiches, nachos, wings, and other snacks. We were quickly seated in what can only be called a beer-soaked tavern. Like most pubs, the floor had a nice sticky feel to it. On the televisions, sports were playing and the taps had a great selection of beers.

The "Director" Burger

After looking through the menu, I decided to get "The Director" burger, which is an all beef patty topped with slices of avocado, jack cheese and stewed green chilies. The beef burger had a very pleasant meaty texture. There was a good amount of fat, which caused the meat to be moist and juicy. The avocado added a nice creamy texture and the pickles provided a great sour taste. All burgers are topped with the standard lettuce, pickles and tomatoes. The bun was super soft and fluffy but slightly too big for the size of the patty. All of this added to the fact that they were nice additions to the burgers.

All of the burgers and sandwhiches come with a side of house fries, which can be substituted for a soup or salad (for an extra $1). The side of fries that came with each of our burgers were HUGE (as you can see from the picture)! It was clear that the fries were freshly cut in house and fried to a perfect crisp. Most fries tend to leave a greasy feel on your fingers, but not these ones. They were hot and salted very nicely.

The "Drama Queen" Burger

Against my advice, Kat decided on "The Drama Queen" burger (understand that she's not even a vegetarian) also with a heaping side of fries. The "Drama Queen" is a veggie patty made up of black beans and rice, topped also with avocado, pea shoots and cheddar. Kat said she buys veggie burgers on occasion because they are usually very tasty. However, I was disappointed because this veggie patty was so tasteless. The extra fixings (ie. avocado) were nice as usual, but the patty itself could have used A LOT more seasoning.

The portions at The Next Act Pub are enormous and we left our with bellies full. Service at the The Next Act was below average to average. The waitresses weren't overly helpful nor enthusiatic. Yet, the atmosphere was lively and I could see this restaurant as a place to go to hang out. I would put this beef patty in the top 5 burger places I've had in Edmonton but the veggie burger was a HUGE disappointment. I will likely return to the Next Act Pub again.

http://www.nextactpub.com

Top Pick of the Night: "The Director" Burger

Rating:

3.5/5 Erics