Review: Good Burger – a small, friendly burger joint in Dalry

This may be a controversial review because I like Good Burger. I like their food, and I’ve always had great customer service.

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I’m going to write an (I suspect doomed to a never-ending series of updates and revisions) “Best Burgers in Edinburgh”, and I’m going to put Good Burger in it.

So, why the controversy? Not everyone’s experiences are the same. That’s true for everywhere, but I’m aware of some extremes for Good Burger.

Birdy ordered a Good Burger delivery, which arrived as a soggy mess. I actually had the nerve to mention this to Good Burger’s boss the next time I was in, and he had some frustrations with the multi-national delivery company with no full-time employees he was using. I suspect that these delivery services are much of a muchness, I have a lot of time for the riders themselves, even if they get creative with stacking orders but I also suspect that generously heaped burgers simply do not travel well.

However, we also wrote up Good Burger’s opening (it’s taken me ages to write this), and as a result, we’ve been made aware of other customers who didn’t have a good experience.

On the flip side, we don’t normally do a preview post (we just caught Good Burger in their soft launch phase) so other places we’ve reviewed haven’t been subjected to the same chance to attract negative comments.

Ultimately, I can only draw on my own experience and the TL;DR of that is friendly service and great burgers.

See, controversy!

Good Burger’s food

Burgers, burgers, more burgers, but not exclusively burgers. I’ve had loaded fries each time I’ve gone, but that also means I’ve not had the shakes.

Good Burger is in the mode of the gourmet burger specialists that have swept the country. Individually, they’re small businesses but collectively, they’ve taken chunks out of the big burger franchises because everything about them is better (except for the marketing).

As well as any loaded/dirty fries options to chow down on, I’d recommend both the Good Burger and the Dexter Special. The Good Burger is an x4 patty burger, and the Dexter Special contains piles of donner. The next time I go, I’m having (probably) the Ed Special, which also contains donner but with a fried chicken base rather than a beef burger.

I’ve only ever eaten in the wee takeaway, so I can’t personally comment on how the delivery stacks up. Eating in means the food, freshly made, is put in front of you and is piping hot and delicious. I’d make sure you have lots of napkins.

Good Burger’s vibe

I’ve not seen the 1997 Good Burger movie (or the 2023 sequel), which is a teen comedy based on the Nickelodeon TV series All That. There’s a mix of vibes from the last decade and young people there!

In truth, I think it is only the nostalgia of the movie that inspires Good Burger because I don’t think there’s much else that connects the two. Certainly, people wearing cheesy American-style diner outfits, including weird sailor hats, don’t greet and patronise you.

NOTE from Birdy: There’s the famous slogan lit up behind the counter! “Welcome to Good Burger, home of the Good Burger, can I take your order?’ – it’s what got me so excited about this place in the first instance, and why I told you about it whilst sounding like an excited child. Oh my Girdy, keep up!

It is a small burger joint/takeaway just across from Fountain Park. There’s enough room for two or three people to eat at the benches along the wall, but a pram and family cannot relax comfortably. That’s fine with me. I don’t need much space, but I wouldn’t want to try to eat the Dexter Special while walking back home.

I’ve always chatted with the person at the counter whenever I went to Good Burger. It’s the polite small talk you’d expect in a retail situation, but I always find it endears me to the place, and it’s certainly much better than the dull-eyed star of some McMinimum Pay worker with an abusive manager. There is also a TV on the wall playing (which tends to be) music videos or clips from around the world.

Things to do in Dalry

I almost titled this section “Thing to do in Fountainbridge” because Fountain Park with the Cineworld, Genting Casino and the crazy golf experience of Volcano Falls is just across the road. However, Fountainbridge proper takes you back towards the town centre, and Good Burger is on Dundee Street, which means Dalry and the Athletic Arms.

If Fountainpark has nothing for you, and if it’s the right time of the year, you could make Good Burger your stamina recovery stop after rowing on Union Canal. Alternatively, Edinburgh Printmakers is a relatively short walk away.

Overall

My experience with Good Burger has been great, and the little hamburger takeaway is a reason to visit Cineworld rather than go to a Vue cinema.

Go to Good Burger with an appetite and the ability to scan a loaded menu, make a food decision quickly, sit in and chow down for the best experience.