We were in New Westminster for a comedy show, so decided to head down early to make an evening of things. Georgie’s came recommended for the view, and it did not disappoint on that front. With an all window wall, there are plenty of tables along this train track side perch. And even those not adjacent were positioned for a vantage point as well.
As the locals watering hole (as the name suggests), the place was lively this Friday evening. The staff were few and the needs of the customers many. With no one to greet you at the door, we sought to seat ourselves, and naturally bee-lined it to the all windowed back wall.
We grabbed a lovely two top with a view of the bridge on one end and the length of the Fraser River on the other.
We started with a pint of beer for him and a 9oz glass of red for me. There was quite the wait for this non-mixed drink, only for my wine glass to be stained and greasy on the lip. I asked our server for a clean glass, explaining the situation. I got the glass to transfer wine from one to another, whereas I would expect our server to claim the dirty glass, extend an apology, and bring me a fresh glass of wine all together. My partner chalked this up to the youth and inexperience of all the young waitresses.
For food we ordered three dishes, asking for it to come as soon as it was ready. As a bar they had a mix of pub classics and more casual plates. We would stick with the latter to play it safe in hopes of not being disappointed.
I was craving the tangy spice of a hot wing so ordered that. The platter was plenty, each wing and drumlet double fried for an extra hard and dry crunch. The dip was a ranch that was dull, so I asked for a serving of the blue cheese instead, to help contrast and add interest to my sour saucy wing.
The blue cheese dip came out chunky and watery. It had the flavour I was expecting, but not texture. It also looked unappealing, somewhat like vomit. Nonetheless I still ate my share, picking my bones clean of meat.
This is all that we would have, because for the 75 minutes we were there the rest of our food did not come and our show started at 7:30pm. So at 7:30pm we alerted the server and told her we needed the rest of our meal packed up to go. Which was such a shame as what we ordered was best eaten warm.
So take the following with a grain of salt, as they became leftovers that we had the next day.
The Spinach Dip was flat. Cream cheese, mozzarella, garlic, artichoke hearts, and corn tortilla chips for dipping. The chips we had to toast to get its crunch back and the dip was water logged after a night in the fridge. We had it cold, but I could imagine it being served baked warm. Not worth $17 for a small fist sized container. I didn’t even remember to take photos of it.
The Georgie Burger was cheddar, bacon, shredded lettuce, tomato, and burger sauce. Luckily we didn’t get the fully loaded option we were originally eyeing with more and for more price-wise. After a spin in the microwave and some time in the air fryer we got it to a nice texture. Crispy bun and soft patty, but I still found in bland, so added a generous amount of mayonnaise, ketchup, and mustard for seasoning and moisture. I find that, that is the key to livening up leftovers: adding something tangy and fresh to make it anew. The beef patty was decent, not juicy but not dry or overcooked either. And there was also a good amount of bacon over top, adding it/ crispy texture and salty flavour to the mix. The lettuce didn’t make it, coming out wilted and soggy. The tomato did, but felt stingy as a single slice. Overall this burger was nothing to revisit, but the sting of having to taken to go isn’t so bad.
We upgraded our side of fries to poutine and this definitely did not travel well. Leftover fries are not an enjoyable a day old, even with gravy and cheese. We did what we could with the airfryer and found the fries decent and the cheesy stringy. This did not look like it was worth what we paid for.
Overall, not a great experience. The view was nice, but the service and food did not rise to the occasion. I do not think I will be visiting them again. And this proves my point that service and ambiance are just as important as the food when dining out.
Georgie’s Local Kitchen + Bar
250 Columbia St, New Westminster, BC V3L 1A6,
(604) 517-2966
georgieslocal.ca
