Hackney's on Harms
by Pat Bruno
Hackney's on Harms has been around as long as I can remember and a lot of years before that. Opened in 1939, it's too bad it doesn't have a figure to throw around about the number of burgers it has served. Definitely, Hackney's is a hamburger kind of place. When you open the menu (snappy green cover), the first thing that catches your eye is the bold type that reads: "The Famous Hackney Burger." And those three words, by the way, are registered (the circled R is right there). Just below those three words is this choice information: "Since 1939, The Original half-pounder. Often imitated, never duplicated. Hackney's dark rye or bun, fries, sliced or grilled onion, Hackney's cole slaw." The next line notes the price ($7.75) and that for an additional 60 cents you can have your burger with American, Swiss or cheddar cheese.
Of course, there's more to ponder than just hamburgers. There are sandwiches galore (chicken breast, turkey, Reuben, corned beef and more), but Hackney's made it big with its beef, as in burger, so let's start there. When I did my best-hamburgers article a few months ago, I did not include Hackney's. I got a lot of flack about that. I mentioned some displeasure with a couple of Hackney Burgers while doing my research. I must have caught an off night.
Over the years, I figure I have eaten at Hackney's maybe 20 or 30 times, so I was a bit concerned that things might be slipping. After putting away a couple of burgers on a recent visit, I am happy to report that all appears to be well at this North Shore favorite. The burgers were every bit as good as I remembered (and wanted them to be), which means good meat that gave its all in flavor and pure enjoyment. At the risk of sounding like I am obsessed with hamburgers, I will say that I find total and ultimate satisfaction in a really good hamburger. Hackney's uses a good bun, too, one that held up to a firm grip (mine) and a gentle grip (my wife). A separate plate loaded with excellent fries was in the center of the table, and those disappeared really fast. A small cup of creamy coleslaw rounded things out.
If you are coming in with a heavy appetite, you should consider another "famous" dish here -- Hackney's original french-fried onions. The menu calls it a "brick," and it is just that -- a compact and mighty (height and width) brick of fried onions. The only way to eat it is to stab your fork into the loaf and shatter off hunks of the onions. Warning: This onion loaf is (most often) greasy, so if fried foods are a problem, go easy or not at all.
Other eating possibilities at Hackney's include steaks and ribs. And then there are the daily specials on the back page of the menu. For example, Wednesday is meatloaf, Thursday is corned beef and cabbage and, of course, Friday is seafood, as in lake perch, walleyed pike and sea scallops. The only special I can comment on is the corned beef and cabbage, which is quite good (and plenty). I am not throwing out a bunch of superlatives here, because what's there to say about slices of tender corned beef laid atop cooked cabbage? On the other hand, the price of $7.95 makes it that much more special.
