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Eats

Hamilton’s Real Burger serves up humble, honest, hearty handhelds

If you ask the team behind the family-run Real Burger in Waterdown, they’ll tell you the name of their restaurant is something they don’t take lightly. 

Open for nearly six years, the independently owned and operated restaurant – headed by husband and wife Ata Faraji and Ramesh Koulaji alongside daughter Rojin Faraji – is all about comfort food classics like burgers, fries, poutines, and chicken sandwiches; all made with a transparent commitment to high-quality local ingredients that you won’t find at your typical fast food joint. 

As Rojin tells us, her family’s journey to launching Real Burger in the Hamilton area came from a desire for a change of pace. 

“Growing up in Toronto and in the big city life, we wanted to take a break from that and start up in a much smaller city with a close-knit community feel,” she says. “We have been in the industry our whole lives with several accomplished previous restaurant ownerships, and it was time for us to show a new city what we have to offer.” 

So, in 2017, the family officially flung open the doors on Real Burger and began climbing their way to popularity. Ata, Ramesh, and Rojin are a keenly balanced and well-oiled machine, driving Real Burger’s day-to-day operations in ways that complement their individual skillsets. 

Ata takes the lead in the kitchen, but also uses his talent for photography to help create the restaurant’s charming visual appeal. Ramesh, a nutritionist by trade, is the one who curates Real Burger’s ingredients, supporting local while being mindful of choosing healthy and all-natural products. Meanwhile, Rojin keeps things moving behind the scenes, spearheading Real Burger’s social media and marketing efforts while continually crafting plans to move the business forward. 

It’s a formula that’s worked well for more than half a decade, helping Real Burger to cultivate a strong following and an impressive reputation among locals who tout their burgers as some of the best in the Hamilton area. 

Their popularity isn’t all that surprising. One look at the menu reveals a hearty range of offerings that are both delicious and diet inclusive: made-to-order burgers are joined by chicken sandwiches, hotdogs, Philly cheesesteaks, veggie burgers, poutines, and bun choices that include gluten-free and keto-friendly options. 

But it’s the burgers that are the primary draw, and Real Burger uses six ounces of locally sourced beef smashed on a flat-top grill for that perfect marriage of crispy edges with a juicy, soft interior. 

From there, the burgers are loaded onto buns provided by local bakery COBS Bread and customized using a solid array of toppings, with standard choices like lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, jalapeno, and banana pepper as well as numerous sauce selections like mustard, ketchup, garlic mayo, or their house-made Real Sauce. 

Premium toppings complete the picture for those who want to kick their handheld up a notch, with guacamole, fried egg, bacon, and caramelized onion on hand alongside a variety of cheese from mozzarella to cheddar to blue and beyond. 

To keep the menu inclusive and accessible for all guests, Real Burger also prioritizes gluten-free and vegan options and cooking processes, even ensuring that those products are cooked and handled with separate equipment to avoid cross-contamination. 

For Rojin and her family, though, one of the biggest keys to Real Burger’s enduring success comes through building lasting connections with their customer base. 

“Whether that’s having a genuine conversation with them for the first time, or remembering them from their last visit and just catching up, it’s the small details that make people choose a small business over a chain, and we really strive to give people a reason to keep choosing us,” she remarks. 

“For us it’s not just running a business; it’s about bringing customers into our home.”

Ata, Ramesh, and Rojin’s love for the local community even extends beyond the walls of their Waterdown restaurant, with Real Burger routinely giving back by donating to food banks, shelters, and youth programs in the city they’ve come to love; and though the restaurant faces many of the current struggles of other small businesses, including staffing shortages, the city continues to show their love right back. 

“Hamilton has been supportive of us throughout our journey, especially throughout the pandemic, by ordering and spreading the word of Real Burger. You will never experience this amount of loyalty in any other city.” 

Visit Real Burger at 94 Dundas Street East in Waterdown. See a full menu on their website, and follow them on social media here.

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