Update: I’d written this post and was about to schedule it to go live when Golden Fried closed its doors in March. BUT I’m thrilled to report that they’ve opened up again! They’ve recalibrated things, to align with updated safety rules and such. Details HERE.
This being a small town, I’ve long been aware that Isaac Loewen has a true love for food and the knowledge to go along with it. (Because I know his partner, the very lovely and talented Julie Ellis.) So when I found out that he was going to open a restaurant in Steinbach, I was thrilled!
And that place… is Golden Fried Burgers & Fries. Filled with flat-out good GOOD food, made with fantastic ingredients, as local and fresh as possible.
Let me tell you, words nor pictures can do this place justice. But also, I cannot help myself — I’ve gotta try!
Andrew and I have been eating at Golden Fried a LOT. And I’ve been taking a lot of pictures. Here are some of them. Join me… for a little Gallery of Golden Fried:
Always reminds me of that scene from ‘The Outsiders’ … and that’s such a good thing. “Stay gold, ponyboy. Stay gold.”This is how they debuted their burgers — with edible gold leaf, just a toonie extra! This place is ridiculous fun & love.Pretty sure this is the Golden Burger that Andrew always gets. He adds bacon and blue cheese to his, and it is SO YUM.Another Golden Burger, and the chilli cheese dog. Best chilli cheese dog EVAH.THIS. Okay this was my favourite regional burger. I think it was called the Oklahoma… okay I forget what. But the deal is first Isaac caramelizes onions on the grill, when they get crispy he smashes the amazing ‘smash patty’ on top and it captures and soaks up all that good rich sweet onion flavour and then there’s some melty cheese on there and the bun is perfection and this needs nothing else… just perfection. Complete and utter burger perfection.This is how fun these folks are: this was called “The Bane of Dracula” and it was created for the week of Halloween only, with this beautiful messy beet relish, and then for fun “bones” — you know, those cheezies that were in the shape of bones for Halloween? Yeah. Fun and tasty!BEST SHAKE OF MY LIFE. They invent and feature one new shake a month, and once it’s gone, it’s gone. So, this had been the S’mores shake and IT WAS AMAZING. Just an example of the thought and effort they put into each element, check out the marshmallow garnish — that’s a house-made marshmallow, flame-toasted before serving!After work, stopping here for supper and a beer. (Okay, that’s a shake in front of me… SO GOOD.) Yeah, they serve beer (and cider) here! They’re good beers too. Local!This was a different regional burger. Yep, every month they create a new burger with a nod to a certain region… I forget what this was but isn’t it gorgeous? Oh it was a messy one. My mouth is watering just looking at this photo.Let me introduce you to their Fancy Fries. So, under that goodness you’ll find first a smash patty, then melty cheese, then crisp fresh lettuce, then their special zingy sauce which I cannot get enough of, topped with house pickles. This is great for folks who cannot have gluten… but we just like to share the Fancy Fries as a side!A sexy pair.I was not sure how this would photograph. Words cannot do this apple fritter justice. Nor can this photo. Get ’em when they’re fresh (you’ll find the FYI on their social media) and it’ll CHANGE YOUR LIFE. The dark bits are crispy perfection, the hollows are where the glaze pools… every bite is sooooo satisfying!Yet another serving of Fancy Fries for Andrew & I to share. Because obviously.This is my most favourite burger ever and it cannot ever be topped. There will never be a better burger. Ever. There just won’t. This is their mushroom & gouda burger and I’m so excited they’ve added it to their permanent menu! Look at that gorgeous mushroom peeking out there. Oh my, so good. (And yes, that bun IS as good as it looks. Wait, it’s better. Anyway. It’s divine. A perfect burger bun.)Big news! Golden Fried is now serving breakfast! They’re open at 8am Tues-Sun. I stopped in for a breakfast date with a friend this weekend and we were filled with delight the entire time. They make their own english muffins, too! My friend had the apple fritter french toast and it’s even tastier than the name suggests. She’s not one given to exaggeration, and she did say it changed her life. Oh, and the coffee’s from Ten Thousand Villages and it’s wonderful. Also, morning is a stellar time to get a donut from Golden Fried. Always ALWAYS worth it. *swoon*The wedge salad! They make their own ranch and it’s very very delicious. The iceberg lettuce is perfectly crisply chilled and the ratio of bacon and blue cheese are ideal. Definitely getting this again!Poutine! The fries stand up to the gravy perfectly, the cheese curds are so tasty and melty, and the gravy is house-made from scratch… oh this is goooooood.Another regional burger, the Juicy Lucy! This style hails from Minneapolis. Look at that huge patty! Stuffed inside is all manner of delicious cheeses. And yes, they exploded out of there, sorry but the mess wouldn’t have photographed well, but it was so worth it!Love this wall, filled with Steinbach icons. Locate them all!Soon this patio will be filled with joyful diners and sippers!If you park behind the Steinbach Credit Union, just take this tunnel, it’ll lead you straight to Golden Fried, just like the sign says.
Here’s where you can keep up-to-date with all the Golden Fried goings-on:
