Down the Hatch - a taste of Canada without the flight!

I moved to Scotland from Canada so long ago that homesickness is a bit of a dull ache I rarely notice: until I walk into Down the Hatch. It’s hard to define what makes a burger place Canadian, but I know it when I find it. 

Walls are decorated with hockey jerseys, Canadian stickers, flags and ice skates. The big screen is showing Hockey Night in Canada. An older couple at the adjacent table was visiting from the south of England. She hadn’t been “home” in 10 years and was emotional because she said it felt so Canadian. I’m suddenly a bit overcome.

A friendly waiter from Tor-ono (we don’t pronounce the second T) delivers the menu and calls my son “buddy”. I’m about to start singing Bryan Adams to anyone who will listen. But instead I order a rootbeer: a caramel-flavoured cola that smells of bubblegum, probably the closest North America gets to Irn Bru. Canadian beer, spirits and cocktails are also on offer.

Then into the food: a Hail Caesar burger for me. The classic Canadian combo of chicken strips and Caesar salad is here served in a bun with a topping of crispy bacon. Delicious. But if you want to try all the hits on the menu, bring an 18-year old with you. What they lack in verbosity they make up for in stomach capacity. My son had the G.O.A.T - a bacon cheeseburger with onion rings. “Very good,” he said. He washes this down with the mac’n’cheese of the day (Korean BBQ Chicken) and a basket of assorted Chicken Wings. The mac could have been cheesier but still enjoyable. Crispy Buffalo Wings were his star of the night.

We shared a side of Poutine: perhaps Canada’s best known culinary export. I don’t usually stray beyond the classic (chips, cheese curds and gravy), but we both really enjoyed the maple bacon option. As my son said, “no notes.” 

If we had one disappointment it was the desserts. The otherwise meticulously Canadian menu falls short here, with only milkshakes on offer. Some Canadian desserts (yes, we do have them) or flavours would have rounded out the evening. 

Down the Hatch isn’t just for the expat. This is great burger and fries fare that anyone in need of a big feed (topped with cheese and bacon) will appreciate. A taste of the true North, without the transatlantic flight. (Rachel Edwards)

Down the Hatch, 13 Antigua Street, Edinburgh, EH1 3NH - 0131 374 5566 hello@downthehatchcafe.com

downthehatchdiner.com

Open Sun to Thurs 12 noon to 11pm, Fri and Sat 12 noon to midnight

Also at Port Edgar Marina , South Queensferry 0131 331 1387