Restaurant Review: The Next Act Pub
THE NEXT ACT PUB 8224 104th Street ~ nextactpub.com Instagram: @nextactpub ~ Twitter: @NextActPub Co-Diners: The E.A.T Crew
I'm not sure if there is any other restaurant that epitomizes the Edmonton experience the way that The Next Act does. It's truly a local hotspot that is beloved by its community. They've been around for over 25 years and they are literally the heart of Old Strathcona. I've been a major fan for many, many years. The restaurant isn't flashy and it doesn't need to be. They never seem to change much of anything and they don't need to. Everyone loves them just the way that they are and it's probably because they haven't wavered from the comfortable experience and delicious food that we all know and crave. The Next Act usually lands on just about every list; VUE Weekly named them #1 Best Hamburgers 2018, #1 Best French Fries 2018, #1 Best Pub Food 2018 & #1 Best Favourite Mainstay 2018. CBC Edmonton's Best Restaurants 2019 cautions that you Don’t Skip the Dishes Here. And Avenue Magazine calls them the Best Pub 2020. What more do you need to know? Because it's all true. You'll also find them in the Worldwide Faves section of this website! I visited on a Sunday afternoon and was ready to crush some serious eats. The restaurant, right in the center of the action, is located in the theatre district and has always been known as a theatre hangout - hence the restaurant's name. Now flanked on either side by their sister restaurants; MEAT and pip (and a new sandwich shop opening soon across the street), The Act has gone full monopoly on their little corner, but in the most humble way that you could imagine. The inside of the restaurant never seems to change and you are always greeted by the comfortable and familiar green-wrapped booths and chairs. There's usually a selection of rotating local art on the walls but otherwise it's always the way that you remembered it. The space isn't that big, it's always lively and noisy, and the staff is always friendly. We grabbed a booth by the window and looked around, noting how good it felt to be there. My first visit was likely around 17 years ago and the space is just as easy-going and welcoming today as it ever was. Gazing over the menu, there is obviously a large emphasis on liquor, from beer on tap (they even have their very own brew called Next Act Black) to cans, many from local breweries. If you're more of a cocktail person such as myself, they've got you. You'll find several boozy mixed drinks on the menu and I couldn't resist the Siren's Cup ($13.00) because it sounded perfectly seasonal.
I mean, what more do you want on a snowy day in Edmonton?? I'll wait... I liked this drink a lot because a warm hot chocolate on a cold day is always ideal and this one was nicely boozy (2oz) and tasted great. I especially loved the flavour of coconut. Dessert in a glass! When it comes to the food, the selection and quality is always much better than you would expect from a place like this. It might be a pretty low-key pub but the food is very special. The highlight are the burgers to be sure, but there are lots of other items to choose from as well. On this visit I decided to try the Classic Nachos ($18.00) with pulled pork added ($5.00). I'd never had them before and I heard that they were quite good.
They arrived in a scalding hot pan and we immediately dug in! I liked that the coverage of the toppings on the chips was very good and every bite was filled with flavour. There were hidden layers of cheesy goodness to be discovered, salty strands of delicious pork, and juicy tomatoes sprinkled throughout. I really enjoyed the spicy kick from the jalapeños as well. The sides of homemade guacamole and salsa were also delightful because they tasted incredibly fresh. I liked these a lot. They may not have been the best nachos that I've ever had but they were certainly solid. Next, I obviously needed to try a burger because that's what The Next Act is the most famous for. I was very dazzled by the Buffalo Fried Chicken Sandwich (will definitely be ordering this next time!!) but was sure to stick to my burger guns on this particular visit. It had to be The PB&J ($19.00). Although the Pyrotechnic sounds very good as well.
All of the burgers come with housemade fries and the fries are amazing. Which always makes things super difficult because they've also got the best House Salad of all-time which you can substitute for $1. This salad includes mixed greens, pea shoots, almonds, grapes and strawberries with housemade white balsamic honey vinaigrette. The salad always comes well-dressed and it's been the exact same for years. Never change a thing! As incredible as the fries are, I almost always sub the salad because it's so special. The crunch from the almonds and the sweet juiciness from the strawberries and grapes are always perfect. Onto the burger!! Each one is served on a soft housemade brioche bun and topped with lettuce, tomato, pickle and mayo. You've gotta take a really big bite to get a taste of the whole thing! Right away, I could taste the quality of the burger itself. They aren't messing around with their meat and they are simply creating the best product possible. The flavour is fresh and real. The peanut butter was a wonderful melty mess and I loved the bits of crunch within it. If anything, I wanted more peanut butter! I wish that the bacon jam had been more prominent. I felt that it got pretty lost among the other ingredients and I could barely detect it. All in all, this was just a good burger. Everything was fresh, the bun was soft and warm, and the meat was excellent. The Next Act also does a Cameo Burger that changes each week, offering interesting and innovative concoctions that are very fun to try. The best way to keep up with the current cameo is to follow along on Instagram where they always announce what their latest invention is. Lastly, there is always room for dessert. The Next Act does one dessert and one dessert only. It's called the Feature Cookie ($10.00) and like the Cameo, it switches out from time to time.
On my visit it was a peanut butter cookie with mini Reese's Cups, topped with chocolate ice cream and Old Dutch Rip-L chips. So you know, they were definitely speaking my language with this one. The pan is searing hot and you have to be careful not to burn your wrist while you're digging in. The cookie itself is big, golden and crisp on the outside, but ultra soft and gooey on the inside. The pops of of melty peanut butter cups were wonderful and the over-all big peanut butter flavour was awesome. I liked the chocolate ice cream on top, which really crated an interesting play on hot and cold. And of course the salty crunch from the chips was perfection. It was really comforting to see that everything was just the way that I had left it at The Next Act. Sometimes it's nice when things stay the same and the things that you love don't mess around too much. The menu does tend to change a little bit here and there but they really understand their audience and keep most of the classics around. One sandwich that I used to be obsessed with was the Fish Sandwich which is no longer on the menu. It involved seared halibut with a crunchy caper slaw and I used to order it EVERY. TIME. If they could bring that back, even just as a Cameo, I would be incredibly overjoyed. The Next Act makes me happy, plain and simple. I know that the entire community agrees. I hope that they continue doing what they do for another 25 years and beyond.
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