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Red Wagon Burgers & Fish Restaurant Review

March 16, 2021 By Don Doman 8 Comments

At the Red Wagon in Tacoma I had to bend one piece of fish into the take-home container to make it fit so I could close the lid. A recent comment about food in one of my articles published in The Suburban Times featured a remark from a reader about Red Wagon Burgers, but it wasn’t about the burgers. The comment was about the large portion of fish in the Fish and Chips served there. I returned from there with a take-home piece of fish for my wife. She loved it . . . there was enough to share . . . still.

Peg and I ate at Red Wagon in Westgate when it opened is 2016. The oysters were nothing to write home about. Peg had a mushroom burger, which she enjoyed and I had wished I had ordered. Our friend Donna enjoyed her burger too. Peg shared a bite. It was good, but gourmet burger? I don’t know. I’ve had as good or better in other restaurants. The Gourmet Burger Shop in Gig Harbor is better, but to be fair they cost about four dollars more but really seem worth it. Spanky Burgers on Sixth Avenue in Tacoma are a favorite stop-over for a late lunch or early dinner as well.

I had to bend one piece of fish into the take-home container to make it fit so I could close the lid.

We have avoided Red Wagon for five years even though we get Valpak coupons every month offering a Gourmet Cheeseburger Meal for only $8.75 with fries and soft drink.

In celebration of vaccine and inoculations, my buddy Jim Harris and I renewed our monthly lunch get-together. I picked up Jim at his place and drove to Red Wagon on North Pearl solely based on a reader’s comment about a large portion of Fish and Chips. I ordered the fish combo, which included two oysters, two shrimp, and two pieces of fish. The oysters were small and only okay. Of course I had just dined the day before at Anthony’s for their Oyster Fest, so it was hardly fair to compair the two. The shrimp were straight instead of curly and better than the oysters. The fish, now . . . that’s a different story. There were two pieces. The smaller piece looked about the size of a man’s fold-over wallet . . . a stuffed wallet. I should have asked for a lemon wedge, but I ate the fish bit by bit. Jim managed to eat his entire burger (it looked a little rare to me, but I didn’t hear the order). I was surprised.

Peg had a mushroom burger, which she enjoyed and I had wished I had ordered.

Red Wagon has restaurants in Tacoma, Puyallup, and Tumwater. I don’t know why they aren’t in Lakewood, Tillicum, DuPont, or Lacey. It would seem like a natural in each of those locations. – redwagonburgers.com

Red Wagon offers a small space. Currently there were only two tables for dining in. Most of the tables were blocked off to allow people standing (spaced out) in line to order. Jim noted the very nice and colorful comic book art on the walls. There’s a lot of red of course, but the art was great. We had excellent service by Natasha. She was very helpful and she made sure we were comfortable and had everything we needed. The fries were good. The second piece of fish is the one I had to bend so that it would fit in my “to go” styrofoam carrier. At home I laid out a plastic ruler to check the size. Straightened out it was more than nine inches long and the width was just over two inches to about four. Reheated with a squeeze of lemon and the Red Wagon tarter sauce it was still very tasty. Peg even saved a bite or two for a late night snack for herself. I will return with Peg and try out their other seafood offerings! We’ll probably even try out their burgers again, too,

We get Valpak coupons every month offering a Gourmet Cheeseburger Meal for only $8.75.

For more of our local restaurant reviews please visit Eating Out Tacoma – eating-out-tacoma.com

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About Don Doman

Don Doman: Professional writer and author. Ideas and Training - Human Resources/business training products for modern business. PublicDoman - Video production, internet video, website construction and online marketing and social media. NW Adventures - Fun places to visit in the Pacific Northwest: Great Restaurants, Lodging, and People. The Doman Directories - Business directory listings for many categories in Tacoma, Pierce County, and Washington State.

Comments

  1. Scott says

    March 16, 2021 at 4:44 pm

    Red wagon on pearl st. has a really good philly cheese steak sandwichin my opinion they are the best in tacoma.

    Reply
    • Don Doman says

      March 16, 2021 at 6:42 pm

      Scott,
      Thanks for commenting. You know . . . I think they have a coupon for that. A large Philly Cheese State Meal for $10.95 . . . if I add onion rings I’ll be set . . . for hours.
      Thanks for sharing.
      Don

      Reply
  2. Rachel Cade-Williams says

    March 16, 2021 at 4:46 pm

    The onion rings at the Puyallup location are extremely great!

    Reply
    • Don Doman says

      March 16, 2021 at 6:38 pm

      Rachel,
      Thanks for commenting. Onion rings are a favorite of mine. I love them at Spanky’s and Cloverleaf of all places. I will try them on our next run to the Red Wagon in Westgate.
      Thanks for sharing.
      Don

      Reply
  3. Jean S Reddish says

    March 17, 2021 at 8:33 am

    Styrofoam container? When is Tacoma going to get with the recycling program?

    Reply
    • Don Doman says

      March 17, 2021 at 8:54 am

      Jean,
      Thanks for the comment. I like to believe that perhaps the styrofoam container was purchased and a bulk buy and now they are still just using containers from the purchase five years ago.
      Thanks for sharing.
      Don

      Reply
  4. Lynda says

    March 17, 2021 at 11:21 am

    We go to Red Wagon at least once a week. Their food is amazing! The Philly Steak is my favorite and all I order, my husband gets the burger and does Philly every other time. The fries are the best. We do the Puyallup location. Oh, yes, onion rings, are good too!

    Reply
    • Don Doman says

      March 18, 2021 at 3:27 am

      Lynda,
      Thanks for commenting.
      This is the second times someone has remarked about the Puyallup location and the onion rings. I guess Peg and I will have to drive to Puyallup and try them out. Onion rings are a favorite . . . and the Philly Steak as been a winner on many other comments as well. Thanks for sharing!
      Don

      Reply

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