Well, it’s been fun. But all good things must come to an end. That’s what gives it value. Honestly, I could keep on doing reviewing burgers for this blog and I would be a happy man. However, if I do, then celebrating #nationalhamburgermonth wouldn’t be a big deal for me. It would be just something I would do each and every week. And I wouldn’t like that. I do eat burgers outside Burger Month but devoting an entire time month to really spread my joy does feel fantastic. Not only that, it does give me the impetus to try out burger joints that I may never tried. I know I can review burgers from already established places like McDonald’s and Jollibee and I have. But, mainly, I would like to shine a spotlight on the lesser known places on my rather small platform.

This week, to close out Burger Month, I did the latter. In fact, if you pass by the place I’m highlighting today, you might not even think it serves burgers and the name and the facade doesn’t really look like it does if you’re not looking closely. It looks more like a bakery from the outside. Then again, that sort of makes sense and, despite it being a pretty small restaurant, they pride themselves in making their own buns as well as other baked goods such as cinnamon rolls. Even the name doesn’t scream “this is a place where you can get good burgers.” Sandwiched in between a Mexican coffee cafe and a shop that restoring shoes is Poonie’s Goodies, which is the burger joint I decided to close out this year’s Burger Month with.

Now, Poonie’s Goodies is, shall we say, a very intimate place. I say that because, as hinted by the storefront, it’s a very small and narrow place. That’s not a knock on the restaurant. In fact, they do make good use of the limited space with the entire front section being the dining area while the back is where they do all of the cooking and baking. They definitely took inspiration on the more kitschy/nostalgic diner we see in movies and TV. I wasn’t able to take a picture of the dining area as the place was pretty full and I didn’t want to disturb the other patrons. You can check out their Facebook page which I linked above to get a good idea of what I mean. Side note: their social media presentations are on point.

Anyway, looking through Poonie’s Goodies menu, they do have some good stuff. Not only do they have burgers but they also have fried chicken sandwiches, baked goods like the aforementioned cinnamon rolls and some other fun stuff like milkshakes and root beer floats. That last part makes me wish I’m not lactose intolerant!

They only really have three kinds of burgers and, I’m just guessing, they’re pretty much the same kind of burger but with different fixings. But there was one burger they had that I thought was interesting as it has an interesting name: The Poonpoonator. With a name like that, it has to be something more than just a burger, right? So, I did inquire what a Poonpoonator was and, based on the description, I knew this was the one I had to order, which I did. I’ll get to it later because I want to show you the picture of what it is before I do tell you what the Poonpoonator contains. The burger also comes with a side of fries as well as their houseblended iced tea. I made my order and sat down at one of the quaint tables there.

After a few minutes I was served my Poonie’s Goodies Poonpoonator burger with fries and houseblended iced tea. I knew going in the Poonpoonator was going to be massive but I didn’t really think it was going to be this huge! So, the Poonpoonator is a burger that has two quarter pound beef patties, two slices of cheese, bacon and onion rings in between their in-store baked hamburger buns, which are slathered with their own special sauce. Oh, I almost forgat there’s also a slice of lettuce in it. Even without the lettuce, that’s a lot!

Aesthetically, I also have to mention Poonie’s Goodies presentation is really good. There’s a certain classiness but in a simple way to it. I do like how everything is plated. I love the strainer-like plate for the burger. I like the cone container that holds the fries. I like how they give you bottles of condiments when they serve you the food. Then again, all the pretty presentation doesn’t matter if the food sucks. So, how is Poonie’s Goodies’ Poonpoonator burger and fries?

Well, first, let’s talk about the main star: the Poonpoonator burger. There’s a lot to like about the burger! The burger patties were nice and juicy. They were cooked really well but, by itself, which I had to eat all by its lonesome in order to actually eat the entire thing, is a tad lacking in salt. Then again, the special sauce on the burger does make up for that. So, it all balances out. The cheese was nicely melted but still clung to the burger really well. I also have to say that Poonie’s Goodies’ bun are excellent. They have a hint of sweetness to them but it does add to the experience rather than being a distraction. They were also toasted really well and there was a nice pillowy and airy texture to them. The buns, while they did struggle with the heft of the double patty and everything else in the burger, still managed to retain their integrity, which is pretty amazing considering how much they had to contain!

I do have a few nitpicks with the Poonpoonator and it’s mostly because of how much stuff is in it. I know there are onion rings and lettuce in the burger but I couldn’t really taste them because of how much burger there is already. They don’t really add a whole lot to the experience. The bacon did have a nice crisp to them, adding a nice textural component. But, like with the onion rings and the lettuce, the bacon was just overwhelmed by everything else. Then again, with this much going on, it’s going to be hard for these components to really stand out. Still, I do love the concept of just loading stuff on the burger and they do have the right idea.

Moving on to the fries, they were really good as well! They had a nice crisp outside while still being pretty soft on the inside. I really like the seasoning on the fries also as they were nicely salted. A part of me wishes that I could get more because of how good they were. But, then again, with the size of the Poonpoonator, I think the amount I did get was enough.

Now, the Poonpoonator with fries and houseblend iced tea does come off as a little bit pricey. The entire meal costs P365 Philippine pesos. Then again, that’s just short of around $6 US. So, definitely more expensive than any burger you would get at McDonald’s. But it’s still either on par or priced slightly lower than other more “premium” burger places here in the Philippines. Considering the amount of food you get, I do think it’s priced fairly.

With all of that said, I have to say Poonie’s Goodies’ Poonpoonator and fries is an excellent way to close out this year’s Burger Month. While it is a bit overstuffed, I can’t deny the Poonpoonator burger is still one of the better burgers I’ve had in all my life. It’s worth the price and I do recommend you try it if you a burger lover such as myself.

So, with that, we come to the end of Burger Month for 2026. It’s been a blast and I’m already looking forward to next year! See you then!

Have you tried Poonie’s Goodies’ Poonpoonator burger? What did you think of it? Let me know in the comments section below!