Wahlburgers from A&E's "Wahlburgers"

LOCATION

Wahlburgers, a restaurant owned by Mark Wahlburg's Boston-based family, and the subject of A&E's reality show "Wahlburgers".

ADDRESS

Wahlburgers
19 Shipyard Drive
Hingham, MA
wahlburgersrestaurant.com

STORY & PHOTOS

I love wordplay and food, so Wahlburgers is a no-brainer and a home run for me. The burger joint and bar, run by Paul Wahlberg with the blessing of his famous brothers (movie-star Mark of "Ted" and pop singer Donnie of New Kids on the Block) is located just outside of Boston and is the subject of a reality show on A&E, so I wanted to check it out while in the Boston area.

My best pal Alex and I took a lunch detour to the Hingham Shipyard for the Wahlburgers experience recently:

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First of all, I like the decor. It's very family-friendly and their whole branding concept is streamlined and pleasing to the eye. A+, Wahlbergs. They also totally own their Wahlberg-ness. There are posters on the wall from movies and shows the bros have starred in ("Ted", "Blue Bloods", etc.) and panels on the ceiling listing their various projects, including "Entourage" (Mark) and NKOTB (Donnie). There is a collage of family photos, and their mission statement is one of family love and loyalty. It's pretty sweet.

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Secondly, the food was delicious. This is a restaurant that could rest on its gimmick and serve mediocre food. People would still probably show up due to its famous owners. But Wahlburgers really brings it -- my food was awesome, and Alex liked his too. I had the basic "Our Burger", and had them add avocado and bacon. They cooked my burger perfectly and everything was scrumptious as hell. They also serve tater tots and SWEET POTATO TOTS. I was basically in heaven.

Last but not least, Wahlburgers isn't a dive on some random street. It's in the Hingham Shipyard, surrounded by yachts, luxury apartments, and other retailers, restaurants, and movie theaters. You could spend a lovely afternoon walking leisurely around the shipyard, eating and shopping and looking at boats and taking flattering photos. Here's the view when you walk out of Wahlburgers:

Not bad, eh? So it's not a surprise that A&E wanted to produce a reality show about the burger bar. Mark, Donnie, Paul (who seems to do most of the restaurant-y work), and Wahlberg matriarch Alma star, along with various other friends and family members, including the real-life Johnny Drama (inspiration for Kevin Dillon's character on "Entourage", which Mark produced). If you're a fan of the restaurant or the show or both, they've made it easy for you to buy some merch to show your Wahlburgers pride.