EUROPEAN QUALITY MEAT & SAUSAGES Since 1959
176 Baldwin St. (Kensington Market)
Toronto, ON.
416-251-6193



What a find! It is true what the say - Kensington Market is full of little treasures! On one of the main streets of the market there are two butcher shops - you need to go to the bigger one of the two for this. In the back of the butcher shop there is a little grill. They cook up all sorts of fresh meat and the old ladies who serve you are so nice! The burger combo is only $3.49 or maybe $3.99 either way super cheap for a burger, fries and pop. The burgers are great and you can take it to go and find a bench in the market to enjoy.

TIP: If you like cheese, you need to ask for it as a topping. It's in one of the squeeze bottles. If you find that sorta thing gross (which I am proud to say I don't) you can always go to the cheese shop next door and get a slice.

Pare

Utopia

UTOPIA CAFE AND GRILL
586 College Street
Toronto, ON
416-534-7751


This fine looking burger has been one of my favourites in Toronto for a long time. I do a lot of work on College St., so this is a great lunchtime spot. It's usually pretty busy in there - so I just call in and take it to go. The burgers are always so juicy and fresh! I really like a sloppy burger, and this is just that! Get a little bit of red pepper mayo and you are good to go. The fries rule too!

Pare

THE FOGGY DEW
803 King Street West
Toronto, Ontario
(416) 703-4042


Janine, Colin and I decided to go to the Foggy Dew at King & Niagara for dinner and drinks on Friday night. The place was packed, and really warm - they also sat us right next to the fireplace, which didn't help. My sister and I both ordered the Belfast Burger; An 8oz hand made Certified Angus Beef burger topped with crisp lettuce, fresh tomato and a Strub's pickle. She got cheddar cheese and I got swiss.

This was a wonderfully juicy, and really yummy burger! I didn't think I could finish it, 'cause of it's size...actually, I don't think I did! I was completely satisfied! The only thing that was a bummer, was that the coleslaw was seeping onto one side of my hamburger, which was kinda gross. Separate that shit from all the other food! Geeezeeeeeeeee...

Overall, it's a good. cozy little Irish pub to hangout at, with alright priced food ($10.99 for that meal), and pitchers of Mill Street Organic! Although, I highly recommend NOT going there next Tuesday during St. Patrick's Day...unless you're into that kind of thing? I don't care. Do whatever you want...

Not bad!

SOUTH ST. BURGER CO.
2215 Steeles Avenue West
Toronto, Ontario (North York)
(416) 514-1412

+ 6 other locations in Ontario, with more opening soon!


I've always heard rumors of this place - but never knew where to find one and what to expect. South St. Burger is owned by the same people as New York Fries. Yeah it's mall food - but it's good!

We found this restruant way up in North York one day while trying to find something tasty to eat. I saw the sign and it looked familiar. My buddy Justin was with me and he knew what it was right away!

I had some awesome extras on mine - horseradish mayo, spicy ketchup and guac! Imagine that - guac on a burger! Also don't forget the cheese and bacon - two favs of mine!

- Pare!


Editors note:
Matthew never said how this burger place was....Unless he sent his review before finishing? Due to his excitement of actually finding this place, as well as the prospect of guacamole on a hamburger, I'm going to go ahead and say that he in fact like it. If I am mistake, sorry in advance.

EW!

THE PICKLE BARREL
312 Yonge Street (Yonge & Dundas)
Toronto, Ontario
(416) 977-6677

+ additional locations around Ontario


This sorry excuse for a burger was one of the worst things I have had in a while. Not only did it take over an hour to get to my table - it was also sooooo dried out and the bacon was burnt! Not so sure I will ever be back to the Young/Dundas location.

The super huge milkshake was to die for though!

- Pare!

OH. EMM. GEE.

NOTE BENE
180 Queen Street West
Toronto, Ontario
(416) 977-6400


Nota Bene is my new favorite restaurant in Toronto. I thought I should make that abundantly clear, so that my bias is way out in the open before we start.  We ordered Jennifer's Stilton Brisket Burger.  Angela said with half a mouth full of that that "this is the greatest thing I've ever tasted".  I agree 312%.

GO TO NOTE BENE! EAT THIS BURGER! DIE HAPPY!

Best burger in Toronto. I'll fight you if you disagree..seriously.

-Mayor McCheese

Okay.

ARIS PLACE
229 Roncesvalles Avenue
Toronto, Ontario
(416) 533-0100


Michelle and I have been trying to get together for hamburgers for weeks now. We finally managed to coordinate yesterday afternoon, and met up at a diner called Aris Place, on Roncesvalles. It's a cozy (very warm inside!) wood-trimmed diner, complete with old menus, and exposed kitchen. We ordered the Homemade burger -- which, I'd suggest spending the extra $0.35 upgrade, from getting the frozen hamburger pattie. We got out gigantic hamburgers in about 10 minutes, served with cheese, lettuce and tomato (on mine). I thought it was a decent burger, however not the best by any means. It was a regular diner burger - basically, what you'd expect from a place like that. My stomach wasn't feeling the greatest to being with, so I don't think it was prepared to scarf down something of that caliber.

Michelle said though that hers was great! The only thing she'd change would be to have had the bun toasted....I thought they were? I guess not.

Anyway, this is a cute place to go in little Poland. Apart from their burgers, apparently a sweet cure for hangovers is to order their grilled cheese and onion rings. Key!

99 Burger

WAYNE GRETZKY'S
99 Blue Jays Way
Toronto, Ontario
(416) 979-PUCK


Last night the whole family got together to go for dinner, then out to the Monster Trucks, for our brother's 23rd birthday. His choice of restaurant was Wayne Gretzky's, on Blue Jays Way - conveniently close to the Sky Dome.

Hermano Darren ordered "The Great One" Burger - a half pound sirloin burger, grilled medium well, topped with double smoked bacon and Canadian cheddar. To add that special something to it, the bun is branded with 99 (Wayne Gretzky's jersey number)

After a few bits, Darren looked up at me, scrunched his face and said:
"Hey! Here's your review....IT'S GOOOUUUUUUUUUUUDDDDDDDDDDD!!!"

Besides the burger, all the other food that we order was pretty great - minus the calamari dipping sauce, which everyone agreed was gross. If you plan on going here for dinner - especially on a Saturday night with a family oriented sporting event happening - you'll need to get there pretty early to avoid waiting around for hours for a table. You can make a reservation (which we did) but the latest you're able to is 4:30pm?

YUMMMMMM!

GOURMET BURGER CO.
482 Parliament Street
Toronto, Ontario
(647) 344-5103


OH HI THERE!

Family Lunch continues...

Today we decided on Gourmet Burger Co. - the newest fancy burger joint in the East end of Toronto. I've been reading nothing but good reviews on this place from different blogs, so we had to give it a whirl. They have a pretty eclectic selection of specialty signature burgers - including the Aussie, that is topped with pineapple (it really freaks me out, actually). Though everyone at the office got a signature burger (Smokey Bacon with avocado), I opted to build my own:

6oz. Gourmet Burger Co. Burger topped with BBQ sauce, chipotle mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, aged white cheddar, and avocado (to my surprise, the avocado is mashed, not sliced, which is a great, 'cause slices always seem to slip their way out!)

It was by no means a clean meal (lots of napkins required!) Sloppy, and condiment heavy, which was delicious! The bun was super soft (always a key for me), and the 100% beef itself was juicy and cooked to perfection. I am ridiculously full right now...but very satisfied with my meal.

Also, their onion rings are the best ones I've tasted in my entire life!!
On a side note though, if you are ordering from there with people, share your orders of fries or onion rings. There is only one size, and it's monstrous!

Pricing is about $8 or 9 bones a person. More expensive than any fast food, but an alright price for 'gourmet' type burgers that are handmade/dressed for you.

ACME "A Company that Makes Everything"

ACME BURGER COMPANY
Bloor & Bathurst
500 Bloor St. West
Toronto, Ontario
(416) 850-8499


ACME BURGER COMPANY MISSION:
"We strive to provide the greatest quality of fresh and tasty food, served quickly to the customers, at a reasonable price"

ok....

DEAR ACME BURGER,
We were very excited to have your burger shop move into the Annex. Saturday was my friend Stephen's birthday, and I decided to treat him to lunch there. We were first confused as to where to order when we walked in. Figuring it out, the nice (but extremely pushy) cashier took our order. Priced at $7.99 for a combo is reasonable. We were then directed around the corner to the burger station, where like Harvey's, you get to pick all your toppings, and see them going on your hamburger. The girl working the station was terribly frustrated, backed up with orders, and didn't hide it well at all. On top of it, the man working the grill wasn't communicating with her, so things got backed up more. We waited and waited....

Because there was no designated line or system in place, it turned into a clusterfuck of people hanging around waiting for their order number to be called. When it was, they'd push through the crowd to get to the station window. We got our burgers made (not impressively, at all! I had to ask for more lettuce, due to her putting the wimpiest leaf of lettuce ever on), however our onion rings were not ready --- until 3/4 of the way through our lunch. Uggh.

My Acme burger was a 6oz. Angus beef burger, topped with lettuce, cheese, tomato, ketchup and garlic mayo, on a really soft seasoned egg bun. The first few bites were mostly a charred grilled taste - not bad, but a bit burnt tasting. Near the center it got better. It wasn't awful, but not memorable by any means. Also, it was DRIPPING grease. Wtf? Kinda grossed me out.

In conclusion, after the hype that has been surrounding this new burger joint coming North, I'm sorry to say, but it was nothing special at all. Besides the mediocre food, you absolutely need to hire more staff, implement a working assembly line system and maybe get a rope or something to cue a line.

The word acme means highest level, or top of the line - Acme Burger Company, you do have a lot of potential to be great, but there's tons of work that needs to happen before that can be achieved. Thank you for having me though.

yours truly,
Hamburger Holmes

1/2 sized burgers

LIBERTY GROUP (catering)
25 British Columbia Road
Toronto, ON
(416) 542-3789


I TOLD YOU!! Holiday Parties = mini-burgers!
In this case, they were more like 1/2 burgers, catered to us by the Liberty Group, in Toronto. I found them to be a bit chewy - served with cheese and ketchup, these burgers were under debates at the party as to whether they were ground up steak or just regular ground beef. If they were cooked a little less, they'd have been perfect. Probably the best of mini burgers I've tried though.

If you are feeling fancy (and rich) call on Liberty Group to cater your next party. Besides the hamburgers, all the other food was absolutely amazing!

Mini-burgers

December is always packed with holiday parties. Holiday parties = hors d'oeuvres...if you happen to be at a party with lots of hors d'oeuvres going around, there's bound to be mini-hamburgers in the mix. Hamburgler and I spotted these last night - his review was simply:

"WHERE'S THE CHEESE????!" :(

He then proceeded to hound the waiters, and ate 4 more mini-burgers.

Thank you.

PATRICIAN GRILL
219 King Street East
Toronto, ON
(416) 366-4841


Last night was a mission to find Lindsay Lohan in Toronto. During which, we drank a lot...rendering me completely hungover today. The office has started this new thing where we have Family Lunch Day once a week together - thank goodness we chose today to do it!

We decided on cheeseburgers from the Patrician Grill. It's roughly a 3 minute walk from the office, so Rita and I went to pick lunch up for everyone. The place itself is a super retro, authentic diner, complete with old menus, brown bench booths, and a beige rotary phone. The menu stated that all their hamburgers are homemade, and grilled - and are they ever! It was super tasty, flavourful, and so filling. Though topped with processed cheese slices, I found it to be rather delicious.

This cheeseburger turned my feeling like a 4, into feeling like a 7. I still don't feel amazing by any means, but this surely boosted me up for sure! :)

LOVE!!

THE DRAKE HOTEL
1150 Queen Street West
Toronto, Ontario
(416) 531-5042


Jayme has been raving about the Drake Hotel hamburgers forever now. It seems everyone I know loves going to the Drake, but I had never gone until this afternoon. We both ordered the Drake Burger, which is a hamburger topped with aged white cheddar, smoked bacon, and russian dressing; served with handcut french fries, and coleslaw (which I did not eat). I don't need to give any fancy description about this burger, except for IT'S GODDAMN AMAZING!!! So juicy and fresh, the bun was soft, the meat practically melted in your mouth...and i don't know what 'russian dressing' specifically is, but it's pretty tangy and tasty.

Please, take yourself out to the Drake Hotel immediately, and try one of their burgers. This may have just taken over the top spot for my favorite burger in Toronto!

Double Rhino review!

RHINO BAR & GRILL, INC.
1249 Queen Street West
Toronto, Ontario
(416) 535-8089


Funnily enough, I spent the weekend hanging out with my friend Rhino, then Sunday night rolls around, and Stephanie and I decided to go eat at a place called Rhino. Anyhoos...

For starters, I had NO idea that they even served food here. I was a bit skeptical, 'cause I never really fancied this place to begin with (I even used to live directly across the street from it, and never ever went). I decided to order their hamburger, because nothing else on the menu seemed appealing.

Side note: As soon as our food came, i got up to reach to another table to get the pepper. The tablecloth was caught under my leg, and I nearly pulled both of our dinners off the table, and spilt my beer everywhere!

The first few bites were alright, but then the more I ate, the less impressed I was. It was very well done, which left no room for juiciness or flavor. I mean, it wasn't the worst thing I've ever had, but nothing to write home about...I also wasn't very hungry, so didn't really eat that much anyway.

In all honesty, we were originally supposed to go to the Beaconsfield for dinner, but when we got there, there was a big yellow sign on their front doors explaining that their liquor license had been suspended. Jerks.



STEPHANIE'S PLAIN (MEAT-AND-BUN ONLY) REVIEW:

The Rhino burger is a homemade burger, which I love, and mine was grilled to perfection. It was delectably juicy enough, but also dry enough so that it wasn't spitting at me when I chewed. I can't tell if it was Angus or Sirloin or any of that, but I can say that it was bursting with amazingly delicious hamburger flavour! I didn't want to stop eating it, I could've eaten that hamburger all night. The portion size was just right: enough to fill me up but not so much that i needed to unzip my pants!

The fries, however, could use some work.

- Stephanie

Spicy!

SADIE'S DINER & JUICE BAR
504 Adelaide Street West
Toronto, Ontario
416-777-2343


The other day I went to Sadie's Diner And Juice Bar for lunch. I met Justin and Lyndsey there and we all talked shit and ate. They both decided to get buritos - but obviously I got a burger!

The burger was really spicy! I love that! It was awesome how they cooked the jalapenos right on top - they leaked spicy juice all into the cheese. Mmmmmmm! The burger was perfectly cooked - not at all dry - which is how most veggie burgers turn out. I don't get to eat at Sadie's very often since I work such odd hours - so this burger was extra special.

FYI, Sadies have sort of wonky hours:
7:30am - 5:00pm Monday - Tuesday
7:30am - 10:00pm Wednesday - Friday
9:00am - 10:00pm Saturday
9:00am - 4:00pm Sunday

-Pare

More from Natalie!

HERO CERTIFIED BURGERS
18 locations all around Toronto
The best veggie burger hands down in the city of Toronto goes to Hero Burger. With an array of topping choices, this delicious veggie burger hits the spot everytime! The texture and flavour are unparalelled anywhere else.

LICK'S HOMEBURGERS AND ICE CREAM
25 locations throughout Ontario
Coming in at a close second is Lick's Homeburgers and Ice Cream. Again, you can choose your favourite toppings (highly recommend the GUK, despite the name) I always order mine well done to ensure that the patty doesn't fall apart as the consistency is sometimes a bit crumbly

Both are totally satisfying options!
This is the veggie burger correspondant signing out for today - tune in next time for the best veggie burgers in Philly!
- Natalie


P.S. Natalie also sent me this fun photo from Ian's cow Website, that's a cow made of veggie burgers. Cute!

If interested, here's his website:
http://www.gallaugher.com/ian/IansCowWebsite.html

Pretty tasty, mister!

MR.TASTY'S
348 Queen Street East
Toronto, ON
(416) 863-0633


Michelle sent me a message tipping me off to Mr.Tasty's on Queen East. Apparently the burgers there are pretty good. I've always been a little weary of that place, since the area is pretty sketchy. However, I trust Michelle, and work about a 10 minute walk from here, so I will definitely mosey over for lunch one afternoon.

Until then, the best I can do is relay how delicious Michelle thought it was!!

Thanks lady :)

Burger wraps!

GRAPEFRUIT MOON
968 Bathurst Street
Toronto, ON
M5R 3G6
(416) 534-9056


OK!
To make up for my terrible hamburger experience the other day, I needed to give it another shot. Christina and I decided to treat ourselves to dinner at our favorite little cozy restaurant, Grapefruit Moon. They specialize in vegetarian and vegan dishes, but also have some rather tasty meat selections. Their hamburger is called a "Rudy's Wrap", and is such a perfect balance of bread to meat ratio. It's always hard to find that, but with a burger being wrapped in a toritilla, it works perfectly. The burger is topped with lettuce, brie and roasted red peppers - you don't even need to add anything else to it, though I did dip it in ketchup.

Absolutely delicious!!
I've had this before, but today's mighty burger wrap was better than ever!

I totally suggest eating here. If not for their burgers, but for their welcoming atmosphere, organic brewed beers, and friendly service :)

:(

BETTY'S
240 King Street East
Toronto, Ontario
M5A 1K1
416-368-1300



I haven't eaten a delicious hamburger, or any hamburger for that matter for over a month. I've been on hamburger-hiatus, if you will, due to my stomach ripping apart constantly. So for the past month, I've not been allowed to consume any red meat :( However, yesterday I got the OK to go ahead again.

I went for lunch this afternoon with my friend Kay - we opted for Betty's, a pub a few doors down from my office that's usually filled with business people grabbing a mid-afternoon/after work pint. I was excited to have a hamburger, with swiss cheese on top. The burger was WAY too hot when it came, that every bite I took was just shooting steam into my mouth. It sucked. Once it cooled off to a good eating temperature, it wasn't any better. There weren't any noticeable spices or good flavoring to it, and it was dry and grey. I barley finished half of it.

For always getting such good reviews of their food, I'd suggest to just stick to their beer. It's simple, and kinda hard to eff up, especially when you order a it in a bottle.

p.s. The spinach salad I got as my side was basically a caesar salad, with spinach instead of romaine. wtf?!

p.p.s. We also decided to try the Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cake Brownie for dessert. There was no cream-cheesiness to it at all. It was nothing but a dense pumpkin muffin with a fancier name. Betty, what's wrong?