Burger Review #8: Hero Burger

Photo by Andrew Hockridge

Date visited: February 3, 2015  
Location: Sherway Gardens (Permanently Closed)
BurgerTours Rating: 5.3/10

Taste	Messiness	Price	Venue	Pluses
Good	Some Drip	$6-$10	Fast Food	Veggie, Gluten Free

Website

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Drew's Review

The Heavy Hitter/Photo by Andrew Hockridge

Hero Burgers is a fairly popular fast food burger chain with several locations across Canada. It offers all kinds of creations from its self-titled “Hero Signature burger” to the “Blue Moon”, which is a combination of blue cheese and mushrooms. Some of their creations are quite far-fetched and some may even get you to believe Hero Burgers was a gourmet-type burger joint. Well, you my friend are wrong. Hero Burgers’ burgers are huge; massive, even. Their burgers aren’t just for the weak of heart. And after coming to the conclusion that I probably wasn’t going to be able to eat for a week after consuming a Hero Burger, I decided to say goodbye to my liver and indulge.

Mark and I were on a shopping trip out in the west end and we travelled to Sherway Gardens for the day. Once we got there, we took a look at the food court and found Hero Burgers, nestled in the corner and attracting our eyes, our stomachs and our wallets. We made it an exception so that this was going to be the only fast food burger joint we review – for now. And that’s not to say fast food joints don’t offer quality burgers, it’s just that we rather give someone’s local business a shout out rather than a well-known commercialized burger chain.

So as soon as we saw Hero Burgers’ logo, we headed over and stood, looking at the menu, reading over what sounded appealing and what inexplicably gross. For me, I don’t understand the whole eggs-on-burgers deal and am usually turned off every time I walk by a Hero Burgers location and I see the Egg Burger on a huge poster in the window. Let’s keep eggs separate from burgers, please? Anyways, I got the Heavy Hitter, because you’re either going to go big or go home. I got a side order of fries and a chocolate milkshake, just to shake it up a little.

Within minutes, our orders were ready. I unwrapped the foil on my burger and the Heavy Hitter was more like a Designated Hitter; huge and ready to hit it out of the ballpark. This was it. This was going to go down in burger history, I thought, as the best fast-food chain burger I could eat. I took my first bite, and my taste buds went haywire. A couple of more bites and I was already feeling stuffed. The onions and tomatoes, along with the melted cheese form a type of combination that most burger joints tend to overlook. But it was a taste I’ll remember for the future to try and avoid. It was also topped with a sesame/poppy seed bun and filled with the signature Hero Burger sauce. All of which giving me one colossus mess called a burger.

Overall, I admire what Hero Burgers offers and enjoy all their remarkable creations, but if I had to measure it on taste, it lacks what other competitors provide. It may be the structure of the burger, or the general taste of the meat, but the Heavy Hitter didn’t really hit home for me. And that’s just my opinion. We really didn’t think Hero Burgers would make it into our BurgerTour burger review but it is after all a burger joint and we are after all a burger blog, so what the hell. If it is after all just a juicy, meat-filled burger, with loads of toppings, and are willing to give up quality over taste, you found the right place. Just remember to bring a big appetite.

4.6/10

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Mark's Review

This visit to Hero Burger was not planned. It was rather...a spontaneous decision. Travelling all the way to Sherway Gardens in Mississauga from the east end got us a little peckish for food, so we decided to head straight to the food court. I was planning on just getting a Big Mac combo from McDonald’s until we saw Hero Burger right above us going up the stairs. And then we said, “What the heck”.

This was my second visit to Hero Burger. I think the last time was four years ago when they opened a franchise at UofT Scarborough. It was a little pricey for me at the time, but now that it’s 2015, and seeing that Andrew has never eaten at Hero Burger, I found this to be the right opportunity. 

We were probably standing round, staring at the menu board for over five minutes that the person waiting to take our order got tired and went to the back. Our bad. But he came back out almost immediately when we were ready to place our order. I got the Turkey Burger combo. It was an additional $3.90 which included a side of Ultimate Fries, and your choice of fountain drink. You also have a choice of toppings and sauces at no extra charge. I topped off my burger with ketchup, sliced pickles, relish, tomato, and honey Dijon. 

Taking my first bite I was fairly disappointed that it lacked a depth of flavour. The Turkey patty was good, but not what I was expecting. I found that it wasn’t properly seasoned. The toppings that I added on top did help give it some kick, but the honey Dijon sort of overpowered the flavours of the burger as a whole. 

It was a satisfying taste, overall, but was not up to par from other burger joints we’ve visited. Even though my first experience at Hero Burger a while back was quite decent, it’s not a place that I would often go to grab a burger. But if I were stuck in a food court and saw Hero Burger in the corner of my eye then you may just find me waiting in line.

6.0/10

Burger Review #7: Holy Chuck

Photo by Andrew Hockridge

Date visited: January 15, 2015
Location: Midtown
BurgerTours Rating: 7.1/10

Taste	Messiness	Price	Venue	Pluses
Very Good	Messy	$6-$10	Fast Food	Veggie, Gluten Free

Website

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Drew's Review

The Raging Bull/Photo by Andrew Hockridge

The best part about writing burger reviews is having the creativity to always outdo myself every time I write. Whether it's new words or new language, it's usually always fun coming up with new ways to spice up this blog. Without further ado, here is my Holy Chuck burger review.

"Holy Chuck! We finally did it!" I yelled as Mark and I walked back up Yonge Street after satisfying our craving for Holy Chuck burgers. It was a craving we were feeling for a month after taking a hiatus in December for the Christmas break. It was a new year and after all, we needed to start out in a big way. Holy Chuck was it.

It was a cold January day when we decided to go. We found the place pretty easy as it was right near the intersection of St. Clair Ave. and Yonge Street, and was directly across from Hero Burger; little did we know Hero Burger was going to be our next destination, but I think I'll leave that until my next review.

We arrived just as the lunch rush was ending - pretty good on our part because there was nobody in line ahead of us. We took a quick glance at the menu and after a few seconds, I decided to go with The Raging Bull. It was a double cheeseburger with 2x's the amount of bacon I usually get, layered with hot peppers and smothered in a chipotle sauce. By the way, this was the most expensive burger I ate to date. It came to a total of $21 and for some reason, I just had to get it with the combo.

The best thing about this joint is that you can mix and match your own soda. Holy Chuck offered a drink dispenser that only a few places have in Toronto. From the drinks that were offered, I mixed Root Beer with vanilla. But there are literally thousands of combinations you can come up with, just by a single touch of a button.

The burgers didn't take long. Rather fast actually. Within minutes we picked up our order and went to grab a seat along the front window. I looked at the platter that was sitting in front of me and without hesitation, picked up the burger with two hands and took my first bite. Right off the bat, it was hot. And I don't mean Emma Watson hot, I'm talking spicy hot! My mouth was burning. Whether it were the hot peppers or the chipotle sauce, there was something on the burger I had to avoid next time I took a bite.

The fries on the side were actually really tasty, but when you think about it, crispy thin cut fries go with just about anything. This was actually a time I needed fries on the side as I didn't know whether or not I would be able to finish the burger by itself. My drink was already 3/4 gone and I knew I was going have to go for a refill, which is to no additional cost. It took me longer than usual to finish The Raging Bull but I was determined since on the wall directly beside me were pictures of people who have taken the Holy Chuck challenge. (I for one will probably not be taking the challenge anytime soon).

Overall, I learned the hard way and I got what I asked for: the aftertaste of a Raging Bull in my mouth. Maybe I found out that day that spicy wasn't my thing, but despite that, I would definitely go back to Holy Chuck. Not only do they offer a wide selection of burgers on the menu, they have all varieties of poutine, desserts and side orders to choose from. From the people that work there to the creations they come up with, I couldn't find one reason to dislike Holy Chuck. However, if I ever do go back, I might order something a little less "raging".

6.7/10

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Mark's Review

The Depressed Cow: Oklahoma Style/Photo by Mark Avila

Holy Chuck definitely lives up to their motto of "our business is burgers". What attracted me is their claim to freshness. Fresh beef patties grounded daily with no artificial flavouring, and a touch of salt to trigger the flavour. All you need are the proper ingredients and toppings to bring out the overall taste and quality of the burger. 

Taking a few minutes to look over the menu board, I was quite overwhelmed at the wide selection of specialty burgers. But, of course, I wasn’t going to stick with a simple cheeseburger. I opted for the Depressed Cow: Oklahoma Style; A two beef patty burger with Spanish White Onions, topped off with the traditional mustard and pickles. What’s so depressing about that?

I was considering on trying one of their signature milkshakes which were really tempting, but maybe I’ll save that for my second visit. So I just stuck to the usual combo with a soft drink and French fries. Waiting for my order didn’t take too long. I would say it only took 15 minutes for them to call my name.

Placing my tray down on the table, I couldn’t help but think of how I was going to get this burger into my mouth. It was huge! And taking a picture of this burger wasn’t easy. I would say it took me about ten tries until I actually got a portion of the burger in the frame. But nonetheless, I could not wait to dig in. 

After taking that first bite, all of the juices from the two beef patties dripped out onto my chin, and the flavors from the white onions, mustard, and pickles fused so well to bring out the overall taste of the burger. It was a little messy, but I never found the time to put the burger down. It was too good to let go.

They also offer additional toppings for an extra charge, but I recommend trying their burgers how they are on the menu. And I second that recommendation. The Depressed Cow on its own was big enough, but I think adding anything more would overwhelm the flavours and would just be a big mess, not only on the table, but on your taste buds. So try any of their burgers as they are first, then experiment with other flavours until you are satisfied.

The only critique I have would be that the beef patties were a little too greasy for my liking, but I guess that’s normal for a perfectly cooked burger. Other than that, Holy Chuck gave me a satisfying experience from their appetizing burgers and fries to their cleanliness and customer service. So if you’re ever in midtown Toronto, definitely give Holy Chuck a visit. You will not be disappointed.

7.5/10