Burger Review #30: Bareburger

Photo by Andrew Hockridge

Date Visited: March 19, 2017
Location: Bay and Dundas (Permanently Closed)
BurgerTours Rating: 8.65/10

Taste	Messiness	Price	Venue	Pluses
Awesome	Some Drip	$11-$15	Restaurant	Veggie, Gluten Free, Liquor

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Drew's Review

Photo by Andrew Hockridge

Bareburger was on our list for quite awhile before we got to visit it in the afternoon in late March. I had been to this location once and after a very pleasing and welcoming first time, was looking forward to returning and trying more from their menu. I had given Mark an ultimatum between choosing Bareburger and another potential, future BurgerTour joint for the month of March, and to my favourable outcome, burger-hungry brains think alike.

We entered the joint and it was fairly full with a few open tables. We were then guided to a small table directly in the centre part of the dining area, with only a bit of a small gap separating our table from the others. Everything was, or looked like it was made of wood, resembling a cottage or a summer camp in the wilderness where you learn to avoid bear attacks and make burgers...? Could that have been Bareburger's actual pitch to open the franchise? Who knows.

We were quickly greeted by our waiter who placed menus in our hands and took our drink orders shortly after we had taken a seat. The service this time was faster than what I first remembered. Although in my defence, I was on a horrible date the first time and the girl I was with, we didn't have that much in common and had little to talk about, so...yeah. This time however, the time just flew by, but I was glad to have such a memorable experience.

The first time I ate here, I had gotten the County Fair. It was a really delicious tasting burger with bison meat, mayo and aged cheddar. It was so good that this time around, I ordered a similar tasting burger: the El Matador. It was also a bison burger that came loaded with pickled jalapeños, guacamole, spicy pico de gallo, and cheese curds all on a brioche bun. How flavourful could that be? The answer: very.

El Matador/Photo by Andrew Hockridge

Our orders emerged from the kitchen within a 10-15 minute time frame, and I couldn't have been more anxious to eat a burger than any other time while doing a BurgerTour. The first bite I took was mouth watering. Straight from the heart and soul of this Spanish-infused burger, my taste buds were on the verge of having a fiesta.

The bison was well cooked and all the signature toppings were mixed well together, there wasn't a single offbeat flavour that had a reaction to my taste buds. Every single bite was like a featured Pitbull song; the vocals were very well mashed together with a very repetitive flow and rhythm, and then unexpectedly, you would get that spiciness of the pico de gallo that would clash so effortless to create something you just can't get enough of. Fireball.

Overall, Bareburger is more than just a franchise; it's a lifestyle and if I could, I would live this lifestyle over and over again until I'm no longer relevant. The burgers I've had within my two trips could not have been any better. I look forward to returning in the near future to try more delicious creations off their menu, but for now, I've had my fair share of Bareburger and it's time I recommend it to every other burger lover in the city.

8.8/10

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Mark's Review

Photo by Andrew Hockridge

We’re back to Downtown Toronto for another BurgerTour, but this time we take you the heart of Downtown...Yonge-Dundas Square. There are many restaurants along this stretch of Dundas Street, but one place in particular has always caught my attention. Andrew has already visited this joint a while back, but I think it was fair that I do the same. With that said, we officially tag Bareburger!

Bareburger has a mission to provide fresh, clean, and simple foods that are locally sourced to satisfy the hunger. However, as they say..“but if Wisconsin has the best cheese and Montana knows Bison as well as Texas knows elk, we’ll work hard to bring those ingredients into all of our food.” Seeing this intrigued me to see how far they’re willing to stretch their horizons to serve top grade burgers with the highest quality ingredients.

The menu was quite extensive with a nice selection of salads, sandwiches and other delectable meals. However, our main purpose was of course, the burgers. This joint is probably one of the few we’ve visited that offered meat substitutions aside from the traditional beef patty option. If you’re feeling a meat upgrade they also offer duck, turkey, bison, elk, and wild boar. They also offer two vegetarian burger options, one of them being gluten free. Their burger menu had a fair selection as well, but there was one that immediately caught my eye. And that burger...is the Wiki Wiki.

The Wiki Wiki is a wild boar burger layered with gouda cheese, duck bacon chickpea onions, topped with a grilled pineapple in a brioche bun. I also ordered a side of onion rings and a bottle of cream soda.

The Wiki Wiki/Photo by Mark Avila

The first bite made a huge impact...from the softness of the brioche bun, to the sweetness of the grilled pineapple fusing with the savouriness of the duck bacon; this burger was loaded with flavour. The wild boar patty was cooked to a nice soft texture and was easy to chew compared to others I’ve had before. Without a doubt, this was a good choice.

Overall, the experience was more than satisfactory from the service to the food, everything was spot on! I questioned myself on why I never visited this joint until now, and I regret not doing it earlier.

8.5/10