Special Burger Review: Olympus Burger

Photo by Mark Avila

Date Visited: October 8, 2020

Location: Port Hope, ON.

BurgerTours Rating: 9.5/10

 

 

Taste	Messiness	Price	Venue	Pluses
Awesome	Clean	$11-$15	Fast Food	Veggie, Gluten Free

Website

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Mark's Review

A few weeks ago some friends and I were on the planning stage of a 3 day multi city road trip around Ontario. We would travel in regions within a 2 hour proximity from Toronto, but far enough to escape the hustle and bustle of the GTA. With the pandemic still going on, and little did we know that select regions would be returning to phase 2 the following week, our timing for this trip was perfect.

This special burger tour was the last stop on our first day, driving around Prince Edward County, and ended in the small town of Port Hope. Only an hour and a half drive from Toronto, this town is home to what is considered as one of the best burger joints in Canada… Olympus Burger! If the name sounds familiar, Olympus Burger was featured on the Food Networks ‘You Gotta Here’. And with that said, we definitely had to eat here!

The Hera Burger/Photo by Mark Avila

They offer a regular dine in/take out menu as well as a secret menu, and if you haven’t figured it out, pay an homage to Greek gods and goddesses. Their menu ranges from burgers, salads, fries, onion rings, poutines, and much more. Apart from their in house sauce they also offer secret sauces: tzatziki, peanut butter, and Nutella.

The 6oz. burger patties are made in house daily, and you can customize them with complimentary toppings with an extra $1 charge per add-on.

If that’s not enough, they host a Burger Contest on Sundays (by appointment) called the Labour of Hercules. It’s a 6oz. Beef patty layered with crispy bacon, lettuce, tomato, caramelized onions, jalapeño and habanero peppers, and their secret Olympus Burger Hot Sauce. As a consolation for devouring this beast, you walk away with a free t-shirt and a 10% discount off your next meal.

Now, to the burger. As much as I wanted a burger smothered in peanut butter or Nutella, I decided to keep it simple and go for one of their vegetarian options.

I opted for the Hera- a portobello mushroom cap with mixed greens, with roasted red peppers, and red onions.

First impressions… the flavours complemented each other so well, the portobello cap was soft but not at all chewy. A kick of spice was released by the red onions, and the roasted peppers gave it a sweet and savoury bite. Being my first time having a burger with a portobello cap as its base, I was surprised by how filling a mushroom could be. It was a nice substitution to the traditional beef patty, and I must admit that at one point I thought I was actually eating meat! I would definitely consider this as an alternative when given the chance. Overall, my stomach and burger cravings were satisfied.

As my first (burger) dine in experience since the start of the pandemic, Olympus Burger was an experience worth waiting for. The food and service were exceptional, and even though we were hesitant to dine in the staff were more than welcoming to serve us. During these times where restaurants are struggling to get diners in their seats, Olympus Burger exemplifies the appreciation of welcoming anyone that walks through its doors with open arms.

9.5/10

Burger Review #46: Great Burger Kitchen

Photo by Andrew Hockridge

Date Visited: July 22, 2020 

Location: Leslieville, ON

BurgerTours Rating: 8.25/10

Taste	Messiness	Price	Venue	Pluses
Awesome	Messy	$11-$15	Fast Food	Veggie, Gluten Free

Website

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Drew's Review

How's everyone doing? Good. So you're doing well then? 

It's been nearly six months since restaurants and public places were forced to close down. The ongoing pandemic has taken a toll on many local businesses with some closing for good. Many however are still striving and making the most of it. Everything is slowly starting to reopen again so business can continue with a few new measures for safe social distancing. One of the many joints who had reopened to customers is our next BurgerTour stop. 

For our 58th burger joint, we bring you to Great Burger Kitchen, a local stable on Gerrard St. that specializes in naturally raised beef, low-carb wraps and plenty portions of poutine. Upon deciding our next take-out venture, we posted a poll on our Instagram account to engage our fellow burger enthusiasts in helping us choose our next destination. And with a unanimous favour between the two joints, Great Burger Kitchen came out on top (with a helpful endorsement from themselves). 

We placed an order by calling ahead and was told it was going to be a 30-minute wait. Not a problem. We pulled up right around lunch time and I hopped out of the car to run in to pick up our order. Once inside, a server was taking an order from two gentlemen at the counter ahead of me and right after I entered, another takeout delivery service guy entered and waited on the appropriately marked arrows on the floor. I approached to counter to claim my order and retrieved a plastic bag full of curiosity and wonder. I quickly ran to Mark who was eagerly waiting for me back in the car. 

Riverdale Burger/Photo by Andrew Hockridge

We arrived back at my place and began digging in. I had gone with the Riverdale burger which is a homemade specialty that the GBK custom made. It came with honey mustard, tomato, lettuce, red onion, homemade GBK sauce and Swiss cheese. The burger was hefty looking. A decent sized patty sitting between two warm soft buns. The fist bite was tasteful. The meat was succulent and juicy. The buns were soft. The toppings harmonized ever so well with the composition of the burger that it didn't even matter if I was eating it upside down or right side up. This was a craftsman's greatest aspiration. One can only dream of creating a small, delicious compact burger, yet still satisfying from first bite to last. 

Not to be outdone, but I also had to try one of their signature poutines, nicknamed after the province, the Ontario Poutine had bits of bacon, onion, cheddar cheese and gravy. It was delicious with every bite and every bite as tasty as the last. Highly recommended. 

Overall I was really satisfied with the burger. The quality was outstanding given the portion size and the manageable price. The food was delicious and I look forward to returning sometime sooner rather than later to try some more homemade specialties. And thanks for the shout out GBK!

8.5/10

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Mark's Review

We are back with another burger tour! Still in the middle of a pandemic, but things are looking good as restaurants slowly welcome diners to dine in once again. Though this might be the case for some, ordering through an app or calling in for take out is still the current norm. We decided to play it safe and called ahead for take out. 

For this tour we posted a poll on Instagram and had our followers choose where we should visit. It was an unanimous vote, and the winner was… Great Burger Kitchen! 

They promote an ethical, healthy, sustainable, and local food culture through locally sourced Ontario Beef Burgers to bring you the finest quality product. Additionally, their fresh cut fries are double fried for extra crispiness extracting its full flavour. 

Voodoo Burger/Photo by Mark Avila

I opted for the Voodoo Burger- a beef patty layered with tomato salsa, chipotle mayo, guacamole, balsamic, fried onion, and lettuce. As a change for this meal, I chose a lettuce bun to hold all these flavours together. 

Taking the first bite… the lettuce bun shredded and everything oozed out like a volcanic eruption. Unless there’s a proper way to eat a burger with a lettuce bun, this meal was just gonna go downhill. I found myself using the lettuce to scoop everything into my mouth.. more or less this was a nacho in burger form. Aside from that struggle, everything tasted fantastic. The beef patty was nicely cooked, and the sauces were a balance of sweet, spicy, salty. 

Overall, a filling and flavourful burger. The lettuce bun was an interesting experience, but I probably would’ve benefited with a regular bun. Definitely would want to check this place out again once more COVID restrictions are lifted. 

8/10

Special Burger Review - In-N-Out

Photo by Andrew Hockridge

Date Visited: February 8, 2019
Location: Los Angeles, CA
BurgerTours Rating: 6.8/10

Taste	Messiness	Price	Venue	Pluses
Awesome	Very Messy	$6-$10	Fast Food	Veggie/Patio/Gluten Free

Website 

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Drews's Review

Photo by Andrew Hockridge

In February of 2019, I flew to Los Angeles for a weekend excursion amongst the city of stars. My trip was mainly for a vacation away from the Toronto winter, but also because I have never experienced the west coast of California before. During my trip, one of the places on my to-do list was In-N-Out. In-N-Out has established itself as one of the top tourist locations in California for its Instagrammable burgers, thick milkshakes and cheap prices. It’s no wonder why when I visited the Sunset Blvd. location in Hollywood on a Friday during lunch, I wasn’t able to find a table. The lineup to place your order was about less than five minutes, however, the wait for your order was nearly half an hour.

One of the most popular menu options is the Animal Style burger and fries combo. I was lucky enough to find a chair close to the counter while I waited for my order. I had also gotten a chocolate milkshake which was the first to be ready. Almost half the store was waiting for their orders. I would say there were probably 20 people before me and many more that came after I had placed my order. Every seat was taken. Every table was covered with food. Every realm of this joint was at capacity. It was like a fire hazard waiting to happen. Anyways, finding a table to sit at was going to be difficult because right after I had placed my order, a packed tour bus pulled up and let out a busload of tourists. Maybe coming to the most popular location in L.A. during the lunch rush on a Friday afternoon wasn’t a smart decision.

I picked up my order shortly after the bus drop-off and walked out the door. I stumbled around the block to a nearby school to eat my lunch. I sat on the steps and unwrapped this fine cuisine and indulged in this renown epicureanism. The burger was huge. The toppings were bulging out and the sauce was just oozing through the paper. The burger was anticipating to be eaten by a hungry individual. The first bite was heavenly. The buns were crisp, the juices were flavourful and the beef was tender, soft and cooked medium rare. The extra spread was delicious. It was like everything I had ever wanted an In-N-Out burger to taste like and more. And then it became addicting. I couldn’t get enough. When I went for the last bite, my hunger was fighting for more. It was sad to see it go by so fast.

Animal Style Cheeseburger/Photo by Andrew Hockridge

Overall, the burger was everything I was expecting from a glorified hot spot/tourist trap. It wasn’t that extraordinary. I find it to be overly hyped. I’m not gonna lie; to me, it’s a tasty burger. In-N-Out is like an addiction. Once you have it, you can’t stop thinking about it, and you want to go back, but you live all the way on the other side of the continent and then you crave it and crave it until you can actually get your fix. And to all the Californians who dwell in L.A. and the tourists who congregate to its 347 locations across the States, they have this institution at their doorstep. They can acquire their fix easily.

Within a few hours of eating In-N-Out, I walked into a record store and did some browsing. And then my stomach started turning and all of a sudden, I had shit my pants. I don’t know why, I don’t know how, but then I realised why they named it In-N-Out.

6.8/10

Burger Review #29: Burger Factory

Photo by Andrew Hockridge

Date Visited: February 19, 2017
Location: Queen West
BurgerTours Rating: 6.9/10

Taste	Messiness	Price	Venue	Pluses
Very Good	Messy	$11-$15	Fast Food	Veggie

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Drew's Review

Photo by Andrew Hockridge

I had never heard of this joint before and I was quite surprised to find it located in an area I visit quite frequently. Queen Street West is home to some of the best burger joints in the city. Mark found this one on a hunch. I agreed and we decided to give this place a try.

We arrived shortly before 2pm on a day in mid-February and it was pretty full. We were lucky enough to grab a booth when we entered. It was a small space with a few tables and booths along the sides. People were eating and casually talking but it was noisy from the minute we walked in - the walls were paper thin. We walked up to the counter to place our orders. This place was rather typical when it came to selecting options. They had only a few burgers on the menu, but because this was a so called "burger factory", I was expecting an enormous number of burgers to choose from.

Photo by Andrew Hockridge

When the guy behind the counter asked for my order, I said the first thing I was able to read off the menu which was the Juicy Lucy. It sounded alright. The burger came with a cheese-stuffed patty and toppings of your choice. I figured at this point, I'd be up for anything worth trying, so I decide dead to keep my order, short and simple.

Mark and I found a booth to sit at while we waited for our burgers. While sitting, I read a sign on the wall that said they offered free Wi-Fi. So I took out my phone to check, but it was password protected. Now because it was rather noisy, I was having a hard time hearing what order numbers they were calling out. I gave it a few minutes before I walked up to the counter along the side to wait for my order. I guess I'd hadn't given it enough time because the guy behind the counter repeated they'd call my number when it was ready. It was at this point I simply just asked for the Wi-Fi password and walked back to the table.

Juicy Lucy/Photo by Andrew Hockridge

Within a few minutes, our burgers were ready. I was greeted by a tray with a wrapper with a burger in it, a side of fries and a can of pop. I unwrapped the foil to uncover a decent looking burger, sandwiched between two sesame seed buns. It looked like your typical burger you grill up in your backyard BBQ. The only difference being was that this beef patty had a cheese filling, so it delivered that extra melt-in-your-mouth tenderness. The overall taste I got was a bland burger, if nothing more. For the price I paid for the burger, it was pretty small. The flavour was tasteless and the melted cheese cooked in between the patty didn't do much to help the taste.

Overall, I had a decent, mediocre burger. The staff were friendly and the location was great but the burger was just a typical burger for me: nothing special. I hope to return sometime to redeem my review of this joint and I hope to try some of their other options from the menu.

7.3/10

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Mark's Review

The Original Cheeseburger/Photo by Mark Avila

We take you back to Downtown Toronto, where we visit a hidden a gem along Queen Street West. For this BurgerTour, we take you to the Burger Factory!

This joint was no easy place to find. We walked back and forth along Queen Street for a good fifteen to twenty minutes before seeing it among the many restaurants along this stretch.

The Burger Factory prides itself in using premium grade beef that is ground daily to ensure the highest quality burgers. It shows in their menu selection as they offer both traditional to specialty handcrafted burgers.

I opted for the Original Cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, and relish. I’m pretty simple when it comes to my burger toppings, so I made sure this burger was made for me. And the taste of this burger was spot on. The beef patty was cooked to a nice texture that allowed the juices to flow out and mix together with the toppings.

Overall, there were really no flaws I found with this burger, other than the bun being a little dry, but I guess that depends on their preference. It was a satisfying experience, but nothing spectacular.

6.5/10