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: Peters' Drive-In

Photo by/Mark Avila

Date Visited: June 22, 2020
Location: Edmonton, AB
BurgerTours Rating: 9.5/10

Taste	Messiness	Price	Venue	Pluses
Excellent	Clean	$11-$15	Restaurant	Veggie

Website

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Mark's Review

I’m back in Edmonton once again for another special burger tour!

Seeing that we are still in the middle of a pandemic, some places in Canada have started to lift restrictions on social gatherings. Alberta is one of few Provinces where COVID cases have trended downward, so it was perfect timing that malls and restaurants began to open prior to my visit.

Photo by Mark Avila

Now that “life” has somewhat returned to normal in Edmonton, I was curious to see how the dining experience would be like where social distancing has become the new norm in public spaces. After searching from one burger joint to another, it was actually pretty easy to find a spot where dining in was available. But, once I had made a choice of where to go… I came across Peters` Drive In. Reading about its popularity within the Alberta burger scene, I knew I had to experience the hype for myself. Peters` is one of the few restaurants not permitting dine in or walk in orders due to their health and safety policies, so the only choice was to as the name suggests… drive in!

Their slogan is “the drive in you can’t drive by”, which I found to be true. You definitely can’t miss the line up of cars sitting on Calgary Trail just to get into the parking lot. I’ve read people waiting in line up to 4 hours for a burger, but luckily I came in the late afternoon and waited under an hour.

This location in south Edmonton opened in May 2020, and is the newest addition to their chain of three restaurants. The other two are based out in Red Deer, and Calgary where the first Peters` Drive In opened in 1962.

I was genuinely excited to try this place.. mainly for their commitment to "realness" They claim to serve burgers from real grade A Canadian Beef, special sauces made daily, and milkshakes made with real ice cream and real fruit. Gus Pieters, the man who started it all, established his restaurants to buying the best ingredients, providing the highest level of customer service, and offering a clean and welcoming environment for its guests.

My first impressions of seeing the restaurant… the blue and white exterior, and logo made it look like a car dealership, Ford in particular, which I found rather amusing. Looking at the menu online there weren’t much options for burgers. You could only select from the basic cheese and veggie burgers with the options of single, double, and triple stacks. They also offered hot dogs, poutines, ice cream, sundaes, and milkshakes.

I opted for the Double Cheeseburger - a double beef patty topped with cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo, and Peters` special sauce. On the side I had onion rings and a mango milkshake.

The Double Cheeseburger/Photo by Mark Avila

Peters` Drive In is also known for their Milkshakes with over 4,500 different flavour combinations to choose from.

Taking that first bite… it was an explosion of flavour! The patties were nicely cooked and juicy, but the highlight of it all was the special sauce. It was smoky, sweet, and savoury. Three flavour combinations that I’m not a huge fan of, but it worked all together in this masterpiece of a burger! They serve a generous offering of onion rings, golden brown and crispy. The mango milkshake was probably one of the best I’ve had in a long time. Knowing they used real mango made this more enjoyable for my tastebuds.

(already craving a milkshake as I’m typing this…)

Peters` Drive In certainly lived up to the hype. This is probably a rare burger joint that claims to serve “good food” that’s fresh, and actually delivers with tasty and well made burgers. In addition, the service was also commendable. My drive thru experience was quick, efficient, and no hassle waiting for my order. It’s nice to see a restaurant with a systematic approach to food preparation, despite having just opened with staff that were recently trained. Overall, this is probably my favourite burger joint so far. Peters` will definitely be my go to place whenever I’m in the Edmonton or Calgary area, and craving a good burger.

9.5/10

Burger Review #45: Avengers Burger

Photo by Andrew Hockridge

Date Visited: May 28, 2020
Location: Scarborough, ON
BurgerTours Rating: 8.6/10

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

Website

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Drew's Review

Here it goes. Our second pandemic burger review.

The day we chose to do a BurgerTour just happened to be National Hamburger Day, and so it was our best interest to provide another documented evaluation of another burger joint found in the GTA. When selecting the burger joint, we wanted something nearby as we were either going to get it for takeout or delivery, and seeing how we did takeaway last time, we went with delivery. For this delivery we chose the destination to be Mark’s parked vehicle, so right away, this was going to be something different.

The nearest burger joint that we had yet to have tried was Avengers Burger, and we landed on it after browsing their menu. Avengers Burger provides an assortment of homemade customized burgers with its names being related to an Avenger, or a superhero theme such as Thor’s Hammer, HULK...SMASH! or the Infinity War burger, which is a triple beef patty monster, (I may have to order that next time.) Again, dining in Mark’s car, we weren’t able to dine inside, or even interact with the staff of Avengers Burger. I hope to return in the future to pay a visit when things are back to the usual…hopefully.

Falcon Burger/Photo by Andrew Hockridge

Our orders were placed and nearly 30 to 45 minutes later, our UberEats delivery guy walked up to our car with our orders in hand. As simple as that, we took our burgers, thanked him and began devouring our meals. I decided to go with the Falcon Burger. It was a simple, compact burger that came with a beef patty, cheddar cheese, beef bacon, lettuce, tomato, pickles and rosemary garlic aioli. And the first bite was phenomenal.

I couldn’t get over the delicious creation. The meat was juicy and succulent and the toppings were well mixed into the sandwich. The buns were fresh and every bite was savoury. The bacon offered a nice crisp to the burger and the garlic aioli was the best dressing to complement this burger. And the fries were beyond exceptional. They were thin, golden brown and slightly crispy, the perfect addition to a burger combo.

Overall, I really wished we could have conducted this review over normal circumstances while dining in, but for the time being this will just have to be the new reality. Avengers Burger definitely has the charisma and the drive to compete amongst the elite burger joints in the city and furthermore, they certainly met all my expectations. The burger was delicious and I am looking forward to paying a visit in person in the future.

8.2/10

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Mark's Review

Quarantine and social distancing is still the norm pretty much everywhere, but that didn’t stop us from doing this BurgerTour. Most restaurants in the city continue to remain open, but dining in is still a big no-no. The last tour we opted for calling in our orders and driving to pick it up ourselves. This time around we decided to order from the UberEats app. We were restricted on where we could order, since UberEats could only connect us to restaurants in our area.

Avengers Burger was listed as the closest, so we decided to try them out. Not to our surprise, it was all Superhero themed! Browsing through the menu, the burgers were all named after a Superhero with ingredients relating to that particular person.

Along with burgers they also offer sides of fries, sweet potato fries, onion rings, poutine, vegetarian poutine, and milkshakes.

The Earth is Closed Today/Photo by Mark Avila

I previously mentioned hat I would order more vegetarian and vegan options for a little change in pace. And so, I opted for the Earth Is Closed Today Burger - a veggie burger patty, topped with sautéed mushrooms, sautéed red pepper, lettuce, tomato, and rosemary garlic aioli.

The first bite was a flavour explosion! First came the rosemary aioli, then the sautéed mushrooms and red peppers. I must say, that was probably one of the best flavour trio that I’ve ever tasted. There was a hint of spice that balanced the overall taste of the burger.

Overall, I was surprised by how good everything tasted, and wished I ordered a second serving. As a new joint in the Toronto burger scene, I was impressed with the food they had to offer, and could see them growing into a popular destination for foodies in the future. Another place I would visit again post quarantine!

9/10

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 #44: Wimpy's Diner

Photo by Andrew Hockridge

Date Visited: April 9, 2020
Location: Scarborough, ON
BurgerTours Rating: 5.55/10

Taste	Messiness	Price	Venue	Pluses
Good	Very Messy	$11-$15	Fast Food, Diner, Restaurant

Website 

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Drew's Review

We've had many firsts while doing BurgerTours; solo reviews, out-of-town reviews, but I don't think anything will top this review. This review for the first time in the history of BurgerTours, we ordered takeout.

Normally we don't order takeout because we like to pay the restaurant a visit first hand and indulge the dining experience ourselves so we can review it on here afterward. That's not the case right now, nor for the foreseeable future. As part of this odd, new reality, and in the time of social distancing, we've had to conduct our reviewing from the comfort of our own cars. And in this specific case, Mark's. So unfortunately, we won't be able to provide a dining experience at this specific burger joint, and we apologize for doing so, but you'll have to bear with us as we continue to provide reliable write ups and fair ratings for the best burger joints in the GTA. So onto the review.

With little hesitation, and little decision making, we leaned on Wimpy's Diner, a small chain of restaurants in Ontario, where one just happened to be within a 10 minute drive in our neighbourhood of Scarborough. We read over the menu and ordered by placing a call. The order went through and would be ready for pickup in about the 10 minutes it took us to drive there.

Upon arriving, I walked in and the lady behind the counter had our order all ready to go. I checked and made sure everything was there, paid and left. In times of social distancing I saw how quickly and easy it is to get in and get out so little interaction is done. I appreciated that effort and other efforts made by these stores and local restaurants whose businesses are dwindling. They want you to know that their business is still open despite not operating regularly. I applaud them for still continuing to serve the community in these tough times, and we'll all get through it together.

Smoky Burger/Photo by Andrew Hockridge

I reached the car with both items in hand. I had ordered the Smoky burger which came with sautéed mixed peppers, grilled onions, feta cheese and drizzled with smoky chipotle sauce. I opened the box to see a mashup of what appeared to be the sandwich, with the meat hanging out both sides of the bun and the toppings spread out within the box. I was thinking this might as well be a "build your own burger" type of scenario. Eating this in Mark's car wasn't going to be pretty.

I had to dig my fingers underneath the buns (that's what she said), and slowly start putting the burger back together. It was tough but I managed to wrap my hands around it, picked it up and went for a bite. The flavour was exactly smoky but the meat was bland and lacking flavour. The toppings were a nice addition to the burger but the meat felt really undercooked, or even like it wasn't prepared properly. Whatever the reason, I ended up finishing it in a record 20 minutes! The fries on the other hand was what salvaged this meal for me and reminded me of food truck fries - thick, golden and crispy.

Overall, Wimpy's Diner offered us a pleasant meal. I wasn't satisfied overall with the quality of the meat, but the burger in general is a welcome addition to any burger lineup. If quarantine wasn't a thing like it is right now, I would've loved to have dined inside the joint and have the first hand experience. But for these times, we have to compromise. I'm hoping to return again in the future by dining in and maybe perhaps changing my mind about their burgers. Who knows? The world we live in is so uncertain right now.

5.6/10

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Mark's Review

During this uncertain time with society coming to an abrupt halt, doing a burger tour seemed debatable. As most establishments are struggling to stay in business, we thought this would be a good opportunity to lend a helping hand to a local burger joint.

Wimpy’s was a place I’ve been wanting to try for a while mainly for its retro 1950’s decor, and noted for their positive (food & service) reviews, I wanted to experience the hype for myself. Starting off as drive in restaurant in 1961, Wimpy’s expanded to a dine in restaurant in 1988 and became a successful franchise ever since.

Unfortunately, due to the spread of Covid-19 all food establishments banned all dine-in service and redirected operations to online ordering or take out. We opted calling in for take-out and drove to the local Wimpy’s location in Scarborough.

I opted for the Philly Cheese Burger- mixed peppers, grilled onions, mozzarella cheese, and BBQ sauce.

The Philly Cheese Burger- Photo by/Mark Avila

I wasn’t expecting much, but it was a monstrosity of a sandwich to take in. Presentation was a little sloppy, and was smothered in cheese! You can never go wrong with too much cheese.

Taking the first bite… I didn’t know where to start. As sloppy as it was, it was pretty delicate to get my teeth around. When I finally got a bite, I was surprised by how bland it tasted. It had decent flavour and was very filling, but other than that I really didn’t care for it at all.

Overall, I was pretty disappointed at the quality and taste of the burger. I was expecting much more, but was presented with something mediocre. Given the circumstance, I wasn’t able to feel the full Wimpy’s experience. I would like to come back and dine in once everything is back to normal, and hopefully have a more pleasant experience.

5.5/10

Burger Review #43: Ozzy's Burgers

Photo by Andrew Hockridge

Date Visited: January 21, 2020
Location: Kensington Market
BurgerTours Rating: 8.4/10

Taste	Messiness	Price	Venue	Pluses
Great	Very Messy	$11-$15	Fast Food/Restaurant	Veggie, Patio

Website
 

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Drew's Review

Photo by Andrew Hockridge

Hi. How are you? Great. You’re welcome.

BurgerTour number 54 brings us back to Kensington Market to try Halal burger joint, Ozzy’s Burgers. Ozgur Sekar created Ozzy’s Burgers, a small, cozy, Halal burger joint in the heart of Toronto to share his passion of cooking and serving up his clients. Ozzy’s opened in the summer of 2017 and since its opening, Ozzy, himself, loves when he witnesses the smiles on all his customers after trying his burgers.

On a cold day in January, Mark and I decided Ozzy’s Burgers was going to be our next stop. We did our research and found out it was one of the top stops on our “yet to try” list. We were only aware of the rumor that it was one of the best places to try for burgers in downtown Toronto and our expectations were already set.

We entered the establishment in the early afternoon to an empty place. The dining area was small, but I already liked this place. The casual atmosphere and the friendly chatter between staff made me feel welcome. Upon reading over the menu in an attempt to satisfy our hunger, and getting the best possible option Ozzy’s had to offer, I was sidelined with choices between many interesting options. But somehow, I was drawn to Ozzy’s signature special double cheeseburger, the Mustang Sally. I thought to myself, how could I turn this down?

I decided to double down and order the Mustang Sally, which as I described, is a double beef patty with Canadian cheddar, swiss cheese, crispy beef bacon, caramelized onions, onion rings and special Ozzy sauce with BBQ dressing. And if I knew anything about double cheeseburgers, this was going to be a mouthful.

The Mustang Sally w/ golden crispy fries/Photo by Andrew Hockridge

I was quite impressed with the ten minutes that passed between order and completion. I was also impressed by how neatly presented the platters are. The fries on the side are definitely a plus, and needed, especially with a burger of this magnitude. The first bite was chaotic, yet satisfying. The patties are quite succulent and flavourful. Surprisingly, the bun and the toppings do not overwhelm the patty but compliments quite nicely. After a couple bites it was hard to really distinguish any flavour. Since it is a double patty all I ended up tasting was meat (not that that’s a bad thing) but I guess I was simply looking for something that would tickle my taste buds more. Nonetheless, I did eat it all and enjoyed it.

Overall, I wholeheartedly appreciated my meal at Ozzy’s Burgers and the mess created while eating the Mustang Sally was worth it. The only downside I would say about this place is the fact that it is a pretty small space to eat and in busy times, I suggest getting take out. But this is, as well as most of the restaurants in Kensington Market, a summer setting and does offer the outside tables for additional seating. Don't sleep on this place like we did for so long and get there now. Yes, even in the snowy conditions; it's so worth it. Can't wait to go back and try more tasty burgers on their menu.

8.3/10

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Mark's Review

Kensington Market never has a shortage of burger joints. Seems like every time we visit this neighbourhood, a new burger joint opens up. For this tour we visit a new local favourite, Ozzy’s Burger. 

This joint serves Halal Burgers ranging from the classics, signature, and premium. They also offer steak and chicken sandwiches. All of the burgers and sandwiches are served with handmade patties, sauces and toppings.

I decided to take a different route for this visit and went for a healthier burger option. They offer a Vegan & Veggie menu consisting of the Ozzy’s Vegan Burger and the Portobello Veggie Burger.

I opted for Ozzy’s Vegan Burger. Made out of a vegan patty, carmelized onions, roasted peppers, lettuce, tomato, pickled, sautéed mushrooms, jalapenos, and homemade guacamole. This was my second time having a vegan burger, and I was definitely looking forward to what this had to offer.

Ozzy's Vegan Burger/Photo by Mark Avila

Taking that first bite, the patty was nicely cooked and tasted quite nice with the different sauces and toppings. The homemade guacamole had a slight spice to it, which enhanced the overall flavour. It’s a shame that the jalapeño didn’t give the burger any heat, but the guacamole made up for it. Even though I was expecting a bland and underwhelming burger, it surprised me by the overall presentation and flavour.

I was satisfied by the experience and would consider trying more vegan and vegetarian options during future burger tours. Ozzy’s is looking to be my new Kensington Market favourite.

8.5/10

Burger Review #42: Showtime Bistro

Photo by Andrew Hockridge, featuring Mark Avila

Date Visited: July 15, 2019
Location: Armdale
BurgerTours Rating: 8.9/10

Taste	Messiness	Price	Venue	Pluses
Great	Very Messy	$11-$15	Diner	Veggie

Website
 

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Drew's Review

Showtime Bistro is a halal gourmet restaurant specializing in burgers, sandwiches and poutine. This was going to be our 5-year anniversary of #BurgerTours, so we were looking for something with class and a fine dining experience, and seeing the word gourmet in the description really made Showtime Bistro stand out.

The ambiance features warm lighting and rich wood paneling, but what sold me was the theme; cinematic. They have TV screens playing classic movies as well as famous quotes adorning the walls. Not to mention most of their burger options revolve around this theme. I guess you could say a touch of Hollywood rounds out the experience at this halal burger joint in Scarborough.

The Mike Tyson burger/Photo by Andrew Hockridge

As soon as we entered, shortly after filming our 5-year anniversary Q&A for our YouTube channel, we were greeted and taken to a table. The staff were all very pleasant and offered to give recommendations as this was our very first visit.

After taking a look at the menu, I ordered the Mike Tyson burger. It came with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, a pickle, bacon, fried battered jalapeños, topped with Havarti cheese and Showtime’s signature spicy mayo. I also had to try the Ferrero Rocher milkshake because that alone was something I had to try.

Ferrero Rocher Milkshake/Photo by Andrew Hockridge

Within minutes, our orders were ready and brought to us on a patter. The Mike Tyson looked well cooked and very well compact for a gourmet burger. The first bite was delicious and had the right amount of flavour for what I was craving. I liked the fact that the jalapeños actually complemented the taste vs. just burning my mouth like it usually does. You could see the juice as you bite into your burger. You can tell they use good quality meat. However, the bun was so soft that it kept crumbling and it made the whole eating experience a bit messy. I'm sure that can be easily fixed if you ask for your burger bun to be well done.

The Ferrero Rocher milkshake was by far the highlight of my dining experience. That thing was like a satisfying meal in itself. It was very thick and filling, but makes you full of guilt after. I try to avoid dairy as much as possible but this is the only exception because it's that good. I can confidently say that if you have this milkshake, you will want to go back again and again. I'm currently craving it.

Here's the rundown. Showtime Bistro is fantastic and a must-try for those looking for something halal set in a modern cuisine. The cinematic theme they have going really adds to the dining experience. I would go back just to have the Ferrero Rocher milkshake again. The Mike Tyson burger is one of the best halal burgers I think I’ve ever had. Highly recommend everyone to give this restaurant a shot and dine in the spotlight. It’s worth the price and you won’t regret it.

8.7/10

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Mark's Review

We’ve reached another milestone at #BurgerTours, but this one is more momentous. We are 5 years old! I can’t believe how quickly time has flown by, and how many burger joints we’ve tagged across Toronto and Canada. Hopefully, in the next 5 years we will be able to take #BurgerTours abroad and feast on what the world has to offer.

For this milestone tour, we take you to North Toronto where we visit a popular halal bistro that serves crafted burgers, wraps, sandwiches, poutine, and much more.

We visit Showtime Bistro!

The Pineapple Express/Photo by Mark Avila

This joint guarantees 100% halal servings, and has a broad menu ranging from entrees, desserts, milkshakes, and mocktails. But, we were here for one thing... the burgers! They offer a decent burger selection and I opted for the Pineapple Express, a new addition to their menu lineup.

The Pineapple Express is a beef patty burger layered with spicy jerk seasoning, a slice of pineapple and topped with lettuce, tomato, onions, and jerk mayo. On top of that, it was served with big chunks of potato wedges which were nicely cooked and seasoned. I also couldn’t resist an order of the Mango Milkshake.

Taking that first bite I immediately caught the spice and sweetness from the jerk seasoning and mayo, which was a nice balance between the two flavours. Had the pineapple been grilled, that additional sweetness would’ve been a good compliment to the taste of the burger.

Overall, the burger was juicy and perfectly cooked. The portion size was fair, and more than enough to satisfy my stomach.

I was impressed by the service and quality of the food that Showtime had to offer, and is probably one of the top halal joints that I’d visit again. I didn’t have high expectations, but this first visit definitely surpassed it.

9/10

Burger Review #41: Burgers Park

Photo by Andrew Hockridge, featuring Mark Avila

Date Visited: June 21, 2019
Location: Henry Farm
BurgerTours Rating: 8.75/10

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

Website
 

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Drew's Review

Photo by Andrew Hockridge

Burgers Park has been on our list for nearly a year, and we could never find the time to make the trip up to the Victoria Park and Sheppard Ave. area. What stood out for me was the conspiracy that the food offered by Burgers Park is eerily similar to that of Shake Shack. Now I’ve never been to Shake Shack before, but by comparing pictures, I can certainly agree there are some similarities.

We arrived in the early afternoon and the place had a few customers dining at the time. This place was clearly going for a park atmosphere, and I think they actually nailed it in terms of providing a quaint area with matching decor to eat and relax a bit. It was spacious enough not to feel too cramped, and lots of bright lighting.

The Park Burger/Photo by Andrew Hockridge

Upon deciding what to get, the girl behind the counter informed us the milkshake/juices option wasn’t available. I was really dying to try one of their fruit drink options. But then again, this is a burger review and not a juice review. Burgers Park has a small menu; choosing between the burgers didn’t take any time at all. They also offer hot dogs, craft drinks and cookies and gelato for dessert.

I ordered the Park Burger, which came with American Cheese, beefsteak tomato, lettuce, sautéed onions, pickles, and the optional addition of ketchup and mayo. I was a bit surprised by the wait time as it was a little longer than I expected for the few people that were in the restaurant at the time. Despite that, the service was friendly.

The Park Burger was fantastic. The first bite was intense, and screaming to be cherished. The meat was freshly made and cooked to perfection. This is probably why our order took so long. But after consuming a few bites, the burger was very juicy/oily, which we were warned by the waiter not to take the wrapper off the burger. The fries also had a really good seasoning on them and if I had to rank them, I would give them two thumbs up!

Overall, if you're looking for a Shake Shack alternative or just a superb burger from an established burger joint, check out Burgers Park!

8.5/10

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Mark's Review

The Park Burger/Photo by Mark Avila

Burgers Park has been labelled the Canadian “Shake Shack” by some and is said to resemble other international burger joints, so we thought it would be nice to check it out and see if it’s the real deal. At a first glance the interior was very clean, casual, and green. The wood panels, and grass wall and benches created a casual fictitious indoor park atmosphere.

The menu ranges from hot dogs, burgers, milkshakes, smoothies, and craft drinks.

Since we were at Burgers Park, I had to go for the Park Burger. A Cheeseburger made of Angus Beef, seared mustard, lettuce, and tomato. I also wanted to try one of their crafted Fruit Shakes, but they were unfortunately not making it that day which was a little disappointing.

Taking the first bite, the Angus beef was very crisp and had a nice savory flavour. Out of the many Cheeseburgers I’ve had previously, this one is up on my list.

The overall quality was top notch and the flavours complimented each other really well. Since I have yet to try Shake Shack, this definitely was a nice preview and sets the bar high for a future visit.

9/10

Burger Review #40: Hidden Burger

Photo by Andrew Hockridge

Date Visited: January 25, 2019
Location: Financial District
BurgerTours Rating: 7.95/10

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

Website
 

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Drew's Review

Cheeseburger/Photo by Andrew Hockridge

The one question we had when we selected Hidden Burger was how were we going to find it?

Well, Hidden Burger is not so hidden thanks to the internet. Upon a Google search, Hidden Burger is located somewhere within Brookfield Plaza in the financial district of downtown Toronto. Now all we had to do was walk around and find it. It was like chasing after a rare Charizard.

Once found, Hidden Burger is a small, Archie-themed, cramped little area, with a few bar stools and a table along the wall. Luckily it wasn’t as busy as we were anticipating and the wait was only a few minutes to get our orders. Hidden Burgers offers burgers at a relatively modest size. More than fair for the price, and you'll be full with the large number of fries given - but just be aware that it's at a comparable size to Burger Priest and not the Works.

I decided to go with the cheeseburger. The burger comes with a soft bun (not toasted), burger patty, cheese, lettuce, tomato and onion and a bit of ketchup/mustard. The burger itself was very fresh and obviously made with quality ingredients. The beef patty was well seasoned and perfectly cooked.

Overall, Hidden Burger is a great little spot especially if you like a little bit of a mystery hunt. It’s definitely nothing super fantastic but a good solid burger if you're in the neighborhood or want something better than your typical fast food chain. It was well worth the find and the money spent, and you'll be playing "hide the burger" with your mouth quite quickly once you get a hold of one.

7.4/10

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Mark's Review

Photo by Mark Avila

The Cheeseburger/Photo by Mark Avila

Hidden Burger wasn’t the easiest joints to find. 

Nestled behind Bottom Line Sports Bar inside one of the Towers in Toronto’s Financial District, Hidden Burger serves simple all American style burgers topped with lettuce, tomato, pickles, and American cheddar cheese. Offering a basic menu consisting of the Veggie Burger, Cheeseburger, and Double Cheeseburger, this joint offers no substitutions. Simply said... you get what you pay for. They also have the “Jughead” Platter, inspired by the Archie Comics, is a 10 cheeseburger platter with added toppings, served with their side of fries and Jalapeno dipping sauce. And did I mention its $100!

I opted for the Cheeseburger. As simple as it was, it was perfectly made. The beef patty was nicely cooked, and the thick slab of cheddar cheese added a nice creamy flavour. There really isn’t much to say, other than that it was a satisfying experience that exceeded my expectations.

8.5/10