Burger Review #5: Slab Burgers

Photo by Andrew Hockridge

Date visited: November 18, 2014 
Location: Yorkville
BurgerTours Rating: 6/10
 

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

Website

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Drew's Review

I heard about this place about a week or so before we decided to go. The name itself was intriguing and made me want to sample their "natural fresh burgers". Words like "100% beef" and "freshly ground whole meat" caught my attention as I was browsing their website. I had read a few reviews online about the joint before I finally pitched the destination and it seemed liked a place we had to try.

Slab Burgers sits in the heart of Yorkville, just south of the Bay-Bloor intersection. The joint itself is rather small and offers a few tables and chairs for customers. But this location, being on the edge of the downtown core, must see a lot of walk-ins from men in business suits. The menu has some very interesting items I wanted to try but didn't want to spend a whole lot on. I went with the simple option and gave their original "bacon and cheese Slab burger" a try. I ordered the burger with a side of fries, as they gave me a number and I went to grab a seat. About 10 minutes later, my order was ready. At first glance, the burger looked small - I only added onions and ketchup to my burger, after all. But when I took my first bite, I was amazed by the taste. The meat was well-cooked, sandwiched between two sesame buns, and the addition of onions and ketchup, captured a well-balanced taste to the burger. From what I was able to sample, the meat was definitely 100% freshly ground beef and that's just what I was expecting; tender and the originality of a good burger. The fries were quite appetizing as well. They came golden brown; some big, some small, and reminded me of the fries you get from a truck stop. Any gravy or malt vinegar and they would be incredibly delicious with fish, which is what I'll have to try next time I dine at Slab Burgers. Overall, this is your modern burger joint that offers a wide selection of burgers, poutine and salads. The one thing I like about this place is that they don't add anything to the meat; other than a sprinkle of sea salt. You take it for how it is and how it's supposed to be. Sure it may lack in flavour, but there is freedom in choosing the toppings you want to get the burger you crave. As it says on its website, it's the burger we grew up liking as a child, the burger we remember from a vacation, or the burger we can only dream of eating which is what Slab Burgers is achieving everyday. *Just an FYI, the menu on their site has a lot more options to choose from than the menu they have on the menu board in their restaurant. So keep that in mind if you do wish to specialize your burger and go fully loaded.* 5.0/10

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Mark's Review 

Bacon + cheese Slab Burger/Photo by Andrew Hockridge

Double Bacon Cheeseburger/Photo by Mark Avila

Slab Burger... what can I say. It’s a hidden gem in downtown Toronto that definitely deserves more attention. It’s quite spacious with a few seats, but there was one thing missing; the customers! We went in the early afternoon just after the lunch hour, which may have contributed to the emptiness of the restaurant, but this is downtown I’m talking about here. I was honestly quite surprised at first, but to our benefit, the lack of customers meant a faster service.

I went to their website the night before and was delighted to see the large selection of burgers and specialty burgers. At first, the Wild Alaska Salmon Burger caught my eye; I mean... how often do you get the chance to try Alaskan Salmon on a burger. It was definitely something that I was looking forward to trying.

Coming to the restaurant the next day, excited about ordering my Wild Alaskan Salmon Burger, to my surprise, I didn’t see it on the menu board. Luckily, the menu board had most of the options I saw on the website the night before, and decided to go for the Double Bacon Cheeseburger. I was given three options of getting the burger with just cheese, just bacon, or bacon & cheese with a price just under $10. With the combo, it came up to a decent price under $15 which I found was a usual price range for a Double Bacon Cheeseburger.

Now this thing was quite big. It took me a few minutes to get my hands around it and to figure out how I was going to get it into my mouth. And when I did, boy, the flavors just oozed out of the patty, and the bacon complimented the taste so well. And if you want grease, then you can definitely find it in this burger. I like a good greasy burger, but this was just a bit too much for me. It got quite messy when the bun started falling apart when I was halfway through eating. But hey, I guess that’s the experience when you’re taking bites out of a good burger. The fries that came with the combo were a little too burnt and crispy for my liking, but we’re seasoned quite well and not too salty.

My overall experience at Slab Burgers was satisfying. The next time I’m at the Bloor & Bay area and looking for a good burger to chow down, I will definitely come back to Slab Burger. 7.0/10