Burger Review #38: Shamrock Burgers

Photo by Andrew Hockridge

Date Visited: July 29, 2018
Location: Highland Creek
BurgerTours Rating: 7/10

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

Website
 

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Drew's Review

Photo by Andrew Hockridge

Craving a burger, and not in a drive-thru rush? If you’re in the area, try Shamrock. It’s a bit of drive, but if you live in the east end of Scarborough, it’s definitely one of the better burger joints out there.

Shamrock Burgers was established in 1970 by Mr. Danny Maleganeas, and has since grown to three locations (2 in Ontario, and 1 in Alberta). This place at first glance doesn’t look like much but when you walk in, the staff are super friendly and there are few places to sit. The place itself is a bright and clean, fast-casual atmosphere with a mixture of "rock and roll" and Irish themed décor.

Photo by Andrew Hockridge

When Mark and I walked in on a sunny summer day in late July, it was just after the dinner rush, but diners were still trinkling in. There were seats and tables to sit at, and we were eager to get a table. So we made our orders brief.

Now, the food...

Shamrock’s menu consists of homemade fast food items such as burgers, fries, prime rib steak on a bun, chicken wrap, poutine, chicken souvlaki, and much more. Their goal is to offer a "fun, friendly and interactive rock and roll experience coupled with great homemade food to their customers". Overall, they have stayed true to their initial principles of using quality ingredients, and providing fresh made-to-order meals.

I really enjoy their list of selections on the menu. Lots of tasty toppings, your choice of cheese and a saucy selection complement the standards. Can't decide between fries and rings? Don't! Go for frings!

Double-Decker Grilled Cheese Burger/Photo by Andrew Hockridge

I decided to go with the Double Decker Grilled Cheese, which was a massive beef patty between 2 grilled cheese sandwiches, 2 pieces of side bacon, red onion, romaine lettuce and tomato. The bread had a decent amount of thickness, so the ratio between the bread slices, and patty wasn't too bad. This was an overall tasty grilled cheese burger, and definitely filling. I also got a side a golden crispy fries and a Vanilla milkshake, because I was starving, clearly.

Overall, the food is crazy good. Not bad value for what they give you which is a huge burger. If you're a burger fan, or just craving burgers, this is a great place to go. The place does seem a little small and cramped and not that great of an atmosphere, but if you're there just for the food, it's amazing.

This place is well worth any drive you need to take to get there or bus if that is you only option. I am very jealous of the people in the neighborhood that have access to this all the time. But leave your conscience behind because you will be carrying lots of greasy calories out with you.

7.5/10

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Mark's Review

For this Burger Tour we take you to east Scarborough to the neighbourhood of Highland Creek, where we visit Shamrock Burgers. One of two locations in the GTA, Shamrock Burgers is known for delivering a unique burger experience starting from friendly service, to an “edgy and youthful rock alternative”, with quality ingredients and burgers.

The rock and roll theme populates their menu with the Classic Rock, Rock Star, and Famous Combos.

I opted for the Gaelic. Since Shamrock screams Ireland, might as well go for an Irish-inspired burger.

The Gaelic/Photo by Mark Avila

The Gaelic is layered with lettuce, tomato, sun-dried tomatoes, sautéed mushrooms, shamrock cheese sauce, and house made lemon-tarragon aioli. Unfortunately, the sun-dried tomatoes were not available.

The meat was juicy and sweet. The citrus from the lemon aioli contrasted with a smooth sour flavour. No flavour overpowered the other; it was a perfectly balanced burger.

Good experience and delicious offerings. Will definitely have to try their edgy rock and roll style burgers next time!

6.5/10

Special Burger Review: Burger Royal

Photo by Andrew Hockridge

Date Visited: June 23, 2018
Location: Le Plateau - Mont Royal (Montreal)
BurgerTours Rating: 8.95/10

Taste	Messiness	Price	Venue	Pluses
Excellent	Messy	$11-$15	Restaurant	Veggie, Gluten Free

Website
 

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Photo by Andrew Hockridge

Drew's Review
Do you know what they call a quarter pounder with cheese in France? A royal with cheese.

Burger Royal is nothing to mess with. Located in the Le Plateau Mont-Royal neighbourhood on St. Laurent Blvd., this place is seriously regal. A true dignity to burger royalty.

We went on a Saturday at around 8pm. It being a Saturday evening in late June, this place was bustling. There was a table open we saw just as soon as we arrived. It was the beginning of summer in Montreal, so everyone is out and about. Needless to say, this place wasn’t hard to find at all.

Photo by Andrew Hockridge

I advise to come with an empty stomach. Burger Royal offers good sized portions, and hearty food. Burgers come in three sizes. 3, 6 and 9oz. (The 6 will satisfy most, the 9 is massive). You can also choose how cooked your burger is (rare to well done). And there are a large selection of burger choices, or you can customize to your liking. And you know when they ask you how you like your burger meat cooked, it's going to be delicious.

It's juicy, the meat is seasoned, it's heavy 6oz but at the same time light and fluffy when you bite into it. I don't know how else to explain it. They have a bunch on the menu for you to choose or you can make your own from scratch.

I gave the menu a hard read and after a few minutes reading over the options, I made the toughest decision I made all weekend. Of all the creations that sounded amazing to try, I went with the 3 oz. Awks burger. It was a burger that came loaded with Monterey jack and cheddar cheese, pickles, ketchup, mustard and mayo. It's juicy, the meat is seasoned, it's a heavy 3oz but at the same time light and fluffy when you bite into it. I don't know how else to explain it.

Awks/Photo by Andrew Hockridge

The sensation was pure delight. The craftiness put into this small creation went beyond expectations. The flavour was succulent with light elements of tangy and zesty. The meat was cooked light and was able to bite into it without any difficulty. It was soft and tender and the juices clashed nicely with the quality of the burger.

Burger Royal can fit into any category seemingly well. Alcohol isn’t an option, but veggie and gluten-free options are. The burgers are compact and fit into many mouths and generally served for hungry customers. Burger Royal was exactly what I wanted and needed after a long day of exploring the city. It's a great vibe and definitely a must-go when visiting Montreal.

8.9/10

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Mark's Review

We set off once again to discover more local and authentic burger joints outside of Toronto. But, rather than touring the GTA like we’ve done the past few months, we drove 5 hours away to a previous BurgerTour location, Montreal. This is our second time to tag a burger joint in Montreal, the first being Uniburger back in 2015. For this special BurgerTour, we visit Burger Royal.

Burger Royal was on our list to visit back in 2015, but with the distance being out of reach for us at the time we decided to save it for our next trip... three years later, here we are!

They take a fine spin on comfort food, taking the freshest mountain raised and grass fed beef from Mont Laurier. Aside from burgers, they also serve a variety of: chilli, mac n’cheese, poutine, salads, and hot dogs.

Located in the Mont Royale neighbourhood just west of Downtown Montreal, this burger joint situated on Boulevard St. Laurent is clustered among a group of restaurants and bars that often see high volumes of people during the week. We were in the area on a Saturday night, so we weren’t surprised had the restaurant been busy, but luckily for us it wasn’t.  Andrew and I were joined by two other friends who indulged with us for this foodies weekend, and we weren’t going to let them miss out on a burger tour experience.

The burger menu had a wide selection ranging from the traditional cheese burger with a local touch, to the most creative inspired by both local and international ingredients. I was torn between two, but since we were in Montreal, I opted for le Quebecois.

Le Quebecois/Photo by Mark Avila

Le Quebecois is a beef burger with Cheddar Cheese, Creamy Coleslaw, Mustard, and Relish. All of their burgers have a choice of a slider size or regular size for a couple more dollars extra. I chose the slider with a side of French Fries and a drink.

Even though I only got the slider, it was surprisingly a decent size, flavourful, and filling. It was an interesting first bite; the Coleslaw immediately caught my taste buds with a creamy and sweet start, followed by a tart finish from the mustard. The beef patty was cooked well and juicy, and the bun was delicate and soft. It was definitely a light meal, but I say my stomach was satisfied. Had I not been still digesting from our previous meal, I would’ve gotten a regular size or even two sliders.

Overall, I was very impressed by Burger Royal. I appreciated that they were able to offer two size options for their burgers, otherwise I don’t know if I would’ve been able to finish a regular size on my own. Le Quebecois was light and filling, and full of flavour that was able to satisfy my taste buds.

Without a doubt, Montreal left us with another amazing BurgerTour experience. I would consider Burger Royal to be one of my all around favourite food joints to check out in Montreal. Aside from the Poutine and Smoked Meat, I will definitely be seeking to return here during the next visit.

9/10

Burger Review #37: Fresh Burger

Photo by Andrew Hockridge

Date Visited: June 6, 2018
Location: Church and Wellesley
BurgerTours Rating: 7.6/10

Taste	Messiness	Price	Venue	Pluses
Awesome	Some Drip	$11-$15	Fast Food	Patio, Liquor

Website
 

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Drew's Review

Photo by Andrew Hockridge

How fresh would you like your meat? I think I’ve found an answer for you.

Former financial businessman, Jacques Kavafian, created Fresh Burger in 2013 by opening his first location near his home in Richmond Hill. Kavafian was “frustrated” with Toronto’s burger scene. He thought, “People are trying too hard to be different.” All he wanted was a good old-fashioned fresh hamburger. Thus, leading to him opening a small hamburger restaurant called Fresh Burger.

In January of 2018, Kavafian expanded his franchise by opening his third location of Fresh Burger. With three operational restaurants in and around the GTA, Fresh Burger has attained considerable attraction within Toronto’s burger scene.

We went one afternoon in June to visit the Church and Wellesley location with barely anybody in the restaurant. It was unfamiliarly quiet. The menu is simple. It serves burgers and fries with the option to customize your burgers and upsize your fries.

4 oz. Fresh Burger/Photo by Andrew Hockridge

I ordered the 4 oz. Fresh Burger with a slice of cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, caramelized onions, bacon, ketchup and mustard. The special sauce is Mac Sauce/Thousand Island dressing. After the first bite, I was in love. I wasn't expecting something this good from here; the patties were juicy, bread slightly toasted, cheese melty, and caramelized onions oh so sweet. It was a delicious bliss and the consistency was very similar to a homemade hamburger. The ingredients all work well to provide a refreshingly pure burger experience.

The fries are not greasy which makes them great. They are crispier than most places, but still good.

Overall, Fresh Burger offers an amazing burger made from actual, FRESH ground beef, not the frozen kind, because in this “Fresh” world, freezers don’t even exist. After being on our list for nearly a year, I was absolutely thrilled that I gave it a chance. If you're looking for a great no frills burger in the village, especially late after visiting the bars, I would definitely stop in here. Their name really does reflect what you get here.

7.2/10

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Mark's Review

The Double Freshburger/Photo by Mark Avila

We take you back to downtown Toronto, where we visit the neighbourhood of Church and Wellesley for the very first time.

A burger joint that bears freshness to its name, Fresh Burger, keeps the original hamburger alive, cheap, and delicious.

One of two locations in Toronto, the other in Richmond Hill, Fresh Burger was first started in 2013 and has since been dedicated to serve the best quality burgers at the lowest price. They’re proud to serve fresh meat, vegetables, and ingredients daily as they run their stores with no freezers!

The menu was simple with only four burger options. I opted for the Double Freshburger, an 8oz beef patty with lettuce, tomato, and cheese. Additional toppings are available for $1.00. But, I decided to stick with the original load.

Taking that first bite, my mouth was blown away. The beef patty was well cooked and the flavours were well distributed throughout my palate. Taking the burger as it came was definitely a good choice. I was able to appreciate the freshness and simplicity, while enjoying a perfectly handcrafted burger that was full of flavour.

8 /10