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| Photo by Andrew Hockridge |
Location: Scarborough, ON
BurgerTours Rating: 5.55/10
| Taste | Messiness | Price | Venue | Pluses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Very Messy | $11-$15 | Fast Food, Diner, Restaurant |
Website
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.
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| Smoky Burger/Photo by Andrew Hockridge |
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
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.
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| The Philly Cheese Burger- Photo by/Mark Avila |
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
