Special 100th Burger Review: The King Eddy

Photo by/Mark Avila

Date Visited: December 9, 2023
Location: Ottawa, ON
BurgerTours Rating: 9.25/10

Taste	Messiness	Price	Venue	Pluses
Excellent	Some Drip	$11-$15	Restaurant	Veggie, Gluten Free, Liquor, Patio

Website

---

Drew's Review

Burger joint number 100! We did it! 

And for our grand ceremonious celebration, we drove to our country’s capital, Ottawa. And what better place to dine at than The King Eddy! 

Photo by Andrew Hockridge

To help us select this special occasion, we took to our socials and held a poll. Before doing this, we stumbled upon the 50 best burger joints across the country and wrote them on pieces of paper for our friends to choose from a hat. We narrowed it down to three locations – Bernie and the Boys Bistro in Drumheller, Alberta, Rouge Burger Bar in Chicoutimi, Quebec, (which was our runner-up) and The King Eddy, which eventually won with a landslide 74% to 26%. Luckily, Ottawa was a much quicker trip than the other places we drew. 

It was December and we anticipated the trip up north to be cold, but we weren’t expecting the snow. It was cloudy skies when we arrived in Ottawa and after scoping out the area the night before, we made our way to the King Eddy for a mid-day snack, shortly after noon. When we arrived, diners were still ordering from the breakfast menu, but we were here specifically for the burgers. Aside from a handful of Canadian fresh (never frozen) beef burgers, the King Eddy also provides fried chicken, sandwiches, poutine, salads, desserts and many other favourites, not to mention their all-day breakfast menu which I mentioned earlier. 

The place was packed, and we were lucky to grab a table shortly after we arrived as there was quite a long wait there afterwards. There was a good, positive vibe about this place: bright lighting, and plenty of tables, as well as a bar, which we were sitting at. Everyone was talking amongst themselves and with many people already dining and more waiting for a table, I could tell at this very moment that we made the right choice for our 100th BurgerTour. 

The King Eddy signature/Photo by Andrew Hockridge

I decided to get the signature King Eddy burger which was a burger with two Canadian all-beef patties, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles and their homemade Eddy sauce (mayo). Within about a 20-minute wait, our burgers were brought out. The burger was a good-looking homemade cheeseburger with a sesame seed bun and looked very tasty. And after the first bite, my sights preceded my expectations. 

 

The beef patty was tender and juicy, and just the perfect amount of flavour. The toppings were a great addition to compliment the burger and every bite was better than the previous. I couldn’t get enough of it. The golden crispy fries were also a delight but required a good amount of ketchup that sets the flavour just right. 

Overall, I don’t think we could have made a better choice for our 100th BurgerTour. The King Eddy really provided exceptional customer service, a family-friendly atmosphere and plenty of options on the menu to choose from. Not to mention, the location in particular, in Byward Market, is the perfect location for this burger/diner/breakfast restaurant. I will want to return to this joint in the future and I highly recommend it to any food lovers in Canada – it is well worth the trip. Trust me. I’m Canadian. 

9.0/10

---

Mark's Review

Who knew that we would make it up to this point. What started off as a small venture to satisfy our food cravings turned in to a full burger tour where we have visited the best burger joints in Canada, and Europe. We started off going from local joints, branching out to different ends of Toronto, to road trips, plane trips, and finally reaching different continents. The last 9 years filled our stomachs of the best and the worst the world of burgers has to offer. Over the years we’ve developed our personal favourites, and seen many places rise and fall. 

We’re proud to say that we’ve made it to our 100th burger joint, and happy that our supporters and followers were able to choose the joint for this special occasion. Among many highly regarded burger joints throughout the country, our followers decided to bring us to the nations capital, Ottawa, where we visit… the King Eddy! 

Beyond Real Veggie Burger/Photo by Mark Avila

Located in the Byward Market, the King Eddy is a local favourite that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We arrived just after brunch with the lunch rush just starting to trickle in. Safe to say that our plan to reach the King Eddy by noon turned out to be a wise decision. We were seated after about 15 minutes at the bar where we had a nice panoramic view of the restaurant. The interior was a mix of a cafe, restaurant, and diner which was a nice homage to all the different joints we’ve visited throughout the years.  

I opted for the Beyond Real Veggie Burger— Black Bean & Quinoa Vegan Patty layered with, mayo slaw, dill, pickle, and chilli mayo. 

Taking that first bite, the texture was soft and tasted like turkey stuffing. Without a doubt probably one of the best vegan patties I’ve ever had. The chilli mayo and slaw, I found, added a touch of sweetness which was a nice balance to the savouriness of the patty. Even though I’ve had many variations of this burger before, it’s the simplicity of this one that made it stand out. Sometimes, less is more! 

Taking the trip to Ottawa for just a burger was definitely worth the drive. As much as this felt like any other burger tour, it was a meaningful one. Having made it to 100 burger joints was a long awaited milestone. We’re happy to have made the King Eddy as our burger joint of choice on this special occasion. It only took us 10 years to visit out 100th joint, and we’re looking forward to visit 100 more!

9.5/10