Burger Review #52: Harry's Drive-In

Photo by Andrew Hockridge

Date Visited: March 27, 2021
Location: Scarborough, ON
BurgerTours Rating: 5.65/10

 

 

Taste	Messiness	Price	Venue	Pluses
Good	Non-Messy	$5-$10	Fast Food	Veggie, Patio

Website

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Drew's Review 

Harry’s Drive-In in Scarborough has been serving up hamburgers since 1954. The location sits comfortably in a parking lot in the north-east intersection of Kennedy and Lawrence. The restaurant is small and ironically, Harry’s Drive-In doesn’t have a drive-in. The burger joint has only seating for six or seven inside; though its outdoor patio can accommodate an additional 16 people. 

Harry’s Drive-In has everything from classic hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chicken dinners, fish, gyros and souvlaki. They also offer milkshakes to go with your classic hamburger. Everything about this place makes you take a step back in time and reminisce of a simpler, non-franchised world. 

Veggie Burger/Photo by Andrew Hockridge

Upon arriving, we were quick to realize Harry’s Drive-In only accepts cash, so we thought of a quick workaround. Luckily, Harry’s Drive-In was listed on Uber Eats for pickup. We browsed their menu and I was in the mood for something light. And the Veggie burger was probably the best option for this. Within a few minutes of placing our orders, our burgers were ready. 

I ordered the Veggie Burger that came with a veggie patty, and additional toppings of lettuce, ketchup and onions. The burgers are pretty big and for only $6, it can satisfy anybody. The Veggie burger looked thick, sandwiched between the two classic hamburger buns. I didn’t bother to dress the burger up as I wanted to indulge the taste of the veggie patty. 

The first few bites of the Veggie Burger were okay. Nothing exceptional except the tangy flavour of the onions. As I worked slowly toward the middle of the patty, the taste became the same. The flavour was bland and the quality was lacking. The veggie patty was soft and a little dry. Thinking about it, maybe I should have added a few more toppings to it. 

Overall, if you’re looking for a retro-styled hamburger joint in Scarborough, Harry’s Drive-In simply has that. I don’t really recommend the veggie patty, as I stated above, it was a little bland for my liking and lacked overall flavour, however, Harry’s Drive-In has many different options to choose from and many different burgers on their menu. I hope to return sometime soon and try an original hamburger and hopefully reverse my opinion on them. 

Thanks for reading. 

5.8/10

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Mark's Review 

Another birthday, another special burger tour. As customary here at #BurgerTours, we celebrate our birthdays with a free meal. For Andrew’s big day, he got to decide the location of our next burger joint. 

We stay local and pay a visit to Harry’s Drive-In! This popular burger joint in Scarborough sits at the intersection of Kennedy Rd & Lawrence Ave East. A local favourite for decades, diners claim Harry’s Drive-In to have the best homemade burgers in the city. They are a staple spot for Greek dishes such as souvlaki, gyros, and burgers. 

Veggie Burger/Photo by Mark Avila

Affordable, delicious… we were excited to experience the hype with Harry’s Drive In. When we first arrived, we were greeted with a “Cash Only” sign and were somewhat inconvenienced since we only carried our credit cards at the time. I double checked if they were on the Uber Eats app, and to our luck, they were! We ordered our meal on the app, and within 15 minutes it was ready. Service was quick, and the staff inside were friendly and welcoming when we picked up our food. 

We both opted for the Veggie Burger with our choice of lettuce, onion, and ketchup for the toppings. 

This is where it gets interesting… unwrapping the burger, it looked delectable and appetizing. Taking the first bite, however, I was a little disappointed. To keep it simple, it was pretty bland. Not to fully bring this burger down, but we probably could’ve added more toppings to further enhance the flavour, instead we decided to keep it simple and paid the price for it. The patty was nicely cooked, and thankfully the ketchup and onions added a hint of sweetness and a touch of heat. 

Other than that, there’s nothing much to say. It was filling, but our lack of topping choices definitely brought down the quality and flavour of the burger. Lesson learned, the more the merrier! 

5.5/10

Burger Review # 51: Confused Kitchen

Photo by Mark Avila

Date Visited: February 20, 2021
Location: Milliken
BurgerTours Rating: 8/10

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

Website

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Drew's Review

Hi, welcome back, or if you’re new here, welcome to our community. I’m your co-host Andrew and allow me to take you on this journey of wonder and intrigue. Every step on our journey will enhance your vision of Toronto’s burger scene. Every single paragraph filled with concrete descriptions of the burgers we have tasted. We invite you to join us in the discovery of the best burgers Toronto has to offer. We are pleased you are here and be sure to follow our every step as we devour and conquer the Toronto burger scene! 

Now onto the review… 

For this BurgerTour, we wanted to do something different. We didn’t want your typical American style hamburger from an average burger joint. We wanted flavour. We wanted to step it up for this review. So, without further introduction, we bring you to Confused Kitchen in Scarborough! 

Confused Kitchen is unlike any burger joints we ever ate at before. And that’s because it’s not necessarily known for its burgers. It’s a Sri Lankan restaurant fused with Canadian, American, Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine. One look at their menu and your hunger will be satisfied in many sorts of ways. But we went here for the burgers. 

And some of their homemade creations will have you questioning the toppings you normally would put on a burger. Some examples from the burgers on their menu: butter chicken, mac & cheese, jalapeño cream cheese…and the one that I had to try: a Jalapeño Maple Butter burger. Each burger comes with your choice of a beef patty, a crispy chicken patty or a beyond meat patty and every burger drizzled with a bed of coleslaw. 

Jalapeño Maple Butter burger/Photo by Mark Avila

We phoned in our order and within 30 minutes, our burgers were ready for pickup. We quickly drove to Brimley and Steeles and ate our burgers in the parking lot. The Jalapeño Maple Butter burger looked rather satisfying sitting with a bed of coleslaw drizzled on top in a white container. The first bite was a nice clash of every flavour; the maple butter was sweet and savoury and the jalapeño really kicked it up a notch with just the right kick for the after taste. 

Overall, it was a fascinating blend of sweet and savoury. Now, I wouldn’t necessarily put maple butter on the burger, but I was amazed from the result and it seemed to have complimented the beef patties really nicely. The beef patties were soft and chewy, and nothing really stood out with its flavour. But I was still stunned from the addition to the maple butter on this burger. It was like having breakfast for lunch. It was  weird, but it was welcoming. 

Overall, Confused Kitchen was a pleasant surprise. One so, that I hope to return in the future to dine for more tasteful fused meals. The burgers were neatly crafted to satisfy those in hunger and those wanting to try something out of the ordinary than a traditional hamburger. Every flavour meshed really nicely, and even though this was my first burger from them, I can see that Confused Kitchen can mash together two ingredients really well and have them compliment the rest of the burger. 

Until next time… 

7.5/10

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Mark's Review 

A new month, a new burger tour. We decided to venture out of our local boundaries, and took a visit to the north Toronto where we visit Confused Kitchen. This fusion restaurant located at the corner of Brimley Rd & Steeles Ave, at the border Toronto and the City of Markham puts a South Asian twist on classic western dishes. 

Beyond Meat Butter Chicken Burger/Photo by Mark Avila   

Fries, Poutine, Wraps, Biryani, Kothu Roti (Sri Lankan Street Food, desserts, and exotic drinks from South Asia are just some examples their fusion offerings. 

Their menu gives you an option of Beef, Crispy Chicken, and Beyond Meat Burgers. On top of that, they allow you to customize your burger with over a dozen toppers to choose from. The Butter Chicken Sauce and the Jalapeño Maple Butter caught my eye from the start. But, seeing that we were dining out of a South Asian fusion restaurant, I thought of being adventurous and opted for the the Butter Chicken Sauce. 

 Butter Chicken in a burger? Never thought of it as an ideal combo so let’s give it a taste! 

I went for the Beyond Meat Patty with the Butter Chicken Sauce over a bed of Coleslaw. 

On a side note, I had asked for no Coleslaw… yet, to my surprise when I opened the container, there was Coleslaw! 

First impressions… it was a flavour explosion! The mild spiciness and pungent scent of Butter Chicken dominated my taste buds, and was surprisingly delicious. The coleslaw, even though I didn’t ask for it on my burger, I must admit was a great complimentary flavour to the butter chicken. It was creamy, but not too overpowering. 

Deciding to go on this adventurous burger tour definitely paid off. Trying a South Asian spin on burgers was something I thought could never work, but it proved me wrong. The experience from Confused Kitchen was very pleasant, despite the Coleslaw. I would say my favourite so far. Overall, excellent food and service brings this joint to the top of my list for 2021! 

8.5/10