Burger Review #69: 6ixside Burger

Photo by Andrew Hockridge

Date Visited: June 23, 2023
Location: Scarborough, ON
BurgerTours Rating: 6.15/10

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

"Life can always change, you have to adjust." -Drake 

"Obtuse rubber goose green moose guava juice giant snake birthday cake large fries chocolate shake" - also Drake 

For this BurgerTour, we stay in Scarborough to visit our neighbourhood Drake sanctuary, 6ixside Burger. Located on Warden Ave., just south of Eglinton Ave., 6ixside Burger offers delicious burgers, steaks and milkshakes while Toronto icon and hip-hop rapper Drake judges your every bite. 

The burgers hone their names from a selection of Toronto-based neighbourhoods, like Broadview, Liberty, Rosedale and Hillcrest just to name a few. Every burger is cooked using halal ingredients and slaughtered by hand. They also have a selection of wings and poutine if burgers aren’t your fancy. 

We arrived around dinner time to an empty restaurant with our stomachs empty and our wallets full. The vibe is friendly and cool with a huge mural that dedicates its love for Toronto and on the back wall, a huge mural of Drake, almost like a shrine for the Toronto rapper. A guy from the back appeared to quickly take our orders and then disappeared again, only to be seen again when our burgers were ready. 

Riverdale Burger/Photo by Andrew Hockridge

I ordered the burger adaptation of Riverdale which came with two 6-ounce beef patties, Canadian cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and “6ixside” aioli. The burger was huge. The two beef patties were massive and the toppings just added to the colossal layers of the burger. The presentation was really well done - The 6ixside aioli was Drizz(y)led neatly underneath the bun with the sauce melting and oozing down the sides of the burger. I knew this burger was going to be a two-hander and very messy. 

It was hard to wrap my mouth around, but I took a small bite and got a satisfying taste. And then the burger fell apart. The overly massive weight of the toppings was enough to warrant more napkins than the mess could handle. I think with the Riverdale being two 6-ounce beef patties, the toppings felt a little excessive and took away from the overall taste of the burger. There was just too much happening all at once, as Drake watched on while I battled this enormous creation. 

Overall, 6ixside Burger does burgers right and the beef was good enough to finish the meal. The Riverdale, although a bit excessive when it came to the toppings, was a good option to try for the first time and I sure hope to return again to try other options from their Toronto-inspired menu. In the end, 6ixside Burger doesn't just serve burgers; it serves up a slice of Toronto's soul between buns, with a side of Drake for that extra flavour of the 6ix. 

6.3/10

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Mark's Review

We are back in Scarborough to bring you another BurgerTour! Another new joint in the Golden Mile area by Warden & Eglinton, we take a visit to… 6ixside Burger! 

Guildwood Burger/Photo by Mark Avila

6ixside has a wide selection of burgers named after distinct Toronto neighbourhoods. This is the second joint we know of that has followed this theme. Curious to see if there are others out there that have adopted the same. Regardless, I was excited to see how 6ixside interprets the city's main neighbourhoods through burgers. 

I opted for their plant based option, the Guildwood. This a plant based patty layered with green and red peppers, caramelized onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, and their 6ixside aioli. Taking that first bite, my mouth was met with the sweetness of the caramelized onions followed by the slight spice from the aioli. It was a good balance of both worlds that fused the flavours of the burgers together so well. 

Overall, the burger itself was decent, flavourful, and exceeded my expectations. It was interesting to see the Guildwood as a plant based burger. But, I guess it would reflect the greenery and parks across the area. 6ixside Burger was a nice find, and definitely a new favourite joint in Scarborough. 

6/10

Burger Review #68: Pennies

Photo by Andrew Hockridge

Date Visited: May 21, 2023
Location: West Queen West
BurgerTours Rating: 5.85/10

Taste	Messiness	Price	Venue	Pluses
Good	Messy	$11-$15	Fast Food	Veggie, Patio, Alcohol

Website

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Drew's Review

Hi! 

Summer is in the air and what better way then to dine in at a burger joint with an exquisite outdoor patio, located just blocks away from Trinity Bellwoods Park. For this BurgerTour, we bring you to Downtown Toronto’s west end hot spot – Pennies. 

We arrived with a special guest in tow in the early afternoon and there were already a handful of diners enjoying the sunny weather on this summer-like day in May. We observed the menu and Pennies is not like any other burger joint we have eaten at. Pennies makes a selection of sliders that vary from simple to fancy and a number of other tasty side dishes (and drinks!) to satisfy your cravings. They offer two combo selections: any 3 sliders of your choosing or any 6 sliders, to be for one individual or a party of your close friends. We chose the latter with a tray of tater tots. And those tater tots were good. 

The El Paso Melt slider (left) and Classic Hamburger slider (right)/Photo by Andrew Hockridge

For my two sliders, I decided to go with the El Paso Melt slider which came with charred jalapeño, bacon, mozzarella and Carolina BBQ sauce and the Classic Hamburger slider which came with onion, pickle, ketchup and mustard. For such a small creation, I tried to savour every bite. The El Paso Melt slider wasn’t too spicy on one hand but was a solid choice to begin my review. It was a healthy blend of flavourful with a mild kick to boost up your senses. 

The Classic Hamburger on the other hand was just your normal, typical hamburger. There wasn’t anything too special with this one and it’s probably not something I would normally get. I like to have my taste buds challenged. The buns were solid, the meat was tender but there wasn’t too much flavor in the classic hamburger patty. 

Overall, Pennies was an excellent choice to spend a sunny afternoon, indulging in some sliders and some drinks with friends. For my best recommendation, travel with a group of friends and order a tray of tater tots to share, followed by a combo of slider of your choosing. Your summers would never be better. Trust me. Pennies and their sliders were a delight, and though, they are a tad smaller than from what we’re use to eating, it was well worth the drinks and the friendly company alone to have a great meal at this fine establishment. Consider myself a fan and a customer wanting to return. 

P.S. because Mark and I ate two burgers instead of just one, we averaged are two choices to combine our overall score for Pennies. 

6.2/10

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Mark's Review

We visit Pennies for this Burger Tour! Wedged between the Queen West and Trinity Bellwoods neighbourhoods at Strachan & Adelaide, this joint cannot be missed with its yellow exterior that can be seen from a mile away. Pennies is a local hotspot known for their diverse selection of Sliders. It's been a while since we've done a burger tour where the offerings were just strictly Sliders, so I was excited to give this a try! 

The sliders were priced just under $6 each with the veggie sliders being slightly more. They do, however, offer two combos if you want to make your moneys worth. The first is 'Combo No. 5' which lets you choose 3 sliders and the OG Tots for just under $20. Second is 'Combo 666' that is any 6 sliders for $30. Since there were 3 of us dining in, we opted for Combo 666. 

Classic Veggie and Korean Fried Chicken/photo by Mark Avila

The 6 Sliders we ordered were: the Griddle Melt, Classic Hamburger, Creamy Garlic Fried Chicken, El Paso, and my choices the Classic Veggie Burger and Korean Fried Chicken. For this review, I will only discuss my two choices. 

First is the Classic Veggie Burger -- one beyond meat patty topped with mustard, onion, pickle, and ketchup. Seeing that this was a slider, I wasn’t expecting the grandest presentation. I was, however, disappointed by what I unwrapped. A sad and messy slider that resembled a McDonald’s Cheeseburger. The saddest part I would say was the one pickle that was sitting in between the patty and the bun. The taste was fine. 

Up next was the Korean Fried Chicken -- sesame, mayo, slaw, and their special KFC sauce. It was more appealing to look at than the Veggie Burger, and was hoping the taste would save this dining experience. I did have expectation for some heat since this was Korean inspired, but I was disappointed that there was close to none. What did save this though, was the diverse flavour profile that the Veggie Burger did not have. This was sweet and savoury, and the chicken was seasoned nicely. 

The experience at Pennie’s was fun, different, and unique. I found that the 6 sliders for $30 was a good deal, along with a decent selection to choose from. I just wished the food equally matched the dining experience. 

5.5/10