Burger Review #50: Retro Burger

Photo by Andrew Hockridge

Date Visited: January 30, 2021
Location: The Danforth, ON
BurgerTours Rating: 5.25/10

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

Website

---

Drew's Review

Photo by Andrew Hockridge

Hello, and welcome again to BurgerTours, tasting our way through Toronto’s best tasting burgers! And for this review, we order in from Retro Burger. 

Retro Burger on the Danforth has been operating for nearly a decade now and I’m quite baffled as to why I haven’t dined there before. They also have an additional location in Ajax and are opening three more locations in Newmarket, Aurora and Concord soon. But known for their original location on the Danforth, Retro Burger has been serving the community and the GTA with its original charbroiled burgers for a while. And seeing it as a well-known spot for burger enthusiasts on the Danforth, this was a must-try. 

Retro Burger offers a classic charbroiled burger that can be topped however way you want it. They also have chicken, souvlaki, salads and new to their menu this year, wings! They also have a large variety of poutine available of which I have yet to try. And something was urging me to try one of their classic milkshakes too, but that will have to wait for another review. 

We phoned in our order and drove to the joint to pick it up. Thus still in the middle of an ongoing pandemic, the chairs were piled on top of tables, and only a few workers, all dawning masks inside. Our order was ready within the 30-minute span of phoning in our order and picking it up. We unpackaged our brown grocery bag to unveil our meals. The burger sat in a disorderly wrapped wrapper, but the burger itself looked acceptable. I had ordered the 5oz. burger with cheese, topped with lettuce and ketchup. I wanted to get a sense of their original creation with very few toppings to properly review their masterpiece. 

5oz. Burger with cheese/Photo by Andrew Hockridge

The first bite was pleasant, a little salty and a little charred. The meat was juicy, yet tasted a little overcooked. After a few bites, I worked my way to the centre of the burger and the meat tasted undercooked. It was like the sides were cooked well-done, but the middle of the burger, usually the best part tasted undercooked and dry. The toppings were alright, nothing out of the ordinary. 

The fries were golden brown, similar to your local food truck style fries. Crispy, warm and fried to perfection. The fries were however the best part about this meal. They complemented the burger ever so effortless, and a single order of French fries could fulfill your hunger cravings. 

Overall, Retro Burger lived up to my expectations. They offer good quality charbroiled burgers and if you’re a fan of a classic cheeseburger, this is the stop for you. The cheeseburger I has ordered may have just been a little well cooked for my tasting but that’s not stopping me from giving them a thumbs up. And this was a GOOD burger. It just lacked the preparation. From the reviews I’ve read online, Retro Burger does burgers right, so I was disappointed to have a “meh” burger. And one day I can hopefully return and redeem my expectations. 

 6/10

---

Mark's Review 

Once again, we take BurgerTours back to the Danforth. Seems like this stretch of road in the city’s east end will never run dry of burger joints. No complaints, we’re from the area, so we love supporting local businesses especially during the times of COVID. Looking to uncover more of the Danforth’s hidden burger gems in the future! 

Anyway, we take this tour to a local joint that’s been on our radar for quite some time. A favourite among locals and receiving positive reviews from food wanderers alike, we take you to Retro Burger! 

Located on Danforth Rd east of Coxwell Ave, just steps away from Coxwell Station, Retro Burger is known for their friendly service and delicious food. A bold statement knowing how much burger joints we’ve come across that claim the same ‘status quo’. Some hit the mark with their service and mouthwatering food, but others fail to impress, especially on the latter. 

Their menu has an array of diner favourites including 100% premium cheese burgers, hot dogs, fish & chips, and poutines. Since the Danforth is home to the city’s Greektown, they also have a small Greek selection of Souvlaki dinners and Gyros. As much as I was eyeing a Souvlaki dinner, we had to stick to what we came here for, the burgers. 

If you’re a true burger connoisseur they also have the Big “10” Burger, which is double everything! Double burger, double bacon, and double cheese… who wouldn’t want to pass on this monstrosity. For us? Maybe next time. 

Breaking from the veggie burger streak that me and Andrew have been on for the past couple of burger tours, I decided to go for the Swiss Mushroom burger. 

The Swiss Mushroom Burger/Photo by Mark Avila

The Swiss Mushroom Burger is composed of a beef patty, topped with wiss cheese, mushrooms, and my choice to lettuce and tomato. Appearance wise, it wasn’t the best. It was a little messy, and the bun looked like it’s seen better days. 

Now for the real test, the taste. It was decent. Since we had to drive out to pick it up and drive back to dine in, it was already a little cold. I’ll give it a pass for that reason. However, the first bite did absolutely nothing. It did have a nice grill taste to it, but other than that it was pretty bland and dull. I don’t know whether it was the fact that it had already cooled from the drive, but there was no taste and a lack of seasoning throughout. At this point, I was somewhat disappointed. 

I can’t fully blame them, but based on what I had eaten there was zero spark in the burger. It lacked that “delicious” touch from what the reviews were saying, and the hype it was given. I would definitely give Retro Burger another chance as soon as dining in is back on the table. I want to see for myself what other diners have experienced, and give them the opportunity to redeem themselves with that one delicious burger. 

4.5/10

Burger Review #49: The Bullger

Photo by Andrew Hockridge

Date Visited: December 22, 2020
Location: Greektown, ON
BurgerTours Rating: 7.25/10

 

 

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

Website

---

Drew's Review

For this burger review and the last of 2020, we continued to eat local. We were pondering ideas on where to eat next and upon a search, we came across The Bullger. Located in Greektown on the Danforth, the Bullger offers custom, homemade burgers from freshly grounded meat made of perfection. Their menu offers many different options including steak sandwiches, veggie options and milkshakes.

The Bullger is known for their towering burgers and a simple Instagram search confirms that carnivores alike can only dream of this place. Opening just a few months ago, the Bullger has kept business alive even in struggling times and has satisfied its local community, but also the Greater Toronto Area burger scene. So, I think it was time we paid it a visit.

We ordered in by phone and went for both of the vegan options on the menu. I ordered the Beyond Meat Veggie and it came with sauteed mushrooms, sauteed onions, homemade guacamole, lettuce, tomato and pickles. Over the last few months, I have been trying the various vegan options available at burger joints, so this was the one that caught my eye. Even after seeing they had an additional 10 signature burgers on their menu, all looking really good to try, I wanted to stay light and healthy.

Beyond Meat Veggie/Photo by Andrew Hockridge

We picked up our order about 30 minutes after our order was placed and drove home. We opened up the bag and pulled out both boxes. I opened it up and inside sat a nice little compact burger topped with veggies to the sky. The beyond meat patty looked well done and I could tell this was going to be good. The first bite I had was good. You could definitely taste that this was a meatless burger by the flavour of the patty. The veggies on top complimented nicely with the rest of the burger. The buns were soft and sponge-like. Each bite was full of flavour and every flavour was tasty.

The Bullger simply went beyond my expectations and every thing about the Beyond Meat Veggie was satisfactory. The meatless patty was succulent and flavourful and it was probably one of my favourite meatless patties to date. The Bullger is just a 30-minute drive away from where I live and I can definitely see myself returning in the future to try more from their menu.

7.5/10

---

Mark's Review 

It’s been a while since we’ve done a burger tour on the Danforth. This time, we go back to Greektown! Driving by this neighbourhood on several occasions, I’ve noticed a lot of burger joints opening along this stretch of road over the past few months. As I was searching for a place for us to try, I stumbled upon this newest addition to the Greektown burger scene… the Bullger! 

Just recently opened near Chester Subway Station, the Bullger joins a growing list of halal burger joints in Toronto. They have a decent menu that solely focuses on everything burgers. From steak burgers, the classic burgers, veggie burgers, and chicken burgers, whatever it is you’re craving, they got it! They also have the traditional sides of fries, sweet potato fries, onion rings, and milkshakes. 

Since ordering in and grabbing take out has become the norm in the “foodie” world, they offer Party Burger Trays for the real burger enthusiasts! Available in three sizes, good for parties of 4, 6, or 8 people, they range from $34 to $65. 

Still hanging on to that meatless/veggie burger train, we directly focused our attention to their veggie burgers. And lucky for us, they had two! Andrew decided to go for the beyond meat option, and as for me, the Loaded Veggie Burger was the way to go. 

The Loaded Veggie Burger is built around a crusted portobello mushroom patty stuffed with cheese, topped with lettuce, tomato, and rosemary aioli. 

The Loaded Veggie Burger/ Photo by Mark Avila

I was taken a back when I opened the bag and saw this colossal burger in front of me. 

On a side note, I love the nice branding of the Bullger logo stamped on top of the bun. I believe I’ve only seen that once before, and that was years ago at the start of Burger Tours. Special shoutout to the now defunct Toma Burger Addiction! You are greatly missed. 

Back to the burger… 

Where do I even start, I didn’t even know where to take the first bite because of its sheer size. 

All I remember was that CRUNCH! That was probably the best part. 

The cheese started oozing out like a lava flow and was a huge mess. It took me a while to find the portobello mushroom as it was completely engulfed in cheese. At this point, all I could taste was cheese, cheese, and more CHEESE!! The rosemary aioli made a brief appearance giving a subtle kick of citrus and spice. 

As good as it looked, I wish the taste was up to par. It tasted great, don’t get me wrong, but that cheese was too much, to the point where I was scraping it off to find the rest of the burger. I felt it lacked balance and equal distribution of the flavours. Maybe they should change the name to the “Loaded Crusted Cheese Burger” with portobello mushroom, lettuce, tomato, with a touch of rosemary aioli. 

The Bullger has definitely made its mark and attracted a following of loyal customers, and you might just be looking at one of them. I’ll definitely be back again to try their other burgers, especially the Beyond Meat Veggie Burger, which looked as appetizing as mine. But, for next time… EASY ON THE CHEESE! 

7/10