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| 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
Drew's Review
Hi!
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.
Mark's Review
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.
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.
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| The El Paso Melt slider (left) and Classic Hamburger slider (right)/Photo by Andrew Hockridge |
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
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.
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| Classic Veggie and Korean Fried Chicken/photo by Mark Avila |
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
