A few years ago, my friend Anna and I were spending an afternoon walking around the gentrified Queen and Broadview village area and were looking for a place to eat. We walked by this new place called Burger Shoppe which intrigued us. Keep in mind this was near the beginning of the establishing gourmet burger join craze that our city’s experiencing. After spending a minute of inquisitively staring at the menu board and doing the math in our head, we politely walked out of the place and crossed the road to the Pizza Pizza. Why, you may ask? Because for $5 at Pizza Pizza, we could get a slice of pizza, a side of french fries, and most important, a drink. And for $5 at the Burger Shopper, we could get.. well either just the side of fries, or just the drink. It would have cost roughly $12 to get a full combo there. Ouch!
Time hasn’t really changed the prices that much, but it has changed my perception of quality over cost. If you want a good burger that’s hand made and done on an open flame, then you’re going to have to shell out at least $10 big ones. I’ve realized this over the years with buying burgers at pubs. Infact, pubs seem to usually make the best burgers over any of the fast food crap that’s served. But on the other hand, you are paying twice the price for them.
Now that the gourmet burger joint craze is starting to settle and become a welcomed group of restaurants among our city, I decided it’s about time I go and check one out. I’ve been hearing a lot of things about Craft Burger from some friends and have been meaning to head up there for quite some time but I always get distracted by all the Korean and Japanese restaurants along the way. Burgers aren’t the best thing you could eat so it’s usually pretty easy to go with Asian food instead. But not today!
The chalk board menu
As you walk into the dark restaurant with a wood grain motif, you’ll notice the strong pungent smell of vinegar which makes sense given that they probably sell as many order of fries as they do burgers. As you approach the back of the restaurant to place your order, you’re greeted with a huge blackboard scrawled with burgers and prices. It’s about $6 to $9 for each burger, and you can add a few dollars more to make it a combo (can of pop plus a side of fries or onion rings). I went with a regular cheese burger and Antony went with a Lamb burger. It’s interesting to note that each specialty burger isn’t just about the meat they use, but also about what they put it on it aside from the ingredients on the list in front of you. For example, the Lamb burger comes with a cilantro and feta spread on it, while you can’t get this on any other burger.
Cheeseburger with a side of fries
After you order and pay, you’re given a little numbered card stand to place on your table so that your order can be delivered to you. It didn’t take too long, only about 6 to 8 minutes or so for our order to come. I can’t really comment much about my burger because the toppings you put on it are what make it or break it, really. They’re hand made, and the meat is never frozen but kept fresh. You can taste the quality of the meat in it but even though it was char broiled, it sort of lacked the taste of open flame one usually gets from having a burger cooked char broiled, but it was still pretty good. One complaint I have about it though was that the bun wasn’t toasted at all. I prefer to have my buns toasted (ha…ha…) and to have that option would’ve gave it a bit of a crunch factor.
Lamb burger with a poutine
Antony’s lamb burger had a very distinct after-taste of lamb, so beware, if you don’t like lamb then make sure you don’t order this burger. Now, on the other hand, if you love lamb, then go for it! The fries were great, sprinkled with sea salt. All were crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle. They were actually a lot like New York fries, even complete with the skin still on some bits – just the way I like them!
Overall, I was somewhat pleased with my Craft Burger experience, but I can’t say for sure if I’d be going back anytime soon. The prices are somewhat reasonable and the quality is there, but I feel like I’m sitting in a wooden cave with uncomfortable chairs. As sad as it is to admit it, if I had to choose, I’d probably still go back to Lick’s. Even though their burgers are getting smaller and they’re getting stingier with the cheese, they still somehow manage to make the best burgers for your buck.
Average Price: $6 – $9 per burger, fries and drink extra
Hours: Mon-Thur 11am to 10pm, Fri 11am to 11pm, Sat 12pm-11pm, Sun 12pm-9pm
Address: 830 Yonge St.
Phone: 416-922-8585
TTC Directions: Get off at Yonge/Bloor Subway station, walk north on Yonge half a block on the west side of the street.