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I ate at Grindhouse recently and wasn't impressed--the burger and bun is too dry, the condiments too sparse.

The best "burger" I've ever had in Toronto was at the now-defunct halleluia restaurant on Eglinton west of Bathurst--a massive juicy lamb meat ball with israeli salad and coleslaw in a pita. For $5, it was truly an amazing deal.
 
Craft burger is good (especially for what's becoming a chain), but I don't like that you can't get it cooked to order. That's what I like about the grindhouse...the few times I've forgotten to specify doneness they do it (I assume) medium well or well and it was a bit dry, but when I ask for it medium rare it's always juicy. I do think that they overcharge for extra toppings (25 cents for extra mustard?), but I never get any so it doesn't bother me. There's a number of the new "gourmet burger" places near me (grindhouse, craft burger, oh boy burger, hero burger) and while they're all okay (except for hero which is terrible), I definitely prefer grindhouse.

That being said, Burger's Priest gets generally rave reviews on Chowhound. It's supposedly an In-n-Out style burger, for those who've been there in the states. I really want to try it, but it's just a pain that it's so far east.

Oh, and my vote for second-most overrated burger: the Bymark burger. Not worth the money.
 
Gourmet Burger Company ... Cabbagetown, Charles St W, and elsewhere ... their Smokey Bacon Burger is incredible. A menu of specialties/favourites, but you can still make to order from a sizable list of toppings, sauces, etc.
 
Pricey (ish): Allen's burger is stupendous and they'll cook it rare if you want. Rare is good (blue is better).

Non-pricey: Detroit Eatery at Chester/Danforth. Just plan to spend the afternoon there as they have one speed. Worth it. Last time I was there I saw Rick Mercer. He's short.

Chain: Seconding Craft Burger. Utterly brilliant for a chain.

Unique: Caplansky's smoked meat-ground beef burger's pretty cool IMO.

Garbage: Hero Burger. Overpriced and frozen. Also like 90% of the restaurants in the city it seems. How difficult is it to make a burger from ground beef instead of keeping a box of frozen burgers in your kitchen, thawing one and charging me $13 for it?
 
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Oh Boy is by far the best, highest quality burger place in the city. Not to mention hot waitresses and a sweet bar in the back. It's a bit pricier but you get what you pay for. Fresh buns form a local bakery, A.A.A grass fed organic beef, fresh cut PEI potato fries....man I love that place. Oh and everyone agress that the onion rings are the best in the city.
 
Smash Burger is coming to Toronto....will update soon.
 
bAuHaUs said:
Smash Burger is coming to Toronto....will update soon.
Click to expand...

I do like Smash Burger, not the best but still a good burger (my favorite is bacon with smoky BBQ sauce). Their herbed 'Smash Fries' are tasty though very greasy as they drizzle olive oil over it -- can't understand why you would put more oil on something that's already fried. Call it heart attack waiting to happen.
Another great U.S. burger chain is In and Out Burger. I hope it comes here.
 
neuhaus said:
I do like Smash Burger, not the best but still a good burger (my favorite is bacon with smoky BBQ sauce). Their herbed 'Smash Fries' are tasty though very greasy as they drizzle olive oil over it -- can't understand why you would put more oil on something that's already fried. Call it heart attack waiting to happen.
Another great U.S. burger chain is In and Out Burger. I hope it comes here.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your thoughts on their product...I haven't tried it yet myself.
 
I went to Chuck and Co. in Liberty Village. I ordered the Basic Chuck burger, which came with lettuce tomato and onion. I added pickles and avocado. I got the combo wich included one side. I chose Cumin Coleslaw. Total with a bottle of water and tax was $11.30.

I couldn't really tell how the burger was cooked as the grill or griddle is hidden in the back. The waitress informed me they use high quality ground chuck, which sounded great, but then she added it came in a big tube, which kind of ruined the moment. It is good to know though as their marketing could leave you with the impression they grind it themselves. I didn't check how they cooked it, but it was smokey enough to assume it was charbroiled and that they need a better ventilation system. Ultimately it was overcooked for my tastes. Gray meat throughout, no hint of pink. The Cumin Coleslaw was good, but it is just cumin in what looked like coleslaw mix from a bag with bottled dressing. I don't see a reason to go back.

The owner also owns Liberty Noodle. The waitress mentioned he intends to franchise this one.

Chuck and Co.

126 Atlantic Ave.
 
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Second hand information but here goes.....a group of 6 of us ate at the Counter the other night.....4 of 6 people chose a burger (all picking the one with pulled pork).....the four who chose the burger all said it was "great"....one even went as far as to say "best burger ever".....for none of these people was it their first burger so I am gonna suggest that The Counter has decent burgers!
 
Allen's burger is over priced and over rated. can't believe they don't include fries with the price! I wish i had of read this thread before going to Hero Burger, the place was empty and still took over 10 mins to cook a small flavorless burger. For me one of the best burger's i have had downtown was at Barrister pub in the Hilton Hotel.
 
BQM - especially the Riverside Burger. I've only been to the one on Ossington. Tasty, tasty stuff.
 
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