Veggie Burgers

Anybody know the city's best?

[kwass]

Best veggie burgers, hands down, are from W Burger Bar on College Street. They are completely homemade, chock full of vegetables. So yummy, I could eat one every day!!!

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College Street Bar
574 College St, Toronto, ON M6G1B3, CA

[Full tummy]

Have you tried the portobello burger at Great Burger Kitchen? I think it's mighty fine. They also have a veggie patty, though I haven't tried that.

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Great Burger Kitchen
1056 Gerrard St E, Toronto, ON M4M 1Z8, CA

[kwass]

No I haven't. But I will definitely check it out. Is the veggie patty homemade or frozen?

[Full tummy]

Homemade. Alas, they were out the first time I went, so I had the portobello burger, and then the next time, I had to have the portobello burger again, it was THAT good.

[kwass]

Wow!! If it's that good I will definitely try it. You've got me excited!

[Full tummy]

I hope you like it, too... It is not reminiscent of a meat burger, but it really is delicious in its own right. Both my husband and I are addicted!

[kwass]

Full Tummy, is it the Great Burger Kitchen or the Gourmet Burger Kitchen? I just tried to google it, and what came up were 2 listings...one for the Gourmet Burger Company and one for the Great Burger Kitchen

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Great Burger Kitchen
1056 Gerrard St E, Toronto, ON M4M 1Z8, CA

[Full tummy]

Definitely Great Burger Kitchen, on Gerrard near Jones.

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Great Burger Kitchen
1056 Gerrard St E, Toronto, ON M4M 1Z8, CA

[kwass]

Thank you so much! I'm going to get there as soon as I can!!

[garfield]

Has anyone tried the KFC's fake chicken burger?

[StephenBank]

it tastes acceptably like a kfc chicken sandwich. but it's fried in the same oil, if that matters to you.

[Rosedalist]

Licks is the best - I don't care what anyone says! Montana's is not bad - great options in these ecoli days and enviroment/animal awareness!

[scarberian]

I agree with most about Lick's veg burger. It is quite good, but Harvey's comes a close second IMHO. However as hard as people try a veg burger is a far cry from the real deal. Anyone can tell that the Lick's veg burger is not beef. As I said above, it is good, but it just can't compare to the real thing.

Now if given a choice of veg type burgers, I would actually forego the veg burgers and choose a portobello sandwich/burger. Why? Less processing, no tricks to get that "burger" flavour and portobello's are just dam good eating especially when grilled.

[Flexitarian]

I like South St Burger Co's vegge burger (locations around the city), the fact they have a whole wheat bun and that they have a vast array of toppings. I am told this case and will watch more closely next time, but also hear they grill their vegge burgers on a veggie only area of the grill. (I don't want bits of meat from previously grilled meat burgers on my veggie burger)

[iheartpie]

ah, that's good to know. I'm not a vegetarian, but I like to keep my red meat at a minimum, so I enjoy trying veggie burgers wherever I can. Very important for those who cannot, or will not have meat.

And Pincus I agree with you, I don't care for the mushy insides either.

[mrbozo]

Yeah, sort of like ordering veg pho served with beef broth.

[Pincus]

I like both varieties, but they have to be firm if they are the grain/nut kind. Not fond of the ones with the crust and then the mush inside.

[Sandybandy]

I used to love the Lick's burgers but gave them up as I felt that the quality in the resto had gone downhill. Now that you're all saying that they are good (again?) I'll give them another shot. I bought the Veggie Patch Portobella Garlic burgers yesterday from Sobey's and cooked them up on the stove...pretty good and my carnivore hubby liked them too. Check them out (they are on sale for $4.99 this week at Sobey's! I love me a good sale).

[iheartpie]

I'm also a fan of the Lick's veggie burger, but honestly I really like that it tastes like meat. I don't mind if my veggie patties are meat-ish, as I know some folks don't care for that flavour or texture.

[sann]

I think that Czehoski and Veritas have the best veggie burgers in the city (and trust me... I have tried a lot of them). I am not such a fan of the ones that taste "meaty" nor do I like those gross yellow-ish ones with pieces of peas, corn and carrots stuck in them. The veggie burgers at Veritas are made using beats (among other things) so they take on a pretty pink colour and taste amazing! The ones at Czehoski are a bit more traditional looking... made out of qunioa and other grains) but they taste sensational! Really fresh and moist.

[fluffysouffle]

I totally agree this topic depends on personal taste. The bottom line whether you prefer a soy based fake "meat" burger, or one that is grain/vegetable/other food based.

I prefer the fake meat ones and therefore don't enjoy the ones at the Gladstone Hotel, Stampede Grill, or Fresh.

One of my favorite's has been at Milestones. Surprisingly really good. They have a couple different ones, my favorite being the one with four cheeses and roasted garlic on it. I definitely enjoy the Lick's burger. Disgraceland will make any of their burgers veggie and they use the Lick's patties. That gives you lots of topping options and a few different sides to choose from other than just fries or greens.

I feel like I recall the Boca burgers being served somewhere. Maybe at the Cadillac Lounge? Those patties are good though.

For home I prefer the LIck's patty, both President's choice ones ("world's best meatless and portabello swiss) or the Boca burger.

Yves ones make me cringe just looking at them, and I don't want anything with old frozen peas or corn in them.

[betsy]

I like the PC portabella swiss burgers much better than the "world's best meatless" ones. The other day I had a Veggie Patch garlic portabella burger and it was very nice also, a bit thin but very juicy and tasty.

When people recommend the Boca burgers, which type are good? I looked at the website and seem to be quite a few varieties, and I don't know where to get them. I don't recall seeing them around.

[Jazminsdaddy]

Johnny Rocket's at Yonge Dundas serves Boca Burgers. As does Denny's I think. I love them. Taste like meat. You used to be able to get them in groceries but no more for some reason. Once a year I travel to Buffalo and stock up on Boca and Morningstar Farms vegetarian junk food.

[chocabot]

My veggie friends rave about the veggie burger at Craft (the patty is grains and pulses) and the one at BQM on Ossisngton. That one is a deepfried block of tofu and it looks like a filet-o-fish!

[jamesm]

Utopia does have a great veggie burger. I've also enjoyed one from Stampede Grill in Parkdale.

[Recyclor]

I scanned this whole thread quickly, maybe I missed it's mention but hands down, IMO, Utopia on college has the best veggie burger, so good I sometimes pass on the beef and get it instead...

[Montrachet]

The Auld Spot on Danforth, east of Broadview has a fabulous veggie burger. Only drawback - too much garlic.

[thenurse]

Though I am a carnivore, I frequently choose veggie burgers when eating out. I had the BEST one at the Molson Pub in Terminal 1 at Pearson - not a word of a lie. Soft, homemade bun, meaty texture, served with pesto and fresh lettuce/tomato. I made everyone at the table try it I was so flabbergasted. The taste and texture is so real! the fries were even good.

[kmoore]

House on Parliament grills up a mean veggie burger with hummus on top. You can get it with the fries or salad. It rivals Licks for taste and quality.

[Coalpaw]

The Wheat Sheaf makes a great veggie burger in my opinion, nicely charred. Comes with cheese default for you vegans out there.

[T Long]

I've been thinking of getting the some frozen Lick's Nature Burgers from local Dominions. I am not a vegetarian, but not against eating less red meat. I love a good meat burger...so how close to the taste is a Lick's veggie burger. I've not been that impressed with Harvey's.

[hipfunkyfun]

i suppose it depends. i am a vegetarian and find the trying to be meat veggie burgers revolting. the best veggie burgers are those made from scratch using beans! licks are fairly close to a frozen hamburger. just load it up on toppings. the taste is not meat though, so don't expect it to be similar.

[pescatarian]

If you are going to buy frozen burgers, you should try the President's Choice Veggie Burger (make sure it's the soy one, not the the grain burger that they also make). None of the veggie burgers taste like meat because of the texture, etc., but Lick's, President's Choice and St. Ive's get the taste pretty close and can taste pretty good if you don't compare them to meat.
The veggie burger that resembled meat the most to me in my 15 years as a vegetarian (which is no more) was the one that was made at the Red Devil chain. I don't think any of them exist anymore though.

[sumashi]

mm... I actually really like the portobello swiss veggie burger that PC makes. It's the only frozen veggie burgers I buy. Is their regular soy burger better?

[pescatarian]

It's not the other ones aren't good, but their soy one is the best and closest to meat (and not low fat, of course!).

btw, the one I'm talking about is PC's "The World's Best Meatless Burger"

[sumashi]

haha.. I was actually thinking about that but I didn't mention it.
The reason I bought the portobello swiss ones in the first place was that I noticed it had a lower fat content than their soy burgers! And then I stuck with it because I liked it.
In any case, I should try that out if it's the world's best frozen meatless burger :D

[vodka]

Utopia makes a great veggie burger. It's getting in the door that can be the hard part...

[bendale]

I have to disagree about Lick's being "like the real thing". There is no way you could ever convince me a nature burger was meat. The texture is wrong, the flavour is wrong, even the weight of it in your mouth is off. That being said, I love it. I'd be interested to try Jonny's, though. A favourite stop for some hockey buddys, after the bar, after the game; I'd love to join them if they're good.

Any veggie burger not made mostly out of TVP is pretty well a lost cause. To me, those nasty patties of mashed together vegtables are gross. I tell people to keep some in your freezer, if you have vegetarian friends you don't want coming around. Serve them those a few times, and they'll never come by for dinner again.

[nummanumma]

Hair Of The Dog Restaurant
425 Church Street

[Super Nintendo Chalmers]

Pulp Kitchen has pretty good veggie burgers for sure, and not the 'near meat' style most people seem to talk up (blech).

[nummanumma]

ok seriously- this is a hard topic because it depends so much on what you want from a veggie burger...is your idea of a great veggie burger one that is just like a regular burger, or as close as possible (which may gross real vegetarians out)? Or is it a burger with chunks of veg that you can actually taste and which doesn't resemble an actual burger at all?
In any event, the BEST VEGGIE BURGER EVER, and i've had a lot..I believe to be at Hair of the Dog. Just go an try it- I dare you to say it isnt good! It may not be the *type* that you like (although it is neither of the aforementioned styles- it is heavy in nuts..in no way a dieter's friend) ..it is just darn good.

[redcoconut]

Hey,

There's a place on Queen East, north side just past Logan, that has veggie and mushroom burgers. Lots of people say it't good, but haven't tried it myself.

http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/Pu...

It looks like you would be breaking atleast a twenty, with the veggie and shroom burgers at $9.99...

the licks veggie burger is the best. harvey's is almost as good, though, so it doesn't make sense for central downtown folks (like me) to travel to licks. fyi, the veggie burgers (including the buns) are vegan at both places.

Depending on how "veggie" you are, Harvey's won't guarantee that the veggie burgers aren't cooked on the same grill as the regular burgers, where Licks has a separate grill area, and even switches tongs to turn the veggie burgers.

I remember Lick's used to have a couple of downtown locations, right outside the Eaton Centre and in the Eaton Centre food court. Now the only ones I can think of in the city are Yonge and Eglinton and the Beaches.

I saw Lick's veggie burgers on sale in the frozen section at Dominion...

[DDD]

Also one at Dundas just west of Dixie and in Queesway just east of 427

One of the best veggie burgers I've ever had was at Red Devil Barbeque, the one that used to be at Hwy7 and Hwy400. It no longer exists at that location, but I think there's one downtown still, and perhaps there is one at Upper Canada Mall.

It's full of BBQy goodness!

Chaagy

I think the Red Devil at Upper Canada Mall turned into a Casey's ... ugh.

Boco burgers aren't too bad and I quite the Harvey's veg burger at all. It doesn't taste like an Yves! Yves burgers are weird tasting but I don't mind their veg dogs from my local hot dog vendor.

If you want to buy store bought to make at home, I really like Amy's burgers - the Texas ones are the best. You can find them in Loblaws and Dominions type stores, and most health food stores.

Yeeehaww!

Chaagy

[blueandyellow]

I know this thread is old, but I have to comment. I also really like the Amy's Texas burgers. I also really like the President's Choice faux meat burgers. They're so meat-like they make me feel a little sick eating them, but they're delicious. Pretty high in fat, though.

definitely, Licks!

yeah, those Yves veggie patties (used by Harvey's and even by McDonald's) aren't so great... they taste kind of bad, actually.

Licks Nature burger all the way!

I heard Bocca Burgers are good, but never tried one...or know of any place that offers them other than a grocery store.

[piccola]

Boca burgers smell and taste so much like meat (if memory serves) that it freaks me out a little.

The veg burger at The Works is good, and the one at The Keg is decent.

In Ottawa, a bunch of pubs have good homemade ones.

I would say Licks by far is the best I have ever had!

Harvey's veggie burger is also quite good - closest taste to a real meat burger if that is what you desire.

I also agree that Lick's makes a great one too.

yeah I agree, the Harvey's veggie burgers just taste exactly like their regular burgers, so I think that's great. Plus, there is a buy one get one free burger coupon every week from Harvey's in my local newspaper. So I pretty much get them for $1.50 a piece every time I get them, with overloaded amounts of pickles, lettuce, and tomatoes..hehe

i second the call on licks' nature burger. very nice.

Most of the veggie burgers in restaurants seem to be Yves Garden Burgers, which are not my favourite and if not cooked thoroughly can be gummy. But there are some good ones.

I like the Lick's Nature Burger as well. It's probably my fave in the city. I've even seen non-veggies order them and get bacon added! Very meat-like in texture (to a vegetarian at least).

Fresh (Juice for Life) on Bloor has a veggie burger that's good and you can have it with sweet potato fries on the side!

Groucho's Burgers used to have a great veggie burger that was more nutty and grainy, but last time I had it it wasn't that great.

The Queen Mum has a Sun Burger on the lunch menu, which is a nutty/grainy veggie burger served in a pita and is nice. It's been a while since I've been there for lunch, so I don't know if it's still on the menu.

No offence but the Juice for Life Veggie Burger is nasty. It was like eating porridge on a bun.

Licks' veggie burgs are kick ass.

It has been over a year since I've had one at Juice for Life. You just might be right as to theirs, as I've noticed that the quality of their food has declined quite a bit in the last year or so. As I live in Leslieville, it just doesn't seem worth the trip out there as it used to be.

[DDD]

Agree...center is very gooey. Been that way for years. But the sweet potato fires with miso gravy are quite tasty.

I really like Lick's Nature burger. It's vegan to boot.

BTW, don't *ever* try the veg burger at Shoeless Joe's. It was the most gawdawful thing I've ever tasted. Don't eat at Shoeless Joe's period.

The Licks veggie burger is almost enough to turn me into a vegetarian - plus it tends to go down easier than most burgers.

[squarkman]

I live in the US (wish it was Canada---as Bill Mahr once said "Americans are too stupid to be goverened.") and I can't find Lick's Nature Burgers anywhere except in Ontario. Is there a reason for that? Anyone know how I can order some to be sent to me in Pennsylvania. I'm a vegan in a state full of hunters. Help! lol

[1sweetpea]

I don't know if you can get them shipped to you, because they are frozen, but you might want to consider a road trip to Ontario. All you have to do is cross the border with a cooler and freezer packs, then shop at a grocery store. Most of the major names keep Lick's Nature Burgers in the freezer section, with other non-meat items. You may need to declare them at the border, but that's not a big deal. I live in Windsor and have crossed the border to shop at Whole Foods in the suburbs of Detroit. Customs is okay with the shopping as long as there's no produce, meat, fish or dairy. Keep it to packaged items and you should be fine. Keep your bill handy, just in case.

It's a long way to go for veggie burgers, admittedly, but you can spin it into a weekend road trip, stock up AND visit a lovely country that welcomes tourists, especially ones who shop in Canada.

[Khanna]

Hey all, there are some great burger joints in the GTA - many of them are discussed here; http://www.justifyyourself.com/debate...

- I would have to say the veggie burgers at Johny's are amazing! Really can't beat them!!!

[galambo]

lisks is still the best bar none.

first time my BH returned it thinking it was the real thing, only to be proven wrong. that is how good it is.