Best Burger in Calgary?

[darelleats]

Hi there Chowhounds!

I thought this would be a good place to start as I've often been tipped off to many good places based on the opinions and reviews I've read here.

I've decided to go on a quest to find the best burger in Calgary, so I'm here to get your opinions and help starting a list of places to try.

This most likely has been inspired after reading the A Hamburger Today blog (http://aht.seriouseats.com) too much lately.

So, what are some of your favourite places/burgers and why?

[BurgerKing2]

Wow this is an old thread. Some burger placs have thrived, others have folded and new ones have sprung up to challenge old ideas of a good burger.

Here is my two cents worth for this tread and I'd be willing to bet that not many of you have heard of it let alone tried it. Naina's. Its a little known place on the corner of Ogden and Blackfoot trail. www.nainaskitchen.com 2808 Ogden Road SE

Erin makes a stuffed burger that is mind boggingly delicious. Don't believe me... fine check out burgerquest.com they have ranked and reviewed a lot of the burger joints that have been mentioned previously.

[johnjohnson78]

Great suggestion. I've been meaning to try this place out for months and I think you've just provided the kick in the pants I needed.

That being said, I don't put a lot of weight on the Burger quest rating system. Their credibility took a bit of a hit for me when they decided to claim that the dense/overworked/raw garlic packed/gas charred Fergus and Bix burger is some kind of mind blowing experience. At the same time they scored Rocky's at just over 50/100 for being too meaty and having no frills. Seriously!?!?

[plateofshrimp]

I've heard many comments about Rocky's being overrated too- and their notes about the condiments made me decide to avoid the place. Pretty much every note was a veto for me. I think the BQ boys and I have the same tastes, pretty much. Toppings make the burger exactly as much as does the meat, IMO.

My fave burger in Calgary is at FARM.

[Shazam]

I don't know what it is with the overworked patties, but it sure is common now. Disgusting. But there's no accounting for taste.

[BurgerKing2]

I work up just up the road from Rocky's. The burgers are good solid burgers. Tasty and not fancy but I wouldn't put them in the top 5 in the city.

[BurgerKing2]

I hope you do... The burgers @ Naina's are great. I did go to the Main Dish to try the highly touted Truffle Burger ($14). I was dissapointed to say the least.

The meat was great and the mushroom ragu that topped the burger had that hit of truffle you expect. The thing that detracted from this burger was the side soup that came with it was stone cold and the cibata bread that it was served on was stale. Not just a little stale rock hard, stale, , hard to cut with a knife stale. Add to that, the bun wasn't even toasted. Warm meat and ragu on a cold bun is not a good combination.

I left unsatisfied and thouroughly dissapointed. That said the manager did give us a gift card to come back again because of the cold soup, and stale cold buns. I might give them another chance.

[plateofshrimp]

I find Main Dish horrible and have given up on them. Prepared meals are overpriced and meager portions. Ambience is awful with loud commercial radio being played (or was last time) and also they use terrible stale beans at their cappuccino bar- again it's been a long time since I was there but last experience sealed it for me.

[crazy_eoj]

Thanks for the idea, I definitely want to try Naina's and had forgotten about it as well.

Burgerquest also has criminally low rankings for Blue Star Diner/ Dairy Lane's burgers.. they are consistently one of the best in town. If you haven't tried them its worth the stop.

[existential_crisis]

I was underwhelmed by the burger at Dairy Lane (but wowed by the eggs benny). Of the all the things I miss about Calgary, Rocky's Burger Bus is high on the list...

[existential_crisis]

I have done lots of burger research in Calgary in the 3 years I've lived here. I'm moving back to Halifax in a few days, and what happens? Two new burger places open! I'm going to try to get to Smashburger before I go. But here is my research to date:

1) Rocky's Burger Bus - best burger of my life. Very simple, but this is my perfect burger. Big thick and meaty, moisture and flavour sealed in.

2) Boogie's Burgers - My second favourite burger in Calgary. Thinner patties, but all around goodness.

3) 5 Guys - This one is a chain, but it is a very decent burger.

4) Clive Burger - This just opened on 17th Ave. It was really sloppy, but tasty. I liked their Clive sauce. It is a mayo based sauce with some kick.

5) Buchanan's - This is the only pub burger on my list. The platter is $18 available for $10 each day during the happy hour period. Thick juicy burger that you can get cooked rare to well done. The chefs grind the sirloin in house.

6) Alley Burger - Food trucks are over-hyped. The original alley burger was pretty good but I wouldn't order a double again. I enjoy the cheese curd and chimichurri aoili toppings on the pork and garlic sausage patty. But this isn't your conventional hamburger. Based on the composition alone, their regular burger should be awesome but they inexplicably use a frozen pressed patty and it ruins the whole thing.

7) Fatburger - another chain. Decent.

Burgers I avoid:

Peter's Drive-In - Calgarians love this place but it's really underwhelming.

Burger Inn - the guy at the counter told me this was the best burger in Calgary. He then proceeded to take a patty out of the deep freeze and pop it in the microwave before cooking it. Terrible.

I'll let ya'll know how Smashburger is...

[lynnrb]

I am glad to see someone else on here thinks Buchannans is the best...its is in my thinking the best in Calgary for the last 10 years. However its more for the dowtown crowd, and not open on weekends. Clive Burger on 17th Ave where the Wok Box was formely located (beside Melrose) is awesome for a burger under 10 dollars. Fries are good too, served with both ketchup and clive sauce. Its also licenced and if you are lucky you can get a seat on the patio and people watch on one of our warm nights.while scarfing it down. Go, its fun!

[existential_crisis]

Smash Burger was just alright. I personally enjoyed the bun and the beef, but there wasn't a whole lot of flavour. Kind of reminded me of a fancy Wendy's burger. My friend said his meal was WAY too salty. Another foodie friend of mine thinks its bland.

[Shazam]

Smashburger's bacon is too salty. Don't order it.

I don't find their burgers bland at all. In fact they're my current favourite chain place. Their chicken burger patty is amazing too.

[BladeXT]

Had the burger at La Belle Patatte (the poutine place) in Canmore about 2 weeks ago, and man oh man.. It was pretty damn delicious. Definitely not dry, or overcooked. Next time you're in town for a poutine, give em a try.

[KcM]

I don't see it mentioned here, but I've had a very good burger at the Silver Sage booth at the CFM. The burger is on the pricy side, and the ambiance is well, the CFM (like it or love it) but the fries are great and the large burgers are very tasty.

I've also made some great burgers at home, what I like to call the CFM north row special.
- Silver Sage ground chuck
- Yum Bakery challah bun
- Blush Lane veggies
- Sylvan Star cheese (this particular one escapes me at the moment).

*burger below is the home-made version, not the booth version.

[Superhappyfuntime]

This is a reaaalll long and old thread, so it MAY have been said before, but St. James Corner (in the Jameisons group) I think has an AMAZING burger. I won't eat a burger if it is frozen or puck style. It's hand formed or nothing. They only have a couple burgers as a selection, but they are DAMN good. The Jameisons in Brentwood has a MEGA burger which is 12oz of meat and pulled pork and everythign on it. It's HUGE but man, you won't walk away hungry!

[TSAW]

I've had the St. James burger a few times. I agree it's quite good but I can do without the doughy pretzel bun.

[olddaddy]

Looks liken the American Smashburger chain is opening 2 locations in Calgary for 2012. I haven't eaten in one, but the pictures and write up look good. Hand crafted, certified Angus beef on an egg bun served with Smash sauce. There appears to be no end to new burger joints. Edmonton has a new one called Rodeo Burger, big signs read voted best burger in Edmonton. I tried it twice last week "first and last time" same stop. Tasteless burger, filthy restaurant the day I was there. Needs mirrors on the wall so they can watch themselves starve to death. Love this thread.

[johnjohnson78]

I was going to start a new thread but I'm honestly trying to cut down on my burger threads hehe.

I was just reading The City Palate today and noticed a coming soon ad for a joint called Clive Burger.

Anyone know anything about this? I'm hoping it's a joint that will get down to perfecting the basics.....not some crappy Tommy Burger clone with 50 different poorly executed burger variations. Just sayin'!

[cancowboy]

There have been little Clive Burger ads in FFWD for (at least) the last 2 weeks.
Trying to build buzz I guess.
Google has address as 736 17 Ave SW
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/Cliveburger17
"Here at Cliveburger we have taken it upon ourselves to bring you the neighborhood burger joint; the way it was meant to be. "

[johnjohnson78]

Thanks! Looks like it will be right beside Melrose if I'm not mistaken. If their product is even remotely good they should have no problem getting plenty of business in that location.

I'm liking the looks of the brand new flat tops. I love a good beefy crust.

Cutting the fries in house sounds good....hopefully they do a 2 stage fry so they don't get that dark, soggy, greasy, texture that the 5 Guys fries tend to have.

Looking forward to trying this place out

EDIT: Just harassed them on Facebook. Double fry for sure!!

[cancowboy]

Location used to be a Wok Box?

[TSAW]

I don't get why people like Lounge Burger? I was just there again, this week. I thought I'd give it another shot. It was fine for $15 w/fries. The bun was fresh and the AAA burger itself was large'ish but I certainly would not call it the 'best' burger in Calgary.

[johnjohnson78]

I tend to agree with you. I had a burger there with the "pretzel" bun and although it was fresh and well made, it was just too dense and detracted from the flavour of the beef because every bite was just too doughy and bready. I've also had some atrocious service there.

These days I notice a lot of places using these really dense pretzel buns and burger patties that are just way too over worked and dense like a pre made puck (Craft for example). Does anybody know of a place (other than Rocky's) that uses high quality beef that is handled to an absolute minimum (ie very tender and juicy) with a really good sear, generous seasoning, and a quality, relatively soft bun that doesn't get in the way of the beefy goodness? The reason I ask is that I'd often like to go out for this kind of burger and have a few beers with friends during a game or something but I'm almost always disappointed. Funny thing is, when I'm in the US of A I'm almost always able to find this style of burg.

I'm getting sick of these over-worked, contrived, below average pub burgers that seem to be so prevalent in cowtown and surrounding areas. That being said, I did have a pretty well made burger last month at Model Milk but it was hardly a casual affair.

[Bananna85]

Have you tried the burgers at Dairy Lane?

[johnjohnson78]

No actually but I love the place for breakfast. Thanks for the suggestion. They tend to do things right over there!

[crazy_eoj]

Sister restaurant is Blue Star Diner in Bridegeland and it's my vote for the best burger in town. It's open more evenings than Dairy Lane but the Burgers are identical.

[Bananna85]

I wondered if their burgers would be the same. I love Blue Star for breakfast, but haven't been for dinner yet. That's good to know. Their burgers are amazing- a little messy, but amazing.

[Merry113]

I haven't tried a "real" burger at Blue Star yet but the honey mustard chicken burger is awesome!

[nonlinear]

I think they have pretty good burgers at Jack Astor's. pretty good beer selection too, and giant TVs if you're watching the game.

[sebell]

I think part of the problem is that we have health regulations in Canada that don't allow beef to be served rare/medium rare/etc. in burgers, which is not the case in the US.

On another note, Eddie Burger Bar in Banff seems to be doing a great job with their burgers. They use a english muffin with a lot of the burgers (they also have a few other buns and let you choose what you want). I've enjoyed them more than anything I've had in Calgary. It was bacon fest last week, which they had a fabulous menu for (and a Bacon Burger that I am still dreaming about...)

[slingshotz]

That's not true, I've had medium rare burgers in restaurants but they grind their own meat fresh which is why I think it is acceptable.

[DeeDub]

That is correct. It was explained to me the last time I was at Buchanan's that you can get your burger cooked to order because they grind their beef on site.

[johnjohnson78]

Those are some pretty darn good burgs! I've had 2 this month.... and only 10 bucks in the bar from 3-6pm (I think), mon-fri. I like how they give you a side of their burger sauce so you can slather it on there, or not, depending in your tastes

[Scary Bill]

The CFIA recommends all ground meat be cooked to an internal temp of 71c. It is a regulation in certain other provinces. With (as I just discovered) over 3000 foodbourne illnesses in Alberta alone per year, I'll take mine cooked to that standard.

A 71c burger doesn't have to be dry and tasteless, it's all about the moisture (freshness) and fat content of the burger (or any moisture retaining fillers which some places use), and the method of cooking.

Rocky's is a good example, a burger cooked so there is no pink left, yet it is super moist. That is because it isn't overworked when the patty is formed, the meat has a high fat content - likely ground to "regular" standards - and is grilled on a flattop in it's own fat, all of which serve to retain moisture and preserve/create flavour

[johnjohnson78]

Good find Bill. I know in the states people are more and more likely to have medium rare or even rare burgers these days but it just doesn't do it for me even with the finest of beef. I think it's mostly a textural thing. If I haven't ground the meat myself, I'm just not likely to go below medium well regardless.

Your last paragraph describes exactly why I love Rocky's and precisely how I make my own burgers at home. I swear by my hardwood charcoal grill for most things involving meat, but I'm finding it hard to make a burger without my cast iron griddle these days.

[Whittnie]

Jack Daniels burger at Cactus club,
I know sounds lame. But this is what i always order when im there.
And the yam fries just make the meal amazing.

[mtl128]

For a good solid greasy burger, with Crispy, yes crispy bacon!, and cajun fries, it is 5 Guys Burgers and Fries, when I say greasy, in a solid way, I mean there is just enough to give it the right amount of flavour, without that super greasy taste left in your mouth and your stomach, like you just left KFC! LOL Price of the Burger definitely equals the quality and fulness you get after eating it. Just the place to go, for your burger fix!

[Godslamb]

Ricky's All Day Grill by Sunridge Mall in the NE has an awesome Swiss Mushroom Burger!!

[johnjohnson78]

I just thought of a good burger for folks to try. Not the best in town but well worth eating if you happen to be at Earls.

I believe it's called the Bronx burger. It's well seasoned and it comes dressed with some kind of aioli (I think), aged white cheddar, red pepper relish, arugula and huge crispy onion rings. The bun is actually really good in my opinion....sort of briochey.

The secret is to take two of the three onion rings off of the burger and leave one on, otherwise it would be near impossible to eat.

Not a classic cheese burger by any means, but well worth trying IMHO

[tibbles]

I love the bison burger at Diner Deluxe, sloppy and delicious; though I haven't tried it since DD changed hands.

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Diner Deluxe
804 Edmonton Trail NE, Calgary, AB T2E 3J6, CA

[TSAW]

White bread slices as a 'bun' doesn't do it for me. I wonder if they still do that?

[maplesugar]

Diner Deluxe changed hands??

[cancowboy]

Diner Deluxe, one of Calgary's favourite places to line up at on weekend mornings, has recently changed hands.

Dwayne and Alberta Ennest, who owned Diner Deluxe and Urban Baker with Glenn Baxter for almost a decade, decided it was time to move on to other projects. So when a good offer came along for the diner and bakery from Ryan Turbide and Vince Wong, they mulled it over and accepted it.

The new owners have loads of experience in the hospitality business - Turbide worked for years with the Concorde Group and Jamesons Pubs, while Wong's family owns the classic Dell Cafe in Bowness. The new duo plan to keep things very much the same. They know a winning formula when they see it.

Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/life/Ecl...

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Urban Baker
802 Edmonton Trail NE, Calgary, AB T2E, CA

Diner Deluxe
804 Edmonton Trail NE, Calgary, AB T2E 3J6, CA

[Calgary4U]

Hands Down - Calgary's #1 Burger is at ANGELS near Bowness Park.
Try their Sakes too.
Now I have to go get one.

[johnjohnson78]

Just a heads up for you burger lovin' folks out there....

It's not the most traditional burger, and I don't think it's a permanent fixture on the menu as I think they change the feature burger seasonally, but the Calabrese pork burger at Notable is juicy and deeelicious. If you find yourself in Bowness near lunch time get yourself in there and take one down......I highly doubt you'll regret it.

[Scary Bill]

Not quite burger sized, but had the sliders at 1600 today and they are terriffic, excellent meat and flavour. Three big (well for sliders, the meat hangs out all around, clearly hand made fresh) sliders for $9 with delicate onion "fries" and grainy mustard.

[MartinT]

One more burger to add... Its pricey, but very good and the ambiance alone of this place makes it worth a visit.

This is a great romantic date spot... and if Hamburgers are not your idea of great date food the fondues and just about everything else here is also fantastic (but still pricey... I guess you can charge more if its french?)

The place is Laurier Lounge http://www.laurierlounge.com/, its located at 1111 7st, right behind the downtown Safeway.

The burger is called the Filet Mignon Hambourgeois (they call it the Best Burger in Calgary) and its certainly up there (if not for the price). It is a fresh ground Filet Mignon burger accompanied with onion, emmentaler cheese, Horseradish & Garlic Aioli, Lettuce, Tomato and excellent fries. Spend the extra few bucks to upgrade to the fries to poutine, its also excellent.

Final note, although the burger is like $15 and I think it comes to about $19 with Poutine, (Expensive!) the meal is probably big enough to share for most. (and if you really want to induldge... finish off with their Chocolate Fondue for Two, with Bernard Callebaut chocolate, and to dip - cherries, strawberries, pineapples, blackberries, melons, etc, etc and banana bread (I know, I know.... desert belongs on another post/thread

)

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Laurier Lounge
1111 7 St SW, Calgary, AB T2R 0A1, CA

[katidyd]

Good call...this is the burger that Warren Buffet recently had while in Calgary (if it's good enough for a billionaire...should we really judge further?). They were considering renaming it...will defintiely have to go and give it a try.

[hclass]

After having my first burger from Boogies today I thought I would add my 2 cents. Large sesame seed bun was wonderful. Standard toppings of lettuce and tomato were fresh. Bacon was crispy and I enjoyed it. I wasn't really a fan of the mushrooms and they seemed to be all I tasted so I tokk them off. The sauce was tooo mayo-ee for my tastes. Laatly I couldn't actually taste the patty, this was disappointing. Next time I will have to get a double to rate the actual burger better.

[nonlinear]

are the patties fresh or frozen at boogie's?

[TSAW]

I would be interested in knowing that too. They don't brag about it on their website and I've tasted them, so my guess is FROZEN

[nonlinear]

hrm. so do the burgers compare in quality to, say, Burger Inn then? I've never been too Boogie's, obviously. :P

[hclass]

I'm not 100% sure but I would have to agree. I had a very busy morning and was just looking forward to some food. I did notice the cook kept them in a tupper ware type container, they had wax paper in between and even though I didn't pay attention to the details I remember thinking they look kinda dark to be fresh as if they had been defrosting for awhile. Before I walked in I also heard lots of hype about boogies so just thought they had to be fresh. As for the taste of the burger I could barely taste any beef so another reason it points to them being frozen.

nonlinear I use to live near a Burger Inn and even though I love burgers I barely stopped by there since I'm not a fan. Boogies is a similar style but I feel every part is better executed then burger inn. But I do suggest getting at least two patties at boogies if you want to taste the meat.

[TSAW]

I'm not a Burger Inn lover either. They also seem frozen to me. I have no idea if they are or not. And I hate when burgers look all perfect and machine made. Maybe that's what turns me off. Boogies does have nice fresh bun for sure. In my mind Boogies and Burger Inn are meh..definately ok. But my vote for best burger goes to Rocky's, followed by Fat Burger.

[Major_9000]

I was in Turner Valley today and had Lunch at the Chuck Wagon Cafe...okay the thread is about Calgary but we should make an exception!

We ate the House burger with homemade string fries. A great burger, that is made from beef they raise on their own farm. The burger comes slightly charred, which gives it a beautiful taste.

The homemade strings fries are delicious and is a superstar side dish.

[BitchyBang]

CattleBaron restaurant in NE Calgary has one of the best burgers anywhere!!!
They use cuttings from their Sterling Silver steaks, Ribeye and filets, and grind into house made patties!!! Simply superior to any of the other places that use frozen patties purchased from some supplier.
Try them can't do wrong!!!

[scholasticgirl]

Spuds Cafe in Okotoks is a great little mom and pop shop with excellent food. They make great fish and chips, homemade perfectly seasoned fries and a GREAT teriyaki cheese burger. Everything on the menu is under ten dollars.

[Major_9000]

Finally hit Rocky's Burger Bus today...I'm stupid and should have gone looooong ago! This is a great burger and the onion rings and poutine (real cheese curds) are first class!!

Easily my favorite burger place in Calgary right now.

[slingshotz]

Welcome to the dark side :)

I'll have to try the onion rings next time, I love the fries too much, but I'll have to venture outside my comfort zone.

[hclass]

I can't say anything bad about rockies since I've had 4 or 5 of his burgers just this year but I do venture to Bubba Louis more often. Very similar style but for some reason I prefer it more. Bit more flavour and little warmer. This year it's a new group running it and their patties come out a little taller and narrower then last year which is my only complaint. Pricing I believe is identical bw the two.

[worldwidestuff]

Yep, I agree with your assessment. I did not know about the ownership change though. Had one picked up for me yesterday and was wondering about the new patty shape myself.
On the positive, the Fries are finally cooked better than last year.

[hclass]

The gent who was running it last year was in the commercial real estate biz and he had it listed and bought it. I think the bus just sat there for a few summers before unused.
I think the only other difference bw the burgers is last year he used to add just a tad of Montreal Steak spice but I haven't noticed it this year and I don't think the burger really needed it anyway.
As for the fries, I'm not really into fries but the ppl I eat with get them and notcied they are very well fried. I few more seconds and I feel they would have a char taste. Are your fries that way too?

[nutellaluvr]

I must have been living in a cave as I've never heard of Rocky's so off we went today with the help of GPS. You are a genius Major_9000! Thank you for mentioning it. Hubby agrees that this is the best (not homemade) burger ever. Rings were also damned good, fries were ok; a lot like Swiss Chalet, but burger and rings were fantastic. Will be going back often!

[MartinT]

LOL - if you read the string above, Rockies is probably mentioned almost 20 times prior to Major_9000's mention. There is a reason for this!!!

Rockies is still the best handmade Alberta (ground) beef experience in Calgary (next to my handmade burgers served on my Lakefront deck)

[katidyd]

What time are you serving? I use to have a lakefront deck...but now I'm back to the inner...but willing to drive for a good burger.

[MartinT]

I recently tried the Route 40 Soup Co Turkey burger and have to add it to my list of favorites... Ok its not in Calgary, but its an easy 15 minute drive south. Route 40 works hard to adhere to "local food" and "slow food" philosophies and do a fine job.

The turkey burger was a large hand made hand seasoned patty, made from fresh turkey from a local farm, on a freshly made multi grain/wheat bun (im uncertain if they use a local bakery or bake their own, but it was very fresh and tasty) covered with a house made locally grown cranberry salza, locally grown crispy fried onions and it is my other favorite "local" burger. Rockies burger bus gets my vote for best beef burger!

The Turkey Burger also came with your choice of their home made soups, I did the Chix roasted red pepper, which was an amazing Chicken Tortilla soup... which could not have been prepared with better/fresher ingredients or done more to perfection!

[nonlinear]

^^that sounds DELICIOUS!!! gonna hit that up next time i'm down there. thanks!

[MartinT]

Route 40 is one of my new faves - everything is pretty much excellent...
But I CRAVE the Turkey Burger!!!

[Scary Bill]

Just adding a vote for Rocky's, a really tasty burger, huge, fresh ground, juicy like few others (I expect Rocky uses regular ground or grinds his own with added fat), fresh cut fries.

Mrs Scary liked the burger more than Lounge Burger (except for the bun and the myriad LB toppings available)

Sitting at the picnic tables watching the prairie dogs on a sunny day whilst eatin a Rockys' was a nice little event, certain to be repeated.

[cgycowgirl]

Buchanans is by far the best I have had to date. Any place in the city where you can order your burger to temperature is ok by me.
You wouldn't think to go here, but Rush has two amazing burgers. Same price range as Buchanans, but you can also get it cooked to temperature

[howlin]

blind beggar pub on macload tr by chinook.stopped in today .was really good.10 bucks got me a mozza with srooms.this is so good ,spicy but not overly so(and i like spicy .this was so juicy and big .and it was my first time having sweet potato fries ,nice and skinny ,crunchy,perfect.if they were any bigger i dont think i would like them.try this one hounds and see what you think

[swbossert]

If you like a blue cheese burger, check out the Gooey Bluey burger at the Blind Monk up in Royal Oak. It was the best burger I've had in Calgary to date... but then I still have a few more places to hit up. :)

[sidepockets]

On the topic of blue cheese burgers, District's house burger with blue cheese, bacon and avocado is simply sublime. It is not as big as some of the monstrosities you will get around town but what it lacks in sheer volume, it definitely makes up for in the quality and freshness of the ingredients.

[samiraiken]

I know its a chain, but have you had White Spot's Bigger Burger? It is the best burger I have ever had. Growing up in BC, its everywhere, the Triple O sauce is outstanding and the Burger is perfectly seasoned. I prefer a buger with a meaty taste, not overly flavored, if you enjoy that, give White Spot a try, I assure you will not be dissapointed.
Oh and the fries and gravy are amazing as well! You get unlimited fries with your order. When I am super hungry I just get them to bring out some fries as a appetizer then more come with my meal all for the same price!

[howlin]

for a chain, red lobter has really good fries.the only ones i eat. burger wize,there was a little place in ogden across from the hobby shop,that was awesome.little old chinese lady ran the show.this was a bundh of years ago so i dont know if there still there.

[The Winger]

The place in Ogden is called Sunnys and makes fantastic burgers, I usually order either the mushroom burger with cheese or the house burger, both of which are very filling. Fries are average but the burger is worth the visit. Rockys burger is still my favorite though but Sunnys is better than most of the other joints in Calgary.

[Shazam]

I swear it's a bit different at the Calgary locations. I always enjoy them when I'm in BC, but the ones here seem bland. Maybe it's just the dry air.

[John Manzo]

I will never make the mistake of going to the White Spot in the deep south (Cgy) again. Yes, you get AYCE fries but you'd die of hunger before your order got to you.

The fast-food version (triple O's?) should be here and it should be on 17th Ave or some similar strip. I hate ordering a burger and fries and waiting a freaking hour for it.

[Scary Bill]

Waiting is one of life's hardships. ~Lemony Snicket

[alau2]

I love the White Spot's burger... but unfortunately their service has been so atrocious in the last few years it's hard to put up with to get my hands on one.

[Merry113]

The service at the White Spot in NE Calgary has vastly improved lately. I've been their twice in the last few months and the service was good both times. Prior to that I had quit going because the service was sooooooo bad and so slow. All visits have been over the lunch hour.

[foodkarma]

Monty Mushroom Burger at White Spot is my fav all time burger... but the inconsistent service here, and the number of calories mean I maybe eat this once a year. Rather make my own at home.

[daveshmave]

The Turkey Burger at Fatburger is awesome! Hands down the Best Burger I've had in Calgary. Fatburger is from LA California. They need to get In-N'-Out Burger up here! Thats a damn good burger from the States. Crave it all the time. http://www.in-n-out.com/

[slingshotz]

Argh, why did you have to bring it up again. I just barely got over the In-Out crave I developed back in Sept last year. I'm almost that desperate to take the long drive to MC to see if 5 guys is comparable. If someone could figure out a way to vacumn freeze In-Out burgers I would buy cases of them!

[The Gut]

I hit 5 guys on the way back from a funeral. It was good but I didn't really feel the need to post. That is exactly the way I think a burger joint should be run though.

They should say the jalepeno's are fresh. I decided to pick them off and eat them they were taking over the burger.

[cowboyfoodie]

A must try is the Game burger from the Iron Goat in Canmore... bison, blueberries, pepper jack, caramilzed onion, grilled tomato - Great taste

[calgarygrillguy]

Ok.....I'm freaking starving now reading this blog. I have to put my two cents in...
The best burger in Calgary is about a 30 minute drive south to High River. Little place called the "Hitchin Post". The place is famous to the locals.....
The signature burger is the HP Burger....Amazing! It is a basic loaded burger with fresh toppings lettuce, tomato, mustard and relish with a good chunk of ham.
Another great burger is the Mushroom Cheese burger. The sauce is basically mushroom soup but when you mix it with the melted cheese and the char on the burger you have one great messy mouthful of goodness.
The ingredients are fresh and the beef is local bought daily from the local butcher. Along with the burgers they also have fries, deep fried mushrooms and great onion rings. The milkshakes are also amazing. If you are going you may want to call first as the people that run the place work limited hours. It is also a drive up order at the window kinda like Peters. Can be a little pricey but it is worth it!
For you people that like fancy hamburgers (complete opposite from above) try the Dean House for lunch. My girlfriend took me for lunch there the other day and I had it. It was amazing!!! Instead of a tomato they have a tomato jam on it. WoW...its basically a puree tomato with a lot of brown sugar in it!!! Try it out....price actually wasnt that bad!

[jsfoodchat]

The hitchen post does have milkshakes that are the BEST!

[bakerbear]

Rocky's is by far the best, the only bad news is they are only open till 3:00 and it's not easy to get there for lunch.

[AFoodie1971]

If you haven't tried Lounge Burger I suggest you do. You can pick a pre-fab burger off the menu or create your own using the burger meat of your choice, which includes: 3 types of beef, elk, turkey, chicken, sausage, lamb, shrimp, veggie, salmon, bison, etc.. and then choose your bun and toppings. They also have a good wine list for a burger joint as well. I loved this because they treat the ingredients with respect and the burgers reflect this. In the end, If you don't like your burger it's basically your own fault, since you created the burger yourself.
The only complaint I have is the parking situation and the green wait service. I'm sure the severs will improve with more experience but the parking is an issue.
http://loungeburger.com/index.php

[Scary Bill]

"If you don't like your burger it's basically your own fault, since you created the burger yourself."

Sooo, how the burger is cooked, assembled, and the quality and freshness of the ingredients are all meaningless?

And not to mention "value for money"?

Who'd a thunk?

[TSAW]

I found LB to be very expensive. Their burgers come with meat, lettuce, and tomato. You pay for everything else. So when you add up cheese, pickles, bacon, mushroom etc.. you are looking at $15+ at least. Too rich for me.

[Beachy1]

I agree. It was expensive and I expected more out of a place that specializes in burgers. Overall I felt 'meh' about the place and wouldn't go back.

[Major_9000]

Hit LoungeBurger before seeing Anthony Bourdain last night.

We ate in the lounge and the service/ambience was very good. Although it did seem like the same song played the entire time we were there but maybe I'm just getting old.

Now for the food...We ordered Tuna Burger and Kobe Burger. As much as I wanted to like this place, the food was pretty bland. The Tuna burger was seared properly but it almost felt like they forgot to season it. The Kobe Burger was sadly quite dry, considering this is wagyu beef I'm not sure how this was accomplished.

In the end I don't think I'll go back, sorry LB.

[nonlinear]

i've never been, but i would say that about 80% of the comments i've heard about the food have been negative. based on the review, i'm not sure why people continue to try this place. i'm guessing it's because it has "lounge" in the name :P

[Scary Bill]

Nope, it's "Burger". "Burger" all the way.

I'm pretty sure that burger lovers would even go to "Crapburger"

[Major_9000]

Gilchrist gave LB 8/10 and Andree gave it a fairly positive review on Metro...plus who can resist at least trying a Kobe burger!

[nonlinear]

gilchrist is willing to plaster his face and voice on any available medium, so his experiences at local restaurants are going to be different than yours and mine. his reviews need to be taken with a grain of salt.

[John Manzo]

Because of the credibility of the reviewers who like it? Face it, there are people in Calgary who are conditioned to hate everything about this city. I met a student from Vancouver yesterday who has written off sushi in this city because of one visit to, of all craptacular places, Kinjo. That's wilful ignorance and wilful pessimism.

Alau's taste I trust and so I am eager to try Loungeburger.

[Major_9000]

Alau does a great job and her reviews are fantastic...my favorite food 'critic'.

[alley]

I tried LoungeBurger with a friend over a month ago for lunch. He assembled a burger, I had one off the menu, we each had a glass of wine. It was good. Not exceptional, but good: food, service, the room. Nothing to get excited about. You're paying a premium for the experience: the crowd, the vibe, pretty wait staff. It's not fine dining and it's not a an especially good deal for a burger either, it's a gimmick for what's turned out to be a popular bar. Good for them.

If you want a really fine burger (at about the same price level) try the lounge at Rush. I like to take out of town guests to Rocky's for the burger and make them sit outside and eat on one of the picnic tables on the hill overlooking the parking lot. That's fun.

[Jasz]

A friend and I went Saturday for lunch before an event at the 'Dome. The place was pretty empty, another couple of tables I think. Service was good. Food was meh.

We started with the poutine (interesting gravy, I'm sure they put some kind of wine in it) but had only had a few bites before our mains came out; most of it ended up uneaten.

My friend had their AAA beef burger with Caesar salad and I got a build-your-own with AAA beef, the pretzel bun, sauteéd onions, cheddar and feta cheeses and beer mustard. Maybe I should have added another sauce to it because I agree with Major that it was rather bland‚I couldn't even taste the onions. I did like the crispy waffles fries that i got with it.

We also had a creme brulée with a very nice cracking sugar topping but the rest was just okay.

Not in any hurry to go back and there are definitely better burgers elsewhere.

-----
Loungeburger
1331 Macleod Trail SE, Calgary, AB T2G 0K3, CA

[rob.campeau]

Has anyone been to LoungeBurger yet? (Across from the Stampede Grounds)??

[TSAW]

Rob. here is the thread on Lounge Burger. I have not been myself. I do love Rocky's Burger Bus too!

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/623220

[howlin]

not bad if you want to wait 2 hours for an overpriced burger

[TSAW]

what? Are talking a two hour wait at Rocky's or LB? I assume LB?

[howlin]

lb.bad times

[Scary Bill]

An out of town guest wanted to go to Flames Central, so we went. My first, and probably last time there. Poor service, poor beer selection, and an incredibly lousy burger. Also, Mrs Scary was drinking Chardonnay, asked for a second glass, and they substituted a very fruity Reisling because, as we discovered, they had run out of chardonnay and substituted without asking her-hey it's white, eh!!! As it turned out, they actually only had two kinds of wine, a red Wayne Gretzsky, (the server dodn't know what type of wine it was)and the reisling.
If there is someone you don't like, send them there and tell them to order the burger.

[MartinT]

As a born and raised Calgarian and resident for nearly 50 years... I just have to put in my 2 cents.

Many of the aforementioned establishments can have OK burgers and even better than average burgers, but not one of them measures up to the burgers from Rocky's burger bus. It is without a doubt THE BEST in this city. Those of you who have not tried simply must go here and you will realize its not in the same league as all the other establishments.

OK I'll get off my wagon now, and I do eat and enjoy burgers from Boogies, Peters, Earles, Moxies, Diner Delux (one of my favorite places), Joeys, Bison Mountain Bistro in Banff (another fave), Fatburger, Barley mill, Tommy burger, Wildwood, Milestones, Ironwood (another fave), Galaxie, Ship and Anchor, Toad and Turtle, Burger Inn, White Spot, Sunterra, Route 40 (another fave), and way too many more pubs, diners, drive ins, than I can recall, None are bad, some are great, they just aren't rocky's

Many of the other places use patties purchased from some supplier, delivered frozen and molded and although they are OK, they lack the homemade experience that some of the other establishments make. I guess if you stack enough patties on and detract from the burger with all the toppings, you can have something that tastes OK with a frozen molded patty.

A few of the burger places in town have some gimmick or niche they attempt to fill:

Burger inn is all about the selection of alternative meats, but still a molded pattie.
Peters and Boogies (and most of the other places) are all about quantity. Large patties and buns, and lots of fries, and the quality is always consistent, but they are still molded pattys at almost every establishment.

But now Rocky's... this is where its all about the burger (and the fries are pretty good as well)
http://foodosophy.wordpress.com/2009/...

Its a huge ball of pure triple AAA beef and there is no stinkin gazpacho, salza, or special sauce to distract from the best burger in town. Its juicy (ok greasy), like any good burger should be so you can fully experience the alberta beef. And I do not recommend you attempt a double burger with fries on your first try, a single is massive.

Dont go for the ambiance... hmmmm... on second thought do... you will be sitting on a picnic table surrounded by gophers and lovely view of foothills industrial park.

[Shazam]

I wish there were more veggies on the Rocky's burger, but yeah, the meat is AWESOME. So is the bun.

Also, they have the best fries in the city, bar none.

[derfster]

Gonna have to go with the Chuckwagon Cafe in Turner Valley. They do indeed raise their own cattle! Great, friendly service too. No beer though LOL

Recently discoverd the 1600 Beirhaus in Glenmore Landing. Handmade burgers, charred on the outside and juicy on the inside. You sometimes have to ask for extra toppings but they'll bring 'em free of charge. This burger is waaaay better than I could have hoped for

[electroleum]

I'll make a but of a subliminal addition to this list.

One of the WORST burgers I have had in recent memory was the Bacon & Aged White Cheddar Burger @ Moxie's. Not even the slightest amount of flavour, and it was one hell of a puny beef patty.

But, then again, pretty much all the food at Moxie's is sub-par

[Shazam]

Mid 90s they were okay. I've seen a severe dropoff in their food of late - cost cutting, I assume. Their bugers, which used to be fine, like you said are now terrible.

[Scary Bill]

Noticed a new "sports pub-15 big screen tv's", Bill Bailey's, in the plaza on the Southeast corner of McLeod & Heritage. Went in for a quick beer to check it out and discovered a very nicely finished place with a sports pub/gastropub menu, lots of creative burgers and other creative menu items. Didn't eat there as I was in a bit of a rush, but my pint was $4.75, a pretty fair price. Anyway, why I am posting on this thread is because the bartender mentioned that they had their shrimp burger nominated as "one of the best burgers in Calgary, so I tracked the contest down and found this:

http://www.fan960.com/events/more.jsp...

If I should go back in the next while and grab a burger, I'll report back.

[TMW33]

Got an email forward for a loungeburger pre-opening tasting event this saturday from 12-4. Charity event, burger and beer will be $5. Email said set to open mid Sept...

[mjutma]

this is my first post. i had to create an account today after needing this very question answered.
I'm really surprised that no one had mentioned Open Range on Edmonton trail. Their Bison Burger with Double smoked bacon and smoked paprika mayo is something to behold, they even consider your preference of temperature for the meat

I was aiming to have the buffalo burger at big fish but their lunch menu had already ended so the wait staff suggested i order off the Open Range menu even though i was sitting in Big Fish... worked fine for me.
I will go back and report on the Big Fish version asap!

In conclusion
1 vote for Open Range Bison Burger

[Calgary Geek]

If you get sick of all the conventional burgers (as if one could get sick of them, I know), try the Upstream Burger at the Coup for something different.

It's a meal, not just a burger (so you can't really grab one and run), but the burger itself is made from smoked tofu with cashews, yam and a whole bunch of other great stuff, served on foccacia. If you can bring yourself to try a "burger" made primarily of soy products, it's worth a shot.

[cowtownhound]

Dairy Lane, on 19th St. NW, makes a fantastic homestyle burger, with good milkshakes to wash it down. It's a small space and usually lined up, but worth the wait.

[electroleum]

Yes, this is true. Dairy Lane does make a good burger. Only tried it once (I'm usually there for breakkie, not lunch), but definitely enjoyed it.

[TSAW]

My co worker was raving about Dairy Lane burgers so we checked it out this week. They were perfectly cooked through but still very juicy with a nice toasted bun, that stood up to the juices. The beef quality was outstanding. The grind was fairly coarse, not mushy at all. You had a choice of different cheeses and toppings so you could build your own basically, with a base price of $11. I myself am more of a burger purist. I don't like a lot seasonings to mask a good quality beef. This burger has so much white pepper it was a overpowering. My SO felt there was too much garlic powder but I didn't notice that so much. I will definately have another one at Dairy Lane! But Rocky's is still #1 in my heart.

-----
Dairy Lane Cafe
319 19 St NW, Calgary, AB T2N 2J2, CA

[electroleum]

I've been to Fatburger far too often as of late, but I noticed one thing by accident that I found makes quite a difference. You can order their burgers with "cheese", but you can also order them with "cheddar". I've never been a big fan of processed cheese, so this was a pleasant discovery. One visit I said cheddar instead of cheese by accident...and when I got the burger, it tasted notably better than they usually are.

Lately I've been getting them with bacon, cheddar, and mushrooms....deelish

**On a side note - from a fast food standpoint...the new bacon cheddar uncle burger could quite possibly be the new king of fast food burgers. If you guys ever have a hankering for a fast food burger, I suggest trying one.

[shortysho]

I'd like to add 2 votes
1) the Buffalo burger at Diner Deluxe (7thAve and Edmonton TR NE) especially tops if you get wedges on the side, with some of their pink peppercorn mayo.
2) the cheeseburger at the Palomino Smokehouse and Bar, they use some kind of different mayo that I love!

shorty

[DeeDub]

I have been meaning to check out Rocky's Burger Bus for the last few years and today I finally made it and I am kicking myself for not going sooner. I ordered a bacon and cheese with the works (mustard, diced onions and relish... I told them to hold the relish) and it was spectacular. Very thick and and very flavorful. I thought it would be a bit juicier to the point that I added a little ketchup but that was such a minor fault on an overall awesome burger. At $5.75 it is a great deal!!

On a side note I went to Boogies Burgers last week and ordered their Fat Elvis milkshake (peanut butter, banana and bacon). I thought it would be bordering on horrific but it was actually not too bad. Would I order it again? No but it was one of those things that I had to give a try. Heavy on peanut butter flavour with the odd bit of bacon coming through the straw from time to time.

[Office Broccoli]

The Grizzly Paw in Canmore has excellent burgers. Just there on the weekend. Big, thick and juicy. The lettuce looked like it came out of a TV commercial it was that fresh.

[John Manzo]

If we're going outside the city- had a turkey burger on ciabatta at Route 40 Soup Co in High River on Saturday that rocked. Turkey ground in house to boot.

[kritafo]

Wow we went to Burger Inn on last Monday evening. It was packed. We were a party of 4 and all decided to get something different so we could pass them around.

We had been there before and weren't very impressed, but got the bug again after watch Burger Inn on "Eat, Shrink and Be Merry"

All 4 burgers were terible. All of them were dry. We also order the extra special poutine with the fried onion and bacon. Horrible. We had a good chuckle as we left they have a Calgary's #1 burger certificate. lol!

[John Manzo]

Which location?

[kritafo]

Sorry I just seen your reply! yeah I haven't been on regularly these days. It was the Bow Trail location.

[hclass]

krifato I have to agree with you, dry and no taste. I even had a Rocky Burger a few days ago and it's a fantastic burger but could've used a tomato and lettuce. It's too bad "loaded" at Rockys mean mustard, ketchup, relish, and chopped onions.

[John Manzo]

This is just me (but for once Alton Brown and I agree on something), but I think lettuce should never go on a burger... I do however always want mayo. Mayo, mustard, ketchup, onions and pickles.

[hclass]

I like a little lettuce but my fav burgers are either homemade with my toppings or In-n-out style, a small amount. Fatburger is the closest resemblance here and i do have to admit I've gone there a few too many times even though it's pricing is very high for fast food.

[darelleats]

Hello everyone! Good news. This project is a go and should be debuting in FFWD Weekly shortly as a sidebar to my regular bi-weekly reviews.

I'm very excited and would like to thank you very much for all the input and please do continue to send more!

Cheers,

darelleats(at)gmail.com

[Bavin]

Fat Burger is opening a new location on 32 nw. They are going into the location Willy's burgers were. They have not opened yet but they have the signs up already.

[electroleum]

I'm personally a fan of Fatburger. I usually get the King Cheese w/Bacon, and I think they taste great! I do agree that they're a tad on the pricey side, especially considering that their sides are sub-par (fries are ho-hum and the onion rings are god awful)

One burger that I have had a couple of times is the Garrison Burger at the Garrison Pub in Marda Loop.

I've also had the burger at Milestone's, and I remember that being deelish as well.

Boogie's on Edmonton Trail isn't all that great. It's very saucy (it almost looked like they had put mushroom soup on the burger), and it's pretty pricey as well.

For something a little bit different, try the Bison Burger @ Redwater. It's very reasonably priced for what you get, and it tastes very unique.

Oh, and I almost forgot about Angel's Drive-In on Bowness Road. Bit of a hike, but it's a nice little throwback diner and a decent burger if I remember correctly.

For me, nothing has yet to come even close to my favourite burger spot of all time: Dick's Dairy Dip in Ottawa. Amazing burgers, and the best onion rings on the planet!

[John Manzo]

Where is this Garrison Pub you speak of?

[23skidoo]

20th St & 42nd Ave SW, near My Favourite Ice Cream Shop.
(I've never been to Garrison Pub, so I can't recommend it either way)

[cdn]

Hubby and I like it there. Nice atmosphere, good beer, tastey food and friendly service. Nice in the summer when they open the big windows and you can people watch...lots of traffic with the icecream shop a few doors down. It's got more of that "local vibe" because its on the smaller side and off the beaten track of 33rd.
Two thumbs up!

[MacVern]

Greetings ,
I'm a 275lb man that worked at the golden arches from 14-21. I am now 39 years old and I am a burgermeister :) - Please call me Yoda :) (or MacVern)

Thank-you for your thread. You have given me hope. In the next few hours I will be trying :

1) Buchanan's - 738 3rd Ave SW
2) Rocky's Burger Bus - 4645 12 St SE (M-F Only)

I moved to Calgary from Winnipeg in 1997 and here's my take (NOTHING BEATS A HOMEMADE BURGER):

If you want the best burger in Winnipeg please go to:
#1) George's Inn on St. Mary's Road near Bishop Grandin Blvd. Their fries are awesome too. Burgers too (my mouth is watering as I type).
#2) The Burger Factory on Portage Ave near Erin St. is my 2nd fav burger in Winnipeg. Ask about the pickle per bite ratio (They make it for you the way you like)
#3) For the best FRIES and Burger please try Junior's Restaurant on St. Mary's Road and Fermor (across from Glenlawn Collegiate).
#4 )30 min drive South from Winnipeg -> drive down to St. Malo and try "Le Routier".
#5) for Ice Cream try the Bridge Drive Inn on Jubilee Ave.

I have not found a burger in Calgary that measure's up to these places (in 10 years and I keep going back to visit the Grandparent's every summer for the above pilgrimage.

Fuddruckers is a great experience in Saskatoon and Great Falls Montana as well (and I have driven 5 hours to get a burger here before). They have the best bun-burger combination and you put on your own toppings. (try the mayo pump and the barbeque pumps). The fresh Lettuce heads, tomatoes and other vegetables let you make your burger into a salad/meal experience. Fries are Large cut (like thick chips) and very tasty.

TRIED
1) Earls' (Best Ambiance - not kid friendly though, may not be wife friendly - hear the expression "Earls' Girls"?)
2) Burger Inn - several locations (Fresh, great toppings, GREAT HOMEMADE FRIES). Is not for ambiance, have had bad days here before too. But on a good day they are definitely a #2. (calling ahead for takeout works best. MacLeod Trail location and one downtown are ok).
3) Boogies Burgers - 908 Edmonton Tr NE (Good, original sauces, poor parking, home fries good but not great, Original Owners SAM and FAY please come home!)
4) Fatburger 1000 - 33 Heritage Meadows Way SE (Double Fat Burger great. Overpriced. Fries ok. Shakes Good).
5) Peters' - 219 16 Ave NE (Nice picnic tables. Family Friendly, Sauce is a must on your burger. GREAT FRIES, GREAT SHAKES, and Cones too - good price but only take cash no Debit)
6) Tommy Burger Bar - 9629 MacLeod Trail SW (Over-rated, high price, was expecting great things and let down. (Kind of like the Michael Keaton Batman movie).

Thanks for the thread (and the opinions).

MacVern

[slingshotz]

Everytime I pass Red Deer I stop in Burger Baron, it's not as good as Rocky's but I do like the flavor of them and the combinations you can get.

[electroleum]

Man, I haven't been to a Fuddrucker's in ages. I remember going to the one in Edmonton as a kid...they were great!

[mammabear]

OMG Juniors!!!! I'm from winnipeg and moved to calgary 10 years ago. LOVE ALL THE RECOMMENDED! and reminded;)

When in Calgary, I recommend Broken City. Homemade burger patties, soon to have tons more options, hand cut fries, friggin good.

[nonlinear]

really? i've had food there a couple of times, and it was pretty much crap. maybe things have changed in the last few years, though (this was some time ago, now). aside from the food, though, it is a flippn' sweet bar!!!

[sackman]

MIlestones and Moxies are surprisingly good. Buchanan's is a standout. The only burger that will be cooked to order. My favourite is the lamb burger with (i think) lingonberry sauce at Wildwood. Exceptional..

[cinnamongurlee]

the Saltlik makes a great burger (full of fixings and a nice-sized burger...HUGE)...and the fries are just as delicious as the burger.

whenever i go to calgary, i always hit the Saltlik for a burger!

[anonymoose]

Coincidentally, or maybe inspired by this thread, I see that today someone recommended Peter's to the Hamburger Today blog: http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2...

Anyone here want to fess up? ;)

[Major_9000]

Tommy's Burger Bar has great burgers and the fries there are excellent. I recommend getting guacamole on your burger.

[drinkkid]

So I've just come back from Burger Inn on 4th st and I am extremely angry, I've been following this topic for some time and decided to pop in with the wife for a burger(since unfortunately Buchanan's is closed Sundays, and is easily the best in the city!). What followed was a dining atrocity. Poor service, burgers were falling apart, overcooked onion rings and they messed up my order twice. So after half an hour I had all of two bites of a very dismal burger that wasn't even what I ordered. My wife said that A&W was comparable possibly even better.

[maplesugar]

drinkkid I'm sorry to hear you had a bad experience at Burger Inn. Sounds like darrelleats can definitely scratch them off his list of places to try.

To the OP: darrelleats, just out of curiousity - where'd the rec for Burger Inn come from? I'm guessing you're gathering info from several sources since I don't see Burger Inn mentioned by anyone on this thread(except in your list upthread that is).

[itwillmakeaturd]

I've also been to Burger Inn. I was attracted by the novelty of being able to get a wide selection of animals turned into patties. The unusual meats become unremarkable when you turn them into burgers, and if I'm in that area I typically opt for Tubby Dog instead.

[darelleats]

The list is organic and comes from a few other sources as well. Basically, I just want to build as thorough a list as possible and then hit the ground running.

[Conrad]

A number of years ago the Calgary Herald had a similar quest to find the best burger in town, and they selected the Burger Inn. So I tried the one on MacLeod near the Brick, and the burger was poor. It actually tasted like it contained Lysol! Went back again and again had a similar experience.

[sweeterpea]

We took grandma and grandpa out to the White Spot last night, and they have a very good burger. Plus "endless fries"!

[John Manzo]

I love the triple-O too, but last time we went to White Spot (the one in the south) it took a solid hour to get our burgers, and that was after a good 20-min wait for a table.

I'd kill for one of their fast-food offshoots. We ran into one on 93 heading south in BC (Creston?) and I screamed for partner to stop for lunch there. Why these are not in Calgary is something I hope Stephen Harper looks into.

[aktivistin]

Ha, I like your policy priorities, John.

[sweeterpea]

That's too bad; there was hardly anyone in the northeast location. Service was great and the food was fairly prompt. We found the burgers at their fast-food outlets are not as good (our experience anyway).

[nonlinear]

we used to go to white spot every month or so, but last time had a horrible experience with service (south location) and won't be going back anytime soon.

this was about 4 or 5 months ago, but but the server basically ignored us for about 20 minutes, then tried to take our order but they were out of a few menu items.

my partner decided on some kind of curry that was supposed to come with naan (this is why she ordered it). when it arrived, the naan was missing and the server didn't say anything. had to wait 5 minutes to flag down the server only to find they were out of naan. she could've at least said something when she saw it missing, instead of hoping we wouldn't notice. there was also a piece of calamari in her curry - and she is allergic to seafood.

i got a burger with fries but wasn't offered ketchup. had to ask for it specifically (when we inquired about the naan) , and when i finally got it the kid at the table over had to use ours cause he didn't get any either!

grrrr.

[sweeterpea]

We just had lunch at the White Spot (NE location) yesterday. Excellent service and my burger was very good. Fries were a bit tired and the server brought fresh fries promptly when I asked (you get bottomless fries).

A friend just recently complained to me about the South location. The manager we talked to at the NE location rotates at both locations and he did admit to us the service/food was better at the NE location.

[Conrad]

I have always been a huge fan of White Spot burgers until recently. Don'y know what they did, but the overall burger (the original, without lettuce etc.) is now a bland copy of its former self.
I stopped at their drive-through in Cranbrook (perhaps the one you are thinking of John?) and will NEVER do that again. After a very lengthy wait at the window (I was the only one in line) I was given the food and away I went. The burger was the wrong one, which I had explained in detail when ordering, and the rings were obviously cardboard cutouts from somewhere. Just awful.

[John Manzo]

yep, cranbrook- but we ate inside.

[JMHewer]

Buchanan's - 738 3rd Ave SW
hands down the best but you obviously pay more for it. Puts everything else to shame

[Susanbnyc]

Is Buchanan's the restaurant on 10th street (ish) on the corner where they will actually make it for you RARE? If so.... I agree!

[John Manzo]

Not close to any 10th St in any quadrant. 3rd and 7 St SW.

[howlin]

not in calgary but a funny little blurb,the rum runner in coleman(crowsnest pass)has a challenge ,21 bucks 2and ahalf pounder in under an hour and you dont pay .sounds tempting.

[morefuuud]

That's funny - we're actually heading down to that area next weekend (we normally go down there for a weekend cottage run once a yr). I've always wondered about that place - might not try the 2 lb'r this time though. How is the rest of the burgers on that menu?

[howlin]

really good ,big little greasy but good flavor,try the all meat pizza,was awesome last time i had it but you know the restaraunt scene, new workers every day,the pass is a little different,not to much work down there so consistency might be better,try the 2lb i double dog dare ya ,just kidding,but if ya need ,the hospital is just down the road in blairmore.lol every thing else ive had at the runner was good as well

[Lainey1978]

I think they make the best burgers ever! They don't taste fake. Too big for me though. I don't think my husband knew about the 2-lb one...he might take that challenge.

[howlin]

i was there recently and sad to say that i dont think they have the challenge anymore.its not on the menu anymore,perhaps if ya ask them they might make one for you.good peaple there ,very accommodating

[sweeterpea]

Maplesugar is going to laugh at this, but AVOID the white sauce at Angels!! Otherwise their burgers are pretty good, I'd say a notch above Peter's.

We had burgers at Earl's about a month ago, and they were actually quite good.

[maplesugar]

um, I am? (maybe I'm just tired... help me out here?)

[sweeterpea]

I think it was in the best onion rings thread where you were asking why not the white sauce at Angel's

[maplesugar]

Ah yes, the Onion Ring thread.. It's been long enough that I had to go hunt down the thread - my memory is good but it's short ;) http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/499693 although I was wondering about the "white sauce" myself it looks like the comment came from sleepycat :)

[sleepycat]

Yes it was me... I always wonder about mysterious sauces. What they put in there like oils.... wierd emulsifiers... thickeners. Sometimes it's a bad thing and sometimes it's a good thing. For example, at Red Robin's they have 2 sauces that go with their Tower of Rings... tangy BBQ-mayo and ranch dressing for dippin’. I haven't figured out what else in the bbq mayo sauce... maybe vinegar or cidar.

[slingshotz]

I've ordered Fatburger's milkshakes and they are pretty good but I have to say their burgers do not look decent at all, to me they look like expensive McDonald burgers. I've heard enough reliable reports from fellow foodies to not bother trying their burgers.

[darelleats]

I've never been a huge fan of Fatburger and their prices are out of control. That being said I did finally find a burger of theirs I enjoy after several tries: the Double Fat with cheese. I'm not convinced it's worth the money, but this list I'm building isn't one that says any of these burgers are the best... yet. That'll come in time after I start visiting and documenting!

[sleepycat]

So you're actually going to make a list and visit them all? Can you try this one?

Angel's Drive Inn
Angel's Drive Inn is a 50's style diner located near Bowness Park. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Angel's is well known for its hamburgers and milkshakes.
Address: 8603 47 Avenue NW Calgary Alberta Canada T3B 2A1
1 403 288-1009

Someone on chowhound mentioned they have good burgers but I never get the chance to go that far.

[darelleats]

That's the plan. Who knows how long it'll take, but I'm willing to give it a shot. It'll be a work in progress with mini-reviews as I go, ultimately leading to a personal list of my fave burger joints in town!

[itwillmakeaturd]

I've been to Angel's. I went there after spending some time in the backcountry, so maybe my craving made me a little generous in my thoughts about it.

It's along the lines of burger baron or peter's, though certainly better than the latter. Their buns are a good consistency and hold together pretty big burgers. The mushroom topping is yummy and is bound with a bit of cream sauce. The shakes are really good, and it has the rundown drive-in chic down pat. I think it's very similar to burger baron - I'd put it near the top of fast food burgers, but you can probably do better at a fancier restaurant.

[sharonanne]

Well said. If not for the mushroom topping it would be an ordinary burger. Angels is a fun flash to the past but not the best burger in town.

[23skidoo]

A good burger, if for no other reason than the uniqueness of it, is the bistro burger at the Unicorn (Stephen Avenue). It's a huge burger, probably 1/2 pound, with beef and gravy on top, and the usual mayo, onion, etc, on the bottom. You can't beat that. I loved it, but of course I had a few pints first.

The Ship and Anchor also has a great burger.

Giant hamburger is pretty bad. The mushroom swiss burger was frozen patties like you would buy a case lot of at superstore, cheap fake processed cheese, and something resembling campbell's condensed mushroom soup.

Fatburger is bad too (and expensive for a chain restaurant burger).

[mlgagnon]

Ok I am not in Calgary and have to admit the only place there I have ever had a burger there was Peter's. Truly not impressed, but the people I was with had gown up in Calgary and we had to stop there.

But my criteria for a great burger has to include the sides. If a place cannot make their own fries from scratch, I will rank it below a burger that comes with wonderful homemade fries. Homemade relish, real cheese, fresh vegetables and sauteed onions are a must too. If it comes with a salad, give me a nice salad, not a handful or baby lettuce blend and nothing else.

My favourite burger at home is lean ground beef mixed with turkey sausage meat BBQ'd served on ciabatta buns with avocado, tomatoes and lettuce. yum yum.

[sweeterpea]

If anyone is in the Turner Valley area, we had an excellent burger at The Chuckwagon. They raise their own cattle, and use the meat in the restaurant.

Not really a burger, but I wanted to mention their Flat Iron Benny is amazing. Very thin slices of melt-in-your mouth beef with egg and hollaindase. Sounds weird, but try it, you'll like it.

[chop28]

the chucwagon cafe in turner valley is my favorite burger amazing flavor worth the drive

[sidepockets]

And I almost forgot - Galaxie Diner makes some amazing burgers served up on old-fashioned white bread that you should try if you are in the mood for something a little more "homestyle".

[sidepockets]

Last summer a friend and I undertook the very same challenge you are talking about. Although we stopped well short of trying every burger in town, (we both ruled out several popular places due to our personal experience - i.e. Peter's, Tommy Burger Bar, Fatburger) we found some new favorites at Amsterdam Rhino (two votes for the GRUYERE MUSHROOM BURGER as the best burger in town) Wildwood Pub and surprisingly, Milestone's.

[feuerzeug]

I'm not big on Tommy Burger. Not that great, especially for the price.

As long as you're going to Joey Tomatoes-type places, you should try the burger at Cactus Club Cafe. They have 2 incarnations, one with Jack Daniels' Barbecue sauce. I prefer the one without the sauce. It's consistently very good. Get the yam fries with the garlic dip to go with it.

[darelleats]

Thanks to everyone for the initial input, I am already very excited about trying some places that I haven't had the pleasure of trying yet.

Here's the list we've created to date (I added a few as well):

Boogies Burgers - 908 Edmonton Tr NE
Buchanan's - 738 3rd Ave SW
Burger Inn - several locations
Buzzards - 140 10 Ave SW
Fatburger 1000 - 33 Heritage Meadows Way SE
Joey Tomato's - several locations
Mercury - 101 - 550 17th Ave SW
Moxie's (Extreme Burger) - several locations
Peters' - 219 16 Ave NE
Rocky's Burger Bus - 4645 12 St SE
The Barley Mill (Guinness® Bacon Sliders) - 201 Barclay Parade SW
Tommy Burger Bar - 9629 MacLeod Trail SW

Out of town honourable mentions:
Red Robin (Edmonton)
Bison Mountain Bistro (Banff)

Please do keep adding suggestions as I would like to see this list become as exhaustive as possible. Eventually I'm going to embark on a quest for Calgary's best burger, which will be documented on my blog, http://darelleats.blogspot.com

[sleepycat]

Have to disagree with the Fatburger one. The price is obnoxious and I don't think it's really superior. Certainly don't order the turkey burger there. It smelled and was rock hard.

Being nostalgic I love the mom and pop stores. The Inglewood Inn is run by a Korean couple and they have good burgers for a nice price. It's right beside Spulumbo's.

Someone else mentioned Angels for burgers when I was looking for yummy onion rings. I haven't made it out there yet so I can't say for sure

[John Manzo]

I would urgently suggest you add The Regal Beagle to this list- nice thick (but not too) burger on ciabatta, really nice. Good fries too.

[jsfoodchat]

I love Tommy Burger and FAT Burger. I think they are the very best. They are also both have a trendy fun environment - they are great for a casual date.

[olddaddy]

I,m from Edmonton and other than Red Robin there isn't much to brag about in the good burger class here. In Calgary I like Peters' and Rocky's but the NEW - South Street Burgers in Cross Iron Mills at Balzac is one of the best. I love NY fries and this is the same chain. NY fries are part of a combo. 25 condiments are offered on a build your own format. The burger is cooked fresh after you order (at least on a slow day) and the taste was awesome. Try the sliced green olives. That got my taste buds going. And anytime you are eating a good burger and a very short walk from the Bass Pro Shop you are a very lucky person.

[maplesugar]

Honestly I tried to love South Street Burgers when I was there about two weeks ago... and came away underwhelmed. The burger was alright but the bun was forgettable. The poutine was OK, and I've had NYF poutine, and grew up with the stuff... til now I've never had someone serve it with gravy all over the outside of the container. The pricetag (without a drink) was something like $10. I wasn't even going to mention the visit because I usually try to post more pos than neg.

[mtl128]

Agree totally!, SSB, is the most overpaid, unsatisifying burger I ever tried.

Best Mini Burgers/sliders were at the Catcus Cafe, alot of flavour in a single bite and filling as well!

T

[MartinT]

South street definitely compares with Peters (Peters is an OK mostly unforgettable higher end fast food experience) but i certainly is not in the same league as Rockies Burger Bus

[mammabear]

Broken City. Try it. friggin delish.

[foodosopher]

I generally make my own, so i can cook to order, but for dining out, the burgers at the Mercury are very good. Good quality beef, hand made patties, great toppings, nice bun.

[morefuuud]

2nd Rocky's burger bus.

The Barley Mill in Eau Claire has a decent meal on their appetizer menu:
"Guinness® Bacon Sliders - Onions and bacon in Guinness® stout with ground sirloin. Five sliders on sweet buns with caramelized onions, cheddar and mayo."

It's not the best burger(s) I've had, but they're a tasty spin on the burger.

[pants]

i really like the bison burger at bison mountain bistro in banff - sorry not calgary, but not far away. my other half likes Joey's as well, i haven't tried it myself so i can't comment directly.

we bbq'd sunterra fresh bison patties all summer and they were delicious!

[DeeDub]

Boogies Burger's was always on the top of my list and a big reason for my love of Boogies was the bun they used. Boogies is now under new ownership and I was told they were forced to use a different suppIier because the bakery that produced the buns had a special deal with the original owners. Once they sold the business so did the contract to produce buns for Boogies. I never thought a bun would make that big of a difference but their new bun is more "doughy" and it takes away from the thin patties that Boogies produces.

I am a big fan of Tommy Burger Bar. Their fries with the salt and vinegar dip is amazing.

Buchanans' burger... medium rare... fantastic.

[John Manzo]

Booges hasn't had its original owner for at least six years now.

[physio]

My vote is for Boogies Burgers too. Oddly enough I tend to lean towards their salmon burger. I know it's not true burger but it's delicious.

[aktivistin]

Seconding Bison Mountain Bistro--the patty is practically a sphere it's so thick! Juicy and tender and FLAVOURFUL with fresh toppings. The burger is not oversized, making it seem more homemade (compared to the patties we make at home).

Can anyone report on the grilled-to-order burgers from the West Market Square Sunterra? I think I'll try a cheeseburger there this weekend to test it out.

[maplesugar]

I don't know what the prices are like at Sunterra but we just ordered the family pack through Canadian Rocky Mountain Ranch - and since there was no charge we're having them deliver to Cilantro. (We're in the far north but DH works downtown so he'll pick it up on the way home). Our package is said to be 75lbs minimum (thankfully we have a deep freeze!) and worked out to $6.67/lb. They have other smaller packages too that run about $7/lb.

[sleepycat]

oddly enough Moxie's extreme burger is big and juicy. I do tend to agree with Fotze... nothing like a homemade burger with premium ingredients. I haven't really tasted a really good burger in Calgary. I would like to try Motoraunt in Edm someday. Red Robin's in Edm also have good burgers. They are sizeable and come with unlimited steak fries.

[raidar]

I have to agree, and while I haven't been in some time, the guacamole burger from Red Robin's was always one of my favorites.

[slingshotz]

Rocky's burger bus for me in the SE. You have to get there before the lunch rush to get an extra juicy baseball of meat :) But seriously, it's a simple, tasty burger that has just the basics of mustard, relish and onions. Combined with their very tasty homecut fries, it's a great (but slightly unhealthy) lunch.

Tommy Burger Bar is pretty decent for an upscale burger.

[foodosopher]

Have they started seasoning their beef yet? It's definitely large, and juicy, and the chili is a great option, but the unseasoned meat is just wrong.

[physio]

I'm with you on the burger bus. I've never actually been there in the winter though. Do they operate out of the bus all year round?

[Scary Bill]

Yes. Closed weekends.

[sharonanne]

Yeah, it's a chain but Joey Tomato's has a good burger. Their fries are variable so I can't recommend them.

[fotze]

Good thread. I have tried many but they never come close to the ole' homemade hamburger meat mixed with some sort of spices (such as french onion soup mix) . Peters is overrated, too mushy and too much relish in case you orget to tell them to exclude it. Burger Inn is alright, Boogies Burgers are alright.

Giant Hamburger in 17th Avenue SW was pretty good until the last time the owner berated his daughter extremely inappropriately for messing up an order.

Buchanans has a pretty good hamburger that you can specify its doneness (i.e. medium rare).

There's always the classic baconator. hehe