The Burger's Priest - Queen and Coxwell

[KitchenVoodoo]

Have any ChowHounders tried this new Leslieville place?
How does it rank given the rash of new "gourmet" burger joints?
Hope its better than TGB at Gerrard and Jones - burger very tasty but too gristly for me, yet I admire their ethics.

[ylsf]

You can now take a virtual tour of Burger's Priest via Google Businesses. Think "streetview" for inside a business:

https://www.google.ca/maps?q=the+burg...

[justsayn]

thanks!

[Charles Yu]

Had the 'High Priest' along with the Chili fries yesterday after waiting 20 minutes outside in -12c weather and 20 more minutes indoors!
Beef patties were generous in size, beefy, juicy and loosely packed san fillers. Bun, cheese, condiments and sauce were nothing special!
IMO, overall a good burger, best described as a 'Glorified Big Mac ' and a bit over-rated. Not worth waiting in the cold or driving all the way from Richmond Hill for!!

[justxpete]

Probably not worth driving in from richmond Hill for, no... but a good burger never the less. I don't think I'd wait in line for one in the cold, though, either! (well, perhaps only if I'd driven in from RH to try it). Ha!

[Herne]

Too bad the lines ups are so long. I'd like to try out the number 3 offering in the city. But I'm not going to stand around for 20 minutes or so for the opportunity. Dangerous Dan's has places to sit and wait.

[iMarilyn]

@ Chuck Yu: You should have gone to the BP at Yonge and Lawrence. Ha!

[Italianfoody]

The Burger's Priest is the freshest fast food burger I have had!!! A little out of the way (The Beaches) and seating is only to wait for your food, so be prepared to eat in your car. It can be a long wait but definitely worth it!!! For the first time I would recommend ordering a regular burger and then try the secrete menu. Fries are average, nothing compared to the taste of the regular burger. The owner does a great job at recreating the burger and secret menu to "In-N-Out Burger" in California!

[mstestzzz002]

Went in there today - busy as ever, even though it was the middle of the day.

Only new thing I noticed is that there are a couple of signs posted over the narrow white counter that says the counter/stools are for waiting customers only, they are not for consuming food - food may not be consumed on the premises anymore.

The Priest burger was still good.

[Shimso]

I saw that too. I was kinda surprised by that too...I thought it was weird that there was no one eating there. The only reason I ordered the fries was because I thought I'd eat it there rather than waiting half an hour to eat them....

[scarberian]

Do what I do which is park in front (surprisingly always a spot available!) and eat in or on your car. You can listen to some tunes as well on your radio. =) Of course this doesn't apply to you if you walk or take transit. =(

[Full tummy]

Do they have a washroom available for customers? I may be wrong on this, but I have always understood that places that don't have washrooms available can't offer seating.

[mstestzzz002]

there's no washroom available for customers.

[JennaBean]

This makes me sad. The fries don't travel well. There will be no fries from there in my future - burgers only.

[GoodGravy]

Master the simple skill of eating and walking. If you can chew gum and walk, you can eat fries out of a bag and walk.

[JennaBean]

I'm not a walking and eating kinda person. I don't enjoy it. The easier thing is just to skip the fries from now on. I don't need them anyways -- unless they are cooked in duck fat! :-)

[Pincus]

This is only fun when it's not raining/snowing. :)

[GoodGravy]

If it's raining/snowing, like today, you should be inside eating soup or chicken pot pie. If it's clear, but cold, the hot fry grease keeps your fingers warm. Anyways, the new location might have enough room to eat inside so you can always go there.

[ylsf]

User on RFD posted that a new location is opening at Yonge and Lawrence:

http://forums.redflagdeals.com/new-bu...

Not sure of the "source" yet.

[warlock]

I read it too and was wondering how come there was no buzz on CH about it....

[kinik]

Having read all of the posts on this thread I would like to share a few thoughts. I did over the course of a bit of time eat at almost every "gourmet burger" joint in town in order to write about them in the future and so that when I give my humble opnion, it actually means something. That said, while it's unfortunate that there were some people who had a negative experience with the grumpy owner and some long waits, that wasn't my experience on whole. What I did experience was one of the best burger's in the city and worth trying at least one time. The burger was fresh like, In 'n Out and the taste of the meat was how an honest burger should taste and probably did back in the 60's before all of this factory farmed meat came to the market. It's honestly a shame I have to drive from Thornhill to Leslieville to find this. On the first trip the fries were a bit salty and on the 2nd visit it was not. The first time I went was a lunch time on a Sat so I did wait 20 min for my meal and on the 2nd visit it was fast.

As far as the owner being a grumpy, he strikes me as the person who cares so much about the quality of his product that it throws him for a loop when he gets overwhelmed and can't do it the way that he would like. Perhaps he had a vision to make the best burger and didn't realize he had to get it together on the service side. Turns out, I have a friend on FB who knew the owner and when he saw the pic I posted, I got a request from the owner via my friend asking me how I like the food and what could be done better so I don't think he doesn't care. I think if you're going to patronize BP, you are just going to roll the dice and hope you don't get one of his few off moments and maybe consider for lack of a better term, "getting with the program". For the record, every one of my friends that have been there (and there are a lot) love the burger, never had a complaint and go back when they can. Oh and one more thing, I have to agree with the folks that say that the Classic All American Cheeseburger should be with American Cheese, not real Cheddar, not Kraft Singles but American Cheese. I go out of my way to buy it when I make my own burger's at home.

Cheers and I hope that BP is around for a while.

[justsayn]

I love the sound of your exploits - "eat at almost every "gourmet burger" joint in town ". Can you share some of your other findings?

[kinik]

I haven't written about the burger crawl yet but I will soon. I'd like to contribute to Chowhound and respect the guidelines but please check out my profile for other thoughts on things. Thanks!

[justsayn]

How about teasing us with just the two runners up?

[jayt90]

We have been teased before. It is show time for the new poster.

[kinik]

I'll give you the rest of the best, 2 of which you probably already know and one that was a surprise to me and is not actually a "gourmet burger" but just a homeburger.

Allen's Pub, They use organically grown, chemical and hormone beef and as a result, you can order this burger rare if you would like. I ordered it rare and medium rare and although I love my steak rare almost bleu, I realized I don't like my burgers that way because the fat on the inside of the burger needs to melt a bit or at least get warmed up to impart flavour. It is not cheap especially when you factor in the fries either the potato or sweet potato but it is a nice treat once in a while. I always order with the blue cheese as it is my theory that soft cheeses taste better on burgers than hard cheeses. In a head to head, I'd take Allen's over Yellow Griffin, Toronto's other famous pub known for their burger.

The Burger Shoppe - Like Allen's many know about the Burger Shoppe but IMHO, they advertise to deliver a better burger than your standard fare and actually deliver and if I were to put them in the same league as Craftburger, W Burger Bar, South Street, Gourmet Burger Co, etc I would put them at the top winning the division by a few games over the next best. Not the biggest of the bunch but the flavour is there.

5 Guys - Yes it is an obvious choice but when its true, its true. Tasty, I love the Fries but I avoid the cajun seasoning at all costs now as its application is a bit heavy handed. At 5 guys, the benefit is if you have a family, the locales are much more friendly than Allen's or BP as there is plenty of seating but avoid if you have peanut allergies.

Surprise Surprise, The final burger to make my top tier list is the "Hugo Burger" from K. O. Burger on Bloor St near Spadina, Wasn't expecting much and the interior has become a little shall we say, worn, but the burger was very tasty. Huge as its name would imply and a good version of the All Canadian burger different from the Cali version at BP. Pics and the full story soon at my blog. @justsayn hope this little description works for you. Cheers folks.

-----
Burger Shoppe
688 Queen St E, Toronto, ON M4M1G9, CA

[atomeyes]

"In a head to head, I'd take Allen's over Yellow Griffin, Toronto's other famous pub known for their burger."

not to sound rude, but I don't think Yellow Griffin's famous for much. Many types of burgers, all ok to good, no home-made fries or sides.

-----
Yellow Griffin
2202 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON M6P, CA

[iMarilyn]

Yellow Griffin: Frozen Sysco burgers with gourmet sauces out of a bottle. Big deal.

-----
Yellow Griffin
2202 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON M6P, CA

[kinik]

I don't think much of Yellow Griffin either but I didn't want to sound too dramatic and personally, I'm more about focusing on the positives and highlighting the people who do it things well rather than denigrating the ones who don't. For the record, I've had many people talk about Yellow Griffin when talking about burgers and where I should go on my burger crawl so I guess we should agree to disagree on whether it is "famous" and yes, famous doesn't necessarily mean awesome.

[Googs]

I think your thesis is solid and your respect for the opinion of others is honourable. Write on kinik.

[themiguel]

I used to live in Bloor West Village. Yellow Griffin is toxic garbage, and its not even mostly because of the actual burgers, which are forgettable, but because it may have the worst service in the entire GTA.

-----
Yellow Griffin
2202 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON M6P, CA

[eller]

You're a tough crowd!

I visited BP for the first time today and in all of the heat and humidity I commend the staff for turning out order after order of food in such a tiny, un-air conditioned space. They really need to find a larger or second place to operate to handle the demand.

[justsayn]

Well the above comments are not all based on busily cooking in the hot, humid weather like you experienced today!

[Davwud]

They posted a comment on facebook that asked "Does Leaside love BP??" Or something to that effect.

DT

[BrunoV]

I recently had the Tower of Babel. Huge burger, grill cheese as the bun. It was huge but almost too much. Don't get me wrong.. it was good. But could be better. I would suggest if you are a burger lover to stick with a more simple burger but if you feel adventurous then go for it. You will like it. Im more of a straight up burger with a plate of fries kinda guy. Of course they have to be well done. No fast food quality stuff. But like i said.. you won't be disappointed. Definitely a good place.

[tjr]

I'm confused. You said in the other post that you don't like gimmicky burgers, yet you ordered what is potentially the most gimmicky burger on their menu?

[lister]

We went this past weekend. It was my first visit and my spouse's second visit. We got there early ahead of opening and were second in line. Man that place is incredibly tiny! They really need to either move or open a second larger location. There were several larger empty stores nearby...

Anyways I order the double double Jarge-style and the spouse the cheeseburger and fries. The fries were meh. I vetoed the chilli fries as I don't like beans but we'll probably get them next time and I'll pick them out. I liked the burger. It's easily the best fast food burger I've had. Would I line up for an extended period of time for it? No. We were waiting about 10 minutes before opening then the usual amount of time to order and receive our food (probably another 10 minutes or so.) I'm fine with that. I couldn't imagine lining up for 30-60 minutes for a fast food burger, even a really good one.

I wonder how much of an increase in business that little convenience store next door has gotten...

[Davwud]

If nothing else they've made a fortune on ATM fees.

DT

[jmarcroyal]

Whenever Ive taken money out there Ive felt like maybe I should buy something, so I usually do., Now I bring cash lol. That lady in the store is quite the talker too!

[billbarilko]

this is my first post and I would consider myself an average foodie that has been to some of the world's finest restaurants and try to use the best ingredients and cooking items at home for the fam.

Living in the beach, I have tried BP a couple times and find it over-rated. Good, yes but not great. Imo, their burger is to greasy due to them cooking it on a frying grill. I understand that a certain amount of grease is a good thing but on both occasions, the grease content was on the very heavy side. Buns are not bad and as others have mentioned on this thread, using processed cheese is just terrible!

As for the service, the last time I went there, I waitied about 10 mins in line and when I went to order; they informed me that I had to wait 15 - 20 minutes due to a large order (75 burgers) that was phoned in...Can you believe that?? why not inform me as I was in line as common courtesy would suggest!

In my opinion, Great Burger Kitchen at Jones and Gerrard is way better then BP and I will make the quick drive there when I get the burger craving!

[Atahualpa]

Chacun a son gout, but I think GBK is terrible! The burger is very dense, mine on multiple occassions has been dry and despite asking, I can't seem to get them to even cook it to medium -- it is badly overcooked each time. Moreover, the bun is huge and way too bready. Oh well, to each their own!

I also don't see the problem with the processed cheese. Even Heston Blumenthal in his "Perfect Hamburger" made his own processed cheese to get that correct type of melting.

[billbarilko]

agreed...to each their own. I do not like processed cheese or any processed food for that matter. Haven't had a coke or any fast food for ~10 years,

What does 'Chacun a son gout' mean?

[justsayn]

"made his own processed cheese" therein lies the difference.

[billbarilko]

sure...agree that processed cheese probably melts better and is tasty...but, I beleive that BP uses bought processed cheese and does not make their own as the referenced 3 starred Michelin chef does in his 'perfect burger'.

Also, if BP (or anyone) made their own processed cheese; would it/should it still be considered 'processed cheese'??

[justsayn]

http://www.livestrong.com/article/484... I guess home-made processed cheese can be tweaked by which cheeses are used, spices, and how much salt is added....maybe we need a gourmet line of processed cheese made as slices and not just those triangles.

[Wahooty]

There are many kinds of processed cheese. "Processed" just refers to the method - if you process better cheese, the final product also tastes better. Blumenthal processed very good cheese - a lot of restaurants use a grade that is somewhere in the middle. Not every slice of gooey cheese on a burger is a Kraft single.

[Atahualpa]

Alright, making your own is probably better. But, my point was that there is no "real" cheese that behaves that same way. Given the style of burger that BP is trying to make, there isn't something better IMO. Perhaps offering real cheddar would be possible (especially if they had some more room behind the line at bigger location), but I don't think it would fit with what they are making cohesively.

[billbarilko]

I can buy both of your folks points about processed cheese being the better match / style with BP.

Also, justsayn...I'll think I will try the processed cheese recipe provided and maybe sharpen it up a bit with a touch of really old cheddah - I'll let you know how it turns out! Cheers and Ciao...or shall I say chow!

[tjr]

Or just do the steam method: http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2...

[justsayn]

Maybe thats how the old Tobys created the perfect cheddar sauce!

[justsayn]

cool!

[biggreenmatt]

I live in the neighbourhood and I agree on both points. I find GBK makes a helluva tasty burger (their onion rings are only second, BARELY, to Burger Shack's), and that while good, the people at Priest are a bit precious and I don't care to wait in a 20 minute line for a burger.

-----
Burger Shack
4 Linsley E, Alexandria, ON K0C1A0, CA

[jmarcroyal]

Thats why you dont go during peak hours, If you go after the dinner hour, like after 7, you wont face those problems, but not everyone can go at those times. Same with the lunch rush, I mean, you can expect lineups anywhere at those times. Just my opinion anyway, whenever I go(and its not too often) Im typically in and out in 10 minutes...

[ylsf]

I recommended this spot to a friend as she was going to Woodbine beach and was looking for something casual in the area. I have been twice and enjoyed my burger both times but both time I went with discount vouchers I had bought from various deal sites. Anyway, I thought an "non-ch" view of Burger Priest would be interesting for people here to read. This is what she said :

We ended up going and got cheeseburgers. They tasted weirdly like
McDonald's. Granted, the meat was pretty juicy, which was nice, but
even though they said they cooked the meat "medium", it was definitely
well done. The bun was like those gross McDonald's buns and it had
fake cheese. I can see teenage boys loving this place, but probably
not for the price. Also I got a tummy ache after (probably from all
the grease). Don't think I'll go back.

-----------
Yeah, she said "tummy ache" and she is not 12 years old... but, don't hold that against her...

I then responded to her that I thought she would like it since she liked Dangerous Dan's and she then responded that she thought DD was WAY better...

Anyway, it doesn't change my view of the spot. I enjoyed it, but it isn't a spot I would go to every week either... I will be going back to try some of the secret menu items...

[Davwud]

Obviously not her style of burger. I warm people when they go of what to expect. To complain that the bun was like the kind McD's uses is like complaining that the bird they used at KFC tasted kinda like the bird they use at Swiss Chalet.

Either you get what they're trying to do there or you don't. No big deal.

DT

[Kassi22]

and

http://www.nowtoronto.com/food/story....

[Kassi22]

Check out the article in Now Magazine

http://www.nowtoronto.com/food/story....

#1

[tjr]

Looks like they had a lot of trouble filling out the list: Fran's, Harvey's, Hero? What?

[Kassi22]

Yeah.. I know... yuck... but I do agree with BP being number 1 :) In another article they even had McD's Big MAC on the list.. wth! Not really fair to the BP.

[tjr]

I'd rather eat a Big Mac or a double cheeseburger over many of the burgers in the city (including a bunch of the ones on that Top 20 list).

[hal2010]

They said they were giving points for tradition as well as taste, which is why they included Frans. In fact they said if it was for flavour only, Frans wouldn't crack the top 100. What a strange way to rate food.

[scarberian]

Tradition? Then Johnny's should've cracked the top 20. It's an institution and a tradition of indigestion for Scarborough. I read the article and was totally disappointed (but then again it is NOW) that there was only one mention of a Scarborough burger place and it was 5 Guys. The only reason it was mentioned was due to it's brand name. Where was The Real McCoy or Goody's?

[Full tummy]

Absolutely agree on The Real McCoy, and they've got tradition in spades.

[magic]

Uggh, why would anyone who knows anything about food cares about what NOW says?!

[pakmode]

NOW's just a bunch of hippies with a ttc metropass and an expense account. Can't take anything they say seriously. It's a free paper for a reason.

[RogerDoger]

Yup much rather trust Chowhounds :-)

[TexSquared]

Not always. This board hyped Duff's wings and I found them to be crap. With that in mind I always look for 2nd and 3rd opinions, never rely on just one.

[justsayn]

There are so many very worthwhile free papers in this city, let alone the world. What you are experiencing is a list of hamburgers that appeal to the tastes at large. It is not because of NOW magazine that the likes of McDonalds and Hero Burger have dozens and dozens of locations across the GTA.

[tjr]

NOW didn't put McD's as a top 20, when they should be compared to the nonsense they included on that list.

[Davwud]

Hero is abysmal. Abysmal, abysmal, abysmal. It resembles nothing I'd feed to my dog.

DT

[atomeyes]

lame.
No Caplansky.
No Marben.
No Allens.

NOW should avoid doing food reviews.

-----
Marben
488 Wellington Street West, Toronto, ON M5V 1E5, CA

Caplansky's
356 College Street, Toronto, ON M6J, CA

[iMarilyn]

Marben and Allen's are both on the list(s) - #9 and #14. There seems to be four lists for different categories like veggie burgers.

http://www.nowtoronto.com/food/story....

-----
Marben
488 Wellington Street West, Toronto, ON M5V 1E5, CA

[scarberian]

Actually the only review Now did that I truly enjoyed was their "restaurant washrooms to avoid" review. They even rated the washrooms using empty toilet paper rolls. It was quite comical and not surprisingly most were in Chinese restaurants.

[T Long]

Link?

[scarberian]

Sorry, this was years ago and the only browser back then was "Mosaic" so any chance Now had a web site back then let alone their article online is pretty remote. I can't even recall which year. It was a funny article though.

[iMarilyn]

Wasn't that the Eye magazine, hon?

[scarberian]

It was so long ago, I really want to stick with Now, but I totally forgot about Eye. It could have been Eye. You could be right iMarilyn!

[childofthestorm]

BP just dropped a hint about a Leaside location on their Facebook.

[Davwud]

I know. That'd be awesome.

DT

[jmarcroyal]

That would fit them perfectly, I could see them on Bayview or Mount Pleasant, perhaps in the Eglinton and Laird area. I hope its near Mount Pleasant and Eglinton, or atleast somewhere with easier parking!

[Davwud]

I work at Mt. P and Eg. It could be a bad thing for me.

DT

[hal2010]

Leaside is full of successful, mediocre restaurants and very high rental prices. Not sure if that bodes well for Burger's Priest. I wonder if they'll do better than South Street which sells hockey pucks by the thousands?

[jmarcroyal]

If they get in near Bayview and Davisville, the yuppies will be all over it. Im sure if they get a place, it will be bigger for sure with a much better seating area. We just gotta hope they maintain the same quality, that is the biggest test...

[Atahualpa]

There are some interesting vacancies on that strip at the moment. But, any of them would require a fair bit of a renovation.

[scarberian]

Bayview and Davisville? Hell if I care if that location starts to taste like Licks, as long as the quality at the original BP location doesn't suffer. It's the only burger joint that's worth a drive for those of us on the eastern fringe of Toronto. BTW I still gotta get out to the Real McCoy. Hey jmarcroyal, what's the homemade burger called at the McCoy's (i.e. not the frozen crap)?

[Full tummy]

The Mojo Burger.

[jmarcroyal]

Yeah, the Mojo, and it is a good burger but Id recommend trying the Steak on a Kaiser first, its so damn good!

[scarberian]

I'm on a mission this week to try the places I've wanted to try all year like McCoy's, Goody's Diner, etc. I tried Goody's and it's a damn fine burger! It's an 8 oz homemade burger (the basic burger) that's grilled and maintains it's juiciness. It's served with garlic mayo on it as well as a homemade relish (chopped pickles and corn). I would forgo the relish as it gives the burger some sweetness which I personally don't care for much. It's also cheap at $8 WITH shoe string fries (regular or sweet potato). I believe their regular is not fresh cut, but their sweet potatoes are.

-----
Goody's Diner
133 Manville Rd, Unit 17, Toronto, ON , CA

[jmarcroyal]

yea I gotta go check that Goody's place out, do they do take-out?

Remember when you go to McCoy's, get the steak on a Kaiser, and you gotta get the fries and gravy!

[tjr]

Do they cook to order?

[hal2010]

Went today and had a cheeseburger. The patty was fresh, loose and delicious. The rest of it reminded me of Wendys. Wonder bread bun, processed cheese slice and basic toppings. I would probably go again if in the area but wouldn't travel any distance to get a burger here.

[Michael N]

That's not the first time I've seen this complaint in regard to Burger's Priest. In fact, you can just scroll up a bit to see other people criticizing the cheese or the bun or the relatively straight-forward toppings.

So this is what it's come to: the gourmet burger craze has perverted the notion of what a hamburger should be so thoroughly that when a place serves a real burger -- a classic burger done right -- we deride it for not being fancy-pants enough.

[Davwud]

It's a Toronto thing. If less is more then think how much more more would be.

DT

[hal2010]

Given they hype, I was expecting something extra-special. Not a burger with truffles, Brie de Meaux and Serrano ham (what's the point of putting those on ground beef?), but something extraordinary.

The other two people I went with had the same reaction. It's a good classic burger, but it wasn't the best burger I've ever eaten. Not even close.

[Davwud]

That's because Wendy's and BP are making the same thing. The classic American burger. 1/4lb patty done on a flat top, processed cheese on a plain bun. IMHO it's the best burger. Many people seem to agree with me.

DT

[GoodGravy]

I don't. Personally, I like the 8-10 oz burgers you get in NYC at places like Silver Spurs, Paul's, Cozy, Ottomanelli's, etc. Basically the same as you describe, just 2x the amount of meat.

[syoung]

I don't either. I just went to a place where I had a premium burger served on a plain wonder bread bun. If you sell your burger at Weny's prices, that's fine; otherwise it's not acceptable.

[.alias]

I just went today...Couldnt find a parking spot for canada day and realized I was nearby so I went to grab a burger!

I didn't have much cash on me, so I didn't go crazy with my order.

I walked in around 10 or 11, no line up, however I saw a big line up when i drove by a bit before.

I did not notice the music actually, so I assume it wasn't too loud. All the people working were males and although I couldnt tell who the owner was, I noticed the person serving me was slightly aggravated by some things, but whenever he talked to me or a customer he was friendly.

I walked in and ordered a double double, and I was informed that they didn't take debit. He said he'd get my order started as I went to get cash from my car.

I came back and paid and my burger was ready within a few minutes. They put it in a little sleeve since I said i'd eat there.

It was amazing. After the first bite my jaw dropped. The patty was amazingly seasoned and the toppings worked well with the burger, but didnt overpower the meat. I had all the basic toppings. I finished it within minutes. Sadly I did not have enough cash to get another one aha. The bun held up, but was not in perfect condition.

I would definitely go back. I'm hoping to try the priest burger next time! And grab some fries as I didn't get to try them!

[William Taft]

Tried BP about a month ago... I will not go back.

I got the double double combo and fried onion. The burger is good, but nothing special, and rather small for the price. The only issue I had with it was the amount of grease. Don't get me wrong: I hate healthy food and love greasy burgers. The problem was that there was so much grease that the entire bottom bun disintegrated, making it very hard to eat and kind of gross. The fries were tasty, but they really need to use some different containers for them to go. I ate them immediately in the parking lot outside, and they were already soggy.

The main drawback though was the owner. The guy is mentally ill. I don't know any other way to put it.

30 seconds after I walked in, he angrily demanded my order while I was still looking at the menu (it was NOT busy). I tell him that I'm waiting for a friend to come. When the friend comes in a minute later, he demands the order again, despite the fact that my friend had only had about 10 seconds to look at the menu and the place was half empty. We order two double double combos with onions.

OK, now this is where it got weird. About 5 minutes after giving my order to him, he turns around, screaming "YOU DIDN"T ORDER YOUR FOOD!". I'm like "What do you mean? You literally just took my order 5 minutes ago". "NO YOU DIDN'T ORDER!!!". While screaming at me for no apparent reason, he had a really wild look in his eye that I can only describe as being indicative of something not being right upstairs. He was not communicating clearly and I had NO CLUE as to what this lunatic was talking about.

Thankfully, one of the other staff intervened and explained that I needed to order at the cashier. (If you order at the cashier, then why did the cook/owner rudely and repeatedly demand my order from the cooking station??? When you order from the cook at most takeout restaurants it's just common sense to assume that they ring you up when the food is done, rather than make you order twice). Instead of him just telling the cashier what I ordered like a normal human being, I had to go over and order it all over again.

OK, problem solved, right? Nope. About 10 minutes later he turns around and shouts "YOU!!!" at me, while leaning over the counter and jabbing the air in my direction with a greasy spatula. "ONIONS!!!". I was like "Huh?". "YOU DIDN'T ORDER ONIONS!!!" Me: " I want onions, I ordered onions on it from you. Remember?". "YOU DID NOT ORDER ONIONS!!!" At this point, the spatula is shaking in his hands he's so angry. The rest of the staff are looking at me with eyes that say "I'm so sorry." Thankfully the cashier girl intervenes and says "You forgot the onions when you ordered again at the cash" I was like "Oh, OK" so i go back to the cash and order the onions, and that was that.

All I can say is that it was the most bizarre, rude, and frankly insane service that I have EVER received, and the product isn't even that good. I won't ever be going back.

[atomeyes]

maybe he hates onions?

[magic]

hahahaha.

[Midknight]

I don't care how good the food may be at any particular restaurant, being treated with bad service is inexcusable nine times out of ten.
And I don't believe how many people in this forum are defending the public being treated like trash simply because of how good these magical burgers may be. I am giving them my money, so you'd better well treat me with respect.
I for one would have no intention of patronizing and supporting such an establishment. See the THE BUTCHERS thread as another example.

[magic]

I think it’s becoming more and more clear that there is something funny happening with BP, and it comes from the top down.

Those that might use the default reaction that “predictable haters are coming out” can’t deny that something is off here. There have been more than a few unseemly reports on this board, which brings this issue past something that is isolated (at least that is how I see it).

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been to BP twice and have loved every morsel. No issues with owner or service. Not necessarily the friendliest lot but certainly nothing horrible. But obviously something is wrong. Verbal abuse, odd behaviour, club-like music...

I’m not sure what the solution is, but something should be done. It’s getting in the way of what should be a simple but delicious experience.

[petek]

OK,I gotta try this place.Is there an "off hour" where I won't have to wait too long,or is it always rammed?

[Herb]

3 pm on a weekday works for me.

[justpete]

I usually go around 1:30-2... rarely a lineup. Don't expect friendly service though. It's just a place to get a pretty decent burger. Very, very fresh.

[sal_sal]

I was there on Tuesday evening, decent amount of people inside but the service was super fast and really nice. We asked about the secret menu and even with a bit of a line, they answered all questions.

Easily the best burger in town

[Davwud]

Hey Magic

Been twice in the last two weeks and each time the music was manageable and the staff friendly. The young girl at the counter remembered me and greeted me with a big smile and "Heeeeey."

I guess they've picked up on the bad press.

DT

[magic]

Thanks Davwud (and sal_sal) for the update! That is excellent news.

For their sake and for that of their customers and fans (myself included) I hope it sticks!

[justpete]

Wow. that's absurd. I have never dealt with the guy.. I agree that he seems 'off', though.

[justsayn]

They need to offer an option of real cheese and not that salty crap they use that ruins the burger!

[Davwud]

Incorrect. They are producing a certain style and it uses processed cheese. If you don't like it, it's probably not for you.

DT

[Armack]

agreed.

I'm loving all the complaints on this board. Each post means one less person to wait behind! :)

[atomeyes]

Brilliant logic.
Each complaint means less revenue for BP.
with restaurant turnover being so high, you're actively rooting for bad service in order to decrease their chance of longevity??

Good on you.

[justsayn]

DT, your logic is incorrect. If the burger offers no room for preferences, whats with all the toppings they keep adding and the combinations people are able to make. There is no "certain style" as you claim. The salty, greasy cheese in no more necessary for the burger to be a success than it is to have fried portabello on it. Its called preferences and my preference is to not add so much grease and salt to the burger. If they offered blue cheese or smoked gouda, would you really be against that? I just want the same cheddar aspect but without the qualities of the 'slice' I hate.

[haggisdragon]

And their preference is to keep it simple, along with a few unique offerings that are not available elsewhere. Anyways strongly flavoured cheeses would overpower the flavour of the freshly ground beef, the real star of the show.

[Davwud]

They are doing the "Classic American Cheeseburger." It's basic format is a flat top griddled patty (usually 1/4lb), processed cheese and a "Wonderbread style" bun. It is what it is.

If you want your KFC unbreaded it's no longer KFC. Even if they make it.

DT

[justsayn]

No they are not just doing a classic. They are adding all kinds of crap to it!

[Bobby Wham]

I disagree completely. American cheese is the perfect cheese for an American style hamburger

[childofthestorm]

Seconded. Blue cheese, cheddar, swiss, etc is for pub and steakhouse style burgers. "Fast food style" is different. You guys really need to read up on your burger styles. This will help:

http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2...

[justsayn]

Sure whatever you say. If you want to have it both ways in that its OK for BP to offer all these crazy gourment toppings but the CHEESE needs to stay a certain type or else it is no longer authentic go for it. For all of you who believe Shake Shack is so authentic maybe you can explain why they also offer real cheddar insead of just your HOLY CHEESE. I guess Shake Shack is no longer authentic. Too bad for you guys! Personally I don't care, I get it without cheese now. But I still have to laugh at how contradictory people can be when they make up their opinions aimed to preserve the element of something.

For the record - I just want real cheddar, not bleu or gouda, or swiss.

[acd123]

Next time you're at In-n-Out Burger, ask them for real cheddar cheese and see what they say.

Or the countless other fast-food style burger places that only used processed, "American" cheese.

I agree, that's the style. If you want real cheddar, then BP isn't for you.

[childofthestorm]

What "crazy gourmet toppings" are you talking about? They do fried onions and fried jalapenos, and they don't even serve relish. It's not like they're doing avocado or pineapple or whatever the hell South St. throws on their pucks. The portobello mushroom is their veggie burger, and they'll throw it on the meat in a Shake Shack homage/rip. And the elaborate secret menu is straight In-n-Out.

Also, since when does Shack Shack offer real cheddar? I was just at the original location in Madison Square Park, like my 15th time there, and it was nothing but the aforementioned holy American cheese. I'm looking at their menu online and I don't see real cheddar as an option.

[acd123]

Next, they'll wonder why BP doesn't offer a foie gras tochon as an option...

[TexSquared]

as well as Kobe beef, artisanal buns, Stilton, Brie de Meaux, organic ketchup... oh yeah, that's right, m:brgr went out of business... ha!

[justsayn]

You're right...its not just cheddar, its melted muenster and cheddar cheese, topped with lettuce, tomato and ShackSauce. Anyway, you guys are trying to make a point just as I am. So as stupid as you sound, I must sound the same way. You're extrapolating my simple comment with embellishments and I guess its because I am so off base, words can't describe an honest answer.

[GoodGravy]

According to Shake Shack's menu, it's American cheese, L&T, and sauce. While their burgers are OK, I go there for the peanut butter shakes. In n Out is what Lick's used to be before they stopped caring. And all this jibber jabber just means Toronto is starved for actual good burger places. It's a good discussion.

[childofthestorm]

Dude the muenster and cheddar is what the portobello mushroom is stuffed with at Shake Shack! The burgers are topped with American. Read the menu carefully, go look online now (I'll wait) and then come back with a few mea culpas, ok? Sheesh.

[justsayn]

no sheesh. i have asked them to put cheddar on my burger for me! and they did it with no attitude!

[jmarcroyal]

dude, bring some real cheddar then and get a burger without cheese. Anyway, BP burger is based off the classic In-n-out style, and American Cheese is part of its genetic makeup. like Davwud said, its like asking KFC to serve their chicken without the skin on it, it might be what you want but its not something they sell. You can also get it without cheese, so its not like they are forcing you to eat the American Cheese...

[JennaBean]

All this burger talks means I will be going tonight. YUM.

[JennaBean]

Went tonight. Packed as per usual. There were six orders in front of us and it took less than 10 mins to get our order. I had the option for the first time and well it was good it was a bit too much for me. I will stick with the simple cheeseburger from now on. Ketchup, mustard and grilled onions. Best burger in town for my buck.

Oh and the music was a normal level.

[haggisdragon]

Yay! Thats what I'm talking about!

[bytepusher]

I'm with you there, straight up cheeseburger, maybe in extenuating circumstances the double double. It needs to be said, so I'll say it, the secret menu schtick is a stupid fad with about as much appeal as 2009's gourmet slider fad,

[haggisdragon]

That's a little harsh. I'd say its just good marketing. And the high priest is almost worth the heart attack.

[GoodGravy]

But I like the Jorge style burgers cooked in mustard.

[Davwud]

Maybe you think it needs to be said but IMHO if they want a secret menu and there's nothing on it I want, what do I care??

DT

[TexSquared]

Agree 100% with you here. I actually do this when I get sandwiches at Subway; I hate their cheeses so I order the sandwich without and put my own in it when I get home. But for burgers I'm perfectly fine with the American.

To the original complainant -- go to Philadelphia and try ordering a cheesesteak with Swiss cheese.... a certain presidential nominee shot himself in the foot trying that, the locals took it as an insult!

[justsayn]

KFC did sell skinless chicken so I don't know what you are talking about. Secondly, as I said, I really don't care about the singles as I now order it without cheese. I was merely saying I wish they offered real cheddar cheese because I hate all the salt and grease the single brings. And Johnny Rockets who uses real cheddar cheese, I suppose it isn't proper either. Stupid Johnny Rockets. If any of you ate there back in the day when they first opened on Santa Monica Blvd it would have been rough to enjoy that awesome burger with real cheddar cheese! gross eh!

-----
Johnny Rockets
6380 Fallsview Blvd, Niagara Falls, ON L2G7X5, CA

[scarberian]

Crazy toppings? Bleu, gouda, swiss? At BP? The only "crazy toppings" I've seen at BP have been the fried onions, jalapenos, and their secret sauce and that's only IF you ask for it. Gourmet, far from it. "Adding all kinds of crap"? It's just a double cheese burger or single burger. The burgers themselves are 100% beef w/o fillers, fresh ground. They only add salt and pepper to it and fry it up on a griddle. The cheese is your everyday run of the mill plastic cheese. You might be thinking of their specials like the high priest, priest, with or without the option, etc. Usually the double double and single come with or without cheese, you tell them. BTW anyone know if you can you get the secret sauce on just a double double or single without ordering a high priest?

[atomeyes]

we went there for dinner. My west-end friends wanted to try it and I wanted to give it a second chance.
We waited in line and, once we entered the restaurant, we were deafened by the music. So, some background about me: I"m youngish, I love music and I listen to loud music. My wife was standing 3 feet from me and I couldn't hear a word she was saying. To tell her about my order, i had to lean in and yell in her ear. Not exaggerating.

I went back to the car and she placed the order: High Priest w/Smoke and a burger Jarge-style. It was loud so she said "High Priest w/smoke and one Jarge-style". Yes, it was her fault for not saying it was a 2ble-2ble Jarge-style (she didn't know). Our friends ordered a High Priest, a double double and a plain burger.

We got the food and went across the street to Woodbine Park. my wife opens the bag and there's only 1 burger in it. we eat it (and it was tasty) and she goes back to tell them about the forgotten burger. The woman at the counter stared at her blankly when my wife explained that she paid $14 and received 1 burger. "No," she said, "you asked for the High Priest burger Jarge style." No desire to try to resolve anything.

hrmph!

[TexSquared]

Thanks for giving me yet another reason not to waste my time, fuel, and money on them. In this day and age with CH, Yelp, et al, you piss off one customer, you'll scare away hundreds more potential customers when the ***t hits the fan. Way too many "strikes" against BP in this thread. Who does this guy get his customer service ideas from, Marlon Pather?

[atomeyes]

I should also add that our High Priest w/smoke and the mustard-grilled patties: $14. yep.

and my friends said they forgot the special sauce on their burgers

[GoodGravy]

The burger's are better than 5 Guys and not for nothing, but why would they try to make it right after the customer comes back AFTER eating the evidence? If they came back right away, then yeah, they could've done something about it, but not after picnicking in the park. I'd be highly suspicious myself. But to each his own. It just means there's two more people I don't have to wait behind when I'm ordering.

[Full tummy]

I understand what you're saying, but it is rather presumptuous for the person behind the counter to tell the customer what she said. Perhaps, "Sorry, but I thought you said one High Priest burger Jarge style" would be more appropriate a response. And then they could turn down the deafening music in recognition of the fact that it might be preventing them from hearing the customers properly.

[justpete]

I Have to agree about the music. It is obnoxiously loud of late. If it continues, I'll stop going (once a week). I actually suggested that they turn it up the other day, sarcastically. They didn't clue in, and just stared blankly at me.

[Poorboy]

The music didn't bother me at all. I have now tried 5 Guys and the BP. As well, my past fave was Allen's (please don't castigate me for this). I can honestly say that Burger's Priest is the superior burger. Had the Pope. I am now a devotee. There is a very distinct difference in my opinion between Canadian and American taste preferences and in Canada, we tend to appreciate a more natural product rather than the overly enhanced , appeal to the masses, American product. And this is why Burger's Priest will be fine in a small, limited market in my opinion.

[julesrules]

Right, hence the success of Tim Hortons's and Harvey's.

[justpete]

It's only been excessively loud in the last two weeks or so. You may have been fortunate to go a time when they had turned it down, but during my last visit, I couldn't hear them call my name from five feet away, for the music level. There's really no logical reason for it that I can imagine - and I'm surprised that the staff are able to tolerate prolonged exposure to it. Maybe they're trying to prevent people from sitting down for too long? Not entirely certain. If that's the case, there are less ear-bleeding options available - and I'm a person that listens to his music LOUD. They even play good tunes! Doesn't make any sense.

[justpete]

I'm happy to report that the music level has returned to a consumable level... all this talk of burgers made me hungry for one. ha.

[atomeyes]

My wife placed the order. Due to the line and the blaring music, there was no need for me to be in the restaurant.
My wife is very recognizable look-wise, so she stands out like a sore thumb. We're usually recognized at restaurants that we go to, no matter what our frequency is. Now, I may be making an assumption to say that the girl taking orders during a dinner rush would remember someone who placed an order 10 minutes earlier, but I think its quite reasonable to think that she would be remembered.

The problem w/BP's secret menu is that there is zero disclosure for price. My wife paid $14 and assumed that was for 2 burgers. Now, I have no idea how much any of the burgers cost because, as I said earlier, i didn't want to hang out inside the restaurant and I knew how I wanted my burger. Even after she went back, there was nothing done to clarify the price.

What did I expect them to do? Perhaps explain that our non-menu burger was $14 or we were only charged for 1 burger. Perhaps apologize for the misunderstanding and ask if we wanted to order another burger. I think both are the least that someone working at a restaurant can do.

[GoodGravy]

While I'm sure some of the complaints about BP are well founded, we're also only hearing your side of the story. Did you ask what the secret items cost? Why didn't you immediately return once you realized you were shy a sandwich or the burger wasn't prepared as requested? Just because they stare at you blankly doesn't mean they don't care. It might mean they can't read your mind to determine what you want if you yourself won't ask for it.

[atomeyes]

Not sure what you're not understanding.
Little ability to communicate because its so insanely loud in there.
We walked to Woodbine Park (5 minute walk), sat down with our friends and then discovered a burger was missing. My wife just wanted to eat something before going back.
You know what's worse than finding out that you only received half of your order? Only receiving half of your order, taking 10-15 minutes to resolve it, then sitting down to eat to find that the 1 burger you have is cold and soggy.

If BP was into communication, they wouldn't have insanely loud music. Even if we were 99% at fault, there is zero ability to properly communicate with staff. Its completely unacceptable. And I'm not one who wants them to fail - just stating our experience and how it left a bad taste in our mouth. You don't want to give customers excuses to not enjoy your dining experience.

[GoodGravy]

I understood everything. The music's so loud you can't speak over it to someone two feet away.

[Little T]

In the past few months we've been to Grindhouse, Burger Bar, and Craft Burger (now called Big Smoke). Golden Star is always a fave but so far Grindhouse has been winning the race - good big meat patty cooked to order with good onion rings if i recall. Finally tried Burgers Priest today and they did not disappoint! After much research on facebook and chowhound to figure out what to order, i got the Pope - double double with Option, and my friend ordered a High Priest (big mac) with the Option (forgot about the Smoke boo). Surprisingly the guy (owner?) said no one's ordered that before and my friend could actually name the burger, he suggested Job, but the guy came up with Nebuchadnezzar (Nebakanezer). That's quite a name so i'm not sure it'll stick (maybe abbreviate to the Neb?). Anyhoo those two combos came to about $40 ouch, the guy even said those are two expensive burgers you ordered, no kidding. I was worried i couldn't finish my Pope but the patties are small, good almost fall apart. The Option is good however the cheese salty. The fries aren't great but better than expected, until they get better i wouldn't get a combo. The service okay better than expected, i guess they're listening to the feedback (the cult following alone is crazy!), however the 5 or so cooks seemed a little disorganized. All in all good, the prices a bit painful but will definitely return!

[ylsf]

I was there today, before 4pm. I thought there was going to be a crazy long line considering it was the holiday Monday and a lot of other places were closed today but we managed to get there when there was no line. Ordered a double double combo (used my Snaggies coupon). This was the second time I have been there. Fries were better this time (felt like last time they were over cooked).

Staff was pleasant, answered my friend's question about different menu options. Next time I go back I will be ordering some additional stuff on my burger (my friend had the Priest, the "option" looked good!) . Want to get "smoke" added next time too.

Overall a good experience but I still haven't paid full price for a burger yet :)

Regardless, I think even $20 spent here will be 10x better than $20 spent at mBurger for example.

[shekamoo]

hah beat me to it! my next order of business was to order a high priest with option and smoke. will ask what the name turns out!

[Little T]

I didn't realize they posted two new burgers on facebook this morning. Judgement Day and Armageddon, check it!

[scarberian]

I'm not sure if Armageddon is new. I remember someone mentioning it a few months ago, unless they've changed it. As small as the patties are, I'm always surprised by how full I feel afterwards. I had gone back last week and was lucky enough to have arrived right at opening. However this place fills up fast; there was a line up out the door just as I picked up my order. The fries were great and my double double with smoke hit the spot. I had to rest awhile in the car to let it all settle. Ah good times, good times...

[toothpicvic]

anyone else have any expired burger's priest coupons from snaggies/webpiggy? i didn't check the date and i've got a couple left. any ideas on if i'm SOL or if they'll be honored or at least given as store credit for what i paid for them?

[foodyDudey]

I thought they were good for a year, I didn't notice they were expiring soon! There is no expiry date on the coupon I bought from Snaggies, but it says to check the Snaggies website for the expiry date, I didn't see anything on there.

[dealspotter]

I have one of the Snaggies vouchers. It says "must be used by June 18, 2011"

[toothpicvic]

webpiggy expired on april 1st.

[millygirl]

We treated ourselves to BP last night and it was just as good as ever.

We arrived to find lineup out the door and gathering on the sidewalk but we placed our order and I'd say it was about a 10 minute wait at the most and we were on our way.

Excellent burger and fries, although as others have mentioned, the fries are best eaten immediately. It seems as though the portion size has gotten bigger.

Aside from the guy having a smoke right along side my open car window with me sitting in it at the time, I was in heaven!!!

[jmarcroyal]

you gotta pull into the KFC parking lot! I dont want people watching me while I devour a BP burger n fries!

[pocky]

Went to this place because someone told me that it was the best burger they've ever had. IMO it is NOT. There was nothing wow about the cheeseburger I had. The fresh beef burger lacked flavour and very small in size. The string like fries were a little soggy and overpriced. They do not have a very good menu - items like the "Priest" and the "Option" did not have a description. Don't expect to eat there unless you want to eat at a counter like table and wait for one of the five or six stools. But who wants to eat a cold burger?

[julesrules]

I went for the "Priest" which is the stuffed mushroom added to a cheeseburger. Beacuse I had to try both :) But it wasn't a great game plan. There was tons of cheese flowing out of the mushroom, different cheese from the cheddar on the burger. Just way too much cheese competing with both the beef and mushroom flavours. Both items seemed like they would be great on their own, although the Option was a tad greasy.
The fries in the chili cheese fries were pretty bad, greasy, very brown yet undercooked. The toppings were good enough to make the gloppy mass edible.

[shekamoo]

get the Pope, which is double double+ stuffed mushroom 'option', this way you will have enough beef to withstand the onslaught of cheese!

[Davwud]

I've had the Priest and thought it was great. Different strokes I guess. Since I thought the chili cheese fries were great too. Mine weren't at all soggy though.

DT

[Mad_Monkey]

Amateurs!

What you need, is the Tower of Babel!
Throw yourself into a holy-coma with grilled cheese buns + double cheeseburger + The Option....oh, and ya might as well add smoke while you're at it!

[childofthestorm]

My vote for best secret menu item goes to the High Priest, which is their take on a Big Mac. But then, I love Big Macs.

[jmarcroyal]

I gotta try that one, although Id imagine it would be difficult to order as takeout!

I love the smoke as well, I usually pick them out of the burger and eat em just like that!

Hey, do any of you guys know what the prices are on the Special Menu Items? I could imagine the Tower of Babel costing $20 or more!

[shekamoo]

ToB is $17 if I remember correctly

[Mad_Monkey]

LOL, i remember when i ordered ToB, the guy manning the cash wasn't sure how to punch it in....I guess it's a secret register item too!
I think he was instructed to punch in a burger, then an option, then a cookie...
But yeah, $17 sounds about right

[Smokinator]

$17...you must have rocks in your head!!!

Actually I was in conclave with Brother Mad Monkey while he ate the ToB in the Harveys parking lot across the street. It was a sight thats for sure...was worth $17 to me lol

[shekamoo]

Haa!! how dare you! I am NO Amateur!! I am an old veteran who has only recently retired from the ToB to the less cheesy Pope, and I Always add Smoke!

[justpete]

Just for the record, I've been about 6-7 times since I found out about this place. I've never had poor service, been served out of order, or anything else that people are complaining about on this thread. They're not overly friendly, but they're friendly enough. I'm not going there for a social visit. Lately I've noticed that they are making an effort to say hello as you walk in - perhaps in an effort to address some of the aformentioned issues - but I really don't think they need to. I don't know which guy the owner is, but i could care less. I just want a burger. And I love, love, love how there's always parking. God, what a relief.

[opifan64]

I don't have much more to add except a picture of the double double I had recently which kind of says it all...

[haggisdragon]

Beautiful.

[shekamoo]

It's a fastfood burger joint the size of a walk-in closet. The burgers are some of the best in Toronto. The owner is usually nice enough for the couple of minutes you interact with him to place the order. the wait can be long on peak hours. the owner can get overwhelmed during busy times and could need an attitude booster. I will keep going back because I like the burgers and have not had an experience with service bad enough to make me want not to return. Those who have had a bad experience and decided not no return and to air their discontent here are well within their right to do so. To those who would rely on these bad experiences of others and would decide to give the place a miss, I say, give it a try, it may not be that bad when your turn to order comes, and you will probably survive the 100 seconds with him untainted enough to enjoy the burger, and hopefully they will soon get their act together not to screw up the queue of orders. to those who are openly hostile to this place without even having tried it, I have nothing to say that the Mods wouldnt remove.

[jamesm]

well said shekamoo,,,,lots of opinions based on opinions happening. I also sincerely doubt everyone is getting ear to ear smiles when they walk in to McDonalds which inexplicably has become the go to reference for the standard of hospitality in this thread. It's also funny that some of the most vocal and prolific detractors are those who have made their mind up without setting foot in the door.

[Freakazoid Glazermabobber]

I don't see what all the fuss is about. My daughter and I have gone on the best burger in the Beach, Leslieville, Riverdale hunt and determined that The Burger's Priest is among the weakest in the bunch. The meat is flavourless and small. The value is not there and to top it all off it is cash only. No Interac. Sorry Chow Hounders, but I'll put my money and my burger loving self into the Burger Shoppe at Queen and Broadview any day or Great Burger Kitchen. If I really feel like having a good old fashioned (read unhealthy) burger I'll head to Dangerous Dan's. Yummy grease and monster portions.

-----
Dangerous Dan's
714 Queen St E, Toronto, ON M4M1H2, CA

Burger Shoppe
688 Queen St E, Toronto, ON M4M1G9, CA

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

[themiguel]

Please do continue frequenting those places- Dangerous Dans might as well be sawdust mixed with groundbeef. Old fashioned is what Burger's Priest is doing, not DD.

-----
Dangerous Dan's
714 Queen St E, Toronto, ON M4M1H2, CA

[magic]

I love how when there is any criticism of a place, not matter how justified, there are always people who claim it is a predictable exercise in elitism.

What a bore.

Moving on, I was at BP tonight and it the food was fabulous as usual. People are right, the fries have gotten better. I always thought they were good, but wow are they ever good now. Love those cookies too.

[millygirl]

Agreed on the fries. Our last visit they were perfectly done.

KitchenVoodoo, I think we all agree a fake smile is pointless, but something between that, and just plain miserable, would be nice. Like I said before, I'm not looking to make friends but let's face it, they're in front of the public dealing with paying customers. Treat me like you want me to be there. That's all. Is that really too much to ask??

[TexSquared]

"I think we all agree a fake smile is pointless..."

Hey, if the minimum wage workers at McDonald's et al can put on fake smiles that usually look legitimate.... point being, if it makes the customer happy and *wanting to come back*, it's not pointless.

Surly service will not make me want to come back.

[jmarcroyal]

Just went there tonight, first time since maybe January. After reading about Full Tummy's experience, I was a bit worried when I showed up and there were about 10 people inside(not counting the staff. There were 5 guys behind the counter, but the owner was nowhere in sight. I have a feeling the person FT dealt with wasnt the owner, because she mentioned the guy she saw was wearing a hat and Ive never seen the Owner wearing one, just his bald head.

Anyway, There were a few people eating when I got there, a few orders being prepared. This looked like it could be a problem situation. I put in my order, Double Double combo with the "Smoke" added to the burger(panko crusted jalapeno, so good!). I figured the Smoke might cause a order queue issue, and I was a bit worried.

I was watching the guys prep the food, and I was looking for my burger to be made. After a few minutes passed, a group of 4 people recieved their orders one by one, and I looked at the griddle and there was nothing cooking on it. This worried me, I thought I was forgotten. A guy then tossed a single burger on the grill with some onions, im assuming for the person that ordered after me. All of a sudden, I hear my name called, a bag is handed to me and everything is good.

It only took about 10 minutes to recieve my meal, and everything was right. I didnt see them make the jalapeno things but they were in there and added a nice bit of texture and kick. The fries were cooked just right. The burger was as awesome as usual, unfortunately it didnt last for long!

I noticed a few changes when I went. The windows out front have a frosted look to them now, I think they were all clear before. Inside I noticed a few bottles of Jones Soda with the Burger Priest Logo on it, it was Root Beer flavor. They werent in the fridge but i assume they were for sale. Kinda cool if you ask me...

[Full tummy]

jmarcroyal, you are right, the person at the cash was definitely not the owner; but the owner was manning the flattop. Glad you had a good experience.

[Underdog Rally]

Sometimes I wonder about Chowhound debates.... are people really trying to convince each other that their perceptions are wrong?

I appreciate the shared experiences of other diners, and reviews got me in the door. Some people have expressed concerns or had negative experiences, and I appreciate that information as well. Now that I've been there, I can say that I really enjoyed by burger (though my first reaction was to think "this isn't a burger, it's a sloppy joe held together by cheese"). I think that anyone who actively searches for food like this should give it a shot. However, the distance, price point and peak lineups/crowding would prevent me from returning unless I happen to be in the area. That's the end of my review.

[Wiley]

Good point! My experiences all along in general have been that a highly touted burger or a pizza, etc. can be rewarding, but maybe not so incredibly much better than many others to justify high gas prices and parking fees, etc. to go and try it out.

[Manybears]

If they are reading this I hope they at least take a look at their order "triage" system. I've been twice and both time the burgers were served out of order, despite having the same order as others in "line" (once we benefited and once we did not). It was busy but not slammed (i.e. maybe 5-6 people in line when we got there). It is not that big a deal if you're thinking about it in the context of all of the things that could go wrong in your life but it is not doing them any favours in the customer experience department.

[Connoisseur]

You know, even if I loved this place (*I don't*) I would not be able to justify the issues with the queue, and unfriendly service. NO excuse can adequately explain these shortcomings. Regardless of volume it's a simple principle "First one in, First one out" no exceptions... The only exception to this rule LOL would be the complexity of a specific order item. And as for service, if you choose to open your doors to accept my money I expect you to do so with a smile, or at the very least without the attitude. "Sorry I bothered you, I won't do it again!"
BTW. How's that "special, secret facebook menu" working out for you?!?!?

[jmarcroyal]

Honestly, the service has always been good when Ive went. I too have had someone recieve their order before me even though I got there just before them. It sucks, clearly there was some confusion but as long as its not a regular thing Ill get over it. I think the whole Order queue system would be fixed if they just number the orders and call your number when you are ready, rather then your name like they do.

As far as service, I dont think theres a place Ive been to that is always 100% perfect. By that I mean, big smile, super friendly, no mistakes, always consistant. Its a lot more work then you think, if you've ever worked in the service industry you would know that. Obviously the goal is to deliver that image all the time, but sometimes HUMANS make mistakes.

Ofcourse you will see the odd complaint of BP on this site, because guess what, this is a forum for people to voice their opinions. More then that, its specific to food in the Toronto or Ontario area. Im sure you can find complaints about your favorite restaurant on here, and if the complaint isnt here, its because the people who had the problem arent posting their experiences online.

I also dont understant why a smile is so important? I mean, you want the guy to just not be an jerk and get your order right and on time. Do you really want some fake forced smile, as I said, we are human, humans have MANY emotions, and as long as they arent being offensive, angry, disrespectful, or anything bad like that, then give the people a bit of leeway.

Maybe I just have more tolerance then some people...

[aser]

Once a customer has a bad experience, it's pretty hard to reverse their thinking. They've made up their mind, you're fighting an insurmountable battle there.

As to people that will boycott based solely on other people's opinions. That's their right too, and apparently they like to add fuel to the fire. Personally, unless it's universally panned, I like to visit to form my own perception, or at least do some internering (ie. flickr pics, website menu).

Seems like a simple solution, number the chits, let's see if they end up doing that. They don't have a POS system so they have to be more diligent w/ organization. Being able to make good food vs managing staff vs managing customers, all skills highly independent of each other. Small businesses learn via trial by fire, you're seeing the results here.

You also have to realize, people don't care about what goes on in the industry. They're customers, they don't want to know or take part in it. They just want it good and want it fast. There is no sympathy to the service industry, whether they deserve any is again a personal decision.

The space is a pain in the arse in the winter. I'll save my trips for when the weather warms up and I can eat outside in comfort.

[KitchenVoodoo]

Excellent observations aser

[Connoisseur]

“Service with a smile” is a figure of speech. All I really expect is the guy to just not be a jerk, get my order right and ahead of the the 7 people behind me. fyi- bad service is offensive and disrespectful.
@ Aser, could not have said it better!

[Full tummy]

Just wanted to mention something about a smile. It doesn't have to be a smile, jmarcroyal. But, a little respect, a little something. A little hello. A little warning, "Hey, just to let you know before you place your order, we're looking at a 30 minute wait..." Customer is surprised? "Yeah, sorry, we're just really busy..." A little personality wouldn't be so bad. It isn't painful. If someone has to give me a fake, forced smile when I'm visiting their business, lining their pocket with cash, and I'm their customer... well, what does that say about them? That they have an attitude, that they feel as though they're doing you a favour... I don't need to frequent such a business. And, you know, people have commented on the board about how this fellow wants feedback, how he explained all about the flat top, or the beef, or whatever. How he cares so much. Well, then, show the customer you care, and start with Hello, Sorry, Thank you.

[magic]

clap clap clap

[jmarcroyal]

I think your whole experience was tainted by the end result. I cant believe he didnt greet you when you got to the cash and ordered. Did he just stare blankly at you til you told him what you want, or did he say "hurry up and order already!"?

Im sure there was a "Hi, what can I get for you, or how may I help you", something along those lines.?

You were waiting for a full hour, probably a solid 50 minutes longer then you should ever expect to wait for fast food. Im sure for the first 10 minutes or so you were probably excited and looking forward to the burger, but as time went by, you became more and more impatient, therefore you were probably focusing on everything else that was going wrong. When someone got their order before you, you got a bit more peeved and your opinion on them continued to decline with every minute that passed.

That is natural, but i doubt your initial interaction with the guy, or your impressions when you first walked in were bad. S*** just hit the fan and you got stuck in a bad situation playing the waiting game. As I said, thats a horrible first experience and It would take a miracle for you to change your opinion after waiting so long, and im sure all you took out of the experience was the negatives.

[Full tummy]

Actually, within minutes of placing the order, as I mention within one of my earlier posts, I asked my sister, who was still standing quite close to the cashier, to ask him how long of a wait it was likely to be, and she was reluctant to do so (she refused!!!), stating that he was already grumpy enough!!! She also witnessed someone stand at the cash register for 10 minutes--yes, 10 minutes--while the cash person made fries; and that customer received no apology. And, then, there was the charming episode of the fellow asking politely for a refund, as he'd waited too long, and the owner responding threateningly to the request. I do not remember any niceties at the cash, alas, though perhaps you are right. That said, I doubt he said more than four words, if that, as we walked away from the cash with the perception that we were a pain in the butt!!!

We weren't the only ones receiving and witnessing less than optimal service. Aside from the major issues, I might just be thinking, "Gosh, they really need to send that cashier to charm school so he can learn how to not seem like a grouch. He is, after all, their front line person, and they could do better by having someone with a little more of a knack for customer service in that role." However, given everything that happened, I see it as a more systemic problem, something that I hope they will fix.

Ideas for how to fix it?

- Number the orders, as others have suggested
- Let the customer know what number you're on, at the time of order, so they can envision how long of a wait it's going to be. That way, the ones who don't want to wait for 30 minutes will leave before they get frustrated. It's burgers (fast food!) after all.
- Ensure that anyone whose order is screwed up receives an apology; maybe even toss in a free chocolate chip cookie in those extreme cases. I mean, a chocolate chip cookie that cost 25 cents to make isn't going to bankrupt you, but it may soften your customer's heart. Give your staff discretion to do this.
- Don't get all macho on the customer who politely asks for a refund. He's been waiting patiently, and he has a life, too.

[Calgon]

I was there at the time fulltummy was there.

I was actually the guy who asked to cancel his order after waiting 45 minutes and noticed about 20 people who ordered after me leaving with their food.

When I ordered the owner was busy cooking away and there was no interaction at point of sale. It was a guy in a hat and he seemed absolutely miserable. My girlfriend even tried to get a bit of a reaction out of him commenting how busy it was and he didn't even acknowledge it.

After the unusually long wait I inquired a few times to find out what was going on with the food and was essentially ignored and told my order wasn't up yet.

I only received any attention when I asked for my money back. Thats when, as full tummy described, the owner seemed to challenge me as if he didn't believe I would walk out of there empty handed after waiting so long. Well, he was right, I just wanted my food and an explanation.

Anyway they never offered any answers or an apology.

All in all pretty crappy first experience, especially for mediocre food.

[TexSquared]

Thanks for coming in here to tell us the story. Those jerks picked on the wrong customer. Restaurant managers and staff in this day and age need to keep in mind that EVERY customer is a reviewer.

They could be newspaper/magazine writers, food bloggers, Zagat surveyors, or Chowhounds. Or they could be mystery shoppers sent over by the competition.

And not only can every customer post a review, most customers carry cameras of some kind..... it's what got certain TTC drivers in hot water recently. You screw over the wrong customer and thousands will hear of it in short order.

Feels great to be empowered doesn't it :-)

[Full tummy]

Thanks, Calgon, for sharing your experience from your perspective. Clearly, you weren't the only one cringing at the way you were treated. There were many others there, too, who I'm sure have been turned off at least somewhat, regardless of what they thought of the food, and I hope the owner fixes the customer service problems they have.

[Full tummy]

And, yup, I fully believe the service isn't always that bad. But, if you had been there that day, even you would acknowledge it was horrific.

Edit: And regarding their ability to respond, Chowhound does often allow companies to respond on Chowhound, as long as they're not here promoting their business, but just providing information. I don't know what their policy is exactly, but I have seen it many times. So, if someone from BP wants to come online and address how they are dealing with customer service issues, then they could take that opportunity. Frankly, I hope they do.

[jmarcroyal]

For sure, I mean, without breaking health regulations or the law, thats about as bad an experience as you can get at a restaurant. I do want BP to succeed, I mean, Its the best burger Ive had in Toronto, but if these customer service and order screw ups get worse and affect me directly, Ill stop going.

Oh, and to people saying they can make the same thing at home, well, sure, you probably can. You can grind your own meat, or get very freshly ground meat, cook up on the pan. You can get the potatos, cut them into the same shoestring fries, cook them the exact same way. That would also take a long time, defeating the purpose of fast food. Thats why you cant use that argument, I mean, you can essentially make anything from a restaurant at home and make it as good, but thats not the point of a restaurant.

[pinkprimp]

"Oh, and to people saying they can make the same thing at home, well, sure, you probably can. You can grind your own meat, or get very freshly ground meat, cook up on the pan. You can get the potatos, cut them into the same shoestring fries, cook them the exact same way. That would also take a long time, defeating the purpose of fast food."

>>>Your argument is based on the premise that the restaurant is actually cooking the burger faster than one would at home. If a restaurant is taking one hour, as was Full tummy's experience, then that defeats the purpose of going out for "fast food" as well, doesn't it?

I'll also add that when I went last night just before 9pm, there was one other couple who ordered right before me. We got our two burgers before they did and were about halfway through eating them before the couple got their food...so there DOES seem to be a problem with their queuing system. I felt a little guilty eating while they stood where waiting.

[Full tummy]

Agreed.

It's not realistic to expect orders to always come out as they went in, but when a place has a known issue, and the orders aren't that different from one another (one's not ordering cassoulet and the other one a hot dog), then it's hard to explain, and hard to understand whether you're the person who received the order first or second...

[TexSquared]

I agree. If I'm ordering full meals for a group, and the guy behind me in line is just grabbing a quick snack for himself, and he gets his food first, I'm OK with that. Happens at fast food places all the time and it's accepted.

But if someone who came in 20 minutes after me gets his food before I do, yeah I'd be pissed off.

[scarberian]

Maybe they ordered one of the off menu items which needs some prep over the regular burgers and double double. Or when they placed the orders in front of the cooks maybe the orders were placed out of order. Knock on wood the few times I've been to BP I haven't seen that type of chaos. I have been there with three orders ahead of me and five customers behind me and the conversation always ends up, "Did you order before me or after me?" The longest I've waited was 15 minutes. The shortest I've waited was about 7 minutes.

[TexSquared]

Someone above mentioned they have no POS system. Given the huge amounts of money they must be making with their popularity surely they can afford this, which would have avoided this issue completely. That way no order could magically "disappear" unless the computer crashed.

[scarberian]

With their limited space I can't see how you could fit in a computerized ordering system. All orders are written down on a piece of paper and lined up in order on the counter. How the orders are filled after that is where this whole issue started.

[pinstripeprincess]

you do realize that this place is about a 7ft narrow galley kitchen/packing/sales area right? when they have 4 ppl in there i really dont understand how anyone moves. the whole space, waiting area and all, is smaller than some people's master baths.

it's really baffling that simply lining up the tickets as each order is placed is not working for them.

that being said i think the cheese and bacon he uses completely overpowers the meat so much so that you might as well not have a patty in there. his service has never been friendly, but not always rude. for someone who has such a strong belief in his product and has such pride in his sourcing, you'd think he'd be more enthusiastic instead of on the offense all the time.

[TexSquared]

I've read enough bad about that 7x5 ft space I'll just "move on" to Five Guys, save myself a trip downtown and not have to worry about such issues.

[GoodGravy]

The owner's always been friendly when I've been there. Then again, I go when I'm in the area watching a movie and haven't been subjected to line ups out the door. It's not special occasion dining requiring a special trip out of my way. It's just a hamburger after all. Why anyone would travel from far away is beyond me.

[pinstripeprincess]

i don't get the line-up out the door thing, it's a burger. it was busy when i went but there as a good flow of about 5 sets customers, some just getting their orders, some just ordering and some just showing up. it wasn't a mad house.

[Davwud]

Odd because he's always been friendly to me. Even when I wrote on my blog about them, I called Shant in the middle of the afternoon and he gave me about 15 minutes of his time. That said, they were still fairly new at that time.

DT

[pinstripeprincess]

which is why how he acted bothered me. he had obviously been friendly to others and now he was don't look people in the eye, be short, no humour, no enthusiasm. i visited far before the snow and cold started taking over our city.

[pinkprimp]

In my situation, the people ahead ordered two double doubles while I ordered two of the "what's right" (which also comes with double doubles). As far as I heard (I know, I'm nosy!) they did not do anything fancy with the condiments either.

[Full tummy]

There are many restaurant foods that no amount of trying would allow me to replicate at home. Those are the restaurants I gravitate to, as they do something special. To be special, a burger and fry place has to offer superior burgers and fries, at a fair price, but also.... fast! Like, in under 10 minutes fast, because in 15 or so minutes I could have a burger, and decent oven fries (no, they wouldn't be as good, but at BP, you have to eat on an uncomfortable stool or in your car) on my plate and at my table, seated in my comfortable chair--at home.

So, here's hoping BP start to understand they're FAST food. And nothing more.

[foodyDudey]

Smiles are important to many people. Have you ever seen Ann-Marie Mediwake's fake smile? You can see it about 30 times on the CBC 6:00 pm news.

The Burger Priest owner may not be smiling but it appears he is also not very friendly at all. I'll be visiting them soon to use my coupon as I want to use it quickly. I'll report back after I visit.

[terrycar]

Maybe someone could suggest to him that he should check out a Burrito Boyz to see how to handle a rush. Or at least how to be civil.

-----
Burrito Boyz
218 Adelaide St W, Toronto, ON M5H1W7, CA

[TexSquared]

Nah, he takes his lessons from Terroni and the Soup Nazi....

[GoodGravy]

Or he was having a bad day. I'm not excusing his actions, but I'm not ready to condemn him either especially since all we're hearing is one side of the story. Seems both experiences were the same day at the same time when he was slammed w/ people lining up out the door. Is any hamburger worth that long a wait? At the end of the day, it's just a hamburger, and as was pointed out, something anyone could cook at home.

[Connoisseur]

This was not one day, or an isolated experience. If you read through TBP threads you'll see this is the norm rather than the exception.

[Davwud]

From what I can tell it's not an exception nor a norm. It's not an isolated incident either. It does however seem to be happening with more frequency though.

DT

[5andman]

I've only been there once (summer) when they first started (?), the owner was nice enough to explain the menu.

Just checked out this thread (+323 replies!), I guess TBP are a victim of thier success.

I guess the next time I check them out, it'll be off hours.

[haggisdragon]

Don't be deceived by the number of posts, its a big echo chamber.

[JamieK]

ha, ha! (I wish there was a "like" function on here)

[KitchenVoodoo]

I think that the owner needs to be given a bit of slack. His operating space is tiny. If he gets overwhelmed by a flood of orders, I can understand that he would not be all "smiley" like your average corporate drone at MacDs - and do you really need a fake smile to go with your TBG burger?
He puts out a good product, and does his best under extreme service pressure, this is fast food we are talking about, it beats me why people expect to be smiled at?

[Herb]

Were they Kobe beef?

[callitasicit]

Just cashed in my snaggies coupon for BP last night. I got the double double with fried onions and fries. I must say the burger is probably the best in the city, hands down better than Five Guys imho. The fries, however, were awful this time. It tasted like they were cooked in rotten oil and were inedible. I was disappointed because I was so impressed with the fries the first time I had them.

[jmarcroyal]

shame about the fries, thats something that they normally do really well, lets just hope it was an annomoly...

[Bobby Wham]

5 guys has better buns, BP"s buns turn to mush within 5 mins

[jmarcroyal]

Actually, I think thats because of how juicy the burgers are at BP, I find 5G cooks their burgers a bit more well done...

[jayt90]

When retail places are swamped, you can only expect mediocre service, and maybe an apology while they get back on track. You're wasting money and time expecting something good when the place is barely coping with the numbers of customers.

What surprises me about this thread is that no one thinks of Collegiate Lunch as a back up or alternative. It is a Mom and Pop operation, with freshly ground beef burgers, lots of space, lower prices, and street parking. If there was a line up at BP, or the place on the corner of Gerrard and Jones using pre-cooked burgers, (Great Burger Kitchen), I'd head to Collegiate, and enjoy the Minnie Mouse collection on the wall. And Minnie is never surly.

-----
Collegiate Lunch
1024 Gerrard St E, Toronto, ON M4M1Z5, CA

[Full tummy]

How are their fries? I might just do that.

I have to say, though, that in my heart of hearts, I wished I was at The Real McCoy today. Boo hoo!

[jayt90]

The fries are OK, crispy and hot,
but frozen. The owners learned their trade from a Greek who told them how to grind and spice the beef, but fries were not a major concern. There are times when I prefer a well cooked McCains as a side, to a soggy hand cut.

[Davwud]

A well cooked frozen fry beats a poorly cooked fresh cut fry any day.

I may be in the minority but I don't actually mind frozen fries. As long as they're cooked right.

DT

[magic]

Agreed!

[Pincus]

Double agreed!

I'm going to have to do a back-to-back of these two places one weekend. Really curious to see this BP owner in action vs. the Collegiate Lunch folks.

[Michael N]

Spice the beef? I have yet to venture out to Burger's Priest, though I have been meaning to do so for a while now. But what do you mean, spice the beef? It was my understanding that BP served proper, American-style burgers (ie. freshly ground beef seasoned with salt and pepper and nothing else) -- is this not the case?

Edit: Or are you talking about Collegiate Lunch?

[jayt90]

Yes, that was referring to Collegiate. Sarah Elton reported that their beef was ground and spiced in house. But it is not spicy, just S&P and maybe garlic .

[Full tummy]

So, my sister, her partner, and I went to the BP for lunch today.

12:30 Arrival There was a lineup out the door.
12:45 At the register to order, which we did, one after the other.
12:55 No sign of food. I had my baby with me, so headed out to the car, as he was getting fussy. 1:00 My sister realized that somehow her order, which was placed first, was way further up in the line (second) than my and her partner's orders (we were several people after, close to the end of the orders for some bizarre reason.) My sister asked if our orders could be put through together, so we'd receive the food at the same time. The person she asked moved ALL OF US to the end. Somehow we were left, languishing, at the end, until my sister realized the place was almost empty and everyone had been put in front of us.
1:30 PM She asks about what happened to our order, and was told it was almost done. There was some discussion between the staff there about why we were not together and why our order took too long. Clearly someone had done something wrong, but nobody apologized at any point.
1:32 Food received, finally. Still no apology.

At some point, another man piped up in a nice way asking to cancel his order as he had been left waiting for 45 minutes. The owner grabbed his ticket, which was next, and threateningly said, "You wanna cancel your order, BUDDY???? FINE!" And he turned to take it to the cash for a refund. As it turned out, his food was just being bagged, so he took it and left. I might mention at this point that our order was placed BEFORE this fellow's and received AFTER his!!!

That is no way to serve a customer. And, sorry to say, but that burger isn't any better than something I can make with some fresh ground beef in my frying pan. In fact, mine would be better, as I could make sure there were enough toppings I could taste them. The sliver of pickle, tomato, and onion were barely noticeable. Frankly don't know what the fuss is all about. The best thing was the chocolate chip cookie.

What a total and utter disappointment. These people are clearly overwhelmed by their popularity and have no appreciation for the customer, since if one or two or ten leave frustrated, hey, no worries, as there are 100 more flocking here.

I will not be back.

[jmarcroyal]

sucks you had a bad experience, thats why I go after 9pm when its quieted down. I think your bad experience clouded your judgement, if you had my typical experience there you would be more then happy, but that sounded like the place was jammed and a bit chaotic. I dont know how you waited 1 hour for your food, I would have waited no more then 15 minutes from time of order.

Bottom line, this place is great but its become very popular and this place really needs to expand. The location is very small, I dont think the owner anticipated how popular the place would be when it opened. Due to the popularity of this place, you really should avoid peak hours if at all possible, I mean, theres like 300 posts in this thread alone and 95% of the people rave about the place, but clearly the popularity of BP spread well past the people on this site.

Its a shame your experience was bad, but as you said, they are overwhelmed and you cant expect top customer service from the staff during all the chaos of a lunch time rush. If you do expect the same service you have unrealistic expectations. Ive worked retail so I know what customers expect, but during those very busy times, you simply cant please everyone. Stress levels are high, people make mistakes. As I said, BP really needs to expand, but even if they, do they will still be busy as hell during lunch and dinner.

What did you order anyway, simple burger/fries or something complicated?

[Full tummy]

You know, I knew when I saw the lineup what I was in for. But a series of errors and no apology ruined it for all three of us. We all ordered the same thing, a double with fries and drink. Plus two chocolate chip cookies. Witnessing the owner's attitude with the fellow who wanted to cancel just made my sister and her partner cringe and sent a clear message that he who isn't willing to endure the wait ain't worth a moment's concern.

[foodyDudey]

I can't imagine anyone would patienty wait for an hour for a burger. After 20 minutes I'd be asking for a refund. Did he at least give you some front row seats at the church service?

[Full tummy]

Yes, I can't imagine either. But, we did. Crazy. And, no, no front row seats. It felt like a very unholy experience to me.

[jmarcroyal]

Hmm, well thats as basic an order as you can get. I dont know, that does sound like a crap experience for sure, I just personally give them some slack, I know how busy it can get in there. Top that off with probably 3-4 guys working in such a tight space, it probably got pretty hot in there considering how warm it is outside. Then you have all the chaos of the orders coming in left right and center...

As I said, these guys need a much bigger location, at LEAST 4 times the size of the current operation. Thats one good thing about Five Guys, they have a good sized assembly line, lots of flat top real estate, and they get burgers cooking as soon as you step in the door. They have 5-10 guys cooking/prepping and using a tried and tested format that has been perfected over years. BP still isnt a year old, no doubt this is part of their growing pains, but when they are on their game they make the best burger in the city.

Also, yea the owner can be a bit, let me say Grumpy, but I believe the stress is the biggest factor in that. He can be quiet and look slightly angered, but Ive been there many times when its quiet and hes been very friendly. During peak hours, I guess he becomes Toronto's Own Soup Nazi, I guess the customers just havent learned his system yet lol...

[Full tummy]

I appreciate your replies, but I have to disagree and say that friendliness during quiet times doesn't absolve one of sins at other times. The owner needs to realize that these are customers, whether he's busy or not. Customers who have been waiting for their food for an hour. Customers who have paid top dollar for their food. Customers. That's who we are. And we deserve more than rudeness and to be made to feel as though we are lucky for whatever dismal attention they're willing to toss our way.

[magic]

Agreed. What an awful experience. There is no call for that kind of treatment. Disgusting.

[Full tummy]

And just to add to that, I would like to compare my experience here with two times I was at Starbucks and it was busy and my order got waylaid. Both times, from harried minimum wage workers, I got an apology and a coupon for a free beverage of my choice. And that's Starbucks. Employees. Not even the owner.

[jmarcroyal]

Yea but Starbucks is one of the worlds largest franchises. Their workers, even though they go by a special name, are nothing more then "cooks" at any other fast food place. They are worker drones that go through a training course and get corporate doctrine drilled into them, so when they actually work, they do everything by the book. These drones are trained for everything the job throws at them, they all follow the same model so every Starbucks is the same.

The same could be said for any chain, even retailers. They have procedures for everything, so when either you complained or they screwed up, they are told to apologize and give you the drink coupon. Its all scientific, they know that if they give you any hard time, they lose your business. If they are overly apologetic and offer free things, your disappointment instantly gets turned around and you feel like you won. In the long run, that coupon and apology will get them much more money.

Burger Priest doesnt have the benefit of being a massive corporation, they dont have a tried and tested business model, everything is new to them. If they expand, Im sure they will form rules and guidelines for their employees to maintain consistancy between locations. Right now they are just winging it, trying to keep up with the demand.

[pescatarian]

It's good to be supportive of small business, especially if you like the product, but a lot of your justifications for bad service don't hold a lot of water in my opinion. You shouldn't have to frequent a business in "off hours" in order to expect decent service. Stress shouldn't excuse bad manners, especially if it's consistently so. Everyone can have a bad day, but it sounds as though this is a common occurrence. I've been to many establishments, Centre Street Deli, for example, or many of the independent coffee shops such as Broadview Espresso, and when they get overwhelmingly busy, in peak times, what makes them a successful business, IMO, is their ability to keep their cool and provide a smile, and maybe the occasional apology, when necessary, along with the good product they are selling. I also disagree with our assertion that they will do better if they expand. They need to learn how to provide good service and quality control while they are small and then apply that to any expansion, otherwise, I believe their expansion would be a failure.

Still haven't been to BP, but the kind of service being described here doesn't sound very welcoming.

[Full tummy]

I don't know... Many a business owner figured out how to say sorry without having to work for Starbucks, have a policy manual as thick as my leg, and be a "drone"... If the folks at BP require corporate training and a policy on when and how to issue an apology, then what does that say about them? If they require training at Starbucks to learn how to say sorry, then I suggest they fill out an application pronto.

[TexSquared]

I think this thread (posts by me and Phurstluv) sums up my feelings on this:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/6858...

When Phurstluv (who is in Los Angeles) said something about "praying at your altar" it seems fitting for this discussion even though BP wasn't around back then...

[Full tummy]

Agreed. I am willing to give a place another try if I happen to have a bad experience with one of the hired staff, but when the problem so clearly starts at the top, then no thanks.

[millygirl]

Something complicated?? WTF, the menu only has about 5 items. How complicated could it get jmarcroyal?

Full tummy, I have to agree in that as much as I love the burgers, I don't care for the ''tude'. The last time I was there I found it very offputting to say the least. Friendly is not on their menu that's for certain. Heck, you know what friendly would be asking to much. I'd settle for a slight grin and a thank you. Is that too much to ask in adddition to a great burger?

If the owner is so religious maybe he could find it in himself to be a little more welcoming to his customers. The vibe there is a little strange.

[Full tummy]

I agree, millygirl.

And a burger on a flat top isn't hard to do at home. Just because everyone else in the city has to use frozen, pasteurized, over-compacted, gristly crap, doesn't mean this guy is an artiste. Sorry to say, but in my own kitchen, with some quality ground beef, I can do just as well--and add enough toppings so I can actually notice they're there. And, at home, nobody makes me feel like an ingrate.

[Splendid Wine Snob]

I don't think anyone here has ever claimed the owner is an "artiste", but I do feel for your less than stellar experience. I agree that the owner seems pretty grumpy, and have felt that vibe there before too. In fact, the exact same thing happened to me one night where people who had clearly ordered after me were receiving their burgers ahead of my order-and I was one person with a 2 burger order. I piped up pretty quickly and said something (I'm not shy to do that sorta thing), and voila, my order was given to me within 2 minutes. I got the impression that they were overwhelmed (it was very busy), but it's not that complicated a process...its...burgers.

Well hopefully they are reading this and realize rude or unwelcoming behaviour never evolves into good business.

[TexSquared]

"Well hopefully they are reading this and realize rude or unwelcoming behaviour never evolves into good business."

One word answer for that one: Terroni

[Splendid Wine Snob]

For the record, I have never, ever had rude or unwelcoming service at any Terroni locations. And I do not criticize restaurants I have never frequented based on second hand information alone-Chowhounder or not.

[tjr]

Likewise.

[Connoisseur]

Never mind "bad experience" that's all this place is... A bad experience! as full tummy said "the burger isn't any better than something I can make with some fresh ground beef in my frying pan. In fact, mine would be better" Tru D'at!!! could not agree more.

[TexSquared]

Thanks for the warning. I won't waste my time and money on a place like that. Not when Five Guys is expanding out my way.

I will say it's been fun watching The Butchers crash and burn in the service department, and now these guys. The fanbois can only come up with so many excuses.

[petek]

I'm sooo lucky I have Burger Shack just down the street from me :)
Even at their busiest,I have never waited more than 15-20 mins for food.

[jmarcroyal]

these guys arent even beginning to crash and burn in the service department. There are just so many people that go there that not everyone can be happy. Either way, There ratio of positive to negative experiences are better then most places out there, even Five Guys. Theres a reason a vast majority of people on this board say its the best burger in the city, so you should experience if for yourself before write it off. It really is that good...

[foodyDudey]

I think you got brainwashed by this place. No burger is worth waiting an hour for. They wasted 3 people-hours of time just with that one episode!
I've got a coupon for this place but am not sure when I have the time to use it. Burgers are easy to make ay home so who needs that attitude.

[jmarcroyal]

That is way too long, i wouldnt wait any longer then maybe 15 minutes for the burger, thats just rediculous, but im guessing something got crossed up. I dont know why your order was mixed up like that, obviously all 3 orders should arrive at the same time, so they definetely have an issue with order management. I think you just had horrible timing and it was compounded by a bunch of problems. No business can always please everybody,and unfortunately you are one of the few that they let down...

[Davwud]

I have a hard time saying that "They wasted 3-people hours of time" when it was clear when they got there it was gonna take a long time to get food.
It sounds like terrible customer service and a terrible experience all around but if you see a line up out the door you're in for a long wait. You're also open to order mishaps.

What surprises me is they'd be so short with customers with all full house watching. You have to wonder how many people saw that and were turned off.

DT

[Full tummy]

I agree, Davwud, that I expected less than optimal timelines. However, once I placed my order, it seemed to me there were perhaps six to ten people waiting, and I saw the fellow making maybe six or eight burgers at a time, so I thought... we're probably in for a 10 - 15 minute wait. I even turned to my sister, who was still standing close to the cashier, and asked her to see how long of a wait it was, and she decided not to, remarking, "He's grumpy enough, already." As I said, though, we were moved to the end of the line, when we didn't deserve to be there. And then, subsequent customers somehow ended up in front of us. By the conversation had between staff when my sister piped up, it was clear someone had goofed. And it was clear that the BP people were clear one of them had goofed. Nonetheless, there was no apology.

[Splendid Wine Snob]

Agree! Its a damn good burger, but not worth waiting that long! Sheesh...

[Splendid Wine Snob]

So any restaurant your a "fanboi" of is better? Give me a break. I don't excuse poor product or rude behaviour but I have to say it seems like they're probably experiencing the stress that comes with popularity...and when you are new or a rookie to this business, it can be pretty overwhelming.

[TexSquared]

If Five Guys or Buster Rhino's gave me horrible service like that I wouldn't hesitate to post it here either. There's no excuse for service like what the poster above described.

If there's a long lineup and I willingly join that line then I agree with Davwud, I have no reason to complain about the wait. That wasn't the problem. But the rude treatment given to the customer who decided to bail out, that was totally uncalled for. In this day and age where customers can so easily "get even" online, they just lost me and countless other potential customers who were thinking of making the trip down. I wanted to try this place, until today. I don't want to waste my time and money going all the way downtown to get treated like that. I'll take my business to Five Guys.

-----
Buster Rhino's
2001 Thickson Rd S, Whitby, ON L1N, CA

[jmarcroyal]

Theres too much positive stuff about Burger Priest for you to just give up on, if anything, you should go to atleast make up your own opinion. From what Ive heard you say in the past, Id think this place would be perfect for you. Its a local place that offers a simple product and they do it right. They arent about some locally grown, grass fed, organic foo foo stuff like that, just the freshest meat cooked just right.

you shouldnt give up on a place just because like 4 people out of 230 posts in this thread had a complaint, and a few others besides them may have understood where they were coming from. The positives greatly outweigh the negatives. Now, if it was just a mediocre burger, I would avoid if I heard any negative reviews, but something dubbed "The Best Burger" in Toronto, or probably the GTA, maybe province, Id just have to try it.

The only complaints Ive heard about this place: The religious aspect of the restaurant, which people blow out of proportion. The owner can be grumpy, but Id never consider him rude, some people just have a low tolerance for such things. The only other complaint was today about the long wait and order issues.

People had issues with their fries when they first opened but now they are just right, perfectly done. If you just compare burgers alone with Five Guys, this burger is way better. 5G is fresh, BP is fresher. 5G blows away fast food competition in Toronto now but BP is that much better. I cant wait til you eventually try it just to hear your opinion, I know you will love it!

[foodyDudey]

There are only 72 unique posters in this thread, not 230 as you suggest. That's quite a difference.

[magic]

Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to let one or even two rotten experiences that other people have had deter me from going to a place that has served me really great food in the past.

However, I have seen an increase in negative reviews as of late, that specifically relate to the service. And when the negative attitude starts at the top.... well.... to me that is a scary thing that in my books, never ever EVER gets them a Strike 2. After Strike 1 it's goodbye attitude, hello a million other great places to spend my money.

Bottom line, I don't care how good the food is, once the staff (or worse yet, the OWNER!) starts doling out attitude there is no food that is good enough to warrant suffering that kind of treatment. And then it simply becomes a matter of moving on, never taking my money there again, and really..... not looking back even slightly. Its not that difficult a thing to do.

[TexSquared]

I'll start off by saying I agree 100% with Magic's comment -- if bad attitude/service comes from the OWNER the place doesn't deserve my business. Read the thread I linked to above for more on my opinion on highly touted independents with poor service.

I never said I had an issue with the religious aspect of the business. When in the U.S. I often go to Chick-Fil-A and Cracker Barrel, both of which are known for their religious fanatic owners (In-N-Out, which BP is patterned after, is also of this type, so he's consistent). As long as they don't force me to pray, or come to each table to shove a holy book in my face, the religious participation of the owner doesn't affect me at all.

If there's a long lineup and I made the choice to join it then I have no right to complain about the wait. I don't expect a place like BP to suddenly serve burgers as fast as Tim Horton's drive-thru serves coffee. But I will say I have a very low tolerance for lineups and won't hesitate to take my business elsewhere if I see one too long and moving too slowly for my comfort level. I won't complain about the wait, I'll just make the choice not to wait and keep my stress level low/sanity high.

As for "the best", replace the word burger with pizza and the words Burgers Priest with the word Terroni. That war has been fought for years on this board and it's about to start again with this place. Terroni has fanbois on this board plus the food writers of Toronto Life in their back pocket... as does BP.

Finally, let's say I went down to BP next week. I see a huge lineup and decide to wait through it, heeding your advice that it's worth it. And as the above poster describes, after I get to the front I find myself shuffled to the back of the line due to server error, insulted by the staff, and finally, if I eventually got fed, I find the food disappointing for what I paid. That's fuel or transit fare wasted, a lot time wasted, money wasted, and a lot of stress and frustration for me. What compensation would I get for all that? The answer is nothing. I'm not some arrogant lawyer/businessman who will say "time is money" but as the cliche goes, there's x hours of my life I'll never get back.... life's too short to waste it on this.

So the answer is, until they clean up their act you won't find me there. Hype does not trump poor service.

[peppermint pate]

Re: Terroni - TexSquared, I'm with Splendid Wine Snob's comments above. Your disdain for Terroni (and that of others) is well documented on this board. My love of Terroni (and that of others) is also well documented. I'm a genuine fan, not a fanboi, after countless great experiences there. You've obviously got a different opinion. Terroni seems to polarize opnions more than just about any place on this board. Anyway, Chowhound is (happily) populated by those with a full range of opinions (restaurants I love, you hate...). Let's agree to disagree on the chow without trashing those with differing views, 'k?

[foodyDudey]

Just wondering, did you like Krispy Kreme?

There are a few "fanboi's" of those on here.

[ylsf]

I more or less agree with what you are saying here. It seems like some posters are just waiting for this place to fail for some reason. I had my first experience there they other week and while I wouldn't wait an hour + for a burger from there I really enjoyed my meal there and I thought the staff was pretty friendly. I didn't going during a peak time and I probably wouldn't. I am just surprised that so many people would be quick to "boycott" this place based on one or two bad reviews (and I do agree that FullTummy's experience sounds horrible) ...

[TexSquared]

Any business that treats customers that way deserves to fail. The fact that we're even having this discussion is totally the fault of Burger's Priest. Not FullTummy's and certainly not mine.

[jmarcroyal]

I just think the key is going during off-peak hours. Right now its a small operation that has become basically an overnight success and they are overwhelmed by the amounts of people. Right now, at the busiest times, clearly there is some confusion going on. All of that leads to stress and the owner maybe doesnt deal with that as easily as others.

Thats not really a big issue, I mean, its the owner, the person with the most weight on their shoulders. He isnt just some jerk, and I think talk about being rude is being exaggerated a bit, and if youve been waiting for a long time and things arent going your way, you will be harsher to judge the place, maybe rightfully so.

Maybe the owner needs to take more of a background role, and if they expand im sure he will, but right now one thing is clear, the guy is passionate about burgers and he is definetely a perfectionist when it comes to cooking them. Maybe he needs someone to run the customer service aspect of the place, because that might not be his specialty, but what he does he does right.

I dont think you should put that much weight on customer service for a take-out burger place, but that was an overall very bad first experience, and first impressions definetely last. I guarantee the staff would have been nice at the least, and the owner isnt half as bad as hes being made out to be...

[millygirl]

Couple of comments:

I love their burgers and for that reason alone I will continue to give them my business.
I'm not out to make friends, nor looking for someone to offer me a seat and hang my coat kind of customer service.
All I'm asking is to display a little sign of making me feel welcome. Is a little smile to much trouble to ask? Or at least try and hide the sour puss miserable expressions. It really is offputting.
I'm def not looking for them to fail, rather quite the opposite.
Finally, one should not have to go somewhere on 'off hours' to expect good service. Like I should go for a burger at what 10 a.m. or between lunch and dinner?? That's just crazy.

[Splendid Wine Snob]

Exactly how I feel too-good summary millygirl.

[magic]

Perfectly said.

It's funny though, travelling to other cities I've seen that this sourpuss attitude that is so pervasive here is very much a Toronto thing. Most other cities/towns/countries I've been to actually do smile!! Service in Toronto seems to lean towards the put-out and sour as a general default. In my experience at least.

And this is not some anti-Toronto agenda I have...... I was born and raised here and it's still something I've noticed.

[jamesm]

Weird -- I've actually noticed the opposite, judging big city service against one another....New York (three burroughs), Chicago, Montreal, Paris, London, Manchester. Of those cities I've traveled to recently Chicago was probably the friendliest New York hands down the least friendliest with the rest falling well below the level of Toronto. I've definitely received bad service here but not enough to categorically dismiss the entire city.

It's funny because if BP's was in New York or San Francisco the 'bad' service would be heralded by many on this board as part of the whole experience "The best burger is served by this religious zealot with an attitude and you have to know how to order it's too bad Toronto is lacking something like that..."

[childofthestorm]

New Yorkers wait an hour in line for Shake Shack, and I would say BP is in the same league burger-wise. Service-wise is where he'll need to evolve - but then very few have mastered the art of serving the customer like Danny Meyer.

I would love to see a history of threads over 200+ posts, how many have devolved into this kind of sniping, like plotted on a graph or something. It's all kinds of predictable. We're lucky to have The Burger's Priest, and when they finally move into a bigger spot people will complain about that, like when Caplansky left the Monarch.

[TexSquared]

Again, had Burger's Priest not screwed up royally when FullTummy went, we wouldn't be having this discussion.

So don't blame the posters. Place the blame where it belongs: on the staff and management of Burger's Priest.

[magic]

Yes.

Agreed.

[scarberian]

Wow. That experience totally sucked and would ruin anyone's opinion of a place no matter how much praise it's gotten. For what it's worth I've had nothing but good experiences at BP. The times I've arrived there were 12 pm (opening), 3 pm and 5 pm. Each time no line ups, friendly customer service and I got my order (consisting of a couple of orders actually for myself and my daughter) within 10 -15 minutes. A couple of times I've gotten a seat at the counter, but usually I get a parking spot right outside their door and eat in the car. My daughter loves their burgers and completely demolishes her fries. As you said, with the right ingredients you can sort of duplicate the burger at home since it is made on a flat top. I usually go with regular ground, don't handle it much and smash it with the spatula right in the pan. Nothing but salt and pepper. A slap of mild cheddar, and place it in a Wonderbread bun. Mmmmm burgerlicious.

[atomeyes]

I've been to BP once.
While I personally prefer Stockyards' Animal burger, I found the owner to be incredibly nice and friendly to us. He started making small talk with us and was very pleasant...pleasant to the point where I felt guilty for not loving his burger as much as Stockyards!!

So who knows what happened...

[ylsf]

Went there tonight. After the huge build up of expectations this place lived up to its reputation. I had a double cheese/fries and pop. Very filling, next time might skip the fries or share an order. Used a voucher from the webpiggy deal and everything went smooth.

Will be back when in the area for sure. Nice guys working there too.

[FoolyDupey]

Head to head. 5 Guys VS Burger's Priest.
I give the nod to Burger's Priest. The flavour and freshness was much more apparent. And what I liked more was the service and friendly, courteous staff. That always makes the difference when two are going head to head. That was just a bonus this time.

[pineapplejoe]

I like the Burger's Priest. I've munched my way through about a dozen of their burgers on-the-go over the past 6 months or so. The Burger's Priest is a throwback joint that reminds us of what we've lost - fresh, basic proletarian food served with a minimum of frippery, promotion, and processing.
And the point is, really, that we can be our own burger priests and craft something every bit as delicious. Get yourself a pound of fresh ground beef from a reputable butcher like Royal Beef on the Danforth. Divide up into 4 roughly proportionate balls, then flatten, season with salt and pepper, fry them up in a pan or on a griddle, garnish on fresh buns, and voila, a product indistinguishable from the BP burger and at less than half the price.

-----
Royal Beef
1968 Danforth Ave, Toronto, ON M4C, CA

[Olivia]

As if a thread with 223 replies needs another voice, but here goes...

Had a double patty, and found it a bit too much (I have a normal-large appetite); also greasier than I'm used to. That being said, it was excellent. Next time I'll order a single patty, and skip the cheese. Great fries too.

[PoppiYYZ]

Had my first BP burger and I've seen the light ! Add my vote for best take out burger in TO. Straight up single cheese burger with the works (w/o mayo) was very very tasty.

Why can't someone in TO make a burger like this in a decent restaurant that serves draft beer ! ! ? ?

PS If you like BP burgers and are anywhere near Peterborough go to The Montreal House. It's a Dive, but it has a bigger similar style burger (fresh ground steak, cooked on a flat top, great bun and toppings), plus solid fries and rings, AND cheap draft.

[TorontoTips]

Hey gang!
Just got home from a little errand-running and a stop at The Burger's Priest, and let me say that I've been meaning to add my name to the long list of TBP enthusiasts.

If you've never been, I depart from the group and recommend getting a single cheeseburger (or two) because I think the bun-to-meat ratio is just perfect. And absolutely get it with the fried onions (ignore the fact that one thin slice of onion freshly grilled costs $1 and go for it anyway) the flavour complement to the freshly-ground beef is outstanding!

These burgers are so good, and the meat so fresh that to me they are best without any other condiments, but go ahead if you must :-)

Oh, and I also have to disagree about the fries, I think they are awesome, perhaps some of the best in the city - but then again, I don't typically run with the crowd :-) These fries are thin-cut about 1/4" and perfectly cooked, slightly greasy and a little softer due to being served in a bag, rather than a box. They taste like real potatoes that have been successfully twice-fried in hot oil and I love 'em. But I've never understood the obsession some people have with fries being pale white, crispy and tasteless except for the piles of salt they pour on.

If I'm being ultra-fussy CHOW-style I would say a tad less seasoning on the burger, a tad less salt on the fries, and turn the flat-top up 50 degrees or so, to put a darker crust on my med-rare burger and I'm in heaven.

All-in-all they get full marks from me, definitely my #1 fave place for a take-out burger in the city.

(What's #2 you ask? ... that'd be Real McCoy, but it's an entirely differnt kettle of fish :-)

Cheers,
.James.

[Jazminsdaddy]

I love Burger Priest. But the last couple times I went I found it a bit too salty.

My wife says she won't eat it again because of the salt.

[Davwud]

I've always had to add salt and I'm not much of a salt person. Haven't been in a few months though.

DT

[YYZjeff]

Some secret menu items have been posted on their Facebook fan page.

The Vatican City - looks like a huge patty, can't really tell from the picture. Possibly the animal style someone mentioned?

Holy Smokes (not sure if this one is a secret, say "add smoke" to any burger) - Panko crusted, fried jalapeno peppers

The Tower of Babel - two patties and the cheese filled mushroom burger. Looks huge from the picture.

See the attached pictures for reference.

[haggisdragon]

I happened to be there this afternoon, and there was a guy eating the Tower of Babel. In fact he was the very first customer to order it. Just to clear up YYZjeff's description its a double double with the option, sandwiched between two grilled cheese sandwiches!

[peppermint pate]

Okay, that is beyond insane. They should call it Stoner's Delight!

Just curious - did the guy say how it was? How did he even get his mouth up and over it?

[GoodGravy]

Sounds pretty awesome. I'd rather try it myself than take someone's word for it. I'd need a ton of lipitor and a dr. standing by though.

[jmarcroyal]

Stoners delight is right lol, but its missing bacon and those jalapeno things too...

I bet the thing costs like $30 lol

[haggisdragon]

The guy was pretty happy, they took his picture for their facebook sight.

[YYZjeff]

Thanks for the clarification... I thought I saw cheese in the buns but I couldn't tell for sure from their blurry pics.

This is becoming a place worthy of a Man v. Food visit if he comes to Toronto (probably won't happen though).

[Davwud]

Some friends of mine went on Monday and one "Added smoke" and said it was amazing.

DT

[scarberian]

Does anyone know if they also do deep fried pickles? That would be killer as well along with the peppers.

[thenurse]

Not as of a few weeks ago, when I was last there.

[PhilH]

Oh man, just came back and I am a convert. Reading this thread for the last couple of months every so often but I never felt like making the trek out. Finally made my way there today with a friend after my dinner plans fell through with someone else.

Had the double double with fries and a cookie. I was not full from this... (I actually consumed a coffee crisp and a root beer afterwards and still felt hungry) Kind of disappointed that it was more medium than med rare (especially since the guy behind the counter told they cook them to medrare normally after I asked specifically) but it was juicy and moist enough to be an easy thing to overlook.

I agree that it is totally worth the price (fries are nothing to write home about but yes, like others, I can't order a burger without them). At this pricepoint, there is nothing better.

[FoodFanToronto]

Best burgers I've had in a long time. Go with two cheeseburgers, everything on them and skip the fries.

[scarberian]

Took my cousin from San Diego to "mass" at the Burger's Priest and she was quite impressed by the burger. She said it was better than In and Out and she even ordered her double double animal style. She did say it reminded her more of the Five Guys burger, but this one was still tops. BTW Five Guys seems to be the "it" burger joint right now in So Cal. We got there around 5:30 and it was slightly busy, but not too crowded. By the time we got our order and left it was packed. They need a bigger space.

[redearth]

Here's a shout out to The Burger's Priest. You make my new favourite burger in the Tdot. Tried GBK today after reading all the positive reviews on this board, and I'll never be back. That bun from Brick Street? WTF? Whoever thought that was the right choice for their burgers has no clue whatsoever. Burger's Priest does it right, in so many ways. Kudos.

One caveat, however: wow, is Burger's Priest expensive. Still, I'll be back.

[Davwud]

I disagree without defending them however. I will say that I don't think they're cheap. Prices wise anyway. I think for what you're getting here in TO, it's pretty close to what you'd expect to pay.

The big thing is, anywhere in the US (pretty much) you'd pay 2/3 the price at best.

DT

[GoodGravy]

Unless you're at JG Melon's or PJ Clarke's where you'd pay 1.5-2x more. So think of it as getting a double cheese burger at 1/2 the price.

[scarberian]

Think of it as the collection plate and your burger soul is being saved =).

[Pincus]

Think of it as a poke in the eye to the frozen burger patty industry.

[childofthestorm]

In my experience some of the best food runs out and when it's done that's that. Una Pizza Napoletana in NY (now moved to SF) made the dough for the day and when it ran out, it ran out and they closed. Countless BBQ spots throughout Texas that I've eaten at are the same way - as is Stockyards here in Toronto, for which they get hammered on this board.

I'd rather eat somewhere that doesn't compromise on quality, and suffer the occasional disappointment, than eat at a place that has a limitless supply of, say, burger pucks in the freezer.

[TexSquared]

"limitless supply of burger pucks in the freezer"

... like Johnny's, right? :-)

[childofthestorm]

I'm not naming names. We all know who they are!

[Musta]

I feel a little responsible, went twice on Saturday, but I only had the fries at lunch. However both visits I had the double. Oy. :-!>

[Davwud]

You are right.

I guess if I was the one shut out I'd have been pretty upset. However we often talk about places in this area or that that make only so much food and when it's gone, it's gone. I've been to places like that and it can suck but if you know that's the case, you just live with it.

DT

[callitasicit]

I just went there now and I have to say I was very impressed! I took it to go because the place is so small. I live in Markham so I waited until I got home to eat the burger while I munched on the fries periodically on the way. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with the fries, they were nothing like I expected! I really liked them, crispy and tasty. Now, taking into account that I had about a 35-40 minute drive home, I thought the burger would suffer a tad but I was wrong. Bar none, this was the best burger I have ever had in Toronto! I ordered the double double and it was so juicy and delicious. Keep in mind that I am not even a burger lover, I would definitely visit this place again.

[jmarcroyal]

I like to park in the KFC parking lot nextdoor and I just eat the burger in the car. I always eat the fries first, I guess thats just a habit on my part but I like em hot and fresh. First time I ordered the fries, they were kinda bland, lately Ive been tossing a little bit of salt on em, now they are perfect!

and the burger is always damn hot, it doesnt hurt to let it cool down a little bit...

[JamieK]

Markham? Holey moley! And here I was worried about getting a couple of burgers home to Danforth and Coxwell. Definitely have to check it out now. Bless you my child.

[peppermint pate]

So after reading all these posts, and after weeks of fantasizing about this burger, we went there the other evening. Arriving at about 10:05 (closing time is 10:30), we were stunningly disappointed to hear..."sorry, we just sold our last burger 2 minutes ago". I all but fell down on their floor in tears. We were starving and our cravings had been dashed but they told us that they only grind as much as they need and I guess that nailing the right quantity is an imperfect science. That said, they made one misstep - at first they offered us a veggie burger instead, which we would have tried at that point, but then the other guy said that they had turned off their fryer. So no veggie burger, no fries, nothing. I get that they ran out of meat but if you're open for another half-hour, and you've got other food on the menu, don't turn off the fryers - that's just an early closing and that's wrong.

Our hearts set on burgers, we drove along Queen - Pop Burger was closed and we ended up at Craft Burger at Yonge and Bloor. I did a separate post on the Craft Burger thread but bottom line, it wasn't out of the ballpark but we had a pretty tasty cheeseburger. Though frankly, they had us at..."yes, we're still open".

[TexSquared]

Wow, when you're pitched as a "destination" restaurant with the best in town, people are going to travel from far away to try your stuff. I'd be extremely pissed off if I came in all the way from Durham Region, walked in the door 25 minutes before closing, and got shut out like that. And I'd probably vow never to return (and like you did, tell everybody I know...)

If they can't offer service to customers who walk in 25 minutes before their advertised 10:30PM closing, they should be advertising a 10PM closing.

[JennaBean]

I think that's a bit harsh. While I know that it is anything but ideal to run out of product, it happens when the product is fresh. The challenge here is that their product offering is so small once the main item is gone, they are toast. There is nothing they can do to really do to remedy that in a meaningful way 25 mins before closing.

Maybe they just need a disclaimer on the site which explains this possibility from happening.... again not an idea solution but better than nothing.

[peppermint pate]

Well, yes we had crossed down and yes, we were disappointed BUT I could have forgiven them if it had just been the burgers. They're a small operation, they make stuff fresh and they have probably been overwhelmed with demand. This happens at other places like Black Camel (who now posts on twitter when they have to close early) and I can forgive them that. What wasn't cool, however, was their decision to shut down the rest of the kitchen early - as much as I was craving a burger, I would have absolutely tried their veggie burger instead. If you're going to be sold out of your prime attraction, at least have the rest of the menu on stand-by to try and salve the ensuing pangs of hunger and disappointment.

[JennaBean]

That's fair. And yes a twitter feed update is an instance such as this would be helpful for all I'm sure.

[GoodGravy]

A twitter update wouldn't help if you don't follow them or don't have twitter set to send updates to your phone. Besides, they've been made into a destination by CH, et al. I don't think they set out to be a destination, just a place making good burgers. And while it sucks that they were closing up 25 mins. before their stated time, I've walked into plenty of places that did the same thing when things got slow and it was nearing closing time. Who here hasn't wanted to leave the office a little early when things slowed down?

[TexSquared]

Thank you. JB seems to be saying, if a customer gets shut out because he/she isn't a Twitter (or Facebook, or whatever mobile app-du-jour) addict and missed the alert it's their fault... that's wrong. What IS wrong is advertising a 10:30 closing and turning away a customer at 10:05.

[TexSquared]

My point exactly. They still had other items to serve, to shut down the whole kitchen and deny a starving customer (who came in with 25 minutes to spare) a meal, was just wrong.

To answer JB, that's why I said they should advertise an earlier closing time of 10PM. That way if someone shows up at 10:05 (5 minutes LATE rather than 25 minutes EARLY), they can leave the door open and serve him/her if they have food left, or they can lock the door if they don't, and they'd be right to do so since they're honoring their hours of operation. Advertising 10:30 and shutting down at 10:05 is inexcusable.

Thank you PP for bringing this up, so I know never to try to show up there late. I better be there no later than 8PM to make sure I get served if I am travelling in from Durham. That or go the easy route and strike them off my list of places to go since they can't be trusted.

[jmarcroyal]

Man, same thing happened to me on Friday night, I got there at around 10pm, they sold out. I was kinda mad because I had the BP craving in full effect but its a high quality place with fresh ingredients, and now its becoming a destination spot, I cant really blame them for selling out.

Anyway, people gotta stop bitching. Its a burger place, famous for its burger. Its not a fry place, a vegan place, a cookie store, its a burger joint. When the burger sells out, its time to close down shop, thats just the way she goes. I didnt even think to order anything else, I mean, I came for a great burger, im not gonna spend my money on a side or something I wasnt planning on getting.

My first thing I did was decide where the second best option was. For me, It was over at Real McCoy(Markham/Brimorton). I grabbed my goto Steak on a Kaiser(imho, the absolute best in the city) and some delicious fries and gravy(maybe best fries & gravy in the city) and it was so damn good.

The point is, always have a backup plan.

That and instead of thinking negatively about BP because they closed down everything, just think that this place is so good that it just sold out, and plan on going earlier next time.

also, dont forget this place has only been open for almost 4 months. They are getting crazy popular now, thanks in part to this site spreading the word. As thefranchise.place gets more and more popular, their supply needs keep changing, so no doubt BP¨is still working things out...

[aser]

That's too bad, they could've turned on the deep fryer again. It takes like 5 mins to heat up, they were probably just lazy.

Or unless they drained the oil already and was scrubbing down.

[Herb]

Pop Burger? Is this new?

[peppermint pate]

Um, it's entirely possible I may have morphed Pop Bistro and Burger Shoppe together - my hungry tummy was starving my brain...so let's go with Burger Shoppe, the place next door to Dark Horse on Queen, near Broadview. I think?

And TexSquared, agree that I would have been extra pissed if I had driven from out of town and it's your call as to how you receive this info but for the record, I wasn't trying to trash Burger's Priest. I was disappointed but I will forgive anyone just about any single mistake, and I will forgive a small, fresh from scratch restaurant for being out of their main attraction near closing time, especially when they've just opened and are trying to gauge the volume of clientele (and re: Black Camel, I'm not a Twitter user either but it's a great option for people that do). Closing off the rest of the menu early wasn't cool, as I've said. But I personally will give them another chance - my insatiable desire to try their burgers has not been squelched by their one misstep, though I do hope it is something they will correct for me and other future patrons.

[KitchenVoodoo]

Sorry you missed out - I've been happily enjoying their burgers and fries for some time, and I highly recommend them - but I can't understand why Sunday is their day off - when so many people are swarming all over the Beach, the skateboard park, the racetrack betting shop - all nearby. I wanted to introduce a friend to Burger Priest after a long Sunday of hiking, but it was closed. Still craving burgers we went to Great Burger Kitchen at Gerrard and Jones - very satisfying. Nice crunch on the borders of the burgers, fries were great, and onion rings were good but a bit leathery. All in all, hit the spot, but I still love the Priest.

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

[Notorious P.I.G.]

"Church"

[mstestzzz002]

I wondered why they closed on Sundays as well (first time I went there was on a Sunday - they were closed, but someone was in the shop doing some renovations).

Then I read <http://www.torontolife.com/guide/rest...>

"As for the name, the proprietor, a former seminary student who hails from California..."

[JennaBean]

And many resto's close on Sun and/or Monday. Pretty typical industry standard.

[peppermint pate]

Enough already!!! I'm up to my eyeballs with work deadlines and all I can think of are these frickin' burgers. You guys are killing me. Ease up on the accolades.

Must. Have. Burgers. Now.

Sigh.

[ekim256]

They're featured on today's webpiggy
https://www.webpiggy.com/

[ylsf]

Too bad that it is for a DOUBLE DOUBLE burger... Seems like it might be a bit of an overkill for me! I will probably get one anyway though :)

[childofthestorm]

That's actually their standard burger, the patties are very small. I get the single when I want a snack, and the double double when it's a meal.

[magic]

Thanks for this info, I got the webpiggy deal.

Very happy with the discounted coupons so thanks for the heads up, but… I'm curious, have Burger's Priest's prices been raised recently?

The deal that webpiggy provided listed the Double Double combo's regular value at $13.55, which seems a little high to me. The BP takeout menu I have at home lists the combo as $10.99. So with HST, the total value for this combo should be something like $12.42. So where does $13.55 come from?

Unless I am missing something, could someone help me out with this question?

[grandgourmand]

Maybe the price has gone up. I was there this week, had a double double combo and it came to over $13.

And by the way, it was great. Juicy and delicious. Probably the best burger I've had in Toronto (other than my own). I prefer loosely packed meat and simple toppings. The only knock is that the structural integrity of the burger is weak. But certainly not a deal killer for me.

Michael Smith (chef at home) was there at the same time as me.

[Davwud]

Loss structural integrity is not a knock to me. It's a compliment. I love a messy burger.

DT

[millygirl]

Me too! Messy = Yummy

[abigllama]

Scooping up the fallen beef with gooey cheese on it after is one of the delish benefits of the BP experience!

[magic]

Agreed.

[grandgourmand]

i guess it's got its charm that way, but i like my burger to stay intact so that each bite has the bun, tomato, lettuce, cheese, sauce, patty all working together.

like i said, not a deal breaker, and overall i was very happy with this burger. waaaaaaay better than the dried out, dense burger from great burger kitchen or most other haute burger places.

oh and i thought the fries were pretty good too.

[magic]

It must have gone up by a dollar.

It occurred to me after posting my question that I should do the math for a $1 increase. It checks out. HST on $11.99 is $13.55. The price must have gone up on that combo since I was there last month.

Worth it.

[jmarcroyal]

they should make a special super burger, like a 10oz pattie with cheese and some special bacon and sauteed mushrooms a special big bun!

Im sure it would cost a ton, but damn that would be good!

[scarberian]

I don't know if they'll have the room on the flat top for the bacon (the mushrooms could be cooked ahead of time), although on a slow night maybe (not that their burger needs anything else but the cheese). However that would be a killer burger and I too would partake in such a feast. My arteries on the other hand may protest.

As for price yeah I also noticed the increase, but hell it's the best burger in T.O. =9.

[jmarcroyal]

you'd just have to try that burger, or maybe they could make a Super Double-Double, with two 6oz cheese burgers with both bacon strips and peameal bacon, sauteed mushrooms(I just love em on burgers, but one could sub sauteed onions), and im not sure what else but Id like them to make a Man V Food-worthy item!

lol, i think im just hungry, im gonna go now

[Davwud]

Bacon can be done in the deep fryer. It's really good that way anyway.

DT

[scarberian]

I think my arteries just exploded... If you're going to go deep fryer then let's batter the bacon! Just like what was shown on "The Best Thing I Ever Ate". Or they could make a bacon patty which is several strips of bacon boiled and then piled together and deep fried.... =9. Why not wrap the back bacon with strips of bacon, deep fry it and put that between the burgers.

[jmarcroyal]

maybe toss the option on instead of sauteed mushrooms lol...

[abigllama]

That would make it triple D worthy! :)

[GoodGravy]

A burger w/ cheese, mushrooms, fried onions and ham (peameal bacon) sounds like a soul burger. I used to like soul burgers, but my arteries don't like them so much anymore. But yeah, adding the option to a double cheeseburger sounds like just the thing for young stomachs and clear arteries.

[ekim256]

hmm...you're giving me all sorts of ideas...I might just do that. I did the Quad C at Dangerous Dans last week, might as well go all out again :P

-----
Dangerous Dan's
714 Queen St E, Toronto, ON M4M1H2, CA

[szw]

Finally got a burger here that was really rare. Usually I ask for rare and its kind of medium. I never complained but this time the guy asked me if I wanted it true rare, which of course I did, and it was great.

[scarberian]

I keep hearing about the size of the burger. Is it a slider? A lot of times in the states they serve sliders 3 to an order. My wife and I passed by the place recently and it smelled heavenly, unfortunately for me we were on our way to meet friends for dinner downtown =(. I'll definitely go sometime this week and give them a try. BTW can someone explain what people are refering to when they say "done animal style"?

[Davwud]

No, the patties are 1/4 lb. each. They basically recommend you order a double.

DT

[childofthestorm]

"Animal style" means when the burger has been squished flat against the grill, mustard is applied to the top side, and then when it gets flipped, it cooks in the mustard. Throw on some grilled onions and voila, animal style. If you love mustard, it's really good.

[TexSquared]

Given how these guys will fill orders using In-N-Out lingo, any chance the guys in California are going to sue Burger's Priest, like they did to this place in Utah a few years ago:

http://www.ksl.com/?sid=1367903&nid=148

http://ethisphere.com/in-n-out-burger...

I doubt BP is the only clone out there, but In-N-Out had an incentive to kill these guys off, as they expanded into Utah soon after....

[acd123]

I doubt that BP will be on In-n-Out's radar, but who knows?

[szw]

Personally I thought their burgers are closer to shake shack's than In-n-out's.

[nspace]

I was so excited to try this place until I read your comment. Shake Shack are easily the worst burgers (and fries), and over hyped fast-food experience of my life. I went there during my last visit to NYC and after so many recommendations, I was so disappointed with the soggy greasy tasteless mess. I guess they are doing something right with line-ups out the door, but I definitely wouldn't go back. I am sad to hear that there are similarities.

[Davwud]

Perhaps a flat top burger isn't your thing.

DT

[Atahualpa]

The owner mentioned to me that they are going to come out with their own secret menu and terminology to be launched through their facebook fan page.

The equivalent of 'animal style' was going to be something like 'George-style'. I admit to having not quite caught the first term there and it maybe something similar (sounded like the French-Cdn. pronunciation of George to me though). Sorry I didn't clarify at the time.

[abigllama]

Any link for the fan page? A facebook search just led me to the lame website.

[Davwud]

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Bur...

DT

[abigllama]

Many thanks!

[millygirl]

We picked up BP again last night. Really enjoyed but they still seem to having problems with the fries. They're not as good as the first week. Don't know why that is, but it is. And for certain, they don't travel well. We live mere minutes away and they are soggy by the time we get home. Someone earlier mentioned they are addressing the problem and it should be fixed now but in fact, I feel they have gotten worse.
Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed my meal and will def return.

[GoodGravy]

It's the Burger's Priest, not the Fries Friar. Skip the fries and get another burger.

[millygirl]

Not possible. That would be like fish without the chips or spaghetti without the meatballs. Need I say more?

[Atahualpa]

I like fried fish with onion rings or nothing. I like meatballs and spaghetti, but not particularly together.

All joking aside, their fries are so bad and their burger sooo good.

[scarberian]

I actually liked their fries (I was there during Saturday lunch). I liked them to the point where I put a few in my burger. They weren't soggy and were seasoned well. Mmmm... as others have mentioned BP is the best burger in T.O. imho. My daughter, who is more of a hot dog fan, actually ate her entire cheeseburger and fries. We will definitely return.

[Full tummy]

I'm with you, and, while I haven't tried Burger's Priest yet, I'm just not likely to go until there are fries worth ordering.

[millygirl]

Oh one other comment I need to make. I can't believe I forgot to mention it earlier because last night it was very irritating....

When we unpacked everything we saw that the 4 cookies were pretty much melted in to one gooey mess. Note to staff: You should package the very excellent chocolate chip cookies separately to avoid this from happening.

It was not a pretty sight. The cookies, or the 4 of us trying to separate them evenly. LOL

[abigllama]

I ate my fries along with my meal at the counter on the side and they were great. Remember thinking at the time they wouldn't travel well. If it's not too busy park in the corner next to the drink fridge and have at it there.

[millygirl]

We've never been when it's not busy. I don't think the space is designed to eat in and besides that, I much prefer to eat my BP at home. If I was looking to eat out, I would go to a proper restaurant. Hence, Take Out.

[Pincus]

Having peeked through the window, I agree I wouldn't stay there to eat. Very tiny!

[magic]

Personally, I'd never eat fries that were taken out from anywhere. They won't make it 5 minutes no matter where they are taken out from. They really should be eaten right away.

I've only been to BP once. Lucked out and got seats. I thought the fries were decent enough. Were they the best? No. Were they serviceable and worth the fat? Sure. Though I’ve certainly had fries I’ve liked more, I had no issues with them.

I agree that a burger often, if not always demands a nice french fried potato. That I very much agree with. Their fries, to me at least, were fine. A solid 7/10 lets say. But that's just me. But yes, taking fries out...... I just can't do that no matter where they’re from. It's a suicide mission and (to me at least) is just not how fries are meant to be eaten.

[jamesm]

Agreed, Fries are like hyperactive three-year olds. They don't travel well.

[jmarcroyal]

I finally had BP and I absolutely loved it. It was pretty damn expensive, I mean, a hungry man isnt going to be satisfied by spending less then $10. I ordered the Double Double combo and damn, that burger was delicious. So juicy, so tender and flavorful. I just got it with a little bit of ketchup and it was perfect.

The fries I thought were pretty good, but my problem was that they were under-salted. With a little more salt, they would have been perfect, but they were still good. And I gotta say, they do travel well, I ate them on the drive home!

I was going to bring the burger inside to eat but I just ate it in the car. It was pretty good but I could have slammed back another double-double too, and that would have brought the price to over $20...

Good burger, a little too expensive for a quick-fix fast food meal, but hey, if its Payday and you feel like treating yourself, I think its worth it!

If only there was a good Burrito place in the East end too, and I dont count Chipotle because its a bitch to park there and they close way too early...

*one note, I got to BP at like 10:40 and the place closed at 10:30, but the guy still made up the burger and everything for me. Good stuff!

[Davwud]

My first reaction was that it was expensive too but when I factored in the fact that I had a half pound of meat, chili cheese fries, a chocolate chip cookie and a can of pop at $15+ I thought it was pretty fair. I'll also pay a bit more for something better.

DT

[visualhornet]

The worst thing about bp is that they already raised price on a single burger was 4.99 now 5.30. It's just too good. Damn you bp

[scarberian]

That and the fact that their burger disappears too quickly! You take one bite and you gotta take another and another and then... poof nothing left but good old grease and fries. BTW when I last ate there I found their fries seasoned just right, but that's my opinion. I would like for them to give a bit more of their fries as now I am becoming addicted to them.

[jmarcroyal]

I thought the amount of fries he gave was pretty good, probably closer to a Super-Sized fries at McD's. I was wondering if it was because I was basically the last customer of the night, but that bag of fries never seemed to end!

It would be kinda nice imho if they had a house seasoning for their fries, some blend of flavor and salt, like maybe a cajun dusted fry or a bbq flavor...

Ofcourse that would be an option, but they could call it the Holy Dust or something. Dont get me wrong, fries with just a bit of Salt is nice, but when you include a little bit of flavor in there, it just makes them that much better.

Oh, and this place needs a killer milkshake I think, they would sell like crazy in that area!

[TexSquared]

What a ripoff.

Five Guys in Southfield, MI charges $3.59 for a little hamburger (1 patty), $4.09 for a little cheeseburger.... I still have the menu from my trip there last week! What do they charge for a double cheeseburger? (at Five Guys it's $5.29).

We always get screwed due to a lack of competition.

[TexSquared]

Southfield is a suburb of Detroit.

I just wanted to point out that (once again) with lack of competition we get ripped off on everything.

[childofthestorm]

Burger's Priest grinds their own beef several times a day. Five Guys, which I enjoy, does not grind their own beef and also operates from an economy of scale which a one-man boutique operation like BP does not have the luxury of.

So for me, this is a bad comparison.

[elibal]

five guys double cheeseburger is 4 ounces total. The BP double cheeseburger is 8 ounces.

[GoodGravy]

That doesn't sound right. According to the nutritional info on their website, their regular burger is 265 g/9.3 oz. I don't think 7 of those oz. is bun and condiments. I wasn't overwhelmed when I tried 5 Guys, but I would've noticed if the patty was only 2 oz.

[SNACKeR]

@jmarcroyal:

You don't like Chino Locos?

-----
Chino Locos
459 Church St, Toronto, ON M4Y, CA

[jmarcroyal]

I dont know of this Chino Locos, do explain...

-----
Chino Locos
459 Church St, Toronto, ON M4Y, CA

[abigllama]

OT but yes you have a steallar burrito place in the east end with Chino Locos. There's plenty of explanation on this board, do a search.

[jmarcroyal]

that place sounds pretty good based on opinions on this site, Ill have to try it out. I was hoping that there was a Burrito place east of say the DVP...

[abigllama]

The original location is at Queen and Greenwood.

[magic]

So any updates on a secret menu/special terminology?

Anyone? Anyone?

[Davwud]

I was there a month ago and Shant showed me a secret burger he was working on. He was also working on a secret sauce.

DT

[magic]

I look forward to hearing more about it! Thank you for the update.

[jmarcroyal]

so whats the burger hes working on??

dont tease!

[magic]

Who me?! I don't know!

Davwud might know....

[jamesm]

I've been told that they are basically working on something along the lines of two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce and cheese. I'm not sure what they are going to be calling it though.

[GoodGravy]

I propose he call it "The Big Monk".

[haggisdragon]

perfect. you are the winner!

[frito]

It's called the High Priest.

[magic]

Is actually that what it is called?

[Davwud]

That was the one he showed me a picture of.

He said he's working on more but didn't elaborate.

DT

[msprnt]

i went this saturday with a few friends and they had the "secret" high priest available ... it was essentially a big mac as jamesm described it above. lots of other people were ordering it alone or in combos

unfortunately, none of us tried it since it was our first time there .... but we were very very satisfied and happy with the double double and priest burgers! most of us thought it was the best burger we've had in toronto too! the chili cheese fries were a little disappointing, but that's fine... either way, still a little pricey ..... but in line with the burger prices we've seen lately in Toronto ... reminded me of the Five Guys burger i had in downtown Philly (which was considerably cheaper)

[magic]

Cool, thx for the report....!

[magic]

Add me as a fan. Went tonight and devoured a triple burger (I added an extra patty to the double double). Goddamn it was delicious.

Pretty good house-made chocolate chip cookie too!

Can't wait to go back. Thanks so much to all for this great find.

(btw, cash only for those interested like myself - who never seem to carry any.....)

[haggisdragon]

I had to go searching for an ATM one night.

[magic]

Yeah, that's why I like mentioning it....

[aser]

Biked by today, piqued my curiosity. Is there a g.f. bun option as another poster mentioned?

Big fan of in & out/shake shack, so having a local approximation would be nice. Although it's not the only style of burger I like, I can enjoy a Golden Star, an Allen's, a Bymark, a Minetta Tavern, gimme gimme gimme.

-----
Bymark
66 Wellington St. W, Toronto, ON M5K 1J3, CA

[domesticgodess]

Loved Burgers Priest too. Had the double double and I have to say....it was exactly like In-N-Out.
Thrilled to have discovered this gem of a restaurant.

[flying101]

They do offer gluten free buns. I didn't notice the packaging... but they looked like Aidan's Gluten Free buns. http://aidansglutenfree.com

During my visit another customer in line did order one, and I believe they toast the bun on a different part of the grill to be on the safe side.

[millygirl]

We've found the fries to be hit and miss. Having said that, even when they are a miss they're still better then many other places.

[aser]

cool, thanks for the info, my gf will appreciate that.

[flying101]

Went to burger bar yesterday for lunch, i wasn't that hungry so i just ordered a single cheeseburger.

I was happy to see them using a flat top to cook the burgers on, doing so added an extra 'crust' on the burgers that you could never get using a grill.

Toppings were basic but fresh and tasty. the super soft 'grocery' store bun did a good job of soaking up the grease.... er i mean 'juice' from the burger. However they claim to cook the burgers to medium, mine and my friends were both cooked past that, yet they were both still juicy and moist.

would like to see them offer a 'west-coast' burger sauce, but maybe in the future...
fries were also very good, however also super greasy... suggest eating them with a fork.

Here are some pics.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lricharz/4957748047/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lricharz/4958339406/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lricharz...

[duckdown]

First pics I've seen of it, doesn't look so spectacular to me. Burger looks fine I guess but those fries look terrible. Are they frozen? Wheres the skin?

[flying101]

I doubt the fries are frozen, there was a box of fresh potatoes next to the cash. But they do peel them as these fries where skinless...

they are twice fried (blanched, then crisped) however i think their frying oil wasn't super hot as the fries were crispy... but absorbed a lot of the oil making them to greasy

[Davwud]

First of all Duck, that's kinda the point. This is burger 101. Not burger 306. This is your basic diner/American/California style burger.

Secondly, if you look at the picture below, you'll notice it's juicy, not dense (=tender) and has a good crumb (for lack of a better word).
That was my double cheese burger.
http://xrl.in/69tu

The fries are cut in house. The meat is also ground on site as well.

DT

[abigllama]

The fries are the same as In & Out's version. Saw them made fresh with what I assumed was a peeled potato in front of my eyes!

[TorontoJo]

Just to be clear -- you're talking about Burger Bar, not Burger's Priest, right?