Restaurants
Gangster Burger
Gangster Burger has been open just under a week on Queen West, taking over the former location of a shawarma spot. It's the brainchild of Lee B. and Will Nguyen of FY Ink across the street, and began as a joke. You know the one--"hey, wouldn't it be wild if we opened up a burger joint?"--but when the location went up for sale, they swept in and quickly brought on friend Adrian Forte as the chef.
After opening last Friday, they scored a surprise appearance by none other than Drake, prompting a wave of girls shyly inquiring after which burger he'd had (the veggie option) and whether he'd enjoyed it (a resounding yes).
The interior is sleek, if somewhat cramped. Designed to be purely a take-out spot, it's a long and narrow passage to the counter, flanked on one side by a very slender wooden beam--better for leaning an elbow on than trying to chow down-and collaged wallpaper of famous gangsters and their various molls lending an almost seedy veneer to the other.
Just to clarify: the shop is not "gangstah," but rather "gangster," and it tries to channel some semblance of the irreverent class that made gangsters of yore so rakishly irresistible. To that end, you'll hear classic tunes spilling from the speakers during the day, with an about-turn to hip-hop at later hours. Their mandate is to "make you a burger you can't refuse," and judging by the line-up that coalesces almost out of thin air as soon as 5 p.m. rolls around, it's working.
Forte tells me that everything is handmade--from the fries, to the hand-formed patties, to the array of truly memorable sauces--and ingredients are sourced from Kensington Market. All burgers are 6 oz beef patties, with the exception of the Eliot Ness (of The Untouchables), a 4 oz. portobello mushroom cap brimming with marinara, and finished with smoked provolone, chipotle mayo, lettuce and tomato.
I'm a sucker for flavour, so I opt for the Capone and the Dillinger. Now, I was told that they've had some trouble settling on kitchen staff, after a former employee served up a burger sans patty, which might explain what happened.
The Dillinger ($7.39) was meant to be an homage to the romantic man of crime in name only--dill havarti, caramelized onions, chipotle mayo, the shop's ubiquitous 'gangster goo,' bacon, lettuce and tomato. What I actually unwrapped was the latter three ingredients only, on a patty so charred that I only ate half. The bacon had also been left too long on the burner, and not even a generous slathering of sauce could rescue what might've otherwise been a quality whopper.
The Capone ($7.99) fared much better, although the array of sauces somewhat deflated the bun even on my 5-minute commute home. Smoked provolone, and mushrooms, onions and roasted red peppers sauteed in a marinara sauce, finished off with lettuce, tomato, and a garlic aioli sauce came together nicely for a subtle complement to the well-cooked (read: not burnt) patty. The marinara was maybe too zesty a choice, and distracted from the rich smokiness of the other flavours.
The sides are, as far as I'm concerned, both stand-outs. The fries are hand-cut Yukon potatoes, tossed in an herb blend of garlic, thyme and peppercorns, and served with your choice of dipping sauce. My vote is for the gangster goo--a spicy ketchup that, while simple, delivers punch. Forte tells me the other favourite is the blue magic, whch is named after Frank Lucas' old-timey brand of cocaine. Enshrouded in mystery, everyone hazards a guess as to which cheese is front and center in the dip; I'm going to stand by asiago although Forte has already smilingly denied it.
Forte is a veritable wizard with dressing. The salad ($3.05) itself is a simple blend of spring mix, cherry tomatoes, and beautifully tart pickled onions and cucumbers. I sample each of the dressings--jalapeno ranch, grape soda vinaigrette and honey lemon vinaigrette--and the last is a clear winner. It's lip-puckering and a definite wake-up call for your tastebuds.
Coke and Sprite are available in retro glass bottles ($2.29), and there's also Vitamin Water and juice, which you can add to your burger as a combo, along with a side, for an even $4.
Discussion
155 Comments
Sort By Oldest First / Newest First
Subscribe
Lastly, they have been open for less than a week.
To conclude, don't be a jerk, jerk!
Burned burgers don't sound too tasty, hope they iron out their kinks!
Great concept!
AWAY WITH THESE REVIEWS
NO
GO THERE SAY APOW
SO WHAT DRAKE WENT THERE
THAT GUY?
EATS?
RIDICULOUS
BIG OL BURGERS
UGLY LOOKING
REALLY THO
GO THERE IF YOU WANNA
EAT
REALLY YUCKY THINGS
-APOW
The Burger Press, 2 x Hero Burger, 3 x McDonalds, Big Smoke Burger, Grindhouse, BQM, Burger Bar, Burger Brats, Gourmet Burger Company, & the new location of Burger's Priest. Remember Oh Boy Burger a minute east of this? I never wish for a new place to not survive, but they've got a tough battle ahead.
Also, KEEP ITALIAN MARINARA AWAY FROM BURGERS. There are some blends of culture that are awesome, but tomato sauce on grilled beef is just a shitty flavour profile.
It was burnt & bland & I waited too long to get my food.
I doubt this place will be there for long, funny since they call out every other established burger joint in their tag line lol
Our grand opening is September 29th and our goal is to have resolved all issues that have or have not been mentioned.
Thank you to all our customers for their patience and support.
Never again! Be careful guys.
food storage mite be dirty
Sincerely,
HaHaHater
Been here twice, got the "Escobar" with bacon twice and it's my favorite burger in town. Better than Big Smoke, and much better than Hero Burger. They have a Jalapeno Ranch sauce that's really unique, sweet and spicy. And the crunched up Doritos go surprisingly well. Not huge on the fries, but I enjoyed the salad.
Took a bunch of co-workers there and every one of us enjoyed it. The wait is a little long, and they don't have cash- My only two knocks against them. The quality more than makes up for those downfalls though.
The food takes at least 15 minutes to come. This is far too long for 'fast food', particularly when there is no seating. Perhaps (in the area) BQM / Big Smoke take about the same time, but at least they have seating and some sort of entertainment (albeit a newspaper). Regardless, I wait it out and grab my food.
The fries are phenomenal. Really great seasoning and perfectly cooked. They are unlike any other fries I've ever tasted, kinda buttermilk in flavour (if that makes any sense?!). The burger is fine. Not great, not terrible. The texture is fine, and the flavours are fine, but nothing to write home about.
It cost under a tenner all together, and seeing as it's right behind my house, I'd probably get it again. It's not the best burger I've ever had, but it's not the worst by a long shot. I thing the owners need to realise that they actually own a Downtown business now, and they have a chance of sticking around for a while, in a really fucking difficult area.
My friend and I were looking forward to eat at this place, biggest dissappointment...
We both went for a Capone burger each, I think if Capone was alive, he'll do a hit on both of ya'll. Ease up on the baking soda in your meat patty, it looks huge cause you got it all puffed up, and it taste watery because you tried to soak it in baking soda and water for a faster effect. If you want to play with that stuff, at least go to chinatown and learn how they do it. Seriously, the bun - Walmart quality.
I don't wish you guys to fail but step it up, don't try to take shortcuts for a quick buck, it won't work. Best of luck to you both.
PS. I'm still shitting water.
Here's an advice to you, crush some immodium into your patty and all will be fine.
Runs.
Jessop out dawg
undercooked burger !
uneducated and unhelpful staff!
rude atmosphere !
but unique concept.
Went in to see what all the hype was about last night. Girl taking the order was plain rude. Did not look happy doing her job. When she was asked variety if questions about the place, she was not pleasant. Waited 20 minutes for our burger. Told the cooks that we didn't want lettuce tomato and mayo. But they still continued to put lettuce tomato and mayo. The cooks were lost and took a while to figure out who's burger belonged to who. Because of the long line, meat was rushed and undercooked. The cool forgot the fries and pulled out a basket of stale fries from the back. People would like to see that their fries are fresh. Shouldn't be pulled from the back. Only thing cool are the bottled drinks and the mural on the wall. Other customers in the restaurant were rude and obnoxious to us.
Anyways, I had the food, it is on the real low end of the burger spectrum, under performing even when compared to Burger King or Harveys. But luckily, no line ups in sight, which, ironically, is the only positive.
Blogto gives the gentlest reviews, if a review says the food was inedible, then the place really might have serious problems. My girlfriend got sick after eating here so while I havent eaten their stuff I certainly would recommend ppl to thk twice.
also, tone it down a little. just say how good the food is. don't say it's the best in the city or the best thing u've ever tasted in your life. it's too much. lastly, stop stating how long the line ups are. it's not a club, it's a food establishment.
other than that, keep it going from both sides. this is good reading.
The cats who run the place are crazy nice, but give the staff weird signals.
The only people I see there are hood rats. I see a lot of diarrhea issue with this place, has anyone asked them to provide their food handling certificate?
BTW T Reel's comment seems fake.
Take the feedback to start making your new customers happy, because you need them to return. You can talk the talk as much as you want, but at the end of the day, the product speaks for itself.
Best of luck to the owners. Sorry, but I won't be crossing town to judge for myself.
For the haters:
http://instagram.com/p/Px5K9PPnT4/
Gburger is there to stay, star power can make a business.
Keep clubland out of our hamburgers.
Actually, no, let them have overpriced, burnt (not charred) ones provided by people with zero passion for what they're doing, only seeking to hop on a (dated) trend. Real people know where to go to find great burgers.
It's here, just enter the name:
app.toronto.ca/food2/index.jsp
They had eight safety infractions, four of them classed as 'significant' in severity. Currently, they have a conditional pass. In comparison, and ppl can chk this for themselves, The Burger's Priest got a complete pass with zero infractions.
I ain't risking it. I will only use their gangster goo seasoning to slicken my chest hairs during foreplay.
Some advice for these newbies - go down the street to Banh Mi Boys and order something. Watch the way they handle the line. Then introduce yourself to the owners and beg for an hour of their time. I have no idea if they would actually help you, but you need to do something. You are in over your head.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2012/09/22/nl-ecoli-recall-sobeys-foodland-922.html
step your game up fellas ... that is some very basic shit on there .. u clearly didn't do your research in terms of standards in a restaurant environment ..
not to mention they are not displaying there dine safe card in the window ...
I have tried the joint .. again .. just another burger joint doin the same ol bullshit! beef with a bunch of shit piled on! meh.... i do love an egg bun though.. but that shit was NOT GANGSTER.. mega dry ...
as for that recall ... that has nothing to do with this joint .. unless they get there beef from Sobeys or Foodland...
Good Luck .. resto biz aint easy ..
I have to admit, I thought the concept was too gimmicky, but it's started to grow on me.
As for the food, they're a new shop, I'm sure they're still workin out the kinks, however, it's a crucial time - attention to detail's important. I have certainly had way worse in the area, and the fries are damn good. Meat to bun ratio is off - as several people have mentioned, but, something for them to address and hopefully change.
I'm all for indie spots opening up in the area, Hero/McD's/whatever large-scale franchise, Fu*kin beat it. Gangster Burger's not my first choice, but I'll see how they are in a bit.
The burger takes you on a journey, a totally seductive fresh-crisp-and-soulful synergy of dashing and co-mingling flavors. Went down smooth, like Dom Pérignon with it. Hits the palate, soothes the soul, smooth like Dom Pérignon with it, playa.
Don't you miss that grand opening playa, don't you dare. Like Dom Pérignon, Saturday the place be busting. Get down with it playa.
I was in the area during nuit blanche, the opening was obviously a giant flop. I don't wish the owners ill, but I hope they aren't heavily invested in this place because it won't last more than six months.
snoop, me ren and dre did some ciphering over the fries and the freshness, and here we sit poppin' Dom while we finish off our second helping...with the ladies we grabbed from the club, er...the burger joint ; )
The infamous bun issue has been corrected and, for those of you who are unaware, our beef is of the kobe quality. The freshest and top of the line quality ingredients are used for your oral pleasure.
I'd like to also address the negative comments. When we opened we were not very professional, but now we are indeed superior in quality and price to all competitors in Toronto. No pedophiles, no fake heroes, just pure unadulterated Italian mobsters: gangsters.
That's a rap. Come stuff your faces with gourmet.
I do agree the girl at the counter is pretty gorgeous... :)
I took out my rage on my boyfriend and slept with his best friend and his father. I also keyed his car and killed his dog. He should have given me the entire burger. I did all these things because these burgers are worth jail time.
Shout outs to photo will
I just want to add, for the haters, Gangster Burger has caught the eye of several powerful corporations. Several offers have been made, including a deal to make the brand global. I have refused each offer, because I know this company is worth mad millions. Each your hearts out.
This sums it up nicely and shows the owners' attention to e detail. Another joke burger joint started by incompetent owners that are focused on the big franchise potential than the actual product. You won't be there much longer, hopefully you learn from this before throwing more money down the toilet.
A fad and wont last long. No seats or tables to dine on, strictly a takeout
Place. Whats so gangster about this place?
The burgers - because they are dangerous lol
Hope they don't see 2013!
I'm friends with the owners, they say the place might be shutting down due to lack of business...Guys help keep this place alive, go buy burgers. Even if you're not hungry, just buy burgers, give em to the homeless or feed it to pigeons.
Help guys!
The owners can barely afford to pay for the buns and supplies, please just come and donate as much as you can afford. Yesterday I went in and dropped a fifty dollar bill in the restaurant. You should all do the same. Help save Toronto's best.
We are announcing a new flagship store. We will be opening in Yorkville in January 2013. Two other stores will be opened by the end of December. We are opening a branch in the Scarborough Town Center, for all my peoples, and another branch in Mississauga.
Thanks for your support, I'm going back to counting money.
Out.
"You don't get in the ring with Ali 'cause you think you box."
Extortion.
Hows that working out for you William? LOL.... FAIL BURGER.
Cowards
I think its a matter of opinion, so don't base your opinion on the reviews, base it on your own experience.