Restaurants
Stampede Bison Grill
Parkdale's Stampede Bison Grill is located just off Queen St West on Brock and specializes in, you guessed it, bison burgers. I stopped in with a friend this past week to get my very own custom Bison Burger and see what else the Stampede has to offer.
The burger menu here offers a nice variety, aside from the bison and roast bison specialties. You can get beef, chicken, club and even veggie, all made the way you like with custom toppings (see the menu posted below for details).
We order up the standard Bison Burger and a Veggie Burger along with a side of Sweet Potato Fries and Onion Rings.
The Bison Burger ($4.75), pictured at the top, is thick and meaty but, thankfully, not as dry as I expected from my last experience with bison elsewhere. Size-wise, I like the patty thickness at Stampede. Thick enough to register with your taste buds (especially as the buns are a little on the huge side) but not so chunky that you need a couple litres of water to wash it down (you know you've been there). A slathering of "stampede mayo" along with pickles, lettuce, onions and tomatoes make this a well-rounded and tasty burger.
The Veggie Burger ($4.50) shows that even this red-meat-loving kitchen knows how to treat its veggie friends. This has got to be one of my favourite vegetable patties in recent memory. Bits of zucchini, beans, carrots, mushrooms, etc are all visible to the naked eye. We topped this burger with roasted red peppers and loved every nutritious morsel.
The Onion Rings ($2.25) are thick-cut and crispy coated -- no weak, stringy rings here. I made the mistake of eating one and then leaving the rest til after I'd polished off the burger, so the majority of the rings had grown a little soft by then. Word to the wise - have 'em while they're hot.
And then there were the Sweet Potato Fries (also $2.25). What I liked about these was that they weren't deep fried to a blackened crisp like so many eateries are doing these days. They were full of flavour and soft with a slight crispiness around the edges.
What didn't work for me was matching them up with a burger. These tend to sit heavier than traditional fries and, as a result, really pushed us over the fullness edge. We couldn't finish them and I, for one, would go with the regular fries next time 'round.
Overall, I dig what the Stampede Bison Grill is cookin' up, especially on this strip of Queen that doesn't usually excite me in terms of lunch options. I'll certainly be back again.
Food photos by Tanja-Tiziana.
Discussion
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I tried and will try again.
But to tell u guys honestly, nobody can beat karine's veggie burger. It's totally vegan and served with all and every requested custom toppings at no extra charge. Capers? My favorites.
I go there at least 3 times a week.
These people rock with their delicious and fit for all tastes dishes, salads and sandwiches.
Top on my list.
their service is slow, too. i waited 15 min for my order, and they didn't seem that busy.
next time, i'm skipping this place. i can make a better burger at home.
they made my burger medium-rare, something nobody is willing to do anymore (they must really really trust their meat, unlike other places...) and my gawd it was fantastic...
rings were great too... with taxes the two are now about $11, but its way better than buying two combos from some trashy place... quality costs, shitty stuff doesn't, no matter what you're talking about...
Probably the most satisfying poutine in the city. They don't invent bizarr combinations of food with it, just lots of cheese, lots of layers, lots of love.
With sweet potato fries at 5.65$ (tx incl)...Jackpot for 3am.
The fries (both regular and sweet potato) were awesome, the burgers again awesome and the bison and regular poutine is amazing ( and super filling) Deal with it, great things come to those who wait.
don't think i'm ever coming back again. sorry.
the best burger i've ever had until now was at the Aunties and Uncles.
I'll still keep coming back though, because just even thinking about their bison burger makes my mouth water.
To rate this place out of 10 I would give them a 7. Might consider trying them again in a few months.
Apparently a Parkdale couple is moving in with a new restaurant. Fingers crossed...
My bet is that with the rising costs of real estate, what with the neighborhood becoming more popular and such a "hipster haven" they couldn't make a profit when trying to cover the rent.
Sad because they made the best poutine in Toronto.
The location next to the LCBO is truly an awful and on occasion going there I got the feeling like the owner really didn't enjoy the local wildlife out front his store hampering the potential. I hope he his next venture works out great. I will miss this place.