The Best Burger in Toronto

the link for Johnny's Charbroiled Hamburgers goes to some place other than Johnny's!

oh and where's utopia?!?!?!?!??! utopia's burgers are the absolute BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Johnny's link fixed :)

Be sure to nominate and vote for Utopia next year!

I'm veg so I can only comment on my favourite veggie burgers, but if I had to choose, I'd say:

1. Hero Burger ("soul" burger)
2. Big Stan's
3. Pulp Kitchen
4. Lick's
5. Swiss Chalet/Harvey's

4,5 not really local to Toronto though...

I'm still saying Apache came in number two because it's location means many people still haven't had the chance to eat there yet. Best burger I've had in Ontario, hands down.

Dangerous Dan's at number one? Are you f**king kidding me?! That crap will kill you:

http://tinyurl.com/4mgxnv

You know, for all the flack it takes, you have to admit that McDonald's Big Mac and Quarter Pounder can meet very specific tastebud needs occasionally.

Who here doesn't get the slightest cringe of hunger when cramming into the TTC with some lucky schlub who just happened to get their McD's on. The scent will get you!

this whole 'best of' series is the result of a vote!? all this time i was thinking the blogto crew was going out and carefully rating and reviewing all the various places.... not to imply that you aren't going out and reviewing lots of places, i just thought that what was going on for the 'best of'.....

i WILL vote next time.... and next time Utopia will be on the list.... and Gallery 44 will be #1.. and probably some other stuff that i can't remember right now...

@sameer: I have to agree with your Apache Burger assessment. fantastic burger. I work out in the 'saug and occasionally find myself wandering out of kipling station on my way home just so I can get my fix.

@katiec: that's the spirit!

Dangerous Dan's is disgusting. But it is an experience for sure. Go there once. Never go back.

Just to clarify how this works. In late 2007 we had a call for nominations. Then, based on the nominations (by blogTO readers and staff) we came up with a final list of nominees that we then opened up to a vote during the month of January. So, we did have a say in terms of who was nominated but at the end of the day the final results were determined by a vote. In some cases, we have added additional places to the end of the list that we felt were worthy candidates but didn't get enough or any nominations to qualify for the voting stage.

T.O. Burger Quest

Royal Meats Barbecue in Etobicoke makes really great (and different) burgers too.

@sellout

If you cared for your tastebuds, you wouldn't subject them to McD's. :P

Jerr: With the complete lack of any sort of flavour, I'm sure his tastebuds will be just fine as they sit back and refrain from sending any signals to the brain.

Yellow Griffin Pub in Bloor West Village.

Over 30 different types of burgers, and you can choose between Beef, Bison, Lamb, Chicken, Pork or Vegetarian patties.

Yellow Griffon is really good. I agree!

Johnny's is the worst..why not go to M&M meats...thats where they buy the patties from.
NOT TO BE A HIPSTURRR..
but the DRAKE burger is INSANE!

Apache is crap aswell...More M&M meat burgers...
COMMON!

I'm also vegetarian and haven't had a 'real' burger in about eight years, but Golden Star in Thornhill is by far the best place for burgers (veggie and otherwise)

Steak Queen at VP and Lawrence E is better than all of these places.

Apache burger is terrible now.

Church Street Diner has great burgers and fun staff

I almost hate to admit it, but yeah ... The Drake has awesome burgers.

Uh hello??? Zet's? if you ever been near the Airport - you'll notice this staple.

Until I can get a medium rare hamburger in Toronto, they all suck!

Sanchex, do your homework; Allen's cooks to order.

it's all about the johnny's burger..... got a cult like following

4 of us from work are on a mission to visit all of these places to crown the winning burger. Today at lunch we visited Dangerous Dan's. Here were our thoughts:

Great ambiance. This is a traditional burger style joint. You sit on old van seats mounted to wooden boxes. The tables look like someone cut up a Parquet Floor and framed it up. Little ledge on the wall holding salt, pepper, and menu's. Place is cluttered up a bit with nick-nacks, but it adds to it's charm. This is the way a burger joint should be in our opinion. Look behind the counter, it's clean, it just has a aged facade.

None of us got the Quad C or anything crazy. We stuck with the traditional 8oz burger, with cheese and bacon, everything on it (no relish for me). All beef burger here, good consistency, good thickness, and very moist and 100% hand made (no pre-formed patties here). Bun was great, held together for the duration of the eating, and wasn't overwhelming. It was cooked well for a thick burger (you always run the risk of people burning the outside when the burger gets thicker). Overall, decent burger, but definitely not the best. Even with all of the positives above, we all agreed that the flavor of the burger was a bit lacking. It was almost bland. There was a hint of Worcestershire or something like that inside but that was it.

For this place, claim to fame would be finishing off the Quad C burger, but I'm not sure it would be a fully enjoyable experience...like finishing off a 64oz medium rare T-Bone/Porterhouse steak :).

So our verdict. Worth going to. Order the Quad C if you dare. We would give it a solid 7/10.

Next up, Steak Queen at Vic Park and Lawrence followed by Golden Star at Yonge near Steels

On A Sad Note:

For everyone reading this forum...Johnny's Charbroiled Hamburgers is no longer. They have closed. I had to drive by to believe it, but it is closed up. Rumour is they sold the property to a Condo Developer... I know it wasn't loved by all, but it was an institution. Sad to see it go.

no idea what you talking about but johnny's is not closed.