Two viral burger chains are about to open at the same Toronto intersection
A bustling Toronto intersection is about to become a patty paradise as two chains that have earned considerable online attention gear up to open just steps apart.
When it comes to infamous Toronto intersections, few find themselves so consistently the recipients of relentless teasing as Queen and Spadina do. Sure, that's mostly the fault of the area's chaotic McDonald's, but the sentiment holds.
Once the epicentre of Toronto's grungy counterculture, Queen West has, in recent years, been in a limping state of decline, with carcasses of what were once big-name retail stores looming like gaps in a smile.
Still, plenty of businesses are fighting to push Queen West into a new era if it can't be restored to its former glory, and two burger chains with considerable online followings have joined the charge, planning to open locations around the intersection in the coming months.
Taking over the space recently left behind by Matty Matheson Vietnamese venture, Ca Phe Rang, is Oklahoma Burgers.
Ever since the Mississauga-founded chain opened its first Toronto location on King West in 2024, it's been a sensation in the city, opening a secondary downtown location shortly thereafter at Yonge and Bloor.
Now, they've set their sights on Queen and Spadina, officially opening their fourth location on Tuesday, March 17, supplying Oklahoma-style burgers (smash burgers with onions fried directly into the patty) to a whole new neighbourhood.
Oklahoma Burgers isn't alone in planting new roots in the neighbourhood, though.
Just around the corner, in a space most recently occupied by an I Am Doner location, Brampton-based New York Sliders is about to move in at 433 Queen St. W.
Boasting locations in Brampton and Mississauga on top of a whopping 11K Instagram followers, New York Sliders is on a roll right now, slated to open its inaugural Toronto location this April, with locations in Scarborough, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton on the slate, too.
Famous for — you guessed it — sliders, staples at the restaurant include a truffle mushroom slider, jalapeno pepper jack slider and even an Oklahoma-style slider.
Do I smell a heated rivalry cooking? No, I think that's just the smell of onions frying on the black top.
On top of the eponymous sliders, New York Sliders also serves favourites like loaded fries and chicken tenders, alongside plant-based sliders like halloumi and hot cauliflower.
Suffice it to say, the burger joints are exciting additions to the neighbourhood, but they'll have their work cut out for them when it comes to standing out, not only from one another, but from the other burger joints that also populate the area.
At the northwest corner, you'll find the aforementioned infamous McDonald's location, where, to the northeast, you'll find an A&W location.
If you ask me, there's no limit to how many burger joints should be able to harmoniously operate within the same postal code, but only time will tell whether such coexistence will actually be possible.
@newyorksliders/Instagram
