Internet-famous burger business finally opening physical location in Toronto
A Toronto burger business that's unlike anything else in the city is finally opening a permanent location after making a major splash online. Fish pun absolutely intended.
After amassing over 8,000 followers on Instagram and an even larger in-person fanbase, Toronto's Poke Burgers is finally moving on up as founders Cesar Mandujano and Julian Tangarife Munoz prepare to open the venture's first brick-and-mortar location.
Students of the "why not both?" school of thought, Mandujano and Munoz created Poke Burgers when, after a few heated moments deciding whether they'd order burgers or poke for dinner, a lightbulb went off. With an Uber Eats order consisting of crispy rice "patties" and crab salad, the poke burger was born.
Not long after that, the two got to work on perfecting their own renditions of the burgers, selling them to like-minded burger-and-poke fans across the city and redefining what a burger can actually be in the process.
Launching in July 2025, the business spent its first year operating on a pick-up and delivery basis. Though the pop-up approach did little to deter its enthusiastic fans from pouncing at each drop, Mandujano and Munoz always dreamt of something bigger. Something... permanent.
This summer, that dream is finally coming true, as Poke Burgers prepares to set up shop at World Food Market.
As Mandujano and Munoz document the entire process of getting the stall up on its feet, it's evident that there's still a way to go before Poke Burgers' new physical location opens to the public. Still, they promise it's coming this summer.
I just hope that, by the time Poke Burgers opens, the businesses at World Food Market are allowed to display signage again.
World Food Market is located at 335 Yonge St.
