Honestly, is there anything better than a burger? (If you have an alternative answer, we don't want to hear it right now.) The burger scene in Toronto has unleashed a new kind of fandom with people lining up for hours and pre-booking days in advance just to get their paws on the latest and greatest smash burger (literally smashing a hamburger patty on a hot griddle to maximize flavour) or a juicy charbroiled patty.
No matter how you like your patty — stacked, smashed, classic, grilled — we've got a list of Toronto's best burgers for any budget, from easy on the wallet options ($) to a bust-the-bank burger ($$$) that will blow them all away. We've also got a list of best vegan and vegetarian burgers for our meat-free friends.
Pickup these patties for takeout or delivery or go right to the source (or is that sauce?) and get em' while they're hot and fresh. If you can save room for dessert after burgers — and kudos to you — feast your eyes on Toronto's best pies, go ahead, live your best life.
The best burgers in Toronto: $
Matty's Patty's Burger Club
923a Queen St. W.
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The big dawg Matty Matheson is back with his latest concept in partnership with longtime friend Pat Tenore. Matty's Patty's began as a touring popup slinging a short but oh-so-sweet menu of juicy buns (from $8) before setting down permanent roots in Matheson's old stomping ground. Each burger comes with a generous helping of 'Matty Sauce' – an ooey, gooey combo of mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, onions and pickles. But this ain't your average celeb-endorsed restaurant, where the famous foodie slaps their name on the sign and collects a cheque. Walk past Matty's Patty's on any given day, and there's a good chance you'll see Matheson in profile at the pass, band tee, unmistakable blonde highlights, beanie hat and all. Talk about added value.
Available from delivery and pickup. mattyspattysburgerclub.com
Burger Drops
116 Atlantic Ave
Their summer popups were so popular that Burger Drops opened up their own place in Liberty Village, Drop Shop. Serving up no-fuss smash burgers and fries, the menu is small – but why mess with a good thing, right? Choose either the cheeseburger ($7) with griddled sweet onions, house pickles and Drop sauce or the American ($7) with diced onions, lettuce and ketchup. Or both, we won't judge. Oh and those cheese fries are *chef's kiss.*
Available for delivery and pickup. burgerdrops.com
Extra Burger
1265 Dundas St. W. and 269 Dunn Ave
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The name may be extra, but the selections are straightforward: classic smash burgers and crinkle fries done right. The cheeseburger ($10.50) with American cheese, kosher pickle and secret Extra sauce comes fully loaded so there's no need to modify. If you're bored of burgers (who even are you anyway?), there's also the spicy-ish fried chicken sandwich ($13.50) and grilled cheese sandwich ($5.20) served on the same delicious squishy potato bun as the cheeseburgers.
Aunty Lucy's
296 Brunswick Ave
Everyone needs an Aunty Lucy in their life. The Kumasi Burger ($8), named after the city in Ghana where owner Chieff Bosompra's father is from, has a special Lucy's sauce and a bite that will take you on a trip. Feeling hungry? Double up with the Accra Burger's ($11) two beef patties. We're hoping this pop-up inside the Annex Hotel is here to stay.
The Burgernator
269 Augusta Ave
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This Kensington outpost is on a mission to "rid the city of half-hearted and overcooked burgers, processed cheese and questionable toppings." We salute you. Choose from the classic Sergeant Burger ($6.49), all-beef patty with Burgernator Sauce, lettuce and tomato, or "burgers of mass destruction" like the Bulldozer ($10.99) with freshly ground lamb, mango salsa and sautéed jalapeños.
Happy Burger
76 Lippincott St.
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The name is pretty self-explanatory – it's hard not to be happy when you tuck into a Happy Burger, the latest addition to Toronto's smash-burger obsession. Topped with cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion and Happy Sauce on a potato bun, the standard Happy Cheeseburger ($6.95) will make your day, but don't skip on the waffle fries or the Pastrami Burger ($10.95). There's also an entirely vegan option for our meat-free friends.
Harry's Charbroiled
293 Palmerston Ave and all over the city
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Like an ice cream truck, but for charbroiled burgers. If you're lucky, you can catch this bright-yellow food truck roaming around the west end, but it's main home is on Palmerston where you can order for pickup. Don't be confused by the name, the Plain Jane ($8.49) burger with cheese and pickles is anything but boring, neither are their thick cut french fries. Try the Red Burger ($9.99) with red chorizo, pineapple and jalapeño mayo for something totally out of this world.
Rudy
Various Locations
There’s something incredibly comforting about the food at Rudy. It’s quick and easy, and just greasy enough. Traditionalists go with the Rudy ($6.99) – their classic cheeseburger topped with lettuce, tomato and Rudy sauce. It might seem slim compared to the meatball-on-a-bun burgers, but the smash-burger style maximizes flavour. For a few extra bucks, get the Rude Dude double cheeseburger ($9.99).
The best burgers in Toronto: $$
Cabano's Comfort Food
75 St Nicholas St #104
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Kevin Boyd has long been a fan of burger joints — and now he's putting it into practice with Cabano's Comfort Food, a simple but satisfying spot near Church and Wellesley. You can't go wrong with The Cabano Burger ($14), with American cheese on the bottom and two Ontario beef patties on top — but the fried chicken sando ($9) or veal and eggplant ($13) handheld options are equally delicious. And if you're still craving more comfort food, the chilli cheese fries will send you into one of the most blissful food comas imaginable.
Holy Chuck
Various Locations
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Chuck ya to these patties made of aged, high-quality steak ground fresh every hour. The Holy Chuck signature double cheeseburger ($12.49) is patty perfection with bacon, caramelized onions and specific instructions not to add any toppings. Things get wild as you go down the menu, with burgers like the Holy Duck ($35.99) with fresh Quebec foie gras, maple smoked bacon and Italian white truffle oil.
Ozzy's Burgers
66 Nassau St.
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If it's good enough for Jason Momoa (who was recently seen tucking into a stacked Ozzy's Burger) then it's good enough for us. Often dubbed "Toronto's Best Burger" (we're not picking favourites here), Ozzy's premium burgers are a must on your burger bucket list. From the Holy Cheesus ($13.99) with deep fried mozzarella to the Son of a Bun ($13.99) with two friend chicken tenders inside, these burgers are famous in their own right.
Matt's Burger Lab
1205 Queen St. W.
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If you want over-the-top, the burgers at this Parkdale lab have no chill. All burgers are made from high-quality AAA striploin so you'll be more than satisfied with their classic cheeseburger ($8.90), but we're also here to experiment. The Big Bang ($24.90) is, well, rather big – a tower of two patties with guac and salsa fresca are squeezed between two grilled cheese sandwiches.
Gianna's Patties and Pies
1554 Queen St. W.
We love a good collab, and Gianna’s Patties and Pies specializes in perhaps the best one ever: Detroit-style pan pizza and burgers. Taking over the now-closed Tennessee Tavern spot in Parkdale, Gianna’s brings a refreshing vibe to the area where the pizzas are thick and the burgers are stacked. The baked crust on the pizza isn’t the only thing that's crispy – the smashed fried mozza on the Frico Cheese Burger ($12) brings all the satisfying crunch.
Burger's Priest
Various locations
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This classic cheeseburger joint is our kind of church. The High Priest (literally) of burgers comes in at $12.99 and has two original beef patties, Secret Sauce and American cheddar. Keep your eyes peeled for their not-so-secret menu with totally ridiculous and absolutely necessary concoctions like the towering Four Horseman of the Apocalypse ($29.99) with either panko-crusted or cheese-stuffed portobello cap, American cheddar and two beef patties between two grilled cheese buns. Godspeed and God bless.
Museum Tavern
208 Bloor St. W.
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This might be one of the most underrated spots for Toronto's best burgs. The prime beef double cheeseburger ($15) is so good-looking it belongs in a museum, but mostly it just belongs in your belly, stat. It may be Big-Mac-inspired, but there's nothing standard about it, especially not with that "special sauce" you're going to want to bottle and take home.
The Comrade
758 Queen St. E.
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Ask any east-ender what their favourite burger spot is and they'll most likely say the Comrade. The prime rib burger ($17) with a specialty-made prime rib brisket patty from their butcher and topped with melty cheddar and just the right amount of sauce is downright legendary.
Temporarily a bottle shop due to COVID. thecomraderestaurant.com
Richmond Station
1 Richmond St. W.
From Top Chef Canada Winner Carl Heinrich, comes a burger that needs to be on the top of everyone's list. You can literally taste the quality of the the Stn. Burger ($19) with its organic and grass-fed beef, garlic aioli, aged cheddar and beet chutney. Next stop: dinner.
The best burgers in Toronto for any budget: $$$
The Drake Hotel
1150 Queen St. W.
The Drake combines the hipster vibe you'd expect from a boutique hotel with the artsiness that the neighbourhood was previously known for. Tuck into their namesake burger ($23) served on a milk bun and topped with aged cheddar, Perth bacon, Russian dressing and a pickle – oh, and a side of fries. Upgrade to pecorino and truffle butter fries for just $4. Go on, treat yo'self.
Maple Leaf Tavern
955 Gerrard St. E.
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A decade in the making, this perfect cheeseburger ($22) creation from chef Jesse Vallins proves that good things come to those who wait. The cheese and the brioche bun are made in house and the premium sirloin is ground in house as well for that nostalgic, hand-made backyard burger experience.
Antler
1454 Dundas St. W.
In the middle of busy Dundas West, Antler stays true to its rural roots with a menu featuring nontraditional meat like venison, wild boar and of course that two-hander game burger ($26) with a patty of wild boar, bison and deer topped with duck egg aioli and smoked cheddar.
Aloette
163 Spadina Ave.
For the chicest comfort food, Aloette adds French flare to the neighbourhood diner. The Aloette burger ($18) is perfectly formed – we would expect nothing less from this French bistro. It's prepared to medium as standard, with a pickle, onions and griddled Beaufort cheese oozing down the sides.
KŌST
80 Blue Jays Way
Head to the 44th floor of the Bisha Hotel for views and a burger on top of Toronto. The KŌST burger ($23) has thick black pepper bacon, smoked cheddar and that fancy Boston Bibb lettuce that's almost too good for a salad. Inspired by the Baja Peninsula, KŌST's heated sky-high patio is the next best thing to a vacation.
Bymark
66 Wellington St. W.
At $40, the famous Bymark Burger might be one of the most expensive in the city, but we’d be lying if we said we couldn’t taste the difference. The eight-ounce patty is loaded with brie de meaux, shaved truffle and grilled porcini mushrooms. But there’s another burg' on the menu that’s worth the spend: juicy and a little more funky, the dry-aged beef burger topped with caramelized onions and raclette cheese is well worth the $38 price tag, promise.
