burgernator

my vegetarian cinematographer told me this was the best burger joint in toronto. how can you refuse that recommendation? he was right. theburgersare juicy and fall apart in your mouth. from simple standardburgersto more gourmet options this place excels across the board. only thing that would make it better would be more outside seating.

this is one of the hotspots if you are in china town or kensington market. really liked theburgerswe tried a vegetarian and a chicken burger. the pattie was really crispy and juicy. really delicious. i however did not like the attitude of the cashier. she was a lil arrogant. however the server was really nice. but a really nice place to visit if you are in visiting this part of the town.

dark and cold, the place is best suited for take out or a break from the sun on a hot day. theburgershowever… holy f. are they ever tasty.
for a great experience:
order the atomic burger with the deep fried herb crusted cheese. nuff said.

...also the daily specials are pretty out of this world.

without doubt the bestburgerswe have had ever. we ordered an atomic, drop down and give me spicy and lieutenant burger

great juicy burgers. excellent surrounding of colorful kensington market

best halal burger joint you can find in downtown toronto! with multipleburgersto choose from i picked the big bang and it was fantastic! the beef and chicken sounded like an odd combo but it takes way better than it sounds! will be coming back to try some of their other burgers.

like most fast food services you order at the front and wait until your food is made. the only difference here is that they will deliver theburgerswhen they are ready. napkins and other stuff can be found in the middle of the restaurant. i know tipping is always a big debate in the online communities, but like i personally wouldn’t tip more than 15% here unless you do a huge take-out order.

[food]
milkshake
definitely not horrible. average at best. i really can’t comment too much on it because it was just okay (easy to slurp but the taste wasn’t long-lasting).

[burgers]
to start off, everything is made on the spot so supposedly it’s fresh. theburgersare definitely warm when they are served and unlike other restaurants, they will fit into your mouth (no surgeries required to overly widen that jaw). the atomic burger i ordered was quite good, especially the fried crusted cheese – i would say it is to die for. the bun itself did not surprise me as it was not super soft. my boyfriend’s burger was just regular lols, we don’t even remember the name (damn).

overall this place is pretty nice, given that it’s located in kensington market i’m surprised there’s room for bathrooms downstairs. unfortunately they were renovating or something so the entire floor was covered in wet paint (referring to the basement) and i did not know how to walk around it. quite a chill environment. i do like it, but no wow factor.

all together not a bad burger here folks. theburgersare made from relatively fresh ground beef and cooked on the spot. the sweet potato fries were delicious so i highly recommend those.

they have gluten free buns which is a plus. the burger itself is well made and tasty and the toppings are fresh so no complaints. sure, it's not as good as burger priest but fewburgersactually are.

my husband had the challenge featuring 3 meat patties and said he'd go back which is a high compliment since he's a dedicated bp fan.

they also have some board games including citizens of humanity which is nice but you'll end up smelling likeburgersfor days since they have an open kitchen.

overall, not our favourite but it's decent so we'd probably go back. we haven't tried the milkshakes yet :)

i've been looking forward to trying out theburgershere since earlier this year. my friend posted some pics of his fare and it looked mouth watering. i myself live in australia and couldn't just go out and get one. i went and checked out some reviews and more about the burgernator. now i'm in toronto for the blue jays and went and tried a burger last night. i got the fully loaded (2, 6oz homemade patties, cheese, fried egg still runny, caramelized onions, mushrooms, lettuce, tomato & burgernator sauce) plus a poutine. which is delicious and made with cheese curds and heaps of gravy. the service was good and price is great. thanks for a memorial meal. next time i'll try the challenge and have the burgernator!

the burgernator; a burger joint that opened in kensington market in february of 2013, specializes in big burger proportions and endless customizations. they offer all kinds of signature burgers: 6oz. patties which they call “burgers of mass destruction”, and 4oz. patties, also known as classics. the one thing that sets the burgernator apart from other burger joints is their slogan: “the burger is our weapon; toronto is our battlefield.”

mark and i walked into their restaurant one day in late march and it just so happened that my birthday was a couple of days away. it was mark’s treat to buy my order this time around. upon walking into the joint, i had no idea what i was going to order. the burgernator was a place that was on my “to try” list for a while and before we arrived, i had been meaning to go back to kensington market for some time. this was the perfect opportunity to sight-see and go for a delicious burgertour lunch.
photo by andrew hockridge

we walked into the shop and the first impression i got was, “wow, this is totally different from all the other burger joints we’ve eaten at.” the interior is very modern. the walls are largely painted black with logos, slogans and huge designs etched out in chalk, resembling a massive black board. there are tables along the two sides of the restaurant with a condiment bar directly in the centre. take note, if you do choose to go on a weekend afternoon, the seating here is very limited. the best time to go is during a weekday afternoon. trust me.

on one of their walls, opposite of where i went to place my order, is a huge menu etched out in chalk. the same menu can be found on their website and on a small handout printed on brown construction paper. i took a glance at the menu and there were two things i thought about trying; their signature burgernator burger or the lieutenant burger. if i had gone with the burgernator, it would have been a resemblance to the burger i had at the burger’s priest: beef patties in between two grilled cheese sandwiches – a huge burger that i wasn’t prepared to eat a second time. so i went with the smaller option; the lieutenant burger, which had a double patty, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles and the special burgernator sauce, (i was instantly attracted to its own signature sauce).

within minutes, our orders were ready and we picked it up and walked back to our table. the burger looked amazing. nothing was falling out, nothing was crumbling apart. this looked like a real good tasting burger and i couldn’t wait to get my hands around it. i took my first bite and my taste buds were blown away. the burgernator sauce was a nice combination with the toppings on the burger and the meat was really juicy and cooked to perfection. the combo comes with a side of fries and a rosemary garlic aioli dip. the fries were freshly cut potatoes and well salted, and the dip sure adds to the flavour of the meal. by the time i had finished eating my meal, i was full. and this full was a good full. it was a satisfied type of full.

overall, the burgernator is a unique place that serves up classicburgersand fits nicely among all the independent stores and food places kensington market offers. i don’t think i could have asked for a better burger. it’s surprising to see a burger place this good get so little recognition. so next time you find yourself in kensington market and craving a delicious burger, do yourself a favour and help rid the city of “half-hearted” and “undercooked”burgersby making a stop at the burgernator.

my wife and i stopped in for a late lunch while exploring kensington. the restaurant was only half full and we easily found a table. even though there were only 15 people here, one large table was able to make it very loud overall and somewhat difficult to speak across our table. however, the service was very friendly and our food came out in good time.

i had the commander burger which was well seasoned and cookedburgerswith a nice complement of fresh toppings. nothing over the top here but a solid burger with nice flavor.

my wife had the the bazooka jr. which comes with a fried egg and jalapeños. her burger was very spicy and the burger edges were over charred. the egg was fried over hard so don't expect a runny egg if you get this burger.

i'd come back to try some other menu items and the fries but would probably get take out.

i am not a big burger fan but since i had to try this place because theburgerswere too tempting to try. it was all worth it, i love theburgersthey are making, the stuffings are just amazing and provides a juicy flavor to the burger. staff is great and friendly, the food is cooked freshly and you can see what you are going to get. the place is very busy all through out the day, i love the chilli burger here :)

the the burgernator is a small restaurant specializing in burgers, and offering freshly madeburgerspriced between $5-$10 each. there were nine differentburgersthat you could order fromtheir b.m.d (burgers of mass destruction) menu.  the terminator inspired restaurant was small with a few chairs seating. likewise, their white and black decor was modern and simple. i liked that the restaurant had an open kitchen concept where customers are able to see the cooks cooking the beef patty on the grill.   i ended up getting the atomic burger ($8.50) - all beef patty, deep fried herb crusted cheese, tomato, lettuce with a sun dried tomato aioli. the freshly ground beef patty was rather good and well-seasoned, and i liked that it was freshly made. the deep fried herb crusted cheese was thick, and warm cheese oozed out of it with every bite. liked i mentioned earlier, the deal that i got from using the app was free fries. apparently, the fries are home-made and not frozen or store bought. the fries weren't cut too thick and tasted okay. i am not sure if it was from a fresh batch, but i found the fries to be quite soggy, and lacked crispiness. i may have not been a fan of the fries, but i did enjoy the burger from the burgernator, and would return in the future. portion-wise, it was a filling meal and with the deal, it was under $10 per person.

the burgernator proclaims a mission to fight the good fight against poorly madeburgersin toronto with their own delicious handcrafted ammunition. i’ve gotta say, this place does a superb and creative job in keeping their decorations and menu items in line with their battle theme. it’s a lot of fun!

after a satisfying gym date with hellen, we decided to load up at the burgernator (269 augusta avenue). tucked away in kensington market, this place is located amongst a variety of other small eateries with lots of local character. the burgernator proclaims a mission to fight the good fight against poorly madeburgersin toronto with their own delicious handcrafted ammunition.

i’ve gotta say, this place does a superb and creative job in keeping their decorations and menu items in line with their battle theme. it’s a lot of fun! they also have a set of cards against humanity and apples to apples for customers.

and now, let’s burgernate!

atomic burger
all beef patty, deep-fried herb crusted cheese, tomato, lettuce,
with a sun-dried tomato aioli
$8.50 [combo with fries and drink for another $3.74]

this was sooo gooood. i like how the beef patty was cooked and the cheese was incredible. the home-cut fries were nice and crispy. notably, they offer a range of condiments including ketchup, vinegar, and tabasco sauce. much appreciated!

battle fields
crusted portobello mushroom stuffed with cheese and fresh herbs, topped with lettuce, tomato, and roasted garlic rosemary aioli
$8.50this is always a hit item with me, and it was no different here! the combination of the mushroom with the cheese and herbs was perfect, and i can already feel myself salivating all over again. i decimated this pretty quickly.

yum, i just couldn’t resist. this was pretty much what you’d expect it to taste like, and a perfect size to go along with the burger.

this is a great burger place! the portobello mushroom burger and milkshake here haven’t topped my love for the ones you can find in holy chuck, but this was definitely still a solid meal. hellen and i demolished ourburgersso quickly; they were just so good. we realize we completely mitigated our earlier gym time, but we felt like it was worth it, haha. as we left the store, the words “you’ll be back” read on the wall to our left. we probably will be, soon. lol :)

best burger in toronto. burger priest (owners and fans) - pay attention: this is how it's done!!!

perfectly cooked beef and lamb burgers. juicy, great seasonings with outstanding attention to flavour and texture combinations with the toppings. a perfect, flavourful bun that hold up to the burger and toppings without overwhelming the flavour of the fresh ground meat. best of all, cooked to order. we like ours medium-rare.

great fries; fresh cut, lightly seasoned and served with a brilliant aoili.

finally, the staff genuinely believes in their food and cares that you enjoy it. they are as emotionally invested in the food as are people who really care about quality and originality.

the words on the wall as you leave say it all: "you'll be back!" yes we will!!!


-----16 jul, 2013-----

drop down and give me chili. i love chiliburgersand had to try this one. it's lovely and like most chiliburgersa real messy eat. for me that's part of the fun, you get to lick the juices dripping down your wrist, makes my inner cave man want beat its chest. i shared it with my fellow culinary slut and we were both surprised that it didn't have any spicy heat to it, but this is an authentic and well made chili. if you want a spice kick go with the captain jerk.


-----16 jul, 2013-----

captain jerk. if you love spicy food this is up your alley. the jerk sauce packs an unexpected and most enjoyable punch, your lips will tingle by the time you've eaten through this. the grilled pineapple can be a bit overwhelmed by the jerk sauce, but when it does come through it adds a nice complexity, the sweetness balancing out the heat, and the citric adding a touch of tang. this also comes with havarti cheese. a delicious and unique delight.


-----16 jul, 2013-----

lamb burger. this is a special that comes and goes. the lamb meat they use is exceptional, not the least bit gamey. this came with pickled onions which added a nice texture, guacamole was an unexpectedly yummy food pairing, jalapenos for a little zest and havarti cheese. all the flavours went together remarkably well.


-----16 jul, 2013-----

the atomic burger. this is their most popular burger and the first one we had. it has their delicious beef patty cooked to order, which is always delicious. what makes this original is the deep-fried herb crusted cheese, a nice touch since the cheese stays hot and gooey as you eat the burger since it's crusted. it also makes it a bit less messy to eat. the sun-dried tomato aioli is a nice compliment to the herb crust. a lovely combination of flavours and texture.