Canada’s 8 Greatest Burger Restaurants

Nothing beats a tasty burger, and it seems every city has their own charbroiled claim to fame. But who comes out on top? We scoured Canada for the nation’s greatest hamburgers, and narrowed it down to eight picks worthy of your time and taste buds.

Splitz Grill, Whistler

Touted as a “true gourmet burger joint” Splitz Grill started out on Main Street in Whistler in 1997 to feed the masses coming off the slopes, and later opened a second location in Vancouver for downtown workers. One of the reasons for their popularity is the many choices on offer beyond your typical beef burger – buffalo, turkey, lamb, sausage, salmon and vegetarian (lentil) burgers also abound, and all have choices of cool toppings like aged cheddar, bacon, fried egg, sautéed mushrooms, baba ghanouj, tzatziki, hummus, and the oh-so savoury trademark Splitz sauce.

(Photo: Splitz Grill)

Webers, Orillia, Ontario

Opened in 1963, Webers is such a well-established Ontario burger institution that it was featured in Molson’s “I am Canadian” television commercial. And though it is somewhat off the beaten track on Highway 11, they added their own pedestrian bridge to help folks cross the road safely to get there. Line-ups are a given, but the fare is well worth the wait, as is the experience of watching the “key man” at work expertly flipping up to 800 charcoal grilled burgers an hour as he has been doing for over 49 years! Their patties are also for sale through Loblaws.

(Photo: Webers Burgers)

M:brgr, Montreal

Though Montreal’s M:brgr does serve some regular style burgers, they also boast a unique, seriously upscale gourmet creation that will set you back $100! So if you really want to put your money where your mouth is, slap down a C-note to buy bragging rights of tackling their two Kobe beef patties, bacon, grilled pear, foie gras, brie, fig jam, asparagus, Piave del vecchio cheese, garlic roasted ham, porcini mushrooms, honey truffle aioli and truffle carpaccio along with sides of sweet potato fries, French fried onions, arugula and sweet cherry tomatoes. Sound rich?

(Photo: M:brgr)

Mrs. Mikes, Winnipeg

The unassuming little red and white takeout in St. Boniface is not much to look at, but ask anyone in Winnipeg where to get the absolute best burger and the name Mrs. Mikes is bound to come up. Opened in 1969, it has always remained a simple Mom & Pop style joint that serves a really basic menu of burgers, hot dogs, fries and thick old-fashioned milkshakes. But it’s their famous mammoth two-patty behemoth with a generous dollop of chili on it called the “King Burger” that seems to really keep folks coming back for more.

(Photo: Mrs. Mikes)

Peter’s Drive In, Calgary

Peters’ Drive-In has been the guilty pleasure of just about every Calgarian for almost five decades. Out-of-towners are drawn there as well, like actor Hugh Jackman who was in town filming X-Men and told the press that it was the best burger he had ever had! So what makes it so good? Simplicity. Just 100 per cent whole Canadian grade A ground chuck, real Canadian cheddar cheese and some noteworthy fries and thick old-fashioned shakes on the side. Note: Peters’ Drive-In only takes cash -no credit or debit cards- but on the upside, newlyweds always eat there for free!

(Photo: Peters’ Drive-In)

The Works, Ottawa

Let’s start in the nation’s capital where The Works is famous for serving up award-winning burgers of every ilk. The appeal here is that they really do give you the works! With a whopping 70-some creative topping combinations like grilled eggplant, fresh avocado, salsa loco and feta cheese or sweet and spicy sauce, pineapple, cream cheese and hot peppers… if you can’t find something to suit your flavour-fancy then maybe burgers just aren’t your thing! They even have Portobello patty options for vegetarians. The Works has seven locations in Ottawa and plan to expand across the country.

(Photo: www.worksburger.com)

Darrell’s Restaurant, Halifax

Originally named “My Other Brother Darrell’s” from the Bob Newhart 80s sitcom, Darrell’s Restaurant in Fenwick has been an annual winner of The Coast “Best-of-Food” awards in many categories including Best Veggie Burger and Best Burger in Halifax for almost a decade. But the specialty that receives the most attention now is their “Peanut Butter Burger”. It’s so unusual (and addictive) that they received an order for a whopping 4 1/2 lb. peanut butter burger to be specially made as a birthday cake! It’s now on their menu as the Peanut Butter Burger “Birthday Cake Edition“.

(Photo: www.darrellsrestaurants.com)

The Burger’s Priest, Toronto

Best Burger wars are alive and well in the T-dot, and with so many spots vying for your business it just depends of your preferences. But purists seeking back-to-the-basics fare are now flocking to The Burger’s Priest in droves. Promising to redeem the fast food favourite “one at a time”, they grind their meat fresh daily on-site and stick to simple toppings and soft buns. They also have a highly touted “secret” menu that includes celestial concoctions like The Vatican: a burger between two grilled-cheese sandwiches! Do we have an “Amen”?

(Photo courtesy of Katie Gougeon)