Fat Friday - The Burger’s Priest

Just thinking about this burger again is making me drool (and I’m pretty sure my peanut butter sandwich is not going to cut it!). Unlike other burger joints we’ve gone to on more than one occasion (Kraft Burger, now Big Smoke Burger; The Grindhouse; BQM, to name a few), I’ve only had the good fortune (for my taste buds, bad fortune for my cholesterol) of eating at Burger’s Priest once. I am dying to go back!

We heard really great things about this burger: good reviews from Toronto Life and The Grid, and if the lineups are any indication, this is the next hot spot. Luckily, they do take-out, and if you call ahead to place your order, then you can skip the lines all together and just walk up to the counter to pay. Seating is limited in there anyway, so this is a good way to go.

What’s so great about this burger, you might ask? Let’s start with the menu – the Secret Menu. Yes, they have a secret menu that if you don’t know about before you order, you won’t hear a peep about it. You can find it hidden on their Facebook page, and it includes such hidden gems as “The Religious Hypocrite” - a Portobello mushroom ‘burger’ with bacon, and “The Vatican City” – two beef paddies, two slices of cheese, and a Portobello mushroom, all sandwiched between 2 grilled cheese sandwiches (at right).

This is no regular burger joint, folks. A standard order is either a single or a double patty, with or without cheese. These are greasy burgers cooked on the griddle, topped with tomato and lettuce and housed between two buns. Nothing fancy there. As their website says "This is not gourmet, just tasty. Sometimes simple is better." And they are right. The taste is amazing! Our friends had eaten there before and suggested we order the double-double – two beef patties and two slices of cheese: bun, burger, cheese, burger, cheese, bun. We turned it in The Holy Smokes by ‘adding smoke’ – deep-fried jalapeno peppers added on the burger (another secret item). We ordered a side of fries to share but could hardly get through them. Although they were good, go for the burger, skip the fries. 

And what's with the name? I obviously like it, with my maiden name being Priest. But turns out there really is a religious element to it. The names of the burgers indicate this, but the shop is also closed on Sundays for worship. That just means you schedule your visit around it. This is definitely NOT a weekly burger, but once every few months would be nice...