9 Summer Burgers – a Round Up

Posted by on September 4th, 2012

“The journey of a thousand pounds begins with a single burger” - Chris O’Brien

The burger is the iconic food of American summer. You can’t get through a stretch of American highway or a summer blockbuster without seeing a sign of one and it has garnered its own culture and cult following. And for good reason -  there is real pleasure in sinking your teeth into a juicy burger, hands and mouth holding steady with a pile of napkins nearby. Being Canadian does not mean a lack of good burger joints, so I took it upon myself to check as many of them out this summer as I could.

While “burger” is roughly defined as a beef patty on a bun with various toppings and condiments, cheese and bacon make frequent appearances and more often than not the patty is available in a myriad of proteins (and that’s even before you get to the sides) so we had our work cut out for us. When possible, we tried to stick to the basics, so that we could compare properly; beef burger with cheese and any standard toppings, fries and beer or a milkshake. I cannot resist a pickle, so I ordered one anywhere that offered and extra marks may have been dolled out accordingly.

Here’s what we came up with:

The Red Onion – 4/5

  • 2028 41st Ave W, Kerrisdale
  • http://redonion.ca/
  • Take out: Yes
  • Patio: No
  • Licensed: Yes
  • Burger: the Red Onion classic burger – 1/3lb all natural beef flame grilled, homemade mustard sauce, crisp lettuce, fresh tomatoes with bacon and shredded cheese - $8 (bacon and cheese – $1.50)
  • Sides: hand-cut fries – $4.75, onion rings – $5.99, giant pickle – $1.95
  • Drinks: Beer (Red Truck Lager)
  • Service: Good
  • Gut rock factor: Low

The Red Onion is a Kerrisdale neighbourhood gem. One of those restaurants that has been around forever and been doing a solid job of it the entire time that people start coming to them from all neighbourhoods. In spite of having heard many good things about it over the years, this was my first visit but I will certainly be back. The room is dark and cozy, the service was excellent and the food did not disappoint. They are a burger shop so that’s their focus but they have all the usual suspects - tuna, chicken, veggie, salmon, and pork burgers as well as chicken wings, chili, hot dogs and some other items.

To keep things consistent, we ordered the classic burgers but I do love to see a pickle available on the menu and this one came sliced with a fork. Fancy! The food comes to the table in baskets, like an old-school diner and the burgers ares nestled inside the paper liners to keep warm. Their reputation had proceeded them and these did not disappoint! Buns were old-school white ones toasted on the grill and there was a nice char on the patty for full flavour. The bacon was a nice add-on but not necessary for flavour or moisture and the onion rings were really nice and crispy without being oily.

Drinks range from milkshakes to beer. Both menus are pretty limited – milkshakes are available in Chocolate, Mango, Vanilla, or Strawberry and beer comes in two Red Truck and Raven flavours – but satisfy.

The Oakwood – 4.5/5*

  • 2741 West 4th Avenue. Kits
  • http://www.theoakwood.ca
  • Take out: Yes
  • Patio: Yes (small)
  • Licensed: Yes
  • Burger: They only have one burger, it comes with house-smoked cheddar, alfalfa, onion strings, house-made relish, aioli and buns and a ground-chuck patty. Matt got bacon. - $15
  • Sides: poutine fries, curds, gravy, smoked brisket – $10
  • Drinks: Beer
  • Service: Excellent
  • Gut rock: Low
*points are docked only for the sprouts, which you can take off yourself.
This is a non-traditional burger in a “Canadian Bistro” so it came with a few different ingredients, but almost everything was made in-house, including smoked cheddar and brisket for the poutine (the smoker is out back) so it was well worth it. I don’t have much of a love for greasy burgers, messy burgers or fast-food burgers so this one warmed my heart with its patty made of ground chuck – available any way you like it, including rare! , homemade buns, relish and aioli. Every aspect of this burger has been designed by someone who clearly loves food.
We argued about whether this was the best patty in town (and now that we’ve been through the whole list I’m not sure that I can say in full confidence that it is, but it’s in the top 3 – and I’m not sure I could pick from those). In short, it’s perfect. Grilled with a nice char on the outside to seal in the juices so that there is no messiness in the bun until you bite into it, the patty then releases all of its flavour and liquid. The messiness comes after, when the meat juices mix with the sweet dill relish and creamy aioli. The bun and fried onion strings are there to soak it up, along with the cheese. Did I mention it was smoked out back? The only drawback to this burger, the only thing that would make me say that it’s not the best burger in town, is the alfalfa sprouts. Matt hated them (and truly hates them generally) and while I like them in many places, they did nothing for this burger. I would have loved to see some Bibb lettuce instead, or just pull it entirely. Fortunately, this is an easy mod to do yourself, whether it be pre or post order.
Sides are decent – the burger comes with fries, poutine or greens and the fries come with homemade ketchup while the poutine is topped with house-smoked brisket. We got one of each (minus greens) and were generally happy with the flavour of everything, but could have used some work on texture and consistency. The fries would have been better had they been a bit more crispness in my opinion. The ketchup is a bit spicy and tastes slightly of tomato paste but generally tasty. The poutine had very good flavour – the gravy tasted especially wonderful – but I found the brisket dry and the gravy too liquid (I like a thicker one for dipping) and it was inconsistently cooked which is a hard thing to do with poutine. It’s worth noting that the burger and fries in this photo do not do the portions justice! They are huge but we felt satisfied and no gut rock after which is very important.
This spot is next to my dive shop so there’s no point in pretending that we drank anything other than beer, but the tap list is not bad and they do have other libations besides. The patio is tiny but worth fighting for in the summertime – now that it’s almost winter, opt for the fireplace.

Romer’s Burger Bar – 3/5

  • 8683 Kerr Street, River District
  • http://romersburgerbar.com/
  • Take out: Yes
  • Patio: Yes
  • Licensed: Yes
  • Burger: the Standard - beef, vine-ripened tomatoes, iceberg lettuce, onion, pickles, “R sauce” – $9. My sister got the Chorizodor (pictured) with a house-made chorizo patty, cheddar, pepper jack and creamy Boursin cheese, avocado and Diablo sauce – $13
  • Sides: Onion rings with with Reggiano, fresh thyme, garlic dill sauce – $7 and Poutine – $8
  • Drinks: Beer (Red Truck Lager)
  • Service: Good
  • Gut rock factor: Medium

The patio at Romer’s is the kind of place you could spend all summer – large and sunny, it’s the only commercial space nestled between the green space and the new developments along the river and they have burgers and beer! You could survive on their patio for at least a couple of months if you brought your wallet and a blanket. And there is enough variation on the burger menu to get you through a summer. It’s one of the largest I’ve seen and incorporates “bunless” options, a large selection of customizable condiments and many starters, salads and sides.

The burger itself was pretty mediocre. The patty was dry and perhaps because I didn’t customize it with any of the non-standard condiments, it wasn’t very flavourful either.  It came with an all natural beef patty, vine-ripened tomatoes, iceberg lettuce, onion, pickles, and “R sauce” but it just felt like all the inspiration in the place went into interesting flavour combinations on the other burgers, so I have to give it  3/5. It’s too bad because if your classic burger isn’t good, what business do you have being in the burger business?! But my sister’s burger (pictured top) was the “Chorizodor” and it was amazing. The combination of textures and flavours with the Boursin, avocado, chorizo and spicy sauce was pretty incredible.

onion rings

They are also pretty damned good sides. It’s at least worth posting a second photo for this one because these are probably some of the best onion rings I’ve ever had. They are crispy without being too oily or tasting of oil, and come topped with Parmesan and fresh thyme with a garlic dill dipping sauce on the side. The poutine is also excellent. AND they have pickles. You know I love pickles.

They also have a location at 1873 West 4th Avenue in Kits.

Tomahawk Barbeque – 4/5

  • 1550 Philip Ave, North Vancouver
  • http://www.tomahawkrestaurant.com
  • Take out: Yes
  • Patio: Yes
  • Licensed: No
  • Burger: Chief Dominic Charlie Burger – lettuce, organic ground beef patty, grilled Yukon-style bacon, aged cheddar cheese, tomato and Tomahawk special sauce – $12
  • Sides: Fries, Onion Rings – $2
  • Drinks: Vanilla and Strawberry milkshakes – $5
  • Service: Excellent
  • Gut rock factor: Medium

I think one of the saddest things about travelling today is that you can’t just pull off the highway and find yourself in a little cafe full of strangeness and character (like this one, perhaps) that you can wonder at for a little while before you get going again. More often than not, you’re pulling into a gas station, some national chain where all the locations are the same so you can’t even tell that you’ve arrived somewhere new. I’m always so excited when I do find that little relic, left to its own devices and now it seems we’ve found one in North Van!

Tomahawk Barbeque is just off the main drag but it seems as though it’s been unchanged for years. The decor features a large oil painting of a Sioux? in a headdress that seems to be incongruous with the Thunderbird totem outside and the other carvings in the giftshop (and all of which seems incongruous with an owner named Chick Chamberlain) but it seems genuine as they were all given to him and the burgers on the menu are named for some of the chiefs he had known; Skookum Chief, Chief Capilano, Chief Raven, Chief Dominic Charlie, Chief August Jack, etc. It’s a Vancouver institution and their website is as full of fond memories as their restaurant is full of regulars.

We both ordered a Chief Dominic Charlie – with an organic ground beef patty, grilled Yukon-style bacon, aged cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato and Tomahawk special sauce – and milkshakes, as it’s not licensed. They were not thick so they were gone pretty quickly, but the flavour was good – vanilla and strawberry. They were made with syrup but Matt’s had both real strawberries and strawberry syrup in it so that was a nice touch. Both the fries and the onion rings are filling but forgettable – I’d save them for last.

The burgers are the sort of old-school classic that the White Spot has built its empire on (and in fact they would have grown up together so it’s interesting to see the path that each has taken). They are greasy without being gross and messy in a good way. It was surprising how nice it was to be able to pick up a burger with both hands, but not have to squish it together and force it into my mouth like I have had to do with so many of these “monster” burgers. Once bitten, the insides started to ooze out but a wonderful thing happened here – the bread absorbed the juices without becoming mushy and falling apart! I’m not sure what the secret is, but this was the perfect balance of abandon and constraint and when I finished I was able to lick my fingers off, eat my pickle and be done. It felt like the way things should be when eating a burger, the way I didn’t even know they should be.

StackHouse Burger Bar – 3/5

  • 1224 Granville Street, Downtown
  • http://www.stackhouseburgerbar.com
  • Take out: Yes
  • Patio: Yes
  • Licensed: Yes
  • Burger: the Stackhouse burger - 6.5 oz local prime rib patty with pancetta, portabellini, Guinness cheddar, chipotle aioli and butter lettuce served on a brioche bun – $15
  • Sides: Fries
  • Drinks: Beer
  • Service: Excellent
  • Gut rock factor: Low

StackHouse is pretty clearly in the “fancy” burger category so if that’s not your thing, give it a pass, but while the butter lettuce may be perfectly shaped and the pancetta sitting jauntily atop the patty, it sure is tasty. It’s a 6.5 oz patty, so perfectly reasonably sized (in my opinion) and it’s their signature burger but comes with a few extras; Guinness cheddar, chipotle aioli, portabellini, and the aforementioned butter lettuce and pancetta. The patty is ground prime rib, so it would be super tasty on it’s own but the addition of umami from the mushroom and salty fat from the pancetta just pushes it over the top. Despite appearances, it’s not a no-fuss burger. It’s drippy as fuck and makes a huge mess, but the extensive beer and bourbon list should help with that if you need it. The fries are not what they’re known for but they are excellent in terms of crispness, tastiness, firmness and saltiness, so I wouldn’t order anything else either.

The service is great past the point of where the server was nice to me – he ran out on Granville Street to compliment some guys on their awesome car and when an older man’s carry bag broke and he dropped some items, he ran  out with a new one. Very friendly and welcoming and warm, but when I was reading my book, he left me to it. The decor is surprising (to me, at least) by Craig Stanghetta (of Revolver Coffee, Pizzeria Farina and Meat & Bread). It looks like a stylish cocktail bar with its white on white and glass and wood and you wouldn’t be out of line to stop in late for a drink instead of a nosh.

Famous Furniture Warehouse – 3.5/5

  • 989 Granville Street, Downtown
  • http://thefamouswarehouse.com/
  • Take out: No
  • Patio: Yes
  • Licensed: Yes
  • Beer: the Works burger –  premium Alberta beef, maple bacon, cheddar, crispy onion strings, cheddar, shredded lettuce, tomato, pickle, macho sauce on a toasted brioche bun - $4.99. Matt got the Smoky BBQ Burger – all of the above plus jalapeños and smoky BBQ sauce - $4.99
  • Sides: Fries, Onion rings – $4.99
  • Drinks: Beer (GI pale ale)
  • Service: OK
  • Gut rock factor: Medium

When a friend invited us for $5 burgers, Matt intimated to him that I probably wouldn’t come and perhaps I wouldn’t have if I had I known that everything on their entire menu is FIVE DOLLARS*. It’s a greasy burger, to be sure, but both “the Works” and the smoky BBQ burgers were delicious. They weren’t huge, which I appreciate (and which would be impossible for five dollars anyways) and come with a nicely grilled premium Alberta beef patty, some nice cheese, crispy onion strings (which is sort of a new thing for me but which I am starting to really appreciate for their texture), lettuce, tomato, pickle and bacon. The patty is a little dry but the bun is spectacularly spongy and the ingredients are relatively high quality for the price.

*If you are wondering how they stay in business, the answer is alcohol.

Splitz Grill – 3.5*/5

  • 4242 Main Street
  • http://www.splitzgrill.com
  • Take out: Yes
  • Patio: No, but window seating is garage-door style – almost al fresco
  • Licensed: Yes
  • Burger: Legendary Splitz Burger – 1/3 lb all beef burger with shredded cheese – $10 for a combo with fries and a float. Matt had bison.
  • Sides: Fries
  • Drinks: Strawberry milkshake, Ice Cream float
  • Service: Good
  • Gut rock factor: Medium for me / beef, High for Matt / bison

The idea here is that you start with a good patty (available in multiple proteins) and then add whatever toppings and sides picked from multiple boards above the prep areas. Huge menus are on every wall and it can be overwhelming, except that it’s pretty straightforward and the service is good. First you pick your burger – lamb, beef, bison, salmon, veggie, etc. – then you pay (and add on any sides and drinks you want at this point). There was a combo special for burger, fries and a float so I got that and Matt picked a bison burger with a strawberry milkshake. Then you head down the line for toppings in a Subway-style environment; lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, cheese, onion, peppers, cucumbers, sprouts and various sauces. All burgers are finished off with either BBQ or teriyaki sauce, which is kind of interesting.

The patty was the draw here, hands down. It was perfectly charred on the outside and full of flavour. My beef burger was perfect but Matt found that the bison one was a little gamey and not consistently cooked. The buns are toasted on the grill which is a nice touch, but other than that they’re just regular buns and most of the ingredients are good but not noteworthy. Both the float and the milkshake were delicious (and they have a wide range of flavours for both) but the fries were terrible, we didn’t even eat them.

*Bison was about a 2.5 – would not order again.

Rogue burger

photo credit: yosoynuts on flickr

Rogue Kitchen and Wetbar – 4/5

  • 601 West Cordova Street, Downtown
  • http://www.roguewetbar.com/
  • Take out: Yes
  • Patio: Yes
  • Licensed: Yes
  • Burger: 9.2 oz Rogue Burger - ultra juicy, two napkin, house-ground sirloin burger with bacon, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, pickle, sweet relish, mayo on a sesame brioche bun – $13.99
  • Sides: Fries, but I barely ate them.
  • Drinks: Beer!
  • Service: Good
  • Gut rock factor: Low

They call it a two-napkin burger but what they should probably rename it to is “2 napkin, 2 hands, don’t order it if you’re dining with your boss or if you want to eat anything else later today.” It’s HUUUUUUGE! And very messy. It’s also mostly delicious. I surprised myself by ordering it because (1) Rogue is our go-to for work meetings when people have to skytrain home after, so I almost always order something small and easy to eat, (2) I hate messy burgers, (3) Who eats a 9.2 oz burger?! But if not for this post then I never would have tried it so away I went.

Anthony Bourdain tweeted recently that ”No hamburger has ever been improved by a brioche bun,” and while that may be true, this one is certainly not hurting for it. It may help that it’s sesame-studded so it’s a bit denser than the pillowy-soft brioche that you sometimes get. It’s tasty, at any rate, and does a good job of standing up to the “ultra juicy” patty. Other components include bacon, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, pickle, sweet relish and mayo. The bun to other things to patty ratio is perfect here, as you can tell by the photo – everything just stacks up nicely on top of each other and they stick a knife in the top to hold it all together. They cook their patties medium-rare here, which I love, and the mandatory pickle inclusion also makes me very happy, but truthfully the burger is very good. It’s just way too big. I will order it again for sure, but with caution.

As for sides, I got fries and they are pretty spot on, although I think I only ate a couple. The beer list is pretty close to awesome and they have a rotating IPA tap that makes Matt pretty happy. If you see something you haven’t tried before, ask them for a sample before you order it.

They also have a new location at 602 West Broadway Avenue that looks pretty obnoxious at first drive by.

Darby’s Pub – 3/5

  • 2001 MacDonald Street, Kits
  • http://www.darbyspub.ca
  • Take out: No
  • Patio: Yes
  • Licensed: Yes
  • Burger: the Burrard burger with aged cheddar, Heritage Angus Beef patty, lettuce, tomato, crispy onions, mustard and mayo on a brioche bun- $13.95. Matt got the Dunbar with cheddar and maple bacon – $14.95
  • Sides: Fries and a pickle!
  • Drinks: Beer
  • Service: Good
  • Gut rock factor: High
We ended up at Darby’s after diving one day when The Oakwood (above) was closed. We were pleasantly surprised with the patio and the taps list plus starving from a day spent underwater, so we tucked in. They’d renovated since I’d been there last (admittedly not all that recently), hence the new digs and beer. The chef and menu are also completely different and were were happy to see some interesting options like gluten-free buns and a short rib patty. The burger list is long but not overly complicated; we picked out a Burrard for me (aged cheddar, Heritage Angus Beef patty, lettuce, tomato, crispy onions, mustard and mayo on a brioche bun) with fries and a Dunbar for Matt (same as above, but with bacon) with yam fries and the gluten-free bun.
It was pretty good. The bun to patty ratio was off (too much bun!) – a situation that I hate and that was made worse by one of the most falling-apart buns on this list. I literally couldn’t keep it together as the bun dissolved and bits of patty fell to the plate. Matt had the opposite problem with the gluten-free bun in that it was tasty but very dense. We both had a bit of a gut rock after, seemingly for different reasons. The fries were also alright, nice and salty but pasty in the middle so they were probably frozen but the yam fries were fantastic. They also have polenta fries on the menu, so I’d be interested in trying those out. All burgers come with a dill pickle so I liked that a lot. The two pieces of greens could probably have been added to or forgotten entirely.

Vera’s Burger Shack – 1/5

  • 213 Carrall Street, Gastown
  • http://verasburgershack.com
  • Take out: Yes
  • Patio: Yes
  • Licensed: Yes
  • Burger: the classic Vera’s burger with cheddar – $8.28
  • Sides: Onion rings – $5.99, Jalapeño bottle caps – $4.99
  • Drinks: Beer (GI pale ale)
  • Service: Terrible
  • Gut rock factor: High

Vera’s is our lazy indulgence. It’s in our block and when the wind is sending the sweet smell of Peckinpah‘s BBQ away from us instead of towards us and we are in a hurry or just really tired, we get a veggie burger. Matt doesn’t like to eat too much red meat, so we get a veggie burger with bacon and sometimes beer. We have not ever had a real burger from there, but I figured it would be a shoe-in since we’d been before.  Boy was I wrong.

I ordered a classic Vera’s burger with cheddar, a veggie with bacon, onion rings and an order of jalapeño bottle caps (fried jalapeño slices) and sat down to wait. I waited and waited and waited and while I waited, I perused their many options for burgers, including the famous “Doug special,” a crazy open-faced concoction with two patties, cheese, fried onions and chili. All burgers come with ketchup, mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomato and Vera’s sauce and many more are available to add on for free (dijon, onions) and for a price  (cheeses, guacamole, bacon or bottle caps $1.29, roasted garlic, fried onions or mushrooms $.79, premium cheeses, chili, fried egg or salami -$1.79, etc.).

It took about 30 minutes for them to make ONE burger and the onion rings and bottle caps. I snacked on the bottle caps while waiting – again! – for the veggie burger. They were not good at all, almost completely filled with oil and tasting like it too. When the second burger finally came it was, alas, a second beef burger. Not willing to wait even longer we ate them anyways. The result was that one was cold but even the warm one managed to be both dry and greasy with a tiny, stringy beef patty lost in the bun and lettuce. The onion rings were the only thing that was palatable and even so they were pretty greasy too.

They have several other locations throughout Vancouver but at this point I won’t be going to any of them.

See other burger reviews here:

Posted by Degan on September 4th, 2012
Filed under: Dining
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  • holly

    Did you hear?

    In N Out Burger will be at the Langley car show this weekend on Saturday, Sept. 8th. They’re only selling a total of 1500 burgers (all proceeds to charity) and I hear they expect a crowd in the thousands so you better get there early.

    • smokysweet

      Nooooooo?! That would be worth checking out (and bonus that Matt love cars. Do you know where it is? Thanks!