Tasty Tuesday: The Burgers Priest

The Priest at The Burgers Priest

AAA-MEN!

When I am feeling particularly carnivorous (probably due to Hot-Blooded Canadian Girl Cravings), nothing can satisfy me more than a big, juicy burger, seasoned and grilled to perfection, on a lightly toasted bun, garnished with my favourite sweet, tangy, spicy, and crispy condiments.  *Homer Simpson drool*

So when I heard through the grapevine a while back that
there was a place near the Beaches area of Toronto that makes what some say are The Best Burgers in the City, I had to give it a try.  Thus, I found myself on a streetcar one Saturday noon, iPhone GPS in hand, heading to a charming part of town I'm not familiar with, with beef on the mind.


It's located on a section of Queen St. E that's kind of sketchy; the nearest eastbound streetcar stop is right in front of an adult store.  But all you have to do is cross to the north side of the street, keep heading east, and you can't miss it, because there will inevitably be a group of people waiting outside.

The shop is tiny, with just enough room to fit maybe six people in front of the counter - three diners and three orderers - hence the huge group outside.  Everyone had ordered and were waiting for their names to get called, I was told, so I made my way in. 

An adorable, tiny, tiny, lady with huge doe eyes and a knit beanie took my order.  The knit beanie is worth mentioning because it was a very warm day, the store was not air-conditioned, and it was pretty hot in there.  Anyway, she was friendly, she took my order and my name, and asked me to wait to get my name called.

There wasn't a huge list of condiments to choose from, but they had all the basics. The burgers are made with fresh, top quality beef that is ground on the premises daily.  They have double cheeseburgers and bacon cheeseburgers, but what people really go there for is The Option or The Priest.

The Option is this ingenious concoction that is their vegetarian option - two meaty portobellos stuffed with cheese (and, I suspect, herbs), breaded and fried.  The Priest is a single cheeseburger with The Option inside.  Of course that was what I ended up getting - it was a no-brainer!

Several bites into The Priest - pardon the lipstick! :P

It was, in a word, *sigh*...

Sorry, let me try again.  It was incredible and incomparable because I'd never had a burger like this before.  It was rich and beefy and flavourful and gooey.  It was so, so good!  The Option had a nice crunch to it when I bit into it, and then the delicious cheese oozed out in the most satisifying way.  It was masterfully cooked because while it was crunchy and hot, the cheese didn't scald my tongue.

The beef was very tasty, obviously good quality, juicy, and nicely seasoned, but to be honest, I prefer my burgers a little more tightly packed.  I also normally favour thicker patties (it looks pretty thick in the picture above but refer to the first picture in the post for a more accurate view - plus this was a pretty crumbly patty), but with The Option, the size of the patty was just right.

YUM.  Two thumbs up.  Not disappointed at all; what a great suggestion from the grapevine.  This place has had plenty of media coverage but it has grown mainly through word of mouth for a reason.

This place also sells chocolate chip cookies and chili cheese fries.  I wanted to try both but I was planning to hit a few more food places that day (don't judge!) so I only tried the cookie.  It was good but not really worth the price - I think it was almost $2.  The price point at The Burgers Priest is generally high - nearly $10 for just a burger and about $15 for a combo - but the quality makes it well worth it.  Also please note that they accept CASH ONLY.

Two huge thumbs up - I would highly recommend this eatery.  It is located at:
1636 Queen St E
Toronto, ON M4L 1G3

Monday 11.30 - 9.30
Tuesday 11.30 - 9.30
Wednesday 11.30 - 9.30
Thursday 11.30 - 10.30
Friday 11.30 - 10.30
Saturday 12.00 - 10.30
Sunday closed