Burger’s Priest: Deep Fried Sin
The Burger’s Priest, 1636 Queen St E, Toronto, ON
The Burger’s Priest
1636 Queen St E, Toronto, ON
The Burger’s Priest is a true hole-in-the-wall that serves up the most sinfully delicious burgers. It reminds me of Burrito Boyz but the burger version. I wouldn’t even have noticed it if we weren’t in the area. The small storefront is wedged between a Kentucky Fried Chicken and a mini mart. Anthony Bourdain was spotted here so you might see The Burger’s Priest on your TV screens soon on the ‘Layover.’ I’m surprised Guy Fieri didn’t beat him to the punch. This place has ‘Diners, Drive-ins and Dives’ written all over it.
The mission at The Burger’s Priest is to serve freshly made burgers that are simple and pure, they aim to ‘redeem’ the current bastardized version of over-spiced and over-seasoned burgers at restaurants today. When we were standing in line waiting for our food, I really did witness freshly ground burger meat being mixed by hand and formed into patties for their flattop grills. I spied the burger chefs through their confessional-booth mesh screen that divided the kitchen from the small waiting area.
Confessional booth screen, The Burger’s Priest, 1636 Queen St E, Toronto, ON
I’m atheist but I still appreciated The Burger’s Priest’s clever burger names: “The Priest,” “What’s Right,” and their signature, “The Option.” “The Option” refers to the vegetarian option of two portobello mushrooms stuffed with cheese, breaded and deep fried.
The Burger’s Priest, 1636 Queen St E, Toronto, ON
There is limited seating inside The Burger’s Priest. Moreover, they don’t have air conditioning so we ate across the street on a public bench in front of a local elementary school. Like I said, this place is the definition of a hole-in-the-wall hidden gem. Until it airs on Anthony Bourdain’s ‘Layover,’ anyway. After that, the burgers will probably double in price.
The Priest, The Burger’s Priest, 1636 Queen St E, Toronto, ON
The Priest, The Burger’s Priest, 1636 Queen St E, Toronto, ON
The Priest, The Burger’s Priest, 1636 Queen St E, Toronto, ON
I ordered “The Priest” with bacon. “The Priest” is a cheeseburger with the stuffed portobello mushroom added. As if I could ever go with a meat-free “option.”
The Priest with bacon, The Burger’s Priest, 1636 Queen St E, Toronto, ON
To my fellow bacon lovers currently drooling over that lick of bacon peeking out of the side of my burger – that bacon was as crispy, salty and amazing as it looks. It was almost as good as the peameal bacon from St. Lawrence Market.
The Priest with bacon, The Burger’s Priest, 1636 Queen St E, Toronto, ON
Cheeseburger with bacon, The Burger’s Priest, 1636 Queen St E, Toronto, ON
The Burger’s Priest, 1636 Queen St E, Toronto, ON
“The Option” added to my cheeseburger turned out to be one of the most simple but incredible things I’ve ever eaten. It’s just cheese and mushrooms. And truthfully, I don’t even like mushrooms that much but as soon as I bit in, the cheese just splurged forward in a big glob of warm, gooey, goodness. Who knew you could stuff that much cheese between two portobello mushroom caps.
The Burger’s Priest, 1636 Queen St E, Toronto, ON
The Burger’s Priest, 1636 Queen St E, Toronto, ON
It was almost hard to find that moist burger patty underneath such an overflow of cheese, but from what I tasted, the burger meat was juicy and delicious. There weren’t many spices but I liked that. The beef flavours really came through, and the meat tasted fresh and free of unnecessary salty, peppery spices. It’s how a burger should taste.
Chili fries, The Burger’s Priest, 1636 Queen St E, Toronto, ON
We also ordered some chili fries that were nothing to write home about. Also, it’s nearly impossible to enjoy chili fries on a sweltering hot day. And it’s doubly hard to enjoy average fries after such a stellar burger. So if you’re visiting The Burger’s Priest, skip the fries, go straight for that burger with “The Option” in it. It will redeem every burger you’ve ever eaten in your life.