Finding Comfort Food in Toronto
If you're craving a quick burger or poutine (french fries, cheese curd, and gravy), these joints make the cut as down-home and delicious.
The Burger’s Priest: Just steps away from Toronto’s Woodbine beach, this tiny burger joint with only five burger options generates a lot of buzz. Try their Priest burger, a cheeseburger with fried, cheese-stuffed mushrooms. www.theburgerspriest.com
C'est What?: This joint has been quenching Torontonians' thirst for craft beer since 1988. It is also the home of wild game burgers like bison burgers and lamb burgers. www.cestwhat.com
Chuck and Company : This fresh Liberty Village burger restaurant serves up unusual exotic flavors like the jerk-spiced burger and breakfast burger with chili, fried egg, and homemade sambal (chili sauce). www.chuckandco.com
Craft Burger: With more than a dozen burgers to choose from, diners can work up a sweat just by thinking about the meal. Boylan's classic soda pairs nicely with the handcrafted burgers. The Craft Blue and the Craft Spicy are the most popular on the menu. www.craftburger.com
Gourmet Burger Co.: Though burgers may not make you think of sustainability, Chef John Ward uses biodegradable take-out packaging. Signature burgers include The Works burger and the Aussie Burger, which comes with a fried egg, cheddar, bacon, beets, and pineapple. www.thegourmetburgerco.com
Harbord House: For a different poutine, try this sweet potato variation on a menu with other pub fare. www.harbordhouse.ca
Smoke's Poutinerie: For a truly Canadian fast food, try the poutine here, with cheese curds from Québec and homemade gravies. www.smokespoutinerie.com
Utopia Café and Grill: The grill is always smoking at this little Tex Mex–inspired café, feeding the twentysomething crowd with burritos, burgers, and poutine. www.utopiacafe.ca
W Burger Bar: There is more to this burger joint than beef patties. The main attraction is burger, but choices include salmon, bison, lamb, in addition to the regular beef and poultry. They offer a dizzying array of sauces. www.wburgerbar.com
