Looking out onto Yonge Street
On the opening night at The Burger’s Priest’s eagerly anticipated second location at Yonge and Lawrence, owner Shant Mardirosian had butterflies in his stomach. “I was sweating buckets,” says the man behind what many consider to be Toronto’s best burger. But when the doors finally swung open, the eager crowd outside burst into a spontaneous cheer, leaving Mardirosian at a loss for words. “It was insanity. It brought a tear to my eye, to be honest. I’m blown away by what’s going on.”
Since opening the original Priest in the east end two summers ago, Mardirosian has dominated Toronto’s burger wars, with acolytes from all corners of the city making the trek to that nondescript stretch of Queen East to try his brand of California-style patties: a custom blend of freshly ground, never-frozen beef, cooked on a flat top and dressed with only the most elemental of toppings. So with a product that’s already inspired a religious following, why the butterflies? “Coming to a place with no parking, that historically is only decent for restaurants, it definitely felt like a huge risk,” he told us. When news of the upcoming second location broke last year, a chorus of west enders groaned about getting the shaft. “West end real estate is going through the roof,” explains Mardirosian. “I know if we go to the west end it’s going to be a mad house. It’s going to be busy, so it has to be big.”
At three times the size of the original, the new joint now includes washrooms and roughly 16 stools at which customers can work their way through a menu that devout followers are no doubt already familiar with. All the staples of the classic California roadhouse are here: the standard cheeseburger ($5.29); their infamous veggie option, appropriately titled “The Option” ($7.99), which consists of two portobello mushroom caps, stuffed with cheese and deep fried; and, of course, fries ($3.29), thicker here than at the flagship, which can be upgraded to chili cheese fries for an extra $2.50. The only new thing is the milkshakes ($4), in chocolate, strawberry, vanilla and coffee, which can be ordered separately at a small window tucked away from the main counter. As for the not-so-secret menu made famous by The Vatican—two patties encased by two grilled cheese sandwiches—Mardirosian is always open to new ideas. “If a customer suggests something and we like it, just think of a biblical name we’ll put it on the menu.”
-
- Looking out onto Yonge Street
-
- The new, larger (but still small) Burger’s Priest operation
-
- Ladies and gentlemen: the book of Daniel
-
- Fresh-ground and loose-formed patties, ready for the flat top
-
- A healthy (in size, at least) double cheeseburger ($7.99)
-
- French fries ($3.29)
The Burger’s Priest, 3397 Yonge St., 647-346-0617, theburgerspriest.com
Is the burger in the 2nd last photo even cooked? You may need a priest indeed if they pass off raw sloppy-joes on wonderbuns as hamburgers…a greasy spoon is no place for steak tartare.
January 21, 2012 at 12:25 pm | by Homer S.I’m going to take a ton of flak for this, but BP is very overrated. I like the “Priest” burger but that’s about it.
Greasy, crappy packaging, the chilli cheese fries suck (shredded cheese and lackluster chilli?), the prices are high, you can’t eat in (at the original location) and its not that inviting to first-timers when the menu is (at best) non-descriptive and there’s a secret menu to boot. And the “smoke” I ordered on my burger was just two tiny-slices of jalapeno peppers deep-fried.
I’d rather go to Holy Chuck, where there’s enough seats, its closer to downtown, the menu tells you what’s available, and there’s less of a pretentious vibe. The Holy Chuck’s equivalent to the “Priest” is far inferior to the “Priest”, but the rest of their menu is great.
January 21, 2012 at 3:50 pm | by ShawnHey homer, you like your meat well done huh? Must taste really amazing on your retard taste buds.
January 21, 2012 at 3:51 pm | by cindySorry, but the Angry Whopper, currently available from Burger King, is the most amazing burger-eating experience I’ve ever had in my life, bar none. I don’t see how a Burger’s Priest burger could even hope to come close.
January 22, 2012 at 1:24 pm | by burgerfanaticWho’s your new photographer, Zapruder?
January 22, 2012 at 10:34 pm | by biscayou guys tried the new wendys menu? its just like the burger priest!
January 23, 2012 at 6:00 am | by nahShake Shack > In-n-Out > the Stockyards > Burgers Priest > Five Guys
I haven’t had Holy Chuck yet but I doubt it can beat Stockyards/Shake Shack
January 23, 2012 at 1:06 pm | by LucasI went to the new Burgers Priest today and LOVED it. Super fresh (and well cooked) beef and the portobello mushroom made the burger.
@Shawn I went to Holy Chuck and found it overpriced and tasteless. But to each his own I suppose. Why does the fact that they have a secret menu bother you?
@burgerfanatic pretty sure you’re just trying to get some lolz.
January 23, 2012 at 1:25 pm | by AmandaAfter a decent run in its first 18 months serving exceptional burgers, The Priest has been disappointing (if still pretty damn good) at its East End flagship for approximately as long as its owners have had their attention diverted by the launch of the West End cash cow. The novelty and simplicity of Wonder Buns is wonderful when the perfectly prepared (so salty!) beef is well, perfect. Increasingly sporadic testings in recent months have veered into overcooked territory. The other day I had a stale Wonder Bun.
For a burger that had me raving like a lunatic back in late 2010, this is a sad, if not entirely unpredictable, decline. I blame the same thing that limits the appeal of most comestibles in this town (country, culture?): craft. It is often too difficult to train people well enough, fast enough, to reproduce that type of quality on a scale that makes rapid expansion possible. The guy who’s cooking my burgers on Queen E now is likely serious about what he does, but he needs his 10,000 hours fast.
… One note: having tasted the early genuine article, I’m ruined for most other burgers in Toronto. Suggestions welcome.
January 24, 2012 at 7:35 am | by Crisisoffaith@ Homer S.
I agree, a greasy spoon is no place for rare beef.
That’s why I go to The Priest.
@ Crisisoffaith
Unfortunately I concur. I only make it over to the east end location about once or twice a month but I have noticed a bit of a decline in quality. Nothing stale or overcooked but not quite as good as when Shant is behind the counter.
@ Lucas
Yes, Shake Shack and In and Out sure are tasty, everything tastes better when you’re on vacation…
January 24, 2012 at 10:51 am | by Joe SimpsonWent to the new Burger Priest on Yonge and was extremely disappointed. The most unexciting, ordinary, over-priced burger I’ve ever had. The Stockyards beats this burger by miles.
January 24, 2012 at 1:26 pm | by ex-ParisianShant,
Come to Etobicoke dude.
January 25, 2012 at 6:31 am | by ebsholy chuck is a stolen idea from the priest.. the place is a complete joke… the owner is a loser who wears pj pants to cook in, stop posting bad things about the priest to get biz into your door..
January 28, 2012 at 5:54 pm | by tonyshant keep up the good work.. there will always be haters when theres lots of money coming in… dont forget smiles are free lol!
January 28, 2012 at 5:58 pm | by tonyAnother great east end burger place is GBK.
Great Burger Kitchen, lots of interesting options, decent poutine (not getting into THAT argument here) have not been unhappy there yet…
February 1, 2012 at 3:46 pm | by OMP