The Burger’s Priest, Shant Mardirosian’s homage to classic California roadhouses, has had a cult following since it opened last year, so it’s no surprise that he’s already set to expand. The Grid is reporting that Mardirosian will open a new location at 3397 Yonge St., between York Mills and Lawrence, as early as this December. The northerly outpost will fit about 16 seats into its 1,200-square-foot space and will be adding milkshakes and possibly onion rings to the short menu. Should this location prove as successful as the original, Mardirosian apparently has his eye on potential expansion into the west end. Read the whole story [The Grid] »
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The Burger’s Priest was quite possibly the worst burger I have eaten, EVER! There was so much hype to live up to, and it came nowhere near my expectations.
November 15, 2011 at 4:50 pm | by carla1981I rounded up a group of eager friends this week to try out the place. We received prompt, friendly service, however the price of dinner ($11.50 for a single patty and fries!) was outrageous for the quality. The patty was greasier than any burger I have eaten before (soaked through my bun!), however it was loosely compacted, providing a great texture. The french fries were disappointing, at $3.50 a crack.
I’m not quite sure what the ongoing lineup and hype is all about at this place….
Owner getting loud and arrogant in here. Burgers, like the ones we had at White Castle in Chicago, In and Out in LA. I live around the corner and called in an order for my son at 5:00, cheeseburger and fries. The cashier says they are busy so pick it up at 5:30. I arrive at said time, line up outside to pay and pick up, only to find out when I finally get to the front, that she’s not even put my order in the lineup. She’s sitting with it at the cash for 1/2 an hour all ready, and now my order goes to the BACK of a very long line. Hello, that’s why I called for take out 45 minutes ago!! The owner comes out when I question this, and yells in a condescending tone “yeah! You have a GREAT day!” and runs and hides behind their curtain. The man behind me after hearing all this says “what a dumb ass. He could have just said, I’m sorry miss, our mistake.” You get a little press, think you’re a burger God and I guess you can be rude to customers. K, I feel better now that I shared.
November 15, 2011 at 5:11 pm | by Susanjust go to Woody’s …healthier , grilled with wood ,every topping know to man ,and the staff are simply down home amazing
November 15, 2011 at 10:49 pm | by DerekThanks for the cautionary tales. Wasn’t the owner considering a priestly vocation? His interpersonal skills are obviously not appropriate nor do they address customer satisfaction. Three Hail Mary’s and an Act of Contrition for penance.
November 15, 2011 at 11:10 pm | by JenniferAgree with the above. Lots of attitude and even more grease. I liked it the first time we went but after that the grease was overloading and the attitude got worse. The goth girl at the cash is useless and borderline rude. Thought I would try this secret burger that was hyped up in Now magazine but when you order it, they say you need to recite the ingredients/ condiments. OK, well then I’ll order a last-burger-ever-from-this-joint instead!
November 16, 2011 at 8:14 am | by DLooI didn’t know that Toronto Life even knew that part of the city existed.
November 16, 2011 at 9:37 am | by mattagascarIf you want something from the secret menu. Take the time while you are waiting in line to figure or the name and what it is that you would like. If you feel that you are treated rudely by the BP not tellin you what is on the secret menu, whats on the secrest menu burger consist of owhereof to order the big Mac burger or asking whats on the cheeseburger then well yea you will get a blunt and mildly rude response. For your info Dloo the hight priest, low priest and the double low priest are the only burgers that come dressed you get to pick what you would like on any other burger on or off the secret menu. I will write them here for you. Ketchup mustard, mayo, lettuce, onion, tomato and pickle. Extra for baco ot fried onions No not onion rings caramelized onions. Do it right Dloo and you will have a good experience. I have been waiting behind people in line asking stupid question and they get stupid resonses. Fair is fair. They are not getting rated friendist burger place in the city or most timely nor are the promoting call in orders( that’s a privilege ) they are getting rated top burgers in the city. Quit your complaining.
November 17, 2011 at 10:57 am | by MDMD, you mention “nor are the promoting call in orders(that’s a privilege)”.
That’s funny, because right at the top of their website http://theburgerspriest.com I see “FOR PICKUP ORDERS, CALL” with a phone number that is larger then the restaurant’s name.
November 17, 2011 at 10:12 pm | by PatrickOh hey – and look at the Banner Ad at the bottom of their site!
November 17, 2011 at 10:16 pm | by Patrickeveryone that has written a negative comments are the so called competition burger joints in Toronto whom will never understand why they did not come up with such simple yet delicious idea.
November 24, 2011 at 2:43 am | by eliHey eli. No, I’m just Susan. Stay at home mom Susan. I occasionally cook burgers on my BBQ, but I wouldn’t call my home a “Burger Joint”, nor am I in “competition” with Burger’s Priest, or any restaurant for that matter (although I’m a pretty good cook!). I simply posted my negative experience above to let others know how they treated me, and I see that I am not alone in finding the owners less than polite. How suspicious of you. So there, Ha ha!
November 24, 2011 at 6:14 pm | by SusanHey Susan, I’ve eaten at the priest many times and I have only ever been treated well. I know that at times it seems like people have attitude but I assure you that anyone I have ever talked to there are very normal down to earth people. Possibly it was just an off day?
December 3, 2011 at 9:19 pm | by BRBecause the burgers aren’t dry or filled with breadcrumbs they are bound to be juicy. They don’t cook the burgers in anything so I wouldn’t call it greasy just juicy! And because of this calling in your order only makes sense if you are placing a huge order cause otherwise the burgers sit there waiting for you and get cold and your bun will get soggy.
I’d give it another try.
To each his/her own opinion, as they say, BUT I have a very difficult time understanding how anyone cannot ABSOLUTELY LOVE the burger’s at BP. I have travelled all over N.America & tried cheeseburgers everywhere I’ve been. BP makes the absolute best burger going & we Torontonians are fortunate to have this gem (soon to be two- second location opening N of Lawrence on Yonge).
As to multiple comments of rude service here & on other food sites, I have had nothing but polite service on every single occasion. My first trip, having read all sorts of online reviews, I expected rudeness. Instead I got a smile & a thank-you from the “goth” girl at the cash (she wears a beret- how the heck is that “goth”????). The cook who handed me my burger wished me a good afternoon… Where’s the rudeness in this picture????
Are there any negatives at BP? Yes; crappy fries & long lines at most times. I simply don’t order the fries & make an attempt to stop-by between lunch & dinner rushes. I read an interview with the owner somewhere online where he acknowledges his fries have been sub-par- he actually acknowledges a shortcoming! He goes on to say he is working on improving the fries.
December 14, 2011 at 9:04 am | by Sensfantoronto“Hey Hey” yourself. You missed the point. I had a sick kid at home and called in the order so I could pick up and go. I arrived at 5:30, as instructed. Lined up to pay. Got to cashier 10 minutes later only to find my order on a pad next to her (she totally ignored my order, get it?). Then, instead of saying “oops sorry”, she put the order in the BACK of all of the other orders. Couldn’t she just fast track it?? Ad insult to injury so to speak, the owner decides to yell at me, the customer, in an attempt to humiliate, embarrass… whatever. This however made him look like a jerk in front of all the customers in earshot. Awkward! I’m all for supporting local biz, I live in the neighbourhood and usually hope for success of new entrepreneurs. Once you get somewhat successful, don’t be an idiot.
December 14, 2011 at 9:17 am | by SusanWent in the check out the new location on Yonge above Lawrence. Asked about the meat, where it came from, was it special in any way, and was told by the fellow in charge”Sorry, we can’t talk about our meat because our contract prevents us from doing so.” Have you ever heard anything as crazy as this?
January 13, 2012 at 6:04 pm | by Penny