10 best burgers in Vancouver
Credit to Author: Joseph Ruttle| Date: Thu, 28 Nov 2019 23:00:15 +0000
Special to Postmedia Network
A soft, pillowy bread roll. A perfect patty, with crisply caramelized crust and tender interior. Toppings of melty cheese and crunchy lettuce, tart pickles and sweetly fried onions. And bacon, of course, salty and snappy. A sauce, tangy, creamy, spicy, tantalizing. Sometimes nothing will do but a burger, whether it’s beef, bison, chicken or plant-based.
Here are 10 of Vancouver’s best.
Plant-based burgers from Beetbox in Vancouver.
1074 Davie St.
Even among all the many, many places now serving veggie burgers, Beetbox stands out for its exceptional 100-per-cent plant-based comfort food. Its “Burger with Cheese” comes topped with an aquafaba Thousand Island sauce and all the fixin’s. Don’t forget to order chili cheese fries and onion rings to go with.
The All-Day Breakfast Burger from Bells and Whistles in Vancouver.
3296 Fraser St.
This casual beer hall in the Fraserhood (from the Gooseneck Hospitality Group, which also owns Wildebeest and Bufala) takes its burgers seriously, offering several different gourmet variations as well as a classic burger. Good luck deciding which to order. We’re torn between the All-Day Breakfast (a maple sausage pork patty topped with American cheese, hash browns, secret sauce and fried egg) or the Fancy (thyme-roasted mushrooms and onions layered with goat cheese and a truffle-basil aioli). Maybe we’ll have both.
The Smash Burger from Downlow Burgers in Vancouver.
926 Main St.
Brought to you by Doug Stephen and Lindsey Mann, co-owners of Downlow Chicken Shack. What started as a weekly pop-up at the fried-chicken restaurant on the Drive is now a full-time burger joint inside a funky vintage space serving up cocktails, beer and arcade games. And what a burger it is: Seven ounces of dry-aged beef from Two Rivers Specialty Meats, smash-cooked to crusty perfection, and served on a bun from Livia Sweets. Variations include the Not in Kansas (bacon and BBQ sauce), South of the Border (Tex-Mex), and the Faux-Pho burger (banh mi).
Burgers and fries from Downlow Burgers at The American in Vancouver.
The Loaded Fable Diner Burger from Fable Diner in Vancouver.
151 East Broadway
Any good diner serves a decent burger. But chef Trevor Bird’s Fable Diner offers four of them, including the Broadway burger (with kimchi, mushrooms, bacon and cheese) and the Hot Mess, which comes slathered in two slices of American cheese, mushrooms, pickled jalapeño, chopped onions and pickles. But we’re there for the Loaded Fable Diner Burger: a hearty classic with two four-ounce patties, American cheese, bacon, tomato, pickles and lettuce. Note to self: Wear the stretchy pants.
The southern-style fried chicken burger from Juke Fried Chicken in Vancouver.
182 Keefer St.
Tired of beef burgers? Juke has you covered with its crispy-tender Fried Chicken Burger. The southern-style non-GMO, grain-fed, free-range chicken is marinated for 24 hours in buttermilk, deep fried, then garnished with house-made barbecue sauce and slaw. Best enjoyed with one of bar star Sabrine Dhaliwal’s terrific cocktails.
1691 Johnston St.
The concept at this shipping-container-turned-restaurant on Granville Island is “fast food done better,” and nowhere is that more evident than in its excellent burger. Robert Belcham, of Monarch and Dirty Burger fame (see below), is one of the four top chefs who are partners in this enterprise. He has adapted his famous burger from now-closed Monarch into an easygoing classic: an old-fashioned griddled patty, melted American cheese, crisp iceberg lettuce and Thousand-Island-type sauce. Eat it fast, though, before the voracious seagulls swoop in.
The Pourhouse Burger, topped with a slab of crisp pork belly, from Pourhouse Restaurant in Vancouver.
162 Water St.
This is a beauty of a burger, a decided frontrunner for title of best burger in Vancouver. The Pourhouse Burger features a thick, hearty and perfectly caramelized patty of dry-aged Cache Creek beef, tangy aged cheddar and a slab of crispy pork belly on a roll that’s just the right size and firmness to match all those rich flavours. Still hungry? New(ish) Kitchen Table Group executive chef Alessandro Vianello has made the burger even more indulgent with the option of a fried egg, crispy chicken skin and/or foie gras. Best with one (or two) of barkeep Adam Domet’s terrific cocktails.
The bison burger from Timber Gastropub in the Listel Hotel in Vancouver.
1300 Robson St., Listel Hotel
Slip into your plaid shirt and tuque and head over to Timber, Vancouver’s all-Canadian gastropub. Once you’ve scarfed down the fried cheese curds, house-made ketchup chips and a Caesar or two, you’ll want to dig right into the bison burger. This is a burger with presence — lean, flavourful and hearty bison recklessly slathered with smoked jalapeño burger sauce and aged cheddar. Optional add-ons include Gelderman Farms bacon or Poplar Grove Tiger Blue Cheese. It’s the burger you’ve been craving, eh?
The 65-day dry-aged beef burger from Two Rivers Specialty Meats Shop & Eatery in North Vancouver.
180 Donaghy Ave., North Vancouver
It’s safe to say that the folks who source, process and distribute the best meat in Vancouver know a thing or two about how to make a burger. After you pick up your Sunday roast or midweek lamb chops at the North Van retail store, grab a seat at one of the long tables and enjoy the classic, char-gilled 65-day dry-aged beef burger, with house-smoked cheddar, bacon and white BBQ sauce on a brioche bun. Double the beef (and, if you like, the cheese and bacon) for the Boss Burger. And don’t forget the fab fries, cooked in beef tallow until crisp and delicious.
Double the meat – a 65-day dry-aged beef patty – and double the fun with the Boss Burger from Two Rivers Specialty Meats Shop & Eatery in North Vancouver.
1020 Main St.
Downstairs, chef Robert Belcham serves up rustic Italian snacks, salads and pastas in an industrial-chic space. Upstairs, you’ll find one of Vancouver’s semi-secret restaurants within a restaurant — and one of the best burgers in town. The Dirty Burger is legendary. It boasts a four-ounce patty of 40-day dry-aged beef, smash-cooked in a searing hot pan for a perfectly caramelized crust, gloriously slathered with American cheese and a signature secret sauce, and tucked inside a house-baked Scotch bap bun. Add-ons include fried egg, crispy chicken skin or indulgent foie gras. Just remember: There’s limited availability every night. No reservations. No phone to order ahead. Plan wisely.
Joanne Sasvari is a Vancouver-based food and drink writer and the author of the Vancouver Eats cookbook.