Local businesses in Kitchener/Waterloo have some creative and tasty burgers available. Due to factors of the pandemic that have threatened small businesses, many local classics are currently unavailable.
Here’s our list of the top 10 burgers currently available in K/W, with two excellent vegetarian options. If you’re interested in the restaurant, click on the header or the image.
Ethel’s Lounge is an uptown Waterloo staple, offering frequent burger specials which you can keep up with on their social media. The Funky Burger showcases the consistent quality of Ethel’s Lounge. The burger features their famous homemade 8oz all beef patty topped with cheddar cheese, shredded lettuce, pickles, onions and their secret sauce. The burger goes for $14.75 and is served with chips, carrots and a pickle.
The Bent Elbow’s burger is a custom ground blend of brisket, hanger and chuck from Toronto’s The Butcher Shoppe. The burger features cheddar, beer braised onions and house cured bacon. It’s served with a choice of fries or salad for a cost of $18.
Hemlock Street Burger’s signature smash burgers are made with locally sourced, always fresh, premium meat. Their pinnacle burger is the Smashed Banquet, featuring a beef patty on a Martin’s potato roll, topped with bacon, cheese, onions, pickles, ketchup and mayo for only $9.
Arabella Park Beer Bar’s burger is a nod to the classic Big Mac. Featuring two fresh chuck smash patties, “definitely not mac sauce”, American cheese, pickles, iceberg, sweet onions all on Martin’s potato roll, the double burger costs $11.50
The Grand Trunk Saloon’s burger is cooked to perfection on a cast iron pan. The Cast Iron Burger features two house ground brisket patties, burger fixings, bacon, applewood cheddar on a soft bun with sauce. Served with chips and coleslaw, the meal costs $19.
The Crazy Canuck has two locations in K/W. All of the Canuck’s burgers come with a choice of salad or fries. “The Crazy Canuck” burger is a 6oz patty with pulled pork, brisket, bacon, cheese, crispy onions and all the regular burger fixings.
Ace is a family run restaurant that specializes in meals, wraps, burgers, and poutines. They use fresh ingredients and homemade marinades. Their shawarma cheeseburger features a fresh 4.5oz beef patty smashed on the grill, topped with chicken shawarma and covered in real cheddar cheese with your choice of ingredients for only $7.99
Yummy burger is a small restaurant with fast and fresh food service. Their creative, affordable, and fast-emerging nature earned them a spot on this list. The BBQ Burger at Yummy Burgers comes with house made BBQ sauce, fried onions, red onions, cheddar cheese and bacon.
Cafe Pyrus is located on Charles Street in Downtown Kitchener. Their tofu sandwich makes for an exceptional vegetarian burger alternative. “The Big Bang” features spicy crispy organic tofu, tomato, and organic lettuce served on an organic kaiser, topped with dill infused aioli. It comes with a side of kaleslow, salt and pepper chips or soup for $13.
Jane Bond’s menu is built around providing high quality, vegetarian takes, on modern cuisine classics. Their Cajun Red Bean Burger showcases their talent in that regard. The burger features a red bean & rice patty, topped with spinach, tomato pickles, red onion and creamy cajun sauce. The bean burger is served with your choice of side and costs $16, with an option to add tofu bacon for additional costs.
One of the best burgers is from Johnny Fresco!
Another upvote for Sonny’s Drive-In. Perhaps the authour should be looking at the less “seemingly trendy” and more on real burger success, tested over 45 years of users returning.
You have missed Sonny’s Drive-in on this article. They have the best burgers. They have been doing this since 1965.