Noshwellmenu

[rating:3]

So, where would you expect to find the Best Burger in the Lower Mainland? Yaletown? Downtown? Kitsilano? Main Street? Well, Burgers Etc.’s claims the viewers of CTV have given this Burnaby restaurant that distinction. If this was done in as scientific fashion as American Idol or So You Think You Can Dance, then we’d have to take the results with a grain of salt.

(Clockwise: 1. Chargrilled salmon burger with fries and mayo. 2. A saxophone hanging on a red wall. 3. Ketchup, but I prefer mayo.)

Case and I arrived for a late dinner (around 8:30pm). I keep forgetting restaurants in Burnaby close early, so the restaurant was empty except for one table and the staff was preparing the restaurant for closing. Inside, the sweet scent of Barbeque sauce swelled and enveloped our senses. Fiery red painted wall surrounded us, adorned with images of Miles Davis, saxophones and other jazz paraphernalia. Down south blues drawled from the speakers.

The menu at Burgers Etc. read more like a Southern barbeque house: pulled pork, beef brisket, barbeque ribs and chicken, and sausage and chicken wings. Sitting alone was a small section dedicated to their burgers. We were here to test their burger claim, so that was what we ordered. Case had the lower mainland’s “best” burger (quotes their own): 6 oz. of ground chuck with spices and all the fixings. Instead of fries, their burgers come with a side of baked beens, cole slaw, corn niblets or potato salad — Case chose the corn niblets. I ordered the night’s special, a grilled salmon burger, substituting their regular side with fries  and mayo for an extra $3. I was afraid my salmon would become lonely, so I also got a beer to keep it company.

Our dinner arrived in black plastic baskets lined with classic red and white gingham wax paper. Case’s burger was pretty tasty: fresh and moist with a nice smoky char from the grill, but slightly under seasoned. The bun were perfectly shaped, fresh, and lightly toasted on the outside and pillow soft on the inside. The corn niblets had a nice crunch, but appeared to lack salt or butter. My salmon burger was surprisingly tasty (most restaurants overcook the salmon and turn it into a hideous cardboard jerky). But my salmon was moist, well seasoned, with excellent smoky flavour from charring. The fries were so-so, but I was dunking them in the mayo, so they tasted dope to me.

Our entire meal set us back about $30, which is pretty decent. The burgers here are definitely solid if not under seasoned, and I really enjoyed the salmon burger —  but lower mainland’s best burger? Perhaps not. There are enough good burger joints out there to make that claim disputable.

Perfect for:

The best burger in… Burnaby?

The Details

4091 Hastings Street, Burnaby
604.299.8959
burgers-etc.com

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