One of the top 3 old school burgers in Toronto
With so many awesome smash burger joints opening in the past year, I thought it would be good to spotlight good ol’ burger places that have been in Toronto for decades. Jumbo Burgers is one of my favourites for classic burgers.
The building and decor hasn’t changed since the 1970s. It sits in a dilapidated location by the railway tracks in The Junction. Just like in the 1970s, it’s cash only unless you order from food apps. One good thing is that it opens early and closes past midnight.
The OG burgers of Toronto
There are about a dozen or so burger restaurants in Toronto that have been around for decades.
- Apache Burgers
- Burger Shack
- Dairy Freeze
- Golden Star
- Harry’s Drive-In
- Johnny’s Hamburgers
- Jumbo Burgers
- Lick’s Home Burgers
- Real McCoy
- Shamrock Burgers
- Square Boy
They seem to follow a common theme. Interiors that haven’t changed since they first opened (though prices have), diner or bar seating, and a backlit fast-food-style menu above the counter in all-caps letters. As for food, the patties are thick and grilled, the buns are of unknown provenance, and burgers are complete with sad-looking chunks of iceberg lettuce and big slices of tomato. In what might be a Toronto peculiarity, more than a few of these places also make souvlaki (Greek grilled meat skewers). I suppose that since they have a grill, they might as well use it for all sorts of foods.
These places mostly survive on nostalgia and convenience. With the exception of Shamrock, which updates its offerings and image to keep up with the times—it’s indistinguishable from a hip burger restaurant.
I have tried all these places except for Dairy Freeze, Harry’s, and Shamrock. My top picks are Golden Star, followed by Jumbo Burgers. But I wouldn’t recommend making a detour to any of these old school places.
I would be remiss not to mention the best resource on burgers in Toronto: Tasty Burgers. I am indifferent to burgers while this guy is the foremost afficionado. He has reviewed over 200 of them.
The food
There are two things to get at Jumbo Burgers: their burgers (duh) and onion rings. If you are feeling adventurous, you might want to try their breakfast options or souvlakis but I never bothered with them. For burgers, there are options for cheese, double patties, and bacon but it’s mostly the same thing.
The onion rings were thick with batter, just the way I like it. The actual onion was one-fifth the thickness of the ring. The batter was well-seasoned and kind of bread-y. They were great when freshly fried and had an inviting golden hue. 8/10.
The banquet burger is a 142g (5oz) patty with cheese and 2 strips of bacon. After the patty is grilled but before the burger is assembled, customers can approach the counter to select their condiments. They’re the same run-of-the-mill selection found at hot dog carts in downtown Toronto: tomatoes, pickles, white onions, relish, creamed corn, and banana peppers.
And voilà! This was my frumpy banquet burger. It doesn’t score points for looks but it is solid on taste.
I chose to keep the condiments simple with just tomatoes, onions, and relish. By far the best part of the burger was the patty. It had a smokey flavour, fresh off the grill. The meat was juicy and the bun soaked up the drippings. I didn’t care much for the bacon. It wasn’t crisp enough and drew attention away from the beef. Maybe it’s just me because I don’t like bacon in burgers. All I needed was some acid and sweetness to balance the fatty patty, and the tomatoes and relish did the job. The bun was soft and reminded me of those from McDonalds. 7/10.
The place
Entering this place is like stepping back in time. Not in a hip faux-retro kind of way, but in a have-not-refurnished-in-40-years kind of way. It’s a fast food diner from the 1970s. The venerable chefs do double duty as cashiers. The protocol after ordering is to wait on one side until you are called to customize your burger toppings.
Jumbo Burgers does not have a jumbo interior. Quite the opposite. Only 15 people can sit down comfortably in this narrow shack. The no-frills decor means it’s not a place you want to linger either. Most people did take out before the pandemic, so it isn’t a huge change in business model for Jumbo Burgers when COVID-19 struck.
Verdict
One of the top three old-school burger institutions in Toronto. 7.5/10.
Practical information
- Name
- Jumbo Burgers
- Rating
- 7.5/10
- Recommended dishes
- Banquet burger
Onion rings - Prices
- Banquet burger: $8.19 ($7.25 excluding tax)
Onion rings: $5.65 ($5.00 excluding tax) - Address
- 685 Runnymede Road
- Hours
- Monday to Wednesday 0900h – 2300h
Thursday to Saturday 0900h – 2400h
Sunday 1100h – 2000h - Date of visit
- December 2020