IN Toronto magazine

The exquisite burgers at The Burger’s Priest are too good to be true.

The Burger’s Priest is run by a former seminarian whose gospel is now fresh ground beef griddled to perfection on a soft bun (though he hasn’t abandoned the other Gospel — he closes down every Sunday to go to church). The premium beef is ground on the premises every hour; the “insubstantial” bun will make its way into your fantasies (you think it won’t, but it will Blanche, it will).

The basic cheeseburger is my favourite. It’s where the rubber hits the road on The Burger’s Priest simplicity mantra. My girlfriend swears it has curative properties, for cold and flu at least.

Fried onions and bacon are the only add-ons and available toppings are the basics: ketchup, mustard, mayo, lettuce, tomato, onions, and pickles. 
The most over-the-top menu item is The Priest, a combination of the veggie option, called The Option, and a cheeseburger. The Option takes fried mushrooms stuffed with cheese and presents them inside that brilliant bun.  The Priest raises The Option one cheeseburger, so that while you’re savouring that cheese-burger mix, a gooier cheese spills out of deep-fried mushrooms to produce an indescribable eating sensation.  The only thing more confession-worthy is the chili cheese fries, a meal in itself and well worth a try.

Two tips: Bring cash (the only payment accepted) and don’t arrive too late. Take it from me — it’s not pretty when you’re hanging around at 9:15pm and The Burger’s Priest informs a group of tough local skateboarders that the last two patties have just been taken and it’s too late to grind another batch. Faces crumple, pleading ensues, the recently lucky customers smell danger.

Head on down, grab one of the few stools at the slim counter, and watch other burger places fall off your radar one by one. Redemption anyone?