While the toppings may change, burgers are always in fashion. They're the most comfortable of comfort foods. From inventively elegant to hearty and classic, the following restaurants serve some of Calgary’s best burgers.
A charming little diner on Edmonton Trail Northeast, Boogie’s impressive array of burgers includes the deep-fried mac ‘n’ cheese, which features one beef patty, a whole lotta house-special red sauce, lettuce, tomato, onion and, you guessed it, a lovely wedge of cheesy macaroni.
This drive-through fast-food factory on the Trans Canada Highway makes burgers that Calgarians have come to know and love over literal generations. Custom-baked buns hide flame-broiled beef patties doused in house-made barbecue sauce. Pair with a shake and fries.
This eco-friendly eatery serves beautifully basic burgers by Justin LeBoe, one of the country’s top chefs. These mitfuls of meat feature Spring Creek beef patties and your choice of toppings including all the usual condiments, fried egg, bacon, mushrooms or fried onions.
A 2014 YYC Burger Week winner, Kensington’s tiniest diner punches well above its weight. Its six-ounce Angus burger features a local, ethical hormone-free beef patty. Try the house-signature Flipp’n Burger, featuring a sumptuous stack of toppings that includes bacon, two cheeses, frizzled onions, mushrooms and house secret sauce.
Another repeat YYC Burger Week honouree, Naina’s serves half-pound stuffed burgers that are huge crowd pleasers. Choose from an assortment of stuffables that includes cheddar, apple, bacon, sundried tomato and more. For the sheer wow of it, try the Nainalicious Burger, whose patty is filled with fries, gravy and mozzarella cheese.
Also boss man of the The Nash, chef Michael Noble serves seasonal Canadian cuisine at Notable, the very busy Montgomery restaurant that made his considerable reputation. His Chef’s Inspiration burger features naturally raised beef and pork patty in the company of Quebec cheese curds, Oka cheese, black truffle aioli and crisped onions neatly skewered with lettuce, pickle and tomato. This towering creation earned the restaurant its third Alberta Burger Fest award in 2016.
This tiny spot in Inglewood with a second location at Kensington and 10th has received beefy acclaim for burgers as bold as its red-and-white paint job. Constructed of house-ground, beef-brisket patties and an array of top toppings, each sky-scraping burger receives a hot brand upon its puffy bun, livestock style.
Serving a unique brand of uptown comfort food featuring a whole lot of Western Canadian ingredients, Model Milk is situated in a two-tiered building once occupied by a dairy of the same name. The Burger is a bestseller and a permanent fixture on an otherwise variable menu. Deceptively simple, it’s comprised of ham hock lusciously sauced with mushroom ragout and cheese curds.