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Big Smoke Burger
Category: Restaurants Burgers Burgers [Edit]
Toronto Eaton Centre220 Yonge St
Toronto, ON M5B 2L7
Neighbourhood: Downtown Core
(416) 593-8880
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Drive-Thru:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Very Loud
- Has TV:
- No
14 reviews for Big Smoke Burger
14 reviews in English
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Review from Adam M.
Vancouver, BC
1/7/2012
Working for a national retailer and being a vegetarian too, sometimes I feel as though I'm on a never ending quest to discover a great veggie burger.
This afternoon... I came pretty close.
Maybe it was my initial awe for TEC's new(ish) Urban Eatery concept. A large, open marketplace filled with familiar favorites and up and coming quick service restaurants. It's obvious that TEC is thinking forward (atmosphere, service, decor and selection) and trying desperately (and successfully) to distance themselves from anything remotely resembling a traditional "food court".
The setting aside... Big Smoke Burger is doing something right. Arguably the busiest restaurant in the eatery, their selection is HUGE and substitutions are welcomed! Friendly staff, personalized orders and the tastiest veggie burger I think I have ever experienced make this spot a MUST TRY! -
Review from Myrem D.
Mississauga, ON
2/10/2012
Came here for lunch and BOY is this place popular. Considering it's inside the mall and there's TONS of other options, it seemed to be the one of the few retailers with a long line up.
So, in hopes of finding the greatest burger of all time, I decided to give the eccentric menu a dance.
Blue Burger - You can ask for whole wheat bun which is great for a more diverse option to the standard burger. Good sign. The cashier ran through a few options, which again is a good sign (even with the long line up) she didn't rush me to make a decision but helped me by explaining what Gorgonzola was. The burger wasn't meatier in comparison to a regular Harvey's burger. The toppings to this Signature burger was
gorgonzola - which is a sort of cheese, I changed it to Jalapeno Havarti
avocado - main reason I selected this signature. I can't say it was a good mix...just...different.
rosemary garlic mayo - they didn't have enough of this on the burger. I asked for some on the side. The mayo concentration was more than I would've hoped for. I couldn't taste the garlic :'( sadness
I added Caramelized Onions- which were delicious , especially with the generous portion.
I usually like my burger to have a kick. Not a i-hate-you kick. More like a muy Thai Ong Bak kind of kick. The kind of burger that makes you remember her name and address and brings up creepy instincts to gps her, just in case. While the toppings gave this burger some kick, it wasn't the kick I was looking for. The avocado was too squishy and mixed with the mayo, it got greasy - super quick. That taste carried throughout which made me sad.
Side of Onion rings - My favourite onion rings are from A&W. Now, I know the kind of onion rings I like and this was DEFINITELY not it. It tasted AND looked like a warmed up version of a no frills frozen bag of onion rings. I tried dipping it into concoctions of ketchup, mayo, ketchup and mayo, ketchup mayo and mustard, mustard, ketchup and BBQ sauce. Nada. She went dead on me.
Needless to say , the burger is mediocre. Alas the search for the best burger continues.
You get to watch your burger go through the assembly line and the staff are pretty efficient but this one girl had her Iphone up against the glass and i was reading all her facebook updates. apparently some Asian guy was very insistent on her fb profile. After a few minutes she asked " anything good on there?" and i let her know of the alias name. Apparently a few staff members down, was this girls bf. Needless to say, he wasn't pleased with this other guy poking her fb profile so much. There was some tensioned looks after that. I don't know what happened next but my burger arrived and I bounced.
Maybe the hefty prices also include watching the "real life" version of Breaker High.
xoxo
M. -
Review from Flouny S.
Toronto, ON
1/6/2012
It's not bad as a novelty to try it once. I read all the reviews here and I just had to try it out. I had eaten burgers when they used to be called craft burger on King St W, I remember not liking them back then but maybe things are different.
This place is usually busy with a line but don't let that fool you, it moves along fast (ok a few minutes so not that fast).
I was torn over whether I should order the craft burger or just a plain one, my brother suggested I go with the craft so why not. He got the blue cheese avocado burger.
All in all my brother enjoyed his, I don't know but mine was just ok. The burger is thick (why can't places make big thin burgers instead of thick ones). The outside was charbroiled but it was good. It reminded me of a hamburger place called "Sams" on College when I was growing up.
It's very pricey, two burgers cost my brother $15 and change and that was with no drink. Next time I want to get the onion rings they look good but the portion for the fries seems small. -
Review from Erwin M.
12/5/2011
in a food court setting, this burger can't be beat. It's a lot better than a lot of pubs and restaurant burgers I've tried and yet you get fast food service and price with restaurant quality.
I try to come early at this urban eatery location because the line gets long, fast!
So far the burgers have been juicy, with slight hint of pink, excellent. Fries seem double fried, as they should. Onion rings are large and crisp. They run this place like an assembly line so service will be hard to improve further. There aren't a lot of bad things for me to say if any.
love the blue burger. -
Review from Markus L.
Toronto, ON
12/23/2011
Their craft burger with cheese is very good.
Their fries however are too dark and soggy.
Their service is super fast. They are able to produce an amazing output rate even with long lineups @rush hour.
Less than 5 min is standard. Pretty much unbeatable.
Big Smoke Burger is supposed to be a chain, meaning it should taste the same at every location. But this is not the case.
The craft burger at this location tastes much better than the same burger at Big Smoke Burger on 50 King St. E. I have tried it multiple times at both locations.
The location itself however is not as good and cozy as the one on 50 King St. E.
Since it is part of the food court, it is crazy busy and loud.
I still prefer this location and longer travel just for the burger though. -
Review from Jiao S.
11/3/2011
Have to say.....Love at first bite ~
It is hard to describe what makes a good burger. For me I HATE lettuce, I HATE tomato, I don't even like ketchup, but I LOVE cheese, and I love mustard sauce.
Also I love lamb burger and there was once they ask me how i what my burger done ( not sure if that is hero's ), I said medium almost burst in tears.
So as you can see, I have a wired taste of burger, better just stick with steak ~~
I ordered the Big smoke burger, hard to go wrong since it has the store name in it ..... the burger is very juicy with a good BBQ sauce taste, between too little to make the burger taste plain and too much to taste like Chinese herb medicine, just perfect. We a very little touch of mustard sauce, so balance the meat taste , LOVE IT.
Onion rings and fries are both very crispy ~
The root beer surprised me more. It tasted like some soda I had when I was 5 still in China. Globalization lol.
I am really interested in their lamb burger to. Marked it down.
My friend ordered spicy burger, he had his comments, but I try to get him start to review places on Yelp, so that I will leave it :DListed in: Lunch Choice~
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Review from Michael B.
Toronto, ON
2/15/2012
Usually when I go to the Urban Eatery, I tend to stick to the same places, but today I decided to give Big Smoke a try. Just before noon, there was a pretty big lineup of business people on their lunchbreak, but the line moved quite fast! Also, the cashier asks for your name, which is a lot either at the end when you get your burger, and you find it confusing figuring out which one is yours.
I ordered the veggie burger with the combo. It seemed quite expensive, but the burger was very delicious. I usually dislike toasted buns, but the bun was perfectly toasted very lightly. I would give it 5 stars if the fries were better; They seemed to be cooked very well done, but were not at all crispy. I find that the best places that serve fresh cut fries are the ones that cook them twice - but not all places are able to.... I noticed that some people got the onion rings, and they looked very appetizing.... Next time I'm there, I know what I'll be getting!
Service was quite fast, but I noticed that some of the people that were behind me got their orders first, and just when I was going to ask where mine was, they called my name.... I'll definitely come back again! -
Review from Christine R.
Scarborough, ON
9/14/2011 1 photo
This particular Smoke Burger is located downstairs in the Eaton Centre's renovated environmentally friendly chic new designer food court aka Urban Eatery.
Big smoke's serves up an array of burgers including organic beef, lamb, chicken, veggie, and signature creations. Sides include fresh cut fries, onion rings, poutine, or mixed greens.
What I liked about this location which is the new concept in the Eaton Centre's new Urban Eatery food court is that they ask you if you would like your meal "for here" or "to go". "To go" they give you the standard fast food packaging or "for here" you receive your meal on plates with cutlerly on a tray. So naturally I opted to have it "for here".
I decided to get a combo and wanted to try one of there signature burger so I opted for the Spicy burger with a side of onion rings, and a Boylan's black cherry soda.
Toppings - They Spicy Burger - Caramelized onions, spicy chipotle mayo, tomato & lettuce. Overall not very spicy but a decent kick. You can ask for extra condiments on the side so I got mustard n ketchup.
Meat - Very fresh tasting but could of used a tad more seasoning. It was grilled to order, cooked perfectly, not dense at all and very moist!
Bun - It was a Toasted!! Love that! Good tasting bun with good meat to bun ratio!
Rings - Hot, crispy, and golden brown with a great crunch to it!
Drink -Boylan's Black Cherry Soda - Really good!! It's a must try and a good change from traditional pop.
Overall great meal, prompt service, fresh tasting delicious burger option!Listed in: Burger Time!
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Review from Kim M.
4/9/2012
The burgers were mediocre, the toppings greasy, the fries were brown and overdone, the poutine was flavorless - all at a price point that didn't explain the lack of taste. $7.50 for a plain organic burger, a little less for a regular burger. On this Good Friday holiday we had to wait for seats. The napkins didn't come out of the dispenser. Skip this and go out of Eaton Centre for a different choice.
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Review from A U.
Toronto, ON
11/1/2011
Stopped here the day the new "Urban Eatery" opened. Burger joints being my favourite comfort food temptations, I decided to try out the new one in the Eaton Centre.
I was lucky that the crowds hadn't discovered the new food court yet - there was plenty of seating. So I ordered "eat in", was pleasantly surprised to get real plates and cutlery.
The burger was a disappointment - dry.
However, I have to admit I really liked the onion rings! Crisp! So I am adding an extra star to a two-star burger.
I don't know if the dry burger was an opening-day fiasco. I may try the burger again - I *know* I'll be back for the onion rings! -
Review from Denise S.
10/4/2011 1 Check-in Here
I visit the Craft Burger (aka Big Smoke Burger) at Yonge/Bloor often and find their burgers pretty solid. So I was disappointed with this location, that just doesn't measure up. I came by after work and it was busy, but the line moved pretty efficiently. The menu has a good variety of both beef and non-beef choices. Of note, the veggie burger costs more than the beef burgers, which I thought was strange. They also have chicken, lamb, and turkey. There's an organic beef option as well (if it is the same as the Bloor location, they get their meat from The Healthy Butcher). Options for sides: fries, onion rings, or salad.
I had the "Craft Burger" (rosemary garlic mayo, sauteed mushrooms, lettuce, tomato) combo. The burger was a bit too well-done for me... really crunchy on the outside. The mushrooms were yummy, but iceberg lettuce? -1. The fries didn't taste all that fresh. They tasted like they had been sitting around for a while, which was weird given that it was a really busy time of day.
I do like that if you are eating in the food court, you get a real glass and real dish instead of styrofoam. It definitely makes the food court dining experience feel a little bit nicer (not to mention, more environmentally friendly!). The staff here are also really friendly. They all seemed really calm despite the growing lineup and tried to engage with customers, as in "here's your soda! hey, nice t-shirt!" But, the food wasn't great and it seems like there are way better options at the Urban Eatery.Listed in: Best Burgers
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Review from Natalie G.
Toronto, ON
12/4/2011
Pretty awesome burgers. They are tasty and a great size. Really good french fries too!
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Review from Summer B.
Toronto, ON
9/24/2011
I work near the Eaton Centre and was looking for some tasty for lunch one day. Urban Eatery just opened and I went there to look for something new to try.
Considering the numerous choices available, I decided to go with Big Smoke Burger for a lamb burger. After waiting in the long line-up, the cashier told me they were out of lamb burger so I made a quick decision for the Blue Burger instead.
I am a 115 lbs woman and the burger was quite big. But that's the only positive thing I can say about it for the price you pay for. At about $8, the burger wasn't very tasty. I rather have a burger from Hero or Harvey. The Blue Burger got avocado, gorgonzola and rosemary garlic mayo. Avocado sounds unique and something nice to have, but it didn't add much taste to the burger. The rosemary garlic mayo was nothing more than regular mayo IMO. I can definitely taste the gorgonzola but the whole burger still didn't provide much satisfaction taste wise. I did ask for hot sauce packages but they didn't have any. Maybe other burgers like the Spicy burger would have been better? But the Blue Burger wasn't much of a great buy IMO. I am usually a generous reviewer but I think I can get a better burger elsewhere, so therefore, sorry Big Smoke Burger, 2 stars. -
Review from Stephanie I.
Toronto, ON
9/29/2011
Don't order organic. It`s the same burger. I went during after work hours, so there were lots of people in line in front of me. While in line, I noticed 2 larger size burger patties (might have been lamb?) and then the rest were the same type of patties being grilled all on a row. The 2 larger sized patties got served 2 orders in front of me. And after I placed my order for an 'organic' burger, I noticed that suddenly 1 of the regular size patty was moved to another row on the grill. And then they gave me that special top row now-organic burger a few seconds later. I asked why the burger was already on the grill and ready right away. I was told they always make organic burgers in case there were orders. Riiiight. So they always put a few extra dollars on the grill, in case. And because once these organic patties finish grilling they have to serve it otherwise it gets cold, it means they would serve someone who paid $6.50 for a regular burger an organic burger that cost an extra $1.25 more if no organic orders came. I don't believe it. Plus, no larger size burger patty came on the grill after they were taken off for that order. So lamb burgers are to order (you can obviously taste a difference), organic they put on grills just in case. Ahuh.
On the plus side, burger patties are pretty thick. They do grill the bun. I got a burger with smoked cheddar, roasted garlic mayo, and the rest of the regular toppings. The cheddar was ok. I love applewood smoked cheddar but this was just ok smoked cheddar. I didn`t taste the mayo that much but I did add ketchup and mustard too. To be honest, my husband got a A&W bacon cheeseburger and he and I both enjoyed it more than the smoked cheddar burger. You do get more meat with the Big Smoke Burgers then A&W of course, but I definitely shouldn't have paid extra for that so-called organic Beretta farm patty. It's not that we have low end taste. We actually really enjoy the burgers at South of Temperance. But Big Smoke didn't impress this round. Reading reviews for the other location I can see I wasn't the only one who preferred A&W.
