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BQM Burger Shoppe
Category: Restaurants Burgers Burgers [Edit]
688 Queen St EToronto, ON M4M 1G9
Neighbourhood: Riverdale
(416) 850-7026
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 11 am - 9 pm
Sat 12 pm - 9 pm
Sun 12 pm - 8 pm
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch
- Alcohol:
- No
- Drive-Thru:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
20 reviews for BQM Burger Shoppe
20 reviews in English
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Review from Juliana H.
Toronto, ON
10/28/2011
I do enjoy the burgers here. Yes, some are a little pricey, but for $5, you can get the baby burger which I find more than enough for lunch. Maybe it's not the most exciting burger on the face of the planet, but in its simplicity, it is quite tasty. And the ingredients are very fresh too.
The problem with this place recently is their fries. Three times in the not too distant past I've decided to splurge, go crazy, and order fries. Three times, they have been so under cooked that I could not eat them. Sacrilege!!!
I have not given up hope entirely. I remember having some fairly spectacular sweet potato fries here back when it first opened. Let's hope BQM steps up its game and reclaims its deep frying prowess. -
Review from Eric L.
5/26/2011
I've been here twice, and both times were just average, so so. They are aiming for that "specialty" burger type of shop, but their burgers are not special. Just average tasting, pricey and limited in selection. The fries are better than average, but to walk away with a burger and fries, no drink, you are looking at at $12.
Still a better option than Dangerous Dan's though. -
Review from Kyla S.
Toronto, ON
1/31/2012
Don't get me wrong, the food here is good. The fries are really nice, and the burgers are delicious. That being said the service is utterly terrible, and horrible service is enough to taint even the most delicious of meals.
My boyfriend wandered over one afternoon to pick up lunch while I was out. He has very specific food requirements (more preference than necessity) but he always makes sure his orders are very clear and to the point.
The guy running the shop that particular day completely ignored my boyfriend's request for a plain cheeseburger; he made him a burger with the works, charged him for it (it cost more than his actual choice), and when my boyfriend requested a new burger be made to his specifications, the guy making the burger told him that it was "too bad" and he wouldn't be making a new one.
Where is the customer service in that? You messed up. Fix the burger.
Also, what if the reason behind his order was based on allergies or food sensitivities rather than preference? The unwillingness to make a new burger meant that my boyfriend payed for a meal that he couldn't eat, which is completely unacceptable.
The employees here act like they are doing you a favour when you go in to order something to eat. You run a restaurant in the service industry. Learn what that means.
We were both willing to pay the slightly higher-than-average price for good food and mediocre service. Dipping below mediocrity and treating your patronage like trash means we'll never set foot in there again. -
Review from Faye C.
10/14/2011
I think the burgers here are great - the meat tastes fresh...like real meat. They have a burger option that has one of their giant onion rings on it (yum), and something with goat's cheese. Everytime I've ordered here it's been delicious. I love that they have a giant container of fresh cut fries that they fry on demand! Who can ask for anything more? It's worth the walk past queen and broadview!
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Review from Christine C.
Etobicoke, ON
2/21/2010 3 photos
Three stars plus one for the act of kindness they showed.
So many burgers, so little room in the waistline of my jeans. My burger quest continues this time out in the Riverdale neighbourhood. It was lunch, I was hungry, I needed quick and figured since it'd only been a couple of days from when I huffed back my last burger I could go for some cow on a bun. I looked east, I looked west and then decided on BSQM. Momma loves her burgers and I hadn't hit up this spot yet.
BSQM is about the size of my kitty-kat's condo, it's literally a shoebox, much like that of GBC. It's mostly about the takeout with seating for about a dozen or so. I sidled up to the cash register to order, opened up my wallet and discovered a missing debit card (insert the music from the shower scene in Psycho). Oh no. All I I had on me was a ten dollar bill. Prior reviews have noted that this place ain't cheap so Momma had some decisions to make. Something had to go. Today it was going to be the fries (sob).
I ordered a four ounce burger with goats cheese & caramelized onions with a cold drink. That cashed out at just over $9 bucks. The guy behind the cash asked me if I wanted fries and I tried hard to fight back the tears, took a deep breath and said "sorry dude, my debit card is MIA and all I've got is this tenner." Order was placed and I plunked myself down in a corner, all the while cursing the missing green piece of plastic that came between me and my golden spuds. It was an even more bitter pill to swallow as I watched two guys next to me inhaling their basket of fries.
The burger was decent. A bit chewy but edges were caramelized and the goat cheese added a lovely edge of sublime tang. These onions are not caramelized, they are simply sauteed with lots of pepper in them. The burger was pink in the middle as the juice ran out of it and I like this.
So the extra star...ok, well I'm sitting eating my burger and the order taker guy plunks a basket of fries on my table and says "here ya go girl...enjoy them!". Now that's an act of kindness that I can get down with! The fries were really hot, crispy and well cooked. Maybe they just tasted better because of the kindness they were delivered with.
As it turns out that wasn't the only act of kindness I witnessed during lunch. A young gal came in, having some bicycle lock issues and she asks the guys there if they can give her a drop of cooking oil and she explains her kryptonite lock is giving her fits. A minute later a young guy emerges from the back with a little plastic cup of oil and off she goes. She pops back in, all smiles, holding up her bike lock.
While the burgs may seem pricey this place has tons of really good burger karma. They sure know how to treat a gal well. As usual pics attached. -
Review from Joanne W.
1/4/2011 1 photo
It was the day after New Year's Eve. My friend was hungover and we were in search of greasy food. After searching on http://yelp.ca, we decided to head to BQM for burgers and poutine.
The restaurant is a tiny little diner-like place. My friend ordered a burger (I forgot which one), and I ordered myself a Palmer poutine: bacon, carmelized onion, gravy and fries. How can a girl say no to that?! It was absolutely delicious and not too heavy.
My friend ordered a side of onion rings later on. They were huge - and I could literally slip it onto my wrist (I have a picture to prove this); however, they weren't the best. They tasted quite bland.
Service wasn't the greatest either. They were friendly, but the food took FOREVER to come out. Overall, food was fairly good - service was so-so. However, a great place for greasy food if you're craving it after a night of debauchery. -
Review from sarah l.
5/15/2009
I went to Burger Shoppe today to 'Try it Again' because I didn't like it the first time I ate there. I pretty much stand by my original assessment - it is REALLY expensive, not that great and the service is painful.
Let's start with the good things:
(a) They have a lot of gourmet toppings, and they are fresh
(b) It is pretty close to my house (maybe not a huge positive for you :) )
(c) They always get a few of the 'other' fries in my fries - a couple white fries in my sweet potato fries or vice versa - I really like that a lot (easily amused I guess)
Now let's move on to why I won't be eating here again:
(a) My burger/fries/pop combo was $14.01 - I see the other reviews below, that this is not fast food, it's fresh, good quality ingredients... that's all well and good, but 14$ is TOO MUCH for a burger and fries, no matter how you cut it. Last time I ate here was on my birthday, and for two of us to eat is was 30$. And BBQ sauce costs 25c. Relish is 35c. Bacon is TWO DOLLARS (you do get a LOT of bacon).
(b) I find it difficult to communicate with the guy who works there. I order from the menu, but I don't want cheese, and I don't ask for any weird substitutions... both times my order has been incorrect and he has had a really hard time taking it. How hard is it to do no cheese no mayo.
(c) I have to keep harping on the price man... It's not nearly as good as craft burger on King W, and they're less expensive (but don't have bacon).
I will never eat here again, I would rather get Dangerous Dan's takeout anyday. Burger Shoppe does have a decent sweet potato fry though, if the truth must be told. -
Review from Jenny T.
3/3/2010
Best burger I've ever tasted, the meat tasted juicy and fresh and the toppings were all excellent. We had the Hawaiian and the pineapple ring was nice and juicy and the bacon added a nice taste. No stringy meat that tastes like there's paper as a filler.
We had 2 burgers and 2 of the lemon/lime pop and it came to around $25, which I consider pretty damn pricey because it's not exactly a restaurant. It was a eat and run place with not enough seating.
As much as I liked it, I have to admit there aren't many times where I feel like dishing out $25 to wolf down a burger and then dash. I guess it'd be okay if we had brought home the burgers and enjoyed it at home with a drink from home to lower the cost a bit. I guess what I'm saying is, the food is great but you can't charge us that much money because your shop doesn't really promote a burger enjoying experience with the cramped seats and small dining area. -
Review from Mike C.
Toronto, ON
7/4/2011
Not bad burger place. I came her on Sunday afternoon for lunch. $7 for a plain burger, $8 for my cheeseburger.
The key though I liked is that meats are never frozen, and patties are made fresh daily. You can even see the guy in the back pressing out the patties from handfuls of ground beef.
Fries are natural cut potatoes and quite tasty.
Haven't seen a burger place that doesnt make frozen patties other than during my time in San Francisco. Burger's were ok, but it was kind of pricey at $22 for 2 burgers, 1 fries.
Well worth the experience, just not sure worth experiencing again or on a regular basis. -
Review from ritchie c.
Toronto, ON
12/21/2009
Ughh, I dunno. Completely on the fence with this place. Was excited after eating at the BQM Diner on Queen, and since I couldn't get the delicious flavour of burger out of my mouth I decided to hit up Burger Shoppe for lunch the next day.
I ordered the Riverside, which I knew was a risk. Very rarely are onion ring burgers successful because they have so much batter and are rather dry. But I decided to go with it anyways since I was coming off a serious burger high the night before.
When it finally arrived, I was impressed by it's appearance. It certainly looked delicious. A tad tall which always complicates eating burgers, but that's one of them good problems I suppose.
First couple bites were exactly what I expected. Bun, some meat, onion ring and not much else. The meat itself was well prepared and juicy, but overall dry.
At about 35%, the burger finally presented what it was all about. Good tangy-ness, good crunch to the onion ring, soft burger patty but ultimately falling short of a great sandwich. I felt it was lacking something - a 3rd heat, something to catch me by surprise me while eating it.
The fries were very meh. My combo was pricey, would've got a milkshake if it weren't an additional $5 on top of my $13.
Disappointing, cuz I was really excited about this place.
Good not great, but I wanted something more. -
Review from chris s.
Toronto, ON
4/10/2009
Burger Shoppe's food is great - if you can get it. Juicy burgers have great toppings and the atmosphere's relaxed. It's good enough that I'm willing to spend $10 for a combo.
Too bad service sucks. The chalkboard menu has milk shakes on it, but they've been out of ice cream for 2 months. How hard is it to buy ice cream??? There are tons of corner stores in the area and at $4.50 a shake, clearly there's profit to be made. Also, last time we were there with friends, we had to wipe down our own dirty table. WTF??
To conclude, great food, but bad service/stupid management. -
Review from eune y.
Toronto, ON
6/18/2009
Organic Tofu Burger is exactly what it sounds like. It's a entire square hunk of extra firm tofu breaded and deep fried and placed in between a slightly toasted burger bun. I paid $8 for this burger + $1 for adding blue cheese. This burger is too expensive and they didn't have guacamole which is disappointing because that is a must have topping for me. It was not bad tasting but GBC's veg burger is so outstandingly delish that it's hard for me not to compare it. That and the fact that the lack of effort made to make it more burger-like kinda rubs me the wrong way.
And I don't understand how a shop specializing in burgers, fries and onion rings could run out of onion rings? This is annoying and because of this I probably will not come back because I made the effort to check this place out and the least they can do is have some onion rings for me.
Also, they need to clean the place up. It's a little filthy damnit. -
Review from Mike S.
Toronto, ON
2/3/2011
I heard alot about the Burger Shoppe and decided to try it. All I can say is that it was a huge let down. I got there just after noon and there wasn't many other customers so service was fast. I ordered the shoppe burger combo (around $14) which I thought was very over priced. The burger was bland and the "caramelized onions" were horrible. The fries were above average but that wasn't enough to make up for the disappointing burger. For the price this place is a rip off.
Comment from Saeed M. of BQM Burger Shoppe 3/9/2011
Mike, I apologize for the caramelized onions were they burnt… More » -
Review from André C.
Toronto, ON
9/6/2010
I think this is one of the by far best burgers in Toronto and I do take my burgers very seriously. Big, juicy, fresh and good toppings etc etc.. Order it medium/rare though as the well done ones are on the dry side. Would have given the place a full score if they had a bit more seating and a tad more excitement amongst the staff.. Burger is amazing though and thats why you go there. Also think they should get a bit more sodas etc.
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Review from jonathan f.
Brampton, ON
3/17/2010
Two of us spent $30.00. Virtually no seating. I don't like the burger to be pink in the centre. Next time I will ask for well done. Someone mentioned that BSQM is not as good as Craft Burger; unfortunately they are not even as good as Lick's. If your in this neighbourhood and you are flush with cash BSQM does make a pretty good burger.
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Review from Tina H.
3/12/2010
My usual stop after climbing at TCA. Memories. Love this place though I believe they recently started charging for their chipotle sauce. I just can't look at them the same. They have a sign that says that they welcome suggestions and to email the manager/owner/whatevs but my friend and I both emailed him asking him to bring back the veggie burger that is made with nuts and beets because it's higher quality than a slab of deep fried tofu but we got no response. Needless to say the deep-fried slab of tofu still exists today. I don't like the way they run the business, it seems like they're in it just for the money and only pretend to acknowledge their customers' concerns and comments. With that style, I'd rather go to Craft Burger and Gourmet Burger Company.
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Review from James K.
Toronto, ON
6/7/2009
The burgers here are great. But, Gourmet Burger Co. is just across the Don on Parliament. Go there instead. If you don't go to GBC instead, it takes a while to get served, but there is a bit of seating and the burgers are quite good. The Organic version isn't much better than the regular version. Get the caramelized onions. The fries are good, and the sweet potato fries are good too. The onion rings are good. Maybe a bit expensive for what you get.
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Review from Ali Z.
Toronto, ON
4/26/2010
Honestly, a good burger. They're big and tasty. But the guys at the grill and the counter are rude and short with customers. Every time I've been there I've been made to feel like it's a hassle for them to serve me. It's called the service industry for a reason gentlemen, get with it or find another job away from the people.
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Review from jacquelyn c.
Toronto, ON
6/7/2009
Since my work requires an hour-long commute from the west to east end of the city (a commute that's depressingly equal to the one from my family home in rural western Ontario), not much take-out food survives the trek back...with the exception of the Burger Shoppe. Not only are their burgers able to withstand distance, but their tastiness also survives (much to my boyfriend's bemusement) a stop at the eaton centre and tanning salon along the way. The burgers are freshly made (not frozen) to order, so it's not fast-food (a common complaint) so much as it is great take-out. I've only had to wait max 15 minutes and the staff has always been polite and courteous, coming outside to hand me my order when it's done. When I first started going they didn't offer half-as many toppings as they do now, and the new additions (such as horseradish, caramelized onions) are great. Their offerings of cheese toppings (smoked white cheddar, etc.) are especially yummy. On the downside the burger combos are a little pricey and the very greasy sides do NOT survive the ride home (and can leave quite unfortunate stain on your pants). But overall the place is worth a try.
Listed in: Leslieville (The East End)
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Review from Jimi S.
ON
11/19/2008 5 photos
i have to disagree with the review that talks about burgers as fast food and lumps this place into that company. if you want fast food, go get it at mcd's. youll receive a burger (if indeed you can call it that from mcd's) in a couple of minutes. the specific deal with this store is that it is not fast food - it takes a good 12-15 minutes for your burger to be made, with care; to be adorned with ingredients that are not run of the mill - how many fast food places will top your burger with portobello mushrooms? their homemade bbq sauce? goat cheese? blue cheese? even jalapeno peppers?. not to mention that all the beef is 6oz of all natural beef without anitbiotics and hormones. better to pay the 10 bucks for something that is tastier, better for you than alternative beef burger choices. rate mcdonalds with burger king with kfc with pizza pizza - with lowest common denominator places. not with places that spend more to make an effort to put a better product out.
now i had a riverside burger which was a 6oz all natural beef patty covered with mozarella (real not processed), a large onion ring, their bbq sauce, bacon and a bun. it was pretty good, the bbq sauce very tasty and tangy, the bacon grilled to perfection, the burger itself a little less juicy than i would have preferred but the package as a whole quite tasty. no fries for me that day but i have had them and they were well done, not too thick, not too skinny and crispy.
the shoppe itself has a few tables and some bar stools to sit down on. the stools are by the window so people can see the sauces and oil slithering onto your face as you eat.
so i say, if you are already going to have the burger and fry meal (which we all know in general is not good for you, your body that is) pay a little extra, eat good meat, fresh, tasty (for a burger) gourmet ingredients and enjoy that occasional red meat experience well...because you get what you pay for.
