Montreal's burger scene is vast and diverse, with everything from classic smash burgers to vegan options that’ll satisfy any carnivore. Each serves up juicy patties and creative toppings that have turned the dish into a culinary canvas.
It’s the ultimate comfort food, especially when it’s topped with crispy bacon and melted cheddar or a little less conventional with a mini-poutine or pickled papaya on top, or with grilled cheese sandwiches replacing the bun. Even high-end eateries can't resist featuring them on their menus.
Grab a napkin, loosen your belt, and dig into these 21 top burgers in Montreal:
Dilallo
Where: (Multiple locations)
Why You Need To Go: An OG of Montreal’s burger game since 1929, they’ve got a sizeable menu that features toppings like capicole and hot peppers to go with the traditional bacon and cheese. When you go here, take note of their unique offering of how to have it served: Original (steamed buns), wet (brushed with jus from the grill), dry (dry buns with less fatty meat), dip (brushed with hot pepper oil), or toasted (toasted buns).
Uniburger
Where: (Multiple locations)
Why You Need To Go: This chart-topping local chain has been recognized time and again for the quality of its smash burgers. They know it too — their menu is pretty much devoted to them. All you’ll need to order is a single cheeseburger (or a double if you’re really hungry) and you’ll be set. There are Beyond Meat options, too.
​Burger Bar Crescent
Where: 1465, rue Crescent
Why You Need To Go: People looking for a true tower of beef don’t need to look much further than this downtown restaurant that specializes in huge burgers with all kinds of toppings. We’re talking anything from onion rings and fried eggs to mini poutines. They’re more expensive than your average burger joint, but chances are you’ll only make it halfway through one, so you’ll have another meal for later.
Mange Dans Mon Hood
Where: 1380, rue Jean-Talon Est
Why You Need To Go: It’s not every day that a new restaurant in Montreal immediately romances everyone who eats there, but that’s the situation at this basement casse-croûte below La Belle Tonki. They offer two smash burger options, either classically dressed or covered in their signature sauce, and one of those is all you’ll need to eat well.
​Chez Tousignant
Where: 6956, rue Drolet
Why You Need To Go: Styled after classic Québécois snack bars of yore, this diner from chefs Stefano Faita, Michele Forgione, and chef Yann Turcotte specializes in all kinds of great plates of poutines and hot dogs, but there’s a broad consensus that their burgers are among the best in the city. Get the eponymous Tousignant and bite into all-beef patties topped with cheese and special sauce on a potato bun.
​Notre-Boeuf-de-Grâce
Where: (Multiple locations)
Why You Need To Go: A local favourite, this chain is known for its long lists of burger varieties. They make anything from classic smash burgers to thicker options with six-ounce patties. That portions apply to their toppings too: you can get one dressed like a classic margherita pizza or breakfast-style options with fried salami and sunnyside eggs.
​Foiegwa
Where: 3001, rue Notre-Dame Ouest
Why You Need To Go: This St-Henri institution provides an affirmative answer to the question of whether or not a burger can be sexy. Chef Jérémie Falissard’s take on the classic cheeseburger at this French restaurant-turned-classic American diner comes with a five-ounce patty, caramelized onions, and demi-glace porto sauce on a brioche bun.
​Dic Ann's
Where: (Multiple locations)
Why You Need To Go: Don’t let the popsicle stick they give you with your burger weird you out — you’ll need it to pick up this sloppy Joe-style burger smashed flat that’s served with a signature meat sauce off the plate. While eating one may not fill up the most ambitious of diners, they come cheap, so you can load on another, and another, and another ‘til you admit defeat.
Provisions Bar à Vin
Where: 1142, ave. Van Horne
Why You Need To Go: While the fine dining restaurant at this address is definitely worth a meal, don’t skip out on the burgers from the small butcher shop and sandwich shop attached to it. Grinding up their own beef daily, they make a fresh burger that easily goes toe-to-toe with the best in Montreal.
​Nouveau Palais
Where: 281, rue Bernard Ouest
Why You Need To Go: This Mile End restaurant inspired by old-school diners keeps things fresh with their Palace Burger with cheese, tomato, lettuce, and an uber-juicy patty served on a soft poppyseed bun. The recipe’s so good that they’ve based their own food truck concept, Winneburger, around the thing.
​Patati Patata
Where: 4177, boul. Saint-Laurent
Why You Need To Go: The burgers at this classic Plateau hangout may be on the smaller side compared, but when you pair it up with their full platters that come with fries and a salad, it makes for an amazing and cheap meal. Handheld and satisfying, it’s topped simply with lettuce, tomato, onions, ketchup, and mayo. Tofu, fish, and Mediterranean (with feta and tzatziki) options are available as well.
​Chez Simon Cantine Urbaine
Where: 8517, rue Hochelaga
Why You Need To Go: This Tétreaultville snack bar styled after restaurants of the American Southwest made good on its promise to make an excellent burger when it first opened. No matter what you choose — the classic smash burger, more elaborate options like one topped with chili and cheese, or one of their weekly specials — you’re not going to need another burger all year (or all day, anyway).
​Le Petit Vibe
Where: 30, rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest
Why You Need To Go: Filipino to the front! This concept being run out of the Le Central food hall serves up a smash burger with a fresher take, topping its crispy beef patty with cheese, onion, mustard, and pickled papaya that gives it a slight kick of spice. Served with tater tots, it’s a supremely delicious choice for a burger downtown.
​Jukebox Burgers
Where: 11798, boul. Salaberry
Why You Need To Go: With eight kinds of patties, six types of buns, and as many as 20 different combinations of toppings to choose from, Jukebox Burgers is among the better options on the island for the most discerning of burger fans. If you want a real heart-stopping experience, try the Hulk, served between two bacon-grilled cheese sandwiches.
​Picks
Where: 1407, rue Saint-Marc
Why You Need To Go: At this unassuming hole in the wall near Concordia University, you’ll find a huge wall decorated in slips of paper from Montrealers and tourists praising the restaurant for their burgers. Like the name implies, you pick how you want your burger done. Decide on either a springy yet deliciously seasoned beef or steak patty, a bunch of different cheeses, a big selection of sauces, and whatever other toppings you want.
Mister Steer
Where: 1198, rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest
Why You Need To Go: Ask a local downtown where you should go for a burger from an old-school institution, and they’ll send you here. Serving kosher beef patties fired off on charcoal grills, everything from the classic quarter-pounder with Suzie Q fries to the supreme option topped with bacon and onion rings is worth celebrating.
​QDC Burger
Where: (Multiple locations)
Why You Need To Go: What started as a back alley burger spot behind famous downtown steakhouse Queue de Cheval has since exploded in popularity, all thanks to their ginormous burgers that come with a variety of toppings. We’re talking anything from spicy shrimp and braised short ribs to poached lobster with Bearnaise sauce. If you want to get really fancy, order the Black Angus Wagyu beef option that comes with aged white cheddar and garlic aioli on a brioche bun.
More at qdcburger.com
​Burger Fiancé
Where: (Multiple locations)
Why You Need To Go: Not every satisfying burger in Montreal is going to contain beef. At this vegan go-to, part of a slowly but surely expanding restaurant chain, they’re making both house-made and "Impossible" patties worth trying out. Alongside fan favourites like the double-patty "Double Date" that comes with cheddar cheese, smoked gouda, coleslaw, pickles, ketchup, and mayo, they always have a burger of the month worth trying.
​La Belle et la Boeuf
Where: (Multiple locations)
Why You Need To Go: If you don’t know this local chain for their burgers, you probably know them for their crazy billboards found at just about every compass point of the city. They’re not all flash, though: This is where you should go when you need a monstrous burger stacked so high you won’t even be sure you can fit your mouth around it.
​Bvrger
Where: 401, rue Notre-Dame Ouest
Why You Need To Go: When Christian Ventura of Sushi Momo fame got into the burger game, you better believe he would come up with a vegan take on the classic diner food totally worth eating. The patties here are made of a combination of nuts, sweet potatoes, beans, soy, and shiitake mushrooms, but they’re just as satisfying as meatier options and come topped with things like balsamic caramelized onions, confit mushrooms, and black garlic truffle mayo.
More at groupechristianventura.com
​Loïc
Where: 5001, rue Notre-Dame Ouest
Why You Need To Go: Their famous cheeseburger was around since this bar first opened and helped them get through the pandemic —and it has stayed on the menu since due to popular demand. Served with crinkle-cut fries, it’s a supremely well-executed burger that pairs well with any one of the fine wines they’re pouring.
More at barloic.ca
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