Who doesn’t like a good hamburger? Seems everyone I know has at least one go-to place that’s in regular rotation. These allegiances are often tied to both history and physical geography within the city (Burger Shack and Square Boy come to mind for me for instance). When I want to head out of my “zone” and splurge on something a little more top-shelf, I go to P&L Burger.

This place needs little introduction (and probably doesn’t need much more press). A quick run-down… the fellas over at Parts & Labour took down CMT’s Burger Wars (my wife and I saw the episode and were left drooling). They’ve rolled their successes into a number of different ventures, one being a stand-alone shop on Queen Street West dedicated solely to the hamburger.

Their namesake, the P&L Burger ($9 ~ pictured below), is 7 ounces of Canadian brisket, covered in Cheddar,  Iceberg Lettuce, Dill Pickle Mayo and a sublime Bacon-Onion Jam. Cooked medium (though mine is often served medium-rare… which is fine with me, btw), it’s so satisfying that I needn’t order any sides (Fresh Cut Fries, Kale Caesar Salad, Onion Rings, Poutine and Coleslaw are all options). There are half-a-dozen burger variations on the menu (including a veggie option); though, I never order anything other than the P&L (without substitutions). This place transcends my aforementioned point about history & geography and currently resides atop my list of favourite burger places in the city.