Hamburgers with Tasty Toppings

There are times when a simple, classic burger is all you need to satisfy your appetite. Then there are those other occasions when you’re in an adventurous mood and want to take a walk on the culinary wild side. This list is for the latter. From sandwiches within burgers to debatable toppings and zany combinations of all sorts, Edmonton has no shortage of over-the-top options when it comes to burgers. 

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The Poutine at Rival Burger

Atop Rival Burger’s freshly-ground, house-blend, smashed beef patty sits something you would normally think of eating with a fork—a poutine. Using thin spiral fries as a nest to hold the cheese curds and rich gravy, the most famous of all Canadian dishes has been totally re-contextualized as something held by a bun! Still including all the regular fixings such as pickle, tomato, lettuce and also hot maple mustard, The Poutine Burger maintains all the hallmarks of a classic burger, while amping it up into cult Canadiana terrain. Plus, it’s a burger and a side in one!

Hala Kahiki Smash at Fox Burger

Whether pineapple belongs on pizza has been a heated, age-old debate for decades, which could very well make the Hala Kahiki Smash the most divisive burger around. To the credit of Fox Burgers, the zany grilled pineapple is balanced with pickled banana peppers, American Swiss, bacon, iceberg lettuce and terimayo, a teriyaki mayonnaise blend. This combination is a clear attempt to bring luau energy to our northern land, but just like with pizza, not everyone is going to be convinced to put on a Hawaiian shirt and move their hips to some ukulele tunes. Let the debate begin! 

Big Jack at Jack’s Burger Shack

Already a massive undertaking with two patties, sauce, fries, gravy and curds, Jack’s Burger Shack takes their Big Jack burger way over the line by also adding ranch dressing and a grilled cheese sandwich, all within the bun! There is something quite dubious about combing America’s favourite dressing with the Canadian combo of gravy, fries and cheese curd, and while many of these ingredients are all over the top, something about adding ranch dressing and a grilled cheese sandwich to a burger just screams. Whether it’s screaming crazy or genius will have to be up to you to decide. 

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Professor PB&J at Backstairs Burger

Somewhere between a heavenly, sweet breakfast and a hearty, savoury lunch is where espresso peanut butter sits, tying together all of Professor PB&J’s ingredients and making sure you’re wide-eyed enough to take it all in. With a lot going on for your taste buds to put together, the boost in caffeination is a welcome addition to help you focus on the flavours in hand. Backstairs Burgers stacks thick-cut bacon, banana aioli, strawberry sriracha jam, hickory sticks on top of a 3.5-oz smashed patty smothered in espresso-laden peanut butter and turns it into more than the sum of its parts. 

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The Scout at Next Act Pub (main photo is The Scout Burger)

The origin of this Argentinean condiment may not be clear, but its rapid-fire growth in popularity throughout Latin America in the 1900s—and eventually the world—sure is! Chimichurri is a flavourful, uncooked sauce with many regional variations, made up of freshly-chopped herbs, spices, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice or red wine vinegar. The Next Act takes this full-bodied sauce and pairs it with crispy onions, avocado, roasted garlic mayo and “groceries.” That’s their endearing word for lettuce, tomato, pickle and mayo to make The Scout a rarely seen, Latin-influenced burger. 

WHERE TO FIND THEM

Rival Burger

• 12011-111 Ave, Edmonton
• 780-235-6632
• rivalburger.ca

Fox Burger

• 6423-112 Ave., Edmonton. 780-250-0369
• 11003-124 St. Edmonton. 587-599-5205
• foxburger.ca

Jack’s Burger Shack

• 10354 Jasper Ave., Edmonton. 587-525-4889
• 130-15 Perron St., St. Albert. 780-458-0055
• jacksburgershack.ca

Backstairs Burger

• 11010 51 Ave., Edmonton
• 587-499-0576
• backstairsburger.ca

Next Act Pub

• 8224-104 St., Edmonton
• 780-433-9345
• nextactpub.com

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