Shamrock Burgers

Best burgers in town.. Very pocket friendly, and their toppings sauces are good. Especially crisp onions and Garlic Mayo sauce.  Must try when you are in the neighborhood!

I was honoured to be invited to try out the food at Shamrock Burgers after Mike sent me an invitation over e-mail.  Shamrock Burgers has been a burger joint in Ontario since 1970 (that’s over 45 years!) and has three locations in Ontario and one in the states.  They specialize in delicious homemade recipes for flame-grilled burgers and onion rings, made fresh to order, with a fun and interactive “rock and roll” experience.  They use grass-fed AAA lean ground beef grown in Ontario with a home recipe. I definitely felt how calm and chill it was to step into the Scarborough store on a Tuesday evening and tried out the burgers and food.  Mike was thoughtful enough to plan five items for me to try in order for me to have a rounded experience of Shamrock and the food that they serve.  I asked for Michelle, the branch manager, and she and her associate took care of me very well.

Shamrock Burgers was established in 1970 by Mr. Danny Maleganeas, and has since grown to four locations (3 in Ontario, and 1 in Alberta). I was kindly invited to check out the original location in Scarborough, ON, a couple of weeks ago. I arrived to the restaurant after work, and was greeted by the manager, Michelle, and the owner of the Shamrock Burgers franchise, Greg. Previously, I was in contact with Mike, who handles their social media, and he had prepared a few of their popular menu items for me to taste that day. I was surprised at the amount of food that was presented to me, as I thought that it was super generous of them to do so. 

Shamrock Burgers is a local burger joint whose core menu consists of homemade fast food items such as burgers, fries, prime rib steak on a bun, chicken wrap, poutine, chicken souvlaki, and much more. Their goal is to offer a "fun, friendly and interactive rock and roll experience coupled with great homemade food to their customers". Overall, they have stayed true to their initial principles of using quality ingredients, and providing fresh made to order meals.

The ordering process was quite straightforward. Consumers would order and pay up front at the cash register. It's also interesting to note that Shamrock Burgers has kept the same recipes for both their homemade burgers, and onion rings since they first launched in the 70's. Both items have proven to be a staple, and are one of the most popular items on the menu.

Shamrock Burgers' menu consists of several burger options and combos. The one that I got to try was their Rock Star (6 oz) ($6.79) burger. If you decide to opt for a combo instead, it comes with fries or onion rings, and a small soft drink. I was pleasantly pleased with the size of the burger, and it was generously topped with all of the works as well. The burger itself was definitely not lacking in flavor, as the beef patty was well-seasoned. The 6 oz burger was juicy, and came with two strips of crispy bacon, and fried onions. They also have over 20 free toppings to choose from, which is always a nice bonus.

Shamrock Burgers are also part of the Vicinity loyalty program, where 10 points earn you 1 free class rock burger (1 burger = 1 point).

 I liked how the menu was not limited to just burgers, and fries. Rather, the menu offers a little more variety than the average casual burger joints in the area, as they also have prime rib steak on a bun, chicken wrap, chicken souvlaki, and Philly cheese steak. Another item that I tried was the grilled chicken wrap ($6.95). Large sliced chunks of grilled chicken were nestled in a mix of tomatoes, onions, and sauce, and then wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla. Personally, I liked that they did not skimp out on the chunks of chicken, and it was juicy. The last item on their menu that I tried was the Double Decker Grilled Cheese ($12.99); one of their two new 8 oz gourmet burgers. It was quite massive that I couldn't finish it up at the restaurant, so I had the rest packed up to go. The beef patty was sandwiched between lots of toppings, bacon, melted cheese, and 4 slices of golden brown bread. The bread had a decent amount of thickness, so the ratio between the bread slices, and patty wasn't too bad. This was an overall tasty grilled cheese burger, and definitely filling.

 Shamrock Burgers' interior was small with only a few tables, as a majority of their local customers order take-outs. Overall, it was a fast-casual atmosphere with a mixture of "rock and roll" and Irish themed decor. Additionally, since the restaurant has been an institution in the east end of Scarborough, they also have memorabilia framed photos of the local youth hockey teams (throughout the years) hanging on their walls when you enter. It's a little nostalgic, especially if you grew up eating at the establishment.

In regards to the service, both the staff, and owner, were very friendly and accommodating. I saw many regulars coming in and out of Shamrock Burgers with their take-out orders, as the staff knew their names, and made small talks. Shamrock Burgers is quite far from my residence, but it's an overall solid family-owned fast food establishment. Hopefully, they will open a location downtown sometime in the future, as I definitely would visit again. Lastly, I would like to thank everyone at Shamrock Burgers for their warm hospitality throughout my visit.

This is the best burger hands down. The price is unbeatable and finally a burger that isn't just ground beef and salt all the other burger joint's should take some tips from shamrocks seriously. 

cheers,

Chris

Monster Sham Burger 20 oz. They had a eating contest and wow the person ate 60 oz of meat.
The Burger is great. I like the homemade fries