The views expressed in this Opinion article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
Like many Canadians, I'm a certified burger lover boy always looking for the best burger in Canada.
From smash burgers to towering luxury steakhouses and frozen patties tossed on a BBQ, I'm a huge fan of all things burgers, and we, here in Canada, are sort of spoiled because of all our choices, like McDonald's, A&W, Burger King and Wendy's.
So, to figure out which ones are the best and worth checking out, I ranked all of the best signature burgers that you can get here in Canada from some of the most popular chains.
My choices were based on what I am calling the "iconic index." It's a less-than-scientific method, but basically, I came up with my choices by looking at some of the biggest burger chains and asking my colleagues what each one's most famous burger is.
I cross-referenced that with my own experience and came up with four signature burgers that I believe really encompass the whole of fast food dom.
Here, I'm ranking the Big Mac from Mcdonald's, The Teen Burger from A&W, the Whopper from Burger King and the Dave's Single Burger from Wendy's.
I've had many experiences with all of these, so I'm excited to dive in and rank all of these burgers from worst to best.
Burger King Whopper
The Burger King Whopper.
The Whopper is not a new Burger King burger, but it is relatively new to me, having only tried the chain for the first time a few weeks ago. But that being said, I would consider myself a fan of the Whopper, but not a raving one.
This sandwich is really simply prepared and is sort of the textbook definition of a fast-food burger. If I were told to draw a fast food burger, it would undoubtedly look almost exactly like a Burger King Whopper.
The sesame bun is a classic and holds all of the ingredients wonderfully. The veggies, such as the lettuce, onion and pickles, all are inoffensive and get the job done but are nothing to write home about.
But where the Whopper really shines is its patty. That flame-grilled flavour is genuinely delicious and is something you don't get in basically any bigger fast-food restaurant in Canada. It has that nostalgic flavour I associate with burgers I'd have at BBQ growing up.
So, while it is at the bottom of my rankings, it's not without merits. It's a tasty burger at the end of the day, but not the best in Canadian fast food.
Score: 3/5
McDonald's Big Mac
A Big Mac.
To some, at least to me, the Big Mac might actually be the most famous burger in all of fast food.
It's one of the first things that come to mind if you ask me, "Name a fast food burger!" It's almost ubiquitous to the type of food. But how does it hold up?
Well, again, to be honest, I don't have a long history with the Big Mac. I actually only had it for the first time about a week ago.
The first thing I noticed, and really liked about the Big Mac was the tangy and light flavours of the sauce and toppings were a standout. There are not a lot of burgers out there that have such a fun and rich and complex flavour profile as the Big Mac, that's for sure.
These tangy flavours also work wonderfully with the double patties of the sandwich, making something that you understand why it's gotten so much press over the years.
However, the one thing I can't abide by is that middle bun. I'm not the biggest fan of McDonald's burger buns, so having three layers of it in the Big Mac doesn't really do it for me. I would rate this burger much higher if that middle bun was completely committed and it was more similar to the double burgers you can get at McDonald's.
That being said, it's generally a great sandwich that, for the most part, lives up to its reputation.
Score: 3.25/5
Wendy's Dave's Single
A Dave's Single burger.
Wendy's is among the top chains in Canada, and they live up to their reputation of having high-quality burgers.
And that really does shine through with the Dave's Single, among their most iconic burgers. While some might balk at this choice and say the Baconator is a more famous sandwich, that seems just a special menu item to me, so I went with my gut — no pun intended — and picked the Dave's Single.
When biting into Wendy's Dave's Single, the first thing I noticed was that the toppings are among the freshest I've had in fast food. The lettuce was crisp, the tomato wasn't mushy and there was just the right amount of condiments.
As for the bun, it's perfectly chewy and soft without feeling too bready.
The star of the show, the patty, does not disappoint. It's honestly among the best in fast food and seems to always be perfectly cooked. The only thing that would make it better would be if I got the Dave's Double to get a more meaty situation in there.
All and all, this burger is among the best in fast food. However, it does not take away the crown.
Score: 4.5/5
A&W Teen Burger
And now, without further ado, the top burger on this list.
In my life, the Teen Burger has been with me for some important moments. Countless hangovers, road trips, quick bites and nice dinners have featured me with a Teen Burger in my hand.
I'll make no bones about it, A&W is my favourite fast food chain in Canada and I think the Teen Burger is the best fast food burger in Canada.
What makes it so good? Well, a lot of things but one of the main ones is its simplicity. It has fresh ingredients that crunch wonderfully when you bite into them, the perfect amount of condiments and those slices of bacon really send it over the moon in terms of greatness.
Of course, that patty feels like real meat like no other burger in fast food does, and every single time it is juicy, flavourful and grilled perfectly.
The Teen Burger feels like the burger in Canada with the most real ingredients and feels like something you could easily have at a sit-down restaurant or grilled by your burger-obsessed uncle at the BBQ.
It's just an ideal burger!
Score: 5/5
So, hopefully, with this run down, you can go out and try all of the best burgers out there in Canada.
I should also mention that, like anything, this is just my opinion. Everyone has one, I'm lucky enough to be the one writing this article, so if you disagree with my picks, more power to you — even if you're opinion is wrong!
(just kidding)
Enjoy a summer full of burgers, Canada!
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