It had been a little while since I'd ordered a cheeseburger from a fast-food spot in Toronto, so I set out to revisit the classics and see how the country's best-known chains stack up.
For fairness, I focused on affordable, widely available brands. That meant leaving out fan-favourite spot Shake Shack for now, as it has only recently entered Canada and is currently limited to the GTA. I also skipped Five Guys for now, as I considered it to be in the next price bracket up.
Instead, I narrowed it down to five major chains: McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, A&W, and Harvey's — all contenders for the title of Canada's best cheeseburger, at least according to me.
Each one was judged on overall flavour, freshness, patty quality, presentation and price.
McDonald's
To be honest, I'll never understand how McDonald's has such a grip on people, or how it became one of the biggest fast-food chains on the planet. Sure, it's convenient and lightning-fast (sometimes, at least), but the quality just doesn't stack up for me.
And this cheeseburger didn't change my opinion one bit.
The McDonald's cheeseburger tasted totally meh — bland, forgettable, and lacking any real flavour or character. The patty was far too thin, and the bun was dry and tasteless. Neither felt particularly fresh.
You definitely wouldn't want to show up to McDonald's feeling hungry; this cheeseburger wouldn't come close to filling you up. The meat patty in particular felt like cheap quality, and it had zero substance.
And the presentation? It looked like someone had sat on it before handing it over to me.
To be fair, the pickles and onions were a nice touch, but nowhere near enough to save it. The cheese wasn't melted either, instead it looked like it was thrown on right at the end before it was packaged.
When it comes to the price, at least you're not breaking the bank here. It's a silver lining — albeit a small one.
Price: $3.56 (after tax)
Rating: 1 out of 5
Burger King
I've never been a big fan of Burger King. In fact, it's always been a last-resort option for me. The only time I ever end up there is at the airport, when it's the closest spot to my gate.
So I walked in here with pretty low expectations for its cheeseburger… but it was actually better than I thought it would be.
I liked the texture and thickness of the bun, and the onions — which were surprisingly large — had solid flavour. The cheese was also slightly melted, which gave it a comforting and warm taste. Overall, it seemed pretty fresh actually.
That said, the overall flavour still felt like it was missing something. The meat quality was just okay, and it was quite a thin patty without much substance.
Even so, I was pleasantly surprised. I'm not saying I'm about to become a Burger King stan, but I definitely didn't hate it. The presentation wasn't much to write home about, though.
The biggest shock was that it was slightly cheaper than McDonald's, which made me appreciate it just a little bit more.
Price: $3.45 (after tax)
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
Wendy's
I usually order something chicken-based when I'm at Wendy's, but this felt like the perfect opportunity to see what their burgers are all about.
And honestly, it was a pretty tasty cheeseburger. The meat was high-quality, and the bun had good thickness, though it felt more defrosted than fresh. The onions had good flavour, though, and the cheese was melted perfectly. Plus, it was presented relatively well.
The only real issue for me was the sauce. It was overpowering and leaned too sour for my liking. I prefer condiments to be subtle, not something that dominates every bite.
This one is also more than double the price of Burger King's offering, which feels a bit steep for what you get.
Still, the patty deserves major credit as it was genuinely impressive. The onions and cheese were spot-on, too; the sauce and the not-so-fresh bun were the only things dragging it down.
Overall, it was a pretty solid burger. I'd definitely order it again — I'd just ask for less sauce next time!
Price: $8.69 (after tax)
Rating: 3 out of 5
A&W
I've had A&W a handful of times, but rarely while sober. It's always been a reliable post-night out snack option, especially since there's a 24-hour location near where I live.
And since alcohol tends to make everything taste better, I wasn't sure what to expect trying their cheeseburger with a clear head.
But honestly, it was really good. The bun tasted fluffy and fresh and nicely thick, and the meat had great flavour. The real standout, though, was the sautéed onions — they were so tasty. Not overpowering, just a perfect complement to the burger.
My only complaint is that the patty was too thin compared to the bun, which threw off the balance a bit.
Still, this was a very solid cheeseburger. It was much cheaper than Wendy's too, and only slightly pricier than McDonald's and Burger King. It was presented well, too.
Price: $4.19 (after tax)
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Harvey's
Harvey's is one of Canada's most iconic fast-food chains, but it's not somewhere I go very often. This is probably why I completely forgot the Harvey's ordering etiquette — you choose your toppings after the burger is cooked.
Honestly, I like that system. It's a bit like Subway — you get a wide range of toppings and condiments to customize your burger exactly how you want it. I went with lettuce, onion, tomato, and some chipotle sauce.
After the first bite, I knew straight away this was going to be the best cheeseburger of the lot.
Not only did I get to customize it to my taste, the bun was incredibly fresh, and the toppings, sauces, and cheese all worked beautifully together.
The patty was thick too, which meant the burger actually filled you up properly — something many of the others didn't manage. However, the quality of the meat itself wasn't the best, and this is where this burger dropped a mark. To me, it just tasted like a frozen burger from the supermarket.
Still, for a fast-food spot, it was pretty impressive overall, even if it was a little on the pricey side.
Price: $9.93 (after tax)
Rating: 4 out of 5
After doing this challenge, I was genuinely surprised to find that the big international names couldn't compete with a Canadian brand like Harvey's when it came to the humble cheeseburger. And honestly, I don't think that's a coincidence.
That said, I think I'll be taking a little break from cheeseburgers for a while...
The opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
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Lisa Belmonte with the Wendy's Egg BLT and Iced Coffee.