Burlington Charcoal Pit Burger Review – Burlington, ON
Burlington Charcoal Pit Burger Review – Burlington, ON
The nighttime quest for the best Gold Medal Burger took Robyn and me to Burlington and the Charcoal Pit, established in 1969. According to the wall inside, it was Ryan Gosling's favourite spot when he was a kid in Burlington. After one bite, I could see why. The Charcoal Pit scores an 8.3, good for #34 out of 140 on my Gold Medal Burger rankings.
The price
The number that jumped out first was the price: $5.53 for the Gold Medal Burger. I told Robyn we might have to move to the city. These prices are unreal. It might be the cheapest burger on the entire quest.
My order
Lettuce, onion and pickle only. When I ordered, the guy asked if I liked onions. I said yes, so he gave me both: minced white onion and cooked onion. It's built at the counter right in front of you, a bit like a certain fast food chain, but better. While he was explaining how they do it, a co-worker joked about giving away their recipes. His answer: even if he told me everything, it wouldn't matter.
The burger was huge, the size of Robyn's head. It came on a big sesame seed bun with two vertically sliced pickles, shredded lettuce and the two kinds of onion.
First bite
One bite, everybody knows the rules. It's probably a backyard burger, but a good one. The cooked and raw onion combo reminded me of Mister Chips in Welland, which I still rank higher, but this is in the same spirit. The burger was juicy and dripping.
Breaking it down
- Bun: Big sesame seed bun. The ratio isn't proper, but it still works.
- Patty: Probably a backyard style patty, but juicy.
- Onions: Raw and cooked together. The highlight.
- Toppings: Shredded lettuce and two vertical pickle slices.
- Value: Unreal. $5.53 for a behemoth.
My verdict
I'm not going to tell you this is gourmet, or the best burger on the quest. But I would pay more than five bucks for it all day, and there are places back in Niagara charging four times as much for a burger that isn't nearly as good. It's been a long time since a backyard burger made it into the eights. The Charcoal Pit earns a solid 8.3, and Burlington has its burger game on point. We have to spend more time out here on the quest.
Find Burlington Charcoal Pit
Burlington, ON
