For years, smash burgers have ruled Toronto’s burger scene — the thin, crispy-edged patties
seared on a griddle and stacked in paper wrappers became the city’s go-to comfort bite. But
lately, there’s a new (well, old) shape on the horizon: the thick, juicy, knife-and-fork burger.
Even as Bobby Flay announces plans to open around 50 locations of his smash burger chain
across Canada, Toronto’s chefs seem to be quietly heading in the opposite direction — away from the smash and back toward the stack. Maybe the pendulum is swinging, maybe we just missed a little pink in the middle. Either way, here are nine thick-cut burgers proving the tide is turning.
Susie’s Rise & Dine
The Little Italy darling that made pancakes cool again has boldly entered its dinner era — and the new menu is a full-on must-try. Front and centre is the Cheeseburger Royale, a thick, dry-aged beef patty cooked perfectly rare in the middle, topped with charred white onion and a melt of American cheese. It’s served with a side of burger sauce for optimal dip control and stacked on a sesame-seed bun.
Matty’s Patty’s
Yes, Matty built his name on the smash. But his new Italian burger proves that he’s not afraid to change things up: a thick, seven ounce patty on brioche, cooked rare and buried under Rizzo’s House of Parm marinara with a mozzarella pull you can practically measure in metres. Even “the Matty” leans hefty — seven ounces of 100 per cent AAA beef, expressly cooked to medium (pink at the centre), with mustard sauce, American cheese, white onion and pickles.
Dotty’s
Tucked on Dupont and as walk-in-only as it gets, Dotty’s runs on a tiny hand-written menu and a very large reputation. The cheeseburger is a brisket-and-chuck blend, ground for tenderness, cooked to a blushing medium-rare and layered with both cheddar and American. The toppings are classic — mayo, ketchup, mustard, sliced pickles. No secret sauce, no pyrotechnics, just a proudly thick patty that tastes like the diner of your dreams, with vanilla soft serve or a brownie for curtain call.
Bear Steaks
From a backyard pop-up in 2021 to a College Street home (and a spot at The Well), Bear Steaks builds sandwiches on big-shouldered backs. The burger follows suit: a medium-rare chuck patty, American cheese, white onion and thick-cut pickles on a sesame bun, with sauce on the side for the purists.
Richmond Station
Downtown’s perennial pit stop gives the thick burger a proper brasserie dress code: pasture-raised beef, aged cheddar, pickled onions, beet chutney and garlic aioli flanked by
rosemary fries. If you prefer plants, the grilled-leek-and-chickpea number is just as substantial— a rarity in burgerland. Either way, this is a knife-and-fork tallboy that proves “refined” and “juicy” can be in the same sentence.
General Public
Geary’s glam-gritty newcomer reads like a high-end English pub crossed with an American
brasserie and powered by a steakhouse heart. The cheeseburger blends brisket and chuck with a sly thread of bone marrow, then sets it on a house-made McDonald’s-style bun slathered with Branston pickle and drenches it in a red Leicester sauce.
Atomic Burger
Leslieville’s retro-futurist diner goes big on design and bigger on beef. Think mid-century
modern curves, creamsicle orange dreams and burgers that stand tall on technique, not trend. While their staple thick cut Space Cadet burger speaks for itself, the real story is the method: in-house butchering, dry-aging and grinding before a griddle sear and a generous stack of fixings. This futuristic spot takes you on a trip to our future, big bites, bigger Jetsons vibes, and the biggest Flintstones appetite.
Rasa Burger
Their website says it loud: “WE DON’T SMASH.” After a decade of quiet cult status, Rasa has
proved the true testament of time. What’s the secret? The intensely unique Rasa burger featuring a black sesame bun with provolone, caramelized onions, kimchi, pickles, cabbage and gochujang aioli. It’s thick, juicy and deeply seasoned — less an homage to diner culture more a love letter to the burger as a proper composed dish. “Some burgers are born to be smashed—ours was born to stand tall” says their slogan. Consider us convinced.
