They have been named the best in the country, but Uniburger owner Younes Bengeloune is proud to say his hamburgers are humble.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not anything fancy,鈥� he told CTVNews.ca. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a very simple menu, very simple burgers.鈥�
The Montreal chain has claimed the top spot in a new list of the 50 best burgers in the country, according to a poll by Big 7 Media. The travel site said it asked readers across its 1.5-million strong social media channels to name the . Canada鈥檚 most populous province nabbed 16 spots and half of the top 10, including Burger Burger (2) in London, Rudy (3) in Toronto, and The Burger Priest (6) in Hamilton. But the province couldn鈥檛 crack the top spot claimed by .
Bengeloune, who opened the first location six years ago, said the chain has amassed a good reputation in the city for its high-quality ingredients.
Uniburger鈥檚 sandwiches are all a variation of the same burger: single or double patty, cheese or no cheese, and the customer鈥檚 choice of toppings. The restaurant recently introduced a vegetarian option with the Beyond Meat patty. But the chain has one signature burger called the Uniburger, which is simply meat, cheese, lettuce, tomato and the top-secret Uniburger sauce.
The other secrets to the burger鈥檚 success are in the all-Canadian beef -- ground daily by a local butcher -- and the dense texture of the potato buns imported from a U.S. supplier, Martin鈥檚 Famous Pastry Shoppe, said Bengeloune. 鈥淲e were the first restaurant in Canada to use this bun,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ecause of the import and all of the logistics it is more expensive, but the quality is by far superior.鈥�
While the new list looks like a reliable guide for travelling foodies, freelance food writer and former editor of Ian Harrison said that he wouldn鈥檛 put much stock into it. 鈥淚 had a good laugh when I looked at it,鈥� he told CTVNews.ca. 鈥淭his isn鈥檛 based on any lived experience eating burgers.鈥� The more reliable lists are the ones that send paid critics on a city-wide mission, like , he said, which also lists Uniburger.
Bengeloune is deserving of the accolades, said Harrison. 鈥淗is spots are beloved in Montreal,鈥� he said. But some of the other Montreal spots gave the writer pause. Too many places opt for 鈥渦nwieldly鈥� and overstuffed sandwiches, he said.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the problem with a lot of the burgers you see on Instagram and on this list,鈥� said Harrison. The best burgers are made with quality beef, quality buns, and can fit in your hand, he added. 鈥淚f you can鈥檛 fit it in one hand and carry it around with you, it鈥檚 not a burger. You shouldn鈥檛 need to take 10 onion rings out of it so you can wrap your lips around it.鈥�
Quebec landed a dozen spots on , including Burger Royal (7) in Montreal, and Rouge Burger Bar in Chicoutimi, Que. Alberta grabbed nine spots, including Clive Burger (11) in Calgary, and YEG Burger (12) in Edmonton. British Columbia finished with eight, including L鈥檃battoir (5) in Vancouver, and El Furniture Warehouse (16) in Whistler. Nova Scotia and Manitoba were the only other provinces or territories to make the list, with three and two spots, respectively.
