BQM Queen West

Was once one of my favourite burger joints, seems to have tumbled down a tad in quality. Judging from my last visit, both my dining partner and I were thoroughly disappointed with our meal. I even found a hair in mine, which I sent back to the kitchen and pretty much meant I wanted to leave.
It’s also unfortunate that they changed their menu from the classic, which meant my menu favourite disappeared! Hopefully they make a come back, but I don’t know if I’ll be going back anytime soon. Sad face.

A solid meal delivered by great staff. I had the Riverside burger which had an onion ring as one of the toppings. What a delicious touch. I also appreciated the soft bun it came on. The patty was proportionate to the rest of the burger too. A side of fries completed the meal. I’d go back in a heartbeat.

Pros:
— friendly staff
— good food
Cons:
— slow service
— cramped place
10 coworkers and I came here during lunch. The waitress asked two people who were occupying a large table if they were willing to move over so we all sit together which they did.
Food: They have daily specials, so I ended up ordering «The Shoppe» (pronounced shop). The burger was good, but not amazing.
I am not sure what happened in the kitchen, but it took them over 45 minutes to deliver the food to us. After the food was delivered we received 10% discount and a free poutine.
Service: As mentioned above, the service was not that slow (yes, the place was full, but they did not have ppl. doing take out). The 10% discount was a nice touch, otherwise my view of the place would definitely be much worse. Apart from it being slow, the service was good.
Locale: The place is a bit cramped, it has a small patio area which has benches, but no tables (When i saw it it was November, so due tot he cold they might have removed them.
I would go again if it is a few ppl., and we are not time constrained

This is a quality burger place.
The staff was very friendly and the cheese burger was tasty. The bun was particularly nice.
The sweet potato fries were almost too small and could have used a bit more flavour but still worth getting.

One of my least fav burger joints in the city. Was filling but not much taste. Found the burger to be pretty plain. Also pretty pricey and they don’t hook you up with much fries if you order them on the side.

Easily one of the best burgers I’ve ever had. I opted for the Riverside sirloin burger, it was perfectly cooked and the toppings were great. I was impressed by the bacon, not burnt to a crisp like most places but fresh and still a bit soft. Wasn’t busy at all when I was there so service was great, but I’d be interested to see what it’s like when it’s packed. Kudos for serving coke in the big glass bottles, even if it was a bit expensive. A hefty cut above the usual diner experience. Definitely eating here again. Extra points for their Paleo bun option (not a bun at all, they wrap the burger in a lettuce leaf!)

I ate at this location twice. If this rating was based off my first visit, I would have rated it ⁵⁄₅.
The downfall of BQM is the inconsistency. I ate the Hawaiian burger on my first visit and found it juicy, cooked just right and not messy. The second time, the burger was overcooked.
I want to try this place one more time to see if they can improve their burgers.

Burger was very tasty, but boy was it expensive. I had burger, fries and a coke (and there are 2 types of meat, one is better quality which I chose) and it came to $ 23.05 including tax and tip. A little steep, maybe next time I will go for their most basic burger and not the higher quality meat. $ 23 for one person for a quick lunch is a little on the high priced side.

really amazing burger place, lots of variety as to burger meats.
excellent place for poutine with sausage in it
great pricing
highly recommended

I’ll start with a summary of the place:
Very expensive for what you get.
At my previous job, a group of us tried a few burger places within a reasonable distance from the office so that we wouldn’t be taking an excessively long lunch… well… one where our bosses would notice.
This place was actually the farthest we had to travel.
The burgers start at almost $ 10 and go up in price based on the part of the cow where your want to meat to be for your patty.
All of us chose the cheapest option and order a few sides to share as they were in addition to the burger.
When we all got our burgers, we came to the consensus that the burger was not worth the price and was actually kind of bland. We did finish our burgers at least. That said, we all agreed that we wouldn’t come back or see if the next price-​level meat patty would be better.

Their burgers are not bad; everything else on the menu = approach with caution.
Their little patio is nice in the summer while enjoying their beer specials.

This place really tries hard with kind and attentive service, but the burgers suck.
I ordered a burger medium well and it came out a charred crumbly mess. I sent it back for a less cooked burger but again I got the same thing with just a bit more red.
After an hour ordeal I was too hungry to complain again. With so many other burger options in Toronto, I’d leave this place off the list.

So my 300^th review will be for my love of burgers, and I had the pleasure of stumbling upon this place for lunch today!
They’ve got a nice little patio, and have daily specials posted right by the door. The interior is clean and is decorated with more menu items hanging on the walls. I would have ordered the Beets Burger if I saw that first.
I ordered the Ossington Chuck ($ 9) that comes with portobello mushrooms that complemented the juicy patty (medium) very well. It’s very messy to eat, but the meat is super flavorful you’d just let the juice dribble down your chin.
All burger orders do not come with any sides — I’m not a fan of having to order my fries separately and $ 9 is a bit pricey for just the burger alone. You can choose the quality of your patty, with the Chuck being the cheapest at $ 9 and the most fatty. The brisket is $ 11 and for a leaner option, the sirloin is a great choice at $ 13.
Service was attentive. Our waitress had no issues doing separate bills or moving us inside from the patio when it got too hot.
They advertise organic and grain-​fed cattle, but who knows, a bunch of restaurants are making this claim to jack up prices.
The burger here is tasty, but doesn’t come cheap!

I’m going to have to say it’s one of the better burger joints I’ve been to. Better than Five Guys or any other chain restaurant I’ve been to.
I ordered the Ossington Brisket when I was there. One of the best tasting burgers I’ve had in a long time. Meat was super tender and juicy with the sauces and portobello adding a nice flavour to it.
Also, tip for people going: the orders of fries are huge. Splitting an order between two people is recommended.

Queen Street west since I moved here a couple years sure changes fast. I never got a chance to go the place that once resided here. Oh, well. A food loss for me.
However, in its place is this burger joint. I enjoy its local, organic and hormone free philosophy. It’s a great alternative on this busy strip of queen west.
With that in mind, I was excited to try their offerings! When choosing your burger of choice you have the intriguing option of three meat options: chuck, brisket and loin. I personally prefer the brisket because it has a bit more fat which contributes to Le juiciness. Sirloin, the leaner cut, if any of you are more or less wanting a burger but dodging the fat, this ones for you. Note: the sirloin is the pricier option.
All burgers are without sides so for a little extra you have the usual suspects to choose from. In addition, you have to let the them know if you prefer: medium or medium well done.
A little touch of yesteryear with bottled sodas from Johnnie Ryan and of course, Coca Cola but if you want to throw down that burger with alcohol — go to it! They are licensed.
Hands down this place has fabulous customer service! Friendly, prompt and funny! I appreciated it.
As for the burger, I was disappointed. It felt short on flavour and juiciness. The bun itself left nothing to be desired nor did the single but rather large piece of iceberg lettuce. If this burger was juicy and followed through on its description I would have given it more but sadly it was abysmal and overpriced.
It’s customer service is why this place receives ³⁄₅ but food ²⁄₅.

Went for Burger week and will not be going back.
Some of the worst service I have ever had. They didn’t allow take-​out for the special which was odd, but which was ok by us. Got a seat and waited in a nearly empty restaurant. Server was rude telling us we had to sit and couldn’t have our Gatoraid on a over 30C day. Asked for medium done (rarer of only two options given) and still the burger came out dry. The place was filling up at this point and the server was becoming overwhelmed. Took a while to get her attention for the bill and even longer to pay it. Eventually went up to the register to expedite the process.
Note: I must have seen the server turn away 20 – 30 people looking for take-​out on the burger week special. I know the would like to earn a little extra on the promotion, but turning away willing customers just to squeeze a few extra out of them by making them stay and clog up the tables is missing the point. They should have allowed take-​out for the burger week special and let the tables open for the regulars. So much lost sales.

I think I liked BQM for the wrong reason-​the fact that you can also eat something that isn’t a burger if you like!
My friend MB was visiting from Texas and craving a burger and we decided to check this place out. We sat on the sunny patio, watching the world go by on Queen West. Staff were friendly and allowed us just the right amount of time to peruse the menu. MB went for the Hawaiian burger and ordered sweet potato fries (sides are separate). I had a green salad with grilled chicken ($ 4 extra) and added some pear for $ 1. The green salad comes with a shallot dressing which they were happy to provide on the side. MB was very happy with her burger and pronounced that it hit the spot perfectly.
Loved the server who was very friendly but down to earth and who was happy to take a photo to commemorate MB’s trip. I also liked feeling like I had a healthy lunch in the sun at a burger joint so we both left happy. Of course, I spent the rest of the day eating cookies, chocolate and Nutella… but it’s all about balance, right?

The meat was dry, under seasoned and over-​cooked; the «brisket» tasted the same as a «regular.» And why bother asking how I would like it done if it’s going to come to me well done, anyway? The prices were SUPER high for something of this poor quality — the Sirloin burger from A&W is better than the food at this place.
The side of onion rings cost $ 5 and literally had about 8 onion rings in it. The food was cold when it arrived and SUPER slow! Our waiter was unattentive, took our food to the wrong table and it took him a good 5 – 10 minutes to bring us our bill. The other waitress who was working there walked into me as I was coming back from the washroom and when I had to apologized to her she didn’t even say a word in response.
We were almost late getting back to work from a simple burger lunch.

Omg, the first specialty burger place that I’ve felt that the prices were worth it. Gillian our server was amazing. I mean professional, timely, cool and knowledgeable. Have them explain the meat types so you can really enjoy your experience. I found that since I love rib-​eye steaks that brisket burger is more for me. Meat & fat grounded for my burger for taste. My fillet people seemed to like the sirloin burger best.
Here is some meat knowledge that I have learned from my boy who works at Black Angus Meats. If you go to a butcher and you get a fillet, you will think its the most tender meat there is when you cook it. Unless its Kobe beef or aged steak. But, if you yo to the same market and request fillet of sirloin I highly doubt anyone but the connoisseurs will be able to tell the difference.
That being said, this place has chuck, brisket (my favorite) and sirloin. You just don’t see that in regular burger places. You really have to try BQM. P. S. The chorizo poutine is off the hook as well.

Burgert Quest: BQM Diner
Dining Experience: Lunch
Venue: BQM Dinner
Specialty: Burgers
Location: 254 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON
Menu items: Stem Burger
Oh yes, another Burger joint has made it to Foodies Inc. Burger Quest.
I do have to preface this post by making one big disclaimer; this new addition to the quest only applies to the BQM shop on Queen Street West. I have heard and read many reviews on this chain across town and most of them concur that the taste, service and flavour vary by location. Not really sure why, but that’s just the way it is… like the song says.
BQM is a dinner specializing in all things Burger, just like The Yellow Griffin Pub. It offers a variety of burgers with many topping choices, as well as three different kinds of freshly, never frozen, naturally raised, hormone-​free AAA Ontario beef.
My natural choice out of the bunch was to go for the Stem Burger.
Choosing the Chuck part of the cow for my pattie — oh yeah did I forget to mention you get to choose which side of the cow you want? Chuck, Sirloin or Brisket… sorry about that — I decided to have my burger accompanied with a fried egg (soft yolk), bacon, avocado, mozzarella cheese, tomato and lettuce.
The bun was tasty and fresh, I am sure its store bought but pretty good never the less. The beef was juicy and done to my liking, medium-​well; and although it could have used a bit more seasoning, the bacon/​avocado addition balanced it out quite nicely.
BQM also offers your typical side options, and although this is extra, my recommend would be to go for their sweet potato fries with a side of their garlic aioli sauce, it brings it all together.
And to drink? A pint of the Steam Whistle, which is their staple beer, would be your best bet.
Until my next quest find!
Buen Provecho,
Viviana.