Capitano Burgers & Gelato

It’s not bad. I’d give this place a 3.5. It has room for improvement, but given the selection, prices and quality, I have returned several times. Last time I was there I ordered the Capitano burger, it was delicious. So many fillings that i had to double check on their website… here you go… Grilled Beef Patty, Grilled Chicken Breast, Caramelized Peameal Bacon. Regular Beacon, Fried Egg, Swiss Cheese, Capitano Sauce… that was quite a mouthful… he actually warned me, thought i wouldn’t finish it… can’t wait to get it again.

So sad you cannot add the PLUS symbol. This place is great. Real burgers with amazing taste. Definitely my #1 place from now on.

UPDATE UPDATE: Capitano (old and new) is closed.
UPDATE: The rumours are true. The ownership of my favourite no-​brainer neighbourhood burger joint has changed.
The wonderful fried fish burger of O.G. Capitano (R.I.P.) has become an underwhelming, flat $ 7 grilled salmon patty that tastes cooked from frozen.
My beloved formerly $ 4.95 veggie is now $ 8 and no longer the juicy, flavourful bundle of joy that it once was. It has a few extra toppings added onto it, but asking for it plain will run you $ 7 anyway. Yet the classic burger is still $ 5. What?
Other cons:
— …Besides the burgers not being nearly as good?
— No more complimentary mini gelato with your purchase
— Fewer fries on the side (it’s +$ 5 to make your burger a combo)
— No more student discount that I could see
— No root beer
Some pros:
+ A DELICIOUS new avocado sauce/​spread
+ Buns are still baked in-​house and fluffy as hell
+ Meat is still antibiotic-​free and responsibly sourced, according to the owner
+ They still accept/​stamp the old loyalty cards, as one would hope
+ Gelato is fine, though a little mushier — lots of flavours including popcorn, rum raisin, Nutella, and coconut basil
The new owner seems like a super nice guy and is apparently planning to sell sandwiches, pizzas, etc. But I’d give anything (well, meaning my lunch hour forever business) to just get the titular burgers & gelato the way they were. *cue Barbra Streisand*

Without doubt one of the best Burger places in Toronto. Great food and awesome service.
Definitely going to be a place I visit whenever I am in town.

I don’t understand.
Why is it so difficult to find a good burger place?
I got the portobello burger with onion rings. With tax it’s $ 17.
At this price, I’m expecting an amazing burger. Better than big smokes, five guys, burger’s priest. It was a big disappointment. The patty was dry, bland, overcooked, there was no special sauce.
I would go for a McD and get a big mac combo x2.

They have been bought out by a group of people that want to integrate Latin food into the menu. I stopped by for gelato, and was happy with the flavors and portion size. I am curious to see what they do with the place. The name will change, but they will keep the burgers and gelato.

Tried this place for the first time today and it didn’t disappoint! The small sized gelato (3.95) is so refreshing and delicious, a very generous portion as well.

At any burger place, IMO, after all the gimmicks and flourishes, it really just comes down to the burger. Capitano is no exception.
After going through the menu I settled on the Blue Lagoon — a very enticingly described burger with a juice beef patty, blue cheese, fried egg, sautéed mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, BBQ sauce, capitano sauce. Needless to say it was VERY flavourful and the fried egg added a lovely dimension to the whole thing. And the blue cheese. Oh the blue cheese. The best part? It’s under $ 10 with tax. I think that given the ingredients that’s a pretty good deal.
As for the Gelato part of their business, I was satisfied too. Personally the gelato burger did not appeal to me, but I loved their selection of house-​made gelati and it really rounded out the meal very well.
All in all, I highly recommend it to anyone looking to try something new in the Yonge & Bloor area and not spend a ton in the process.

This place have new owners, they improved and added a lot of stuff to the menu. The staff is really nice. I particularly recommend this place 100%

The service was great! The burger was just okay… I appreciate that they use fresh, quality ingredients and hormone/​antibiotic free beef, but that doesn’t really matter much when it’s over-​cooked. It would have probably been a simple, decent burger; instead it ended up being tough and not that juicy.
The fries were hand-​cut and lightly seasoned (a good thing). But again, they were a little over-​done for my taste. Makes them a little too dark and crunchy. I like my fries golden and crisp on the outside, with a soft and fluffy inside. I didn’t try their gelato, so I can’t comment on that. It looked pretty good, though only about 5 or 6 flavours available. Of course it IS winter, so probably not gelato season for most people!
Overall, it was friendly service, but just an average burger. My search continues…

Great chicken burgers and friendly staff. Almost always stop in when I’m waiting for a haircut next door

Went out for lunch with my coworkers and decided to try something new. Big mistake.
So I ordered a poutine thinking, you can’t go wrong. And plus I was craving one for sometime. Fries were undercooked, and the gravy had some chunks near the bottom that suggested it was a bottom of the barrel kinda deal.
My coworkers both ordered classic burgers and said they were just fine, but also didn’t really like the poutine either.
So we all walked a few doors down back to work on our project and I immediately started feeling my stomach start to hurt. (Felt crappy till I got home)
At the end of the day we all agreed to NEVER eat there again.

This has got to be my favourite hangout spot ever (in the summer).
Burger and fries combo. OR burger and gelato combo.
They have great gelato here, I love the roasted almond. The burgers are just okay. Extremely messy though!
The poutine was pretty bad.
The service is amazing!!! I think they recognize me now, which is fun. I bring friends on dates here because it’s really quiet –we’re usually the last group to leave. The staff does not mind that sat here forever.

A tradition for our friend group. We have been here many times and it has never disappointed.
The gelato is excellent and the burgers are always fresh. Get the combo for a great deal.
They have a selection of gourmet toppings but they don’t charger the prices you might get at a gastro pub.
The atmosphere is relaxed and casual.

Burgers and Gelato all in one place! What more could you ask for?!
I ordered the fish burger while my companion got the Canadian. I thoroughly enjoyed mine — fish was juicy. But those buns… buns were amazing. They were soft and fresh and held the burger in place nicely without falling apart like other places.
The Gelato was so good. They let you pick that up after you finish your meal so its not a melted mess. I got hazelnut and pistachio and it they were both delicious. It’s a good value meal for the combo, very filling. I wish I knew about the Unilocal check in before. This just means I have to make another visit. Definitely worth it. Staff is super friendly too which is always nice!

I had the Wild Burger which was AMAZINGLY TASTY! Sauteed mushrooms, red peppers and goat cheese made it a decadent filler that was surprisingly more hefty than I thought. Boyfriend and I had a night on the town and we were full for the entirety (walking from Yonge Street to past Christie Pits) and we were still full He had a banquet burger and left satisfied. Onion rings (which I found a bit salty but still good) For $ 14.10, not bad! I have to come back… if you check in with Unilocal,you get a free sample gelato :)

I don’t know man… I think I was tasting some blue cheese in my sauce of The Ringer burger, which I totally didn’t expect. I had caramelized onions, onion rings, a beef patty, a slice of cheese, tomatoes and lettuce in my patty, which were good, but wow it was heavy and HUGE. I was really full. Like, stuffed uncomfortably. I think it was a bit too heavy for me. but for $ 6.50, it’s not bad. I just don’t think it fits my tastes personally.
I got a small mango and coconut gelato to share with my sister, and the mango was super delicious! So I’d say I don’t think I’d go there again, unless it’s for the gelato.

I really in all meanings of the word «stumbled» upon this place. I was picking something up for a coworker and was walking back to the office when I came upon this place.
They were in the middle of a renovation and from what I understand this used to be a shawarma joint. But it looked like they were well on their way to get business through the door. I grabbed a veggie burger there and got a taste of their Gelato too (Spicy Chocolate is recommended for the adventurous). Top notch stuff here. Not the best burger I’ve had in my life but definitely up there. Staff was friendly and well knowledgeable. Its still in the middle of a reno but don’t let your eyes deceive you and stop in for a bite.

Came here a few weeks ago to try one if their burgers and gelato samples. The experience left a bad taste in my mouth (quite possibly literally), as the whole dining room had to be subjected to a loud argument that was held between the chef and the person running the cash/​gelato bar. The topic of the argument was regarding a sanitation issue, which is probably the last thing that you’d want to hear about from the people who just made your food. Hence, I will not be eating here again, even though the cashier did apologize to everyone afterwards…
Despite the disturbing incident, the Master Burger I had here was average at best. It looked sizable and well made, but tasted mostly dry and the patty was nothing special. I sampled the Bailey’s gelato and it was quite tasty-​made with real Bailey’s I believe.
Overall, this place is probably overhyped as there are better burger joints in this city. The final review rating is undeniable 1 star based on my whole experience.

I’m so sorry to do this to you Capitano and while I love your food most of the time, there are some inconsistencies. I still want to go here and will come back again soon, but I’ve probably been here close to 10 minutes and 7 times were phenomenal, 1 time was average, another was slightly below average and 1 was quite dismal. The last time I came here, while they tried to accommodate me and fix the issue, the fries were hard and not salted enough and the burger tasted very bad. This is rare and that’s why I’m only docking one star, but for some reason, one of the fry cooks didn’t add salt to the fries and they always have before. The cashier said you could ask for salt, but what frustrated me is that they were always perfectly salted before and while I understand some people will say it’s too salty, you can’t go from quite salty to no salt at all. That’s quite the change. I have to say, all the bad times I was there, there was one consistency on who was making the food, but I don’t want to say who, as they are making a living.
While I love you Capitano, I really hope you can be more consistent. However, gelato is still da bomb. Love the mojito.