#BurgerTours: Burger Overview #68: Pennies

Summer season is within the air and what higher approach then to dine in at a burger joint with an beautiful outside patio, positioned simply blocks away from Trinity Bellwoods Park. For this BurgerTour, we deliver you to Downtown Toronto’s west finish scorching spot – Pennies. 

We arrived with a particular visitor in tow within the early afternoon and there have been already a handful of diners having fun with the sunny climate on this summer-like day in Might. We noticed the menu and Pennies isn’t like every other burger joint we’ve got eaten at. Pennies makes a collection of sliders that fluctuate from easy to fancy and a variety of different tasty aspect dishes (and drinks!) to fulfill your cravings. They provide two combo alternatives: any 3 sliders of your selecting or any 6 sliders, to be for one particular person or a celebration of your shut buddies. We selected the latter with a tray of tater tots. And people tater tots have been good. 

The El Paso Soften slider (left) and Basic Hamburger slider (proper)/Picture by Andrew Hockridge

For my two sliders, I made a decision to go along with the El Paso Soften slider which got here with charred jalapeño, bacon, mozzarella and Carolina BBQ sauce and the Basic Hamburger slider which got here with onion, pickle, ketchup and mustard. For such a small creation, I attempted to savour each chunk. The El Paso Soften slider wasn’t too spicy on one hand however was a strong selection to start my evaluate. It was a wholesome mix of flavourful with a light kick to spice up up your senses. 

The Basic Hamburger alternatively was simply your regular, typical hamburger. There wasn’t something too particular with this one and it’s in all probability not one thing I might usually get. I wish to have my style buds challenged. The buns have been strong, the meat was tender however there wasn’t an excessive amount of taste within the traditional hamburger patty. 

General, Pennies was a superb option to spend a sunny afternoon, indulging in some sliders and a few drinks with buddies. For my finest suggestion, journey with a gaggle of buddies and order a tray of tater tots to share, adopted by a combo of slider of your selecting. Your summers would by no means be higher. Belief me. Pennies and their sliders have been a delight, and although, they’re a tad smaller than from what we’re use to consuming, it was nicely definitely worth the drinks and the pleasant firm alone to have an amazing meal at this nice institution. Take into account myself a fan and a buyer eager to return. 

P.S. as a result of Mark and I ate two burgers as an alternative of only one, we averaged are two decisions to mix our total rating for Pennies. 

6.2/10

We go to Pennies for this Burger Tour! Wedged between the Queen West and Trinity Bellwoods neighbourhoods at Strachan & Adelaide, this joint can’t be missed with its yellow exterior that may be seen from a mile away. Pennies is a neighborhood hotspot recognized for his or her various collection of Sliders. It has been some time since we have achieved a burger tour the place the choices have been simply strictly Sliders, so I used to be excited to provide this a attempt! 

The sliders have been priced just below $6 every with the veggie sliders being barely extra. They do, nevertheless, provide two combos if you wish to make your moneys price. The primary is ‘Combo No. 5’ which helps you to select 3 sliders and the OG Tots for just below $20. Second is ‘Combo 666’ that’s any 6 sliders for $30. Since there have been 3 of us eating in, we opted for Combo 666. 

Basic Veggie and Korean Fried Hen/photograph by Mark Avila

The 6 Sliders we ordered have been: the Griddle Soften, Basic Hamburger, Creamy Garlic Fried Hen, El Paso, and my decisions the Basic Veggie Burger and Korean Fried Hen. For this evaluate, I’ll solely talk about my two decisions. 

First is the Basic Veggie Burger — one past meat patty topped with mustard, onion, pickle, and ketchup. Seeing that this was a slider, I wasn’t anticipating the grandest presentation. I used to be, nevertheless, upset by what I unwrapped. A tragic and messy slider that resembled a McDonald’s Cheeseburger. The saddest half I might say was the one pickle that was sitting in between the patty and the bun. The style was nice. 

Up subsequent was the Korean Fried Hen — sesame, mayo, slaw, and their particular KFC sauce. It was extra interesting to have a look at than the Veggie Burger, and hoped the style would save this eating expertise. I did have expectation for some warmth since this was Korean impressed, however I used to be upset that there was near none. What did save this although, was the varied flavour profile that the Veggie Burger didn’t have. This was candy and savoury, and the rooster was seasoned properly. 

The expertise at Pennie’s was enjoyable, completely different, and distinctive. I discovered that the 6 sliders for $30 was deal, together with an honest choice to select from. I simply wished the meals equally matched the eating expertise. 

5.5/10