Ermahgerrrd brrrgrrrs. - M:Brgr

M:Burger is one of the better-known and older classy burger joints in Montreal, having kick-started the trend of fancy burgers. They're the restaurant that serves the legit $100 burger... for an actual whopping $100. For a burger. It blows my mind. (Obviously, I didn't order $100, but their other burgers do the job just fine too, mind you.)

Aaaah, coupons. You're like a poor student food blogger's salvation. Coupons for M:Burger come by pretty often, at least once or twice a year, so be on a lookout for them! I was never particularly interested in trying M:Burger, since the general consensus was that it was overpriced burgers, but my burger-loving friend got herself a coupon and dragged me over for some fancy shmancy burgers.

Location - Grade: A

The restaurant is located right around the corner of Drummond and de Maisonneuve, so it's a five minute walk from Peel station, Peel exit.

Service - Grade: B+

The service is pretty good, but nothing special. Our waitress was nice and polite, and explained the menu to us when we asked about it. I do remember that she didn't rush us, and didn't give us the check until we asked for it, which pretty much never happens in Montreal, especially in busy restaurants. But because it was so busy, she didn't check in on us, and it was sometimes hard to find her.

Ambiance Notes:

This restaurant is LOUD. There's nothing too special about the decor; it looks like a typical sports bar, except cleaner and more spiffy. But the night we went, the restaurant was completely full, and there was a table of screaming kids holding a birthday party, so it was pretty much impossible for me to hear my friend over all that noise. Definitely not somewhere you would want to bring someone for a romantic date.

Food - Grade: B

Spicy "Giant Capon Wings"

We started off with six wings, which were pretty tasty. They're a little bigger than your average wings, and the meat was juicy and tender, but other than that... I don't know, maybe because I'm not crazy about them, but they all taste the same to me? The only bad ones I've had were overcooked and dry.

Pomegranate green tea

People must have thought I was crazy for taking a picture of a bottle of iced tea (maybe that's why some important person from some important institute in Canada deemed taking pictures of food as being signs of mental illness, hardy freaking har har. Then again, what isn't a mental illness, nowadays?), but I'm a food blogger, and that's how I rollllll. Also, I really liked this iced tea. I usually drink the Arizona brand Pomegranate green tea, but got sick of it because it's quite sweet. This Flavur tea is only mildly sweetened, which was perfect for my (un)refined palette.

Little Big Zak with pulled pork

One of the cool things about m:brgr is that they let you garnish your burger however you want, with a variety of toppings. It gives you a chance to be as creative and artistic as you want with your burger. On the down side, it costs muchos dineros. Each different topping you choose to add is another ~$2 on top of your $10+ basic burger. On top of that, any sides that you order are extra. That's right, the burgers don't come with anything. I guess this is how rich people eat burgers.

Little Big Zak with pulled pork... again.

I ordered the Little Big Zak which is a AAA beef cheeseburger with chopped onions, pickles, tomato, lettuce, and, literally spelled out, 'spicy fancy sauce'. You really can't get fancier than that. This basic burger costs $9.75. The extra pulled pork is $6.50 (!), but to be fair, they do give you a pretty hefty amount. And I love me some pulled pork. Yes, there is a pulled pork burger on the menu for $17, but I prefer the fillings for the Little Big Zak to those of the pulled pork burger. Also, I save 75 cents, woot woot! But I think the pulled pork burger gets a coleslaw...

The burger itself is admittedly good. The bun is fluffy and soft, and squashes easy when you flatten it, so it's not hard to fit the burger in your mouth. The patty was also thick and beefy, and cooked to a nice, pink medium. However, the combined juices from the pulled pork and the sauce from the burger made this burger incredibly messy to eat.

Mixed green salad side

I ordered a mixed green salad side dish for $5.25 (!), because the burger itself was a little too heavy. Yeah, don't order this. It's literally different types of greens and tomatoes tossed in a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. I had trouble finishing it because it was so bland.

Little Big Zak in a lettuce wrap

M:brgr also gets originality points for giving their customers the option of ordering their burger in a lettuce wrap. I'm not really sure it still really classifies as a burger so much as glorified salad, but props for standing out, and giving those gluten-free people some options.

Extra asparagus and pineapple

Because my friend is weird, she ordered her already very leafy burger with asparagus and pineapple. I thought the lettuce wrap gave the burger a refreshing twist, but was messy to eat. Also, I kinda need a bun for a burger to be a burger. The pineapple lent a tangy sweetness to the burger, but the asparagus didn't really add anything, and just got in the way. My friend swears by the pineapple and the lettuce wrap, though, so if you're daring and want to try something new, then maybe go for a lettuce pineapple burger next time you visit m:brgr?

Sweet potato fries

She also ordered a side of lightly salted sweet potato fries, which I thought were, again, unimpressive. For sweet potato fries, save yourself the money and go to Gourmet Burger.

Mars chocolate cake

We finished off with chocolate cake modeled after a Mars bar. While I couldn't see any similarities between the cake and a Mars bar, the cake itself was pretty yummy. The chocolate cake was moist, and had hints of caramel in it, and it was all topped with a light chocolate whipped cream/icing and topped with chocolate sprinkles.

Price - $$$
If it hasn't been abundantly clear already from my above descriptions, this place is expensive. Overpriced, even, for burgers. The most basic and cheapest burger on the menu is $9.25, and it barely comes with any toppings, and none of the burgers come with any sides. I think our entire meal ended up being around $90 after tax and tip, without accounting for the coupon discount. The coupon itself was $30 for $60 worth of food, so with the $30 discount, it came up to $60 for the meal. Which is still pretty expensive. I think we went a little crazy and over-ordered...

Final Grade: B-
The burgers themselves are pretty good, and the lettuce wrap and the original toppings were neat and original. However, everything else on the menu, especially the sides, are just average (or barely even), and definitely do not justify the bloated prices. So if you do visit m:brgr, just do it for the burgers.

m:brgr
2025 Drummond St 
Montreal, QC

(514) 906-0408

http://www.mbrgr.com/