where jess ate

After taking home first place in the Toronto edition of CMT’s (Country Music Television) Burger Wars, is it any surprise that the team behind Parts & Labour (@partsnlabour) opened up a dedicated burger joint? They beat out Dangerous Dan’s and the nearby Burgers Priest so their burger definitely has some major cred.

The team behind Parts & Labour consists of owners Richard Lambert and Jesse Girard (who also own the Hoxton and the Dog & Bear) and Executive Chef Matty Matheson (@mattydeathbro).

Located on Queen street, a couple blocks west of Spadina, the P&L Burger took over the short-lived White Squirrel Snack Shop. Walk down Queen street and you won’t miss the giant “P&L” sign. The space is long and narrow with a bit of counter seating down one side of the space.

The P&L Burger menu is exactly what you’d expect from a burger joint. They serve six burger variations using house-ground chuck and one vegetarian burger which are all priced at $9 except for the basic “hamburger” which is priced at $8. For those sensitive to gluten, you have the option of getting your burger wrapped in kale or lettuce.

If you want to make your burger a combo, you can add fries and a fountain pop or water for an extra $3. As far as sides go, you have the option of fries, coleslaw, pickles, poutine and onion rings.

Last week, I attended a media preview which gave me a chance to sample most of their menu. Here’s a look at what I tried:

Kale Caesar ($5)

Poutine ($5.50)

The P&L – cheddar, bacon-onion jam, iceberg & dill pickle mayo ($9)

The Deluxe – bacon, American cheese, tomato, red onion, iceberg & P&L sauce ($9)

The Castor – peameal bacon, cheddar, crispy onions, iceberg & BBQ sauce ($9)

The Philly – American cheese, sautéed onions & mushrooms, hot peppers & mayo ($9)

The Italian – mozzarella, roasted hot & sweet peppers, sautéed onions & marinara sauce ($9)

The Hamburger – tomato, red onion, pickle, iceberg & P&L sauce ($8)

The Big Tempeh (veg) – cheddar, tomato, pickles, onions, iceberg & P&L sauce ($9)

Soft Serve Ice Cream

My personal favourites were the P&L (it is their winning burger, after all), the Castor and Italian. The burgers were all wonderfully juicy and had a nice sear on the exterior. Their buns, which are sourced from Silverstein’s, were a great choice since they held up nicely against the juicy patties and sauce.

I prefer my burgers saucy so it’s no surprise I favoured the Castor (lots of BBQ sauce!) and the Italian. With toppings like peameal bacon, crispy onions and BBQ sauce, how can you NOT like the Castor? And the sauce that topped the Italian burger had a nice sweetness to it which I particularly enjoyed. But be warned, this one has quite the kick from the hot peppers so you might want a cold drink handy.

Needless to say, I left P&L Burger in a happy food coma. With the endless number of burger shops in the city, they’re definitely competing in a fierce market but with their delicious burgers it’s no doubt they are a force to be reckoned with.

*This was a complimentary meal. The opinions in the post are my own.*