best burger in montreal

I’ve been researching the best Montreal Burger for a year, eating at a variety of diners and restos, including one that specializes in hamburgers. And while much of it was good, nothing completely satisfied me.

Then, a few weeks ago, I went to Café Griffintown to meet a friend and listen to live jazz. I liked the ambiance - a long, narrow space with brick walls, wooden floors, and lots of regulars - but I didn’t expect much, foodwise, until my friend told me the menu was based on ingredients from Atwater Market.

I ordered the Griffintown Burger - 50% beef, 25% lamb and 25% duck, charbroiled in the open kitchen at the back of the café. The combination of ingredients raised my spirits - which then fell when I wasn’t asked how I wanted my burger cooked (rare is my default position).

Fearing the worst, I sipped my Argentinean malbec and mentally tweeted the gods of fairness: Please, not another flat, dry disappointment.

They must have been listening.

The burger was cooked through, with no pink that I could see in the dim light. But it was plump - a good sign - and surprisingly, wonderfully, tender. The flavor was primarily beef - not bland factory farmed beef, but closer to the round, fresh flavor of grass fed Scottish Highland - enhanced by the earthy sweetness of the lamb and duck. The lightly toasted eggy bun complemented the meat perfectly.

Lettuce, onion and a slice of tomato served with the burger were substantial, though not so much that they made holding it unwieldy. A red condiment I thought was ketchup turned out to be a smoky concoction that overwhelmed the bite I put it on.

Of the soup, salad and chips w/salsa offered with the burger, I chose the salad, a tidy pile of mixed greens with lots of mustard on the dressing. The meal was delicious and filling, and at $14, a good value.

Then came the value-add: live jazz.

The One Two Trio that plays standards on Thursday nights is actually a quintet, composed of Griffintown owner Mark Peetsma (bass), artist Cheryl Braganza (piano), and Roger Walls, formally a member of the Duke Ellington orchestra (trumpet). Eloi Bertholet and Oscar Kalderone play the regular drum kit and djimbe respectively.

I stayed into the second set, swaying in my seat as the musicians riffed and swung, showing obvious joy in delivering familiar music in their own way.

My search for the best burger in Montreal continues.  But, all things considered, Griffintown is at the top of my list.

1378 Notre Dame Ouest @ rue de la Montagne