Vera`s Burger Shack

I was in the downtown Vancouver area today and decided to pay Vera's Burger Shack a visit. Although there are plenty of locations in the GVRD, there is not one near where I live. When I used to live in downtown, I would frequent the Kitsilano location on Cornwall. I guess my loyalty to this location has not subsided, since I subconsciously drove right to it. This particular location has doubled in size from the original one-unit restaurant. In my opinion, I think Vera's serves up some of the best burgers in town. However, it is not THE best burger, I would save that distinction for Moderne Burger (well, at least in my opinion).

Vera's burgers are good since they only use fresh ingredients. The patties are never frozen and are made fresh daily. Frozen patties are often dried out since the moisture in them have formed ice crystals. When they melt, all the juice is lost in defrosting and cooking. Unfortunately, a good burger comes at a cost. The basic Vera burger is $5.99, which is reasonable. However, the specialty burgers are all around $8 -$10, and that does not include fries. This brings up the debate whether a burger on its own is worth $10. I think this is solely based on personal preference. If you love burgers (which I do), then it is well worth it. If you are indifferent towards burgers, then you probably think it's crazy. Either way, Vera's continues to do well; therefore, they must be doing something right.

So, after looking over the menu several times (I have a habit of second-guessing myself), I choose the Pawer Burger, which comes with cheese, a fried egg and onions. I added roasted garlic for 69 cents. My burger was excellent, the beef was just cooked, so it was still moist and flavourful. Every bite was juicy; the melted cheddar cheese and runny egg yolk just oozed all over the patty. This is what a burger should be like! My friend (let's call him 007), went with the G-Money, which is a monster 2 - patty burger with double cheese, and double fried mushrooms. It was messy, with cheese and mushrooms oozing all over his hands. 007 proclaimed that the messiness helped enhance the burger experience. He seemed a bit distressed after finishing the burger since it was so big...

We also ordered a side of fries and they were fresh and crispy. They were what fries should be like; crispy on the outside, tender potato-ness on the inside. The total bill for our burgers, fries and drinks was not cheap, we could have eaten at Whitespot, Milestone's or Cactus Club for that price (assuming we ordered burgers there too). However, the burgers at the aforementioned restaurants are not as good (in my opinion), as Vera's. In conclusion, if you love burgers, Vera's is worth it, if you don't, then probably not.

The Good:
- Burgers are excellent
- Lots of options, in terms of toppings and menu items
- Many locations

The Bad:
- A bit pricey for this type of restaurant
- Parking is scarce (for this location at least)

Vera's Burger Shack
1935 Cornwall Ave
Vancouver, B.C.
604-228-8372
www.verasburgershack.com

Business Hours:
11:00am - 11:00pm (7 days a week)