Having achieved cult status for its decadently messy but excruciatingly tasty smash burgers, Burger JABS (Just Another Burger Spot) recently inaugurated its first brick-and-mortar location on St. Clair West and Wychwood.
Fully conscious that smash burgers are going through a current rage -- the JABS acronym self-deprecatingly says it all -- owner Janrikk Millan has nonetheless spent years on the pop-up and street market circuit, striving to make a burger that stands apart from the crowd. As he told TasteToronto back in 2021, “We experimented with many sauces, buns, produce and meats before coming out with our own product. We rallied our friends and families to critique our burgers so we can make it just right.”
The resulting burgers -- available in very affordable single and double, classic and cheese versions -- are made with hand ground beef and have the potential of getting slathered with the lip-smacking likes of bacon, homemade pickles, sweet onion jam, spicy honey relish and inimitable JABS sauce, all of which are made in-house.
Of course, there are also fries, available unadulterated or with a gooey blanket of cheese or JABS sauce. Since the June 5 soft opening, so far, there’s been no mention of the legendary lechon fries, topped with crispy pork belly, or “mac fries,” adorned with a burger patty, but hope is alive that they’ll make at least a limited edition appearance.
New to the menu are healthy bowls, which can accompany the burgers or stand alone as meals on their own. Along with the nutrient-packed namesake leaves, the kale bowl includes radish sprouts, roasted sweet potato, candied walnuts and pecorino doused in a lemon vinaigrette. The chopped salad bowl is a veritable vegetable fusion of iceberg lettuce, tomato, radish sprouts, beets, chickpeas, pickled onions and feta seasoned with a house vinaigrette.
For a little more (meaty) heft, you can top the salads with roasted or crispy fried chicken breasts -- or why not? -- a seasoned hamburger patty. The chicken breast also makes regular appearances in Weekly Special sandwiches, recent examples of which included lemon pepper and crisp chicken sandwiches. There are also weekly dessert specials such as tiramisu.
Burger JABS is located at 630 St. Clair Avenue West. It’s open for eat-in and takeout, Tuesday to Friday from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. and Saturday to Sunday from 2 to 9:30 p.m.
