Pan Chancho

Pan Chancho, and its other half Chez Piggy, are Kingston institutions. They've been around forever, they're in all the tourist guides, and they do a whole lotta business. I am slightly wary that this is leading to inflated prices and sloppy work. In any case, I was not impressed with their burger.

Pan Chancho offers two burgers on their lunch menu, the Meaty Meat Burger - a plain 7 ouncer for $13.25 - and the Mo' Better Meaty Meat Burger - the same thing but with stilton pate and crispy pancetta, or $14.75. Both come with frites and aoili.


I doubt it was on purpose, but the chefs at Pan Chancho seem to have gone out of their way to make this burger hard to eat. First of all, the patty was extremely thick, nearly spherical, making it a challenge to fit in your mouth. On top of that, the square (ugh) ciabatta bun was so crusty and tough, that it was impossibly to bite though with the front teeth, I actually had to rip pieces off in a very ungraceful way. I am sure that somewhere in all the bakery offerings there is a softer and easier to eat bun. This one was just annoying.

The patty itself was very herby and nice tasting, but besides some leaves and tomato and pickle slices, this was a very naked burger and was really not worth the price.

The fries were excellent, crispy and salty, although the aioli was too garlicky (something I don't think I've ever complained about before).

2 out of 5 Pickles.

Raging Bull Chop House

The Raging Bull Chop House is a brand new establishment down on Ontario Street, located on half of the former Stoney's premises (the other half is now the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery bar). The Raging Bull, as you may have guessed, is a steak house, and will be going head to head with The Keg, although I don't have high hopes. Ontario street is a tough gig (as Johnny Macs, Juice, Mexicali Rosas, Cocamo, Joy Supper Club, Stoneys, and countless others will attest to) so the Raging Bull will need to pull up its socks in a hurry if it wants to be around next summer.

But, sticking to the subject at hand, I present the Kitchen Sink Burger, touted as a prime sirloin burger, smothered in cheddar, bacon, grilled onions & mushrooms, for $12.95.


The Raging Bull seems to be having a tough time deciding whether its going to be classy or not - linen napkins, but little plastic packets of condiments. Expensive cuts of beef, crappy hamburger buns that disintegrate while eating. These may just be growing pains, or they may stem from lack of attention to detail.

The burger itself was flavourful and moist, but between the patty, the onions, and the soggy bacon, it was too much for the cheap flimsy bun to take and it all came apart before I finished. The cheese, however, was a lovely old sharp cheddar, and the bacon was nonetheless tasty.

The fries were the same 'dark style' that are offered at Fanatics and the Brew Pub, and once again, tasted faintly of burnt.

Overall, a rather underwhelming experience. 2 pickles out of 5

Copper Peny

For some reason, I had never been to the Copper Penny before this. It was pretty popular when I was a student, owing to its laid back atmosphere, decent food and low prices, but I just never got around to it. But it's downtown, and so I went this time.


According to the menu, this 6oz burger 'all but guarantees it's going to be the best-tasting burger you've ever had'. Sadly, it did not quite live up to the hype.

The burger - in my case, the Cheddar Bacon Burger - was kinda on the processed side. The patty was clearly not made in house, the cheese was processed, the veggies kinda wimpy, and the bun soft and flimsy. Also, the condiments came in little packets, which seemed weird for a sit-down restaurant. The bacon, however, was excellent. It's hard to screw up bacon.

The whole thing was soft, greasy, and yet tasty. This was a cheap burger made with cheap ingredients which often makes for the best kind of comfort food.

Oh, and the fries. Copper Penny serves the same fries as Stooley's so please see that post for a full description of how awesome these fries are.

Burgers start at $7.59 with 7 different variations listed on the menu, including the Mushroom Bacon Burger, the Penny Burger (egg & bacon), and the Mexi Burger (salsa, cheddar, & jalepenos).

2 out of 5 pickles.