Are you ready for more burgers? Because I always want them. Hunting for the best burger in the city has led me to try out three new places: Mersea on Treasure Island, Slider’s Diner and Tank18 Winery. Will any of them oust the reigning champ, Comstock Saloon?
1. Mersea
I’ve had Mersea on my list for quite some time. We’ve become quite the fans of Treasure Island as there is a fantastic winery on the Island as well as an amazing distillery. Our friend was visiting, and several of us wanted to do some tasting, so we suggested going out to Treasure Island so no one had to drive and we could all enjoy ourselves, and what better reason to try out Mersea? It gave me a great opportunity to try their double-stacked cheeseburger. It definitely looked great with the cheese melted in and the sesame buns, but sadly, it was lacking somewhat in the meaty flavor I love in my burgers. It reminded me of a fancy In-N-Out, which is my least favorite type of burger. While the burger wasn’t amazing, keep an eye out for a review of the entire restaurant coming soon!
Double Stacked Cheeseburger
2. Slider’s Diner
I had to run some errands nearby for my new cheese-making hobby, so I decided to swing by Slider’s Diner to grab a burger for the blog. I went fairly old school this time with an eight-ounce cheeseburger with a side of onion rings. As a plus, they have a massive salad bar station where you can add whatever toppings you like. I have to say that the bun was toasted fantastically and gave a great crunch, but the burger itself was fairly average. I really wanted more meat flavor again, so it was kind of disappointing overall. The onion rings were cooked amazingly though, and I was really happy I decided to order them on the side.
Cheeseburger with onion rings
3. Tank18 Winery
Finally, I hit up Tank18 Winery for their burger. I ended up here very early on a Friday evening as I had won Hamilton lottery tickets, and I needed someplace quick and close to grab some dinner beforehand. I, of course, gravitated toward the burger with homemade pickles. Now this burger was definitely enjoyable from the first bite. It was cooked perfectly, and it was plenty juicy. It also had a nice saltiness to it that really helped amp up the flavor of the patty. And the fries were phenomenal. They reminded me of chips from a fish and chips shop in the UK, and I pleasantly worked on devouring it all. The burger was definitely moreish, and I was very satisfied when I left.
Dry Aged Burger
Winner: Comstock Saloon
While I really enjoyed the fantastic burger from Tank18, it definitely wasn’t on the same level as Comstock Saloon. Maybe I can’t get that gravy out of my head, but it really makes that burger fantastic. So sadly, while Tank18 definitely falls in the list, it isn’t hitting the top spot. (It has also come to my attention that Tank18 has closed for food!) I have also recently revisited Umami Burger with my burger club, and while the sides are absolutely fantastic, the burger itself is lacking somewhat. So it’s moving down the list. That’s it for this edition. I’m off to try out more burgers for next time!
Ranking:
1. Comstock Saloon
2. Black Sands Brewery
3. Wayfare Tavern
4. Son’s Addition
5. Gaspar
6. Tank18 Winery (closed)
7. Wes Burger ‘n’ More
8. Epic Steak
9. City Beer
10. The Saratoga
11. ABV
12. 4505 Burgers and BBQ
13. Umami Burger
14. Super Duper Burgers
I finally had a chance to go try Black Sands and I’m sad to say I was really disappointed. Granted it’s been a good while since your first glowing review, maybe things have changed. But it was overcooked, had a kind of hard bun (in parts), and just wasn’t very flavorful.
I’ve had similar experiences myself in revisiting places I have loved in the past and it makes me wonder if a revisit of places near the top of the rankings is warranted for real fairness (at least one some time later). Granted it’s extra work and burger bulk, but the life of a critic is tough, right? 😉
I’ve been back to a few places that I’ve really enjoyed recently, and yes, sometimes they aren’t as good anymore.
I do want to go back to Black Sands again soon. My burger club is trying to make it happen, but if it takes too long, I may have to go back and try myself.
I did have the Comstock burger again recently, and it was still very delicious!
So glad to hear Comstock is still shining! That means if I can get there soon, I have a good chance of awesomeness. I’ve had a rare few good burgers these last months and starting to feel like I’m either not into burgers anymore, or the current burger trends are just not my thing (likely the latter). I need those burger wins! 😀
At least it was from a few months ago!
Yeah, I feel like there is a severe lack of good burgers anymore. It’s like people don’t really care about trying because burgers are always popular!
Or a lot of the good places are closing. Tank18 was pretty good, and sadly, it’s now not open!
Well, I’m glad to hear Comstock is still good at least! I’ll have to get over there soon. 😀
Btw your comment box seems to “eat” comments sometimes. I have to remember to copy what I write in case it doesn’t go through the first time.
Sometimes it just takes a bit to go through!