ottawa foodies

Stopped in as I was craving a burger but I was disappointed. The burger was under seasoned and watery. If I had to guess I would say that the grill was not hot enough. The store is awesome though and problematic for me as I just grab all sorts of deliciousness while waiting for my burger. A big shout out to the sausage and egg rolls (the latter is GPish).

I ordered a turkey burger at Vera's today in an attempt to have a somewhat more healthy burger. I don't know if a turkey burger is THAT much healthier, but it was a mighty fine tasting burger regardless. For a turkey burger it wasn't at all dry and was full of flavour. Burger was cooked to order (took about 10 mins) and all dressed. Staff were amicable and the place was spotless. Good burger, good times, will return if in the 'hood.

I somehow even made it out without buying anything from the butcher shop. Still drooling though.

I ate here last week and very much enjoyed the burger. It has a great texture and a good meaty taste. My only quibble was that it took a while to get it.

Your burger this evening was great, but your fries were undercooked (because you rushed them and admitted it as you handed them to me), and your staff person manning the counter obviously hated his job and basic hygiene rules. He touched everything with his gloves. Then he touched my food. Then he touched everything again. Even picked up a tomato slice, squeezed it, then put it back. Then worked the cash. Then handled my food. Anyways. Delicious burger. Hope the staff dude smartens up.

Had a burger and fries here this week. My burger was seriously delicious-I didn't order extra's like cheese or bacon. It was very juicy-the bun was not able to hold everything together by the time I finished-toasting the bun would make things far easier! I couldn't finish it-very large burger for those with a smaller appetite. There isn't a small option but for those with a large appetite you can order a double Vera burger. My fries were very good, think they came right out of the fryer,not dry, thin yet still creamy. I do agree with previous poster about the ketchup-use the good stuff. Excellent burger & fries.

I stopped by for a burger last week as I had a serious burger craving. Not my first visit, nor my last. It is a really good burger. Not sure why, it just is. It might have to do with the Vera's burger sauce which was very good. Juicy burger, great selection of toppings and very satisfying. The fries on the other hand were dry and, for me, inedible. I used the tried and true ketchup delivery system but they were unsalvagable. One more thing; please use Heinz ketchup. Subbing no name tomato sauce really detracts from the food and good food does deserve better. I don't eat a lot of ketchup nor do I work for Heinz ;-)

After loading up on our garlic supply at the Carp Garlic Festival this past weekend, we treated ourselves to a burger at Vera's Burger Shack.

Everything about the burger was fantastic, they really know how to cook a perfectly juicy burger. Fresh bun and great toppings including the pickles. The fries were outstanding, chip wagon quality only a little thinner.

2 burgers, 2 small fries and 1 drink for $20.

Enjoyed every single bite and worth every penny...love when that happens.

Now that I've moved even farther away from downtown, reducing my restaurant options, I've had the chance to try Vera's and the flavor blew me away. This is my new favorite food obsession. Compared to other burger restaurants of the same caliber I would choose Vera's over them all... though some of the others are not bad and I wouldn't complain if someone took me to a place like Dick's Drive In. (I would complain though if they wanted to go to The Works or Five Guys. :P)

At Vera's I really like that I can write down what I want on the burger because I can take a moment to think, and there is no chance for someone to mishear me. It also seems like a really efficient system for the staff as they can freshly grill several orders at a time.

I don't like that they charge extra for fried onions and processed cheese. Bacon I can understand, but onions and fake cheese? C'mon.

The wait can be long sometimes but the atmosphere is alright, you can sit outside on their patio if you want, and since Vera's is located within in a store there's something to browse. There isn't enough seating on busy days which can be a problem, as people are trying to shop in The Butchery and the cash is right next to the sitting area.

The burgers are amazing. I've eaten here about six times now and only one was slightly overcooked. Just slightly. The meat is juicy and flavorful, a little pink in the middle. The meat has enough of its own flavor that the condiments don't drown it out. It's the most comforting thing on a cold day and I won't hesitate to go back as long as they keep up the great quality.

I don't usually get fries or milkshakes with burgers anymore because of the enormous amount of calories from a burger alone, but I hear from friends they are also up to par.

My biggest complaint is that they close far too early. Don't be like Kingston, ON. Don't close things at 6pm.

Made it to Vera's Friday night about an hour before they closed--place was very busy but the wait wasn't too bad. Burger was great, fries were fabulous. Had the Vera burger with cheese, sauteed onions and few other items--burger was fresh, bun was good. Fries were crisp and devoured by 3 of us in record time. Wish they were open later than 7pm, but will make the effort to get back again soon.

Went for a burger after Mr Pho was full. It was very busy on this Friday lunch hour. While my burger was excellent - very moist, with a nice crunch on the outside, I'm still getting used to the $10 price tag.

There was one thing that floored me as I was waiting was watching them build the burgers. I'm not sure if the girl doing it was new, but she was constantly making mistakes with where each patty/topping was supposed to end up. (the cooker guy brings over the patty to the ready to go buns with condiments). You wouldn't thing this is a big deal, but every time she got it wrong she moved the patty to a bun which would match. This included moving a beef burger from a turkey burger bun, a burger sitting on mayo, to a bun with no mayo etc. If I was worried about cross contamination I would be pretty upset as the turkey person definitely got some beef juices, the no mayo person got mayo left on the bottom of the patty etc. If you care about these things, keep an eye on your burger, especially during the lunch crush.

This place definitely gets my vote for best “non-gourmet, fast food-ish” burger (although I am waiting for Baja Burger Shack to re-open for the season so I can try that).

In comparison to other places around town, the burger does not fall apart like the one at Five Guys and is more flavourful than anything available at The Works or Hintonburger. The basket of fries is enormous (more than enough for 2 people) and are not as salty as Five Guys. I wish they would open another location closer to the centre of the city (on second thought maybe that’s not a good idea!)

Our Saturday lunch was great today. Had a Vera burger with cheese and bacon,sauteed onions,tomato,hot peppers,pickels,mustard,ketsup and mayo. Have to say in the top three Ottawa burgers. Would have to side by side Baja and Quinn's to make the decision. Definatly not for the megar appetite. Do not know what I was thinking last visit ordering a double but at least it is offered. Juicy burger today grilled just seconds past medium with a a ever so slight pink inside. Not overly seasoned and most of the toppings came through perfectly especially the pickels. One gripe was the bacon could have been a bit more predominant. Seating was a premium today full up by noon.

just love the taste and texture of these burgers...just don't order a large fry - you'll need a family of 4 to finish them off.

monty nailed it with "it's just a simple, honest burger that's done right."

Our patties were very lightly seasoned so there wasn't much flavour other than the ground beef. This is a burger for true backyard burger lovers (which I admit I am not). They are flame-grilled, which makes for a somewhat burnt gas-BBQ kind of flavour. (I got a crunchy piece of carcinogenic grit in one bite.) The toppings are good, and it's nice to be able to choose them by ticking off boxes on a checklist! The pickle is kosher-style brined, which may be unexpected. I'll skip it next time.

However, the patties are wonderfully moist inside. The Works could learn a thing or two from Vera's Burger Shack!

agreed this is easily one of the best burgers in the city. the bun and toppings are simple, nothing fancy. it's the PATTY that really stands out here. they're grilled to order and incredibly flavourful and juicy.

really it's just a simple, honest, burger that's done right.

recommended!

Basket of fries. As FF says thin cut but not overly salty or greasy today. Sure were crispy. Usually I like them a bit thicker but they sure did hit the spot!

The fries are good if you like them thin-cut, brown, crispy, salty, and greasy! Great with ketchup.

The little lady sure likes her hot dogs. Actually this is the reason we ventured out to Vera's today. Hard to find a good dog in Ottawa but the quarter pound all beef Vera dog I'm told is at the top of the list. Great texture with a smokey flavor from the grill. This is the place for the big dawgs!