I loved Vera's burger as a replacement for my beloved Lick's, until a visit last week.
The place was pretty busy with people waiting, but we got to the front, filled out our sheet. In a panic, the girl at the cash asked us to go to the main cash to pay. 2 minutes later, as we are in line, she starts taking people at the burger bar cash causing them to be ahead of the line. Terrible service. Finally received our burgers after a long wait to find a burnt burger and overly cooked fries. Needless to say, after 4 great trips, i doubt i will be going there for a while.
If they are going to keep customers coming back for lunch, they need to organise themselves much better and have burgers coming out quicker than a 20 minute ordeal.
Went for lunch today & loved the burger & loved the fries. The ordering process - not so much.
I certainly don't mind the wait to get a freshly cooked burger, but as soon as there are more than about 2 orders on the go things degenerate into chaos. I thought they would have ironed out the kinks by now. Assigning a simple number scheme would do the trick. Instead the orders were given out rather randomly and we were left to juggle items amongst the other customers.
Like I say, loved the food once I got it, I'd just prefer it if some stranger didn't have to poke my burger first to find out if it had his toppings on it...
We went today. Spouse had the double burger, I had the regular one and we shared a large fry. Everything is delicious, but we had waaaaaay too many fries. The small one would have done us both. It was very busy and eating while sitting on backless stools while the crowd mills about you waiting for their order, is not my cup of tea, so I am unlikely to go back. I will frequent Dick's instead, which is my normal go-to place for burgs. Too bad. The food was really good.
The burgers are great and huge! I have eaten at the original in Vancouver and we were happy to hear they are now local. Another nice touch is you can purchase the patties at the deli counter to take home.
OK, I'll add to the parade. The burgers are huge - can't imagine finishing a double. The burgers are very flavorful and the the topping are great. I had a bacon cheese burger and split fries with my wife. My only complaint was I found the fries over salted. They were fresh cut and could have been great - but I had issues with all the salt.
VERY good patties @ vera's. don't make it a habit though, as you look up, you'll see this image and prolly end up looking like that. and why does she have a hat that looks like a cow?
vera burger express menu. they mentioned the company may be scouting for a potential future full location depending on the success on this trial venture located inside the butchery in bells corners.
double burger @ vera's. and yes delete the buns to avoid food coma which is a one way ticket to diabetes! load up all the veg fixin's, no sugar laden sauces and this was VERY enjoyable. lettuce on the bottom please. staff complimented that yes the health conscious folk request this often.
bread and high glycemic carbohydrates + fat makes you phoquen' fat (yeah you!), shoots your blood sugar levels sky high and adds to metabolic syndrome. protein + fat = not so bad but still need to jog around the entire rideau canal to burn this off.
enjoy this with a knife and fork same as george costanza and his chocolate bar.
patties were VERY flavorful and juicy. perfect to have just before your coronary bypass surgery.
Burgers are amazing..the grill they cook them on gives it the best flavour..mmm so good.i didnt lije the chicken egg rolls though..although i dond like dark meat.everything in there looks amazing though
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.
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.
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 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!
Slow
The place was pretty busy with people waiting, but we got to the front, filled out our sheet. In a panic, the girl at the cash asked us to go to the main cash to pay. 2 minutes later, as we are in line, she starts taking people at the burger bar cash causing them to be ahead of the line. Terrible service. Finally received our burgers after a long wait to find a burnt burger and overly cooked fries. Needless to say, after 4 great trips, i doubt i will be going there for a while.
If they are going to keep customers coming back for lunch, they need to organise themselves much better and have burgers coming out quicker than a 20 minute ordeal.