There’s now a trio of restaurants in the city devoted to sliders. We crashed an after-school program at The Stop Community Food Centre to ask some pint-sized judges what they think of these baby burgers.
1. Slider Revolution
Rich Lee, who opened his restaurant in October, makes what he calls non-traditional sliders—mu shu, al pastor, and crab cake are on his 14-burger roster—with toppings like won tons and lime crema. His favourites? The bulgogi and spicy jerk. We tasted the most traditional of the lot: a prime-rib meatball, stuffed with smoked cheddar and topped with caramelized onions and tomato relish.
$4 each. 673 Danforth Ave., 416-848-1512.
“When you bite into it, you can taste all of the ingredients. It explodes in your mouth.” —Carolina, 12
“The tomato relish made it sweet, but the burger’s kinda salty and the cheese is even saltier.” —Joao, 11
“I like it ’cause it’s just my size and because it has cheese in the middle. It tastes pretty good, even though I don’t like cheese.” —Keyanna, 10
2. Sliders
When brothers Tom and Dino Petsopoulos opened shop almost three years ago, they didn’t know their restaurant was ahead of its time. Inspired by their grandmother’s burgers, the brothers took her recipe and gave it a twist. According to Tom, their petite patties have a Greek flavour due in part to grandma’s secret spice blend. Our mini foodies tried the classic with ketchup, mustard, lettuce, and pickles.
$5.25 for two. 704 The Queensway, 416-503-8232.
“It needs cheese. Who orders a plain hamburger? Ordering a cheeseburger just makes more sense.” —Jordan, 12
“I have to say, it tastes good, but the inside is a little dry. I didn’t think the pickles were gonna go with it, but they did.” —Keziah, 9
3. Two Bite Saloon
Opened just days after Slider Revolution, Two Bite’s mini burgers are made from hormone- and GMO-free meat. The menu allows customers to sample a bit of everything because the sliders aren’t sold individually (the signatures are slow-braised brisket and panko-breaded catfish). The kids tried the beef-chuck slider with organic pickles and Roma tomatoes.
$10 for three. 840 Bloor St. W., 416-536-8682.
“It’s juicy. It needs ketchup, but I like the pickle and the sauce.” —Tiago, 12
“I love it! Best in the world.” —Chris, 9
“It’s a little dry. It needs ketchup and cheese and onions.” —Abdul, 10
“It’s pretty good. The burger is moist, and it’s grilled just right.” —Joao, 11
