This new space-themed burger joint in Leslieville is serious about its patties

For anyone who has ever stared longingly at the UFO-shaped Flying Saucer Restaurant in Niagara Falls and thought, Toronto needs more space-themed diner food, Atomic Burger may be the interplanetary meal they’re after. Gene Carpenter and Linda Jong, who co-own Elsie’s, the Junction’s record shop with a sandwich counter, opened their ’60s-retro-futurism-inspired takeaway spot near Greenwood and Gerrard in May. “We landed on our first menu item name, Space Cadet, while we were recipe-testing, and with every bite, we said, ‘This is out of this world.’ So we decided to run with the space theme for everything,” says Carpenter. The two are hoping their burgers, fried sides and neon-hued milkshakes will also send their customers into orbit.

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Despite all the kitschy fun, they take the food seriously. For the signature Atomic Burger patty, Jong and Carpenter butcher and grind local beef in house before dry-aging it for a minimum of 30 days. After that, a five-ounce patty gets seared on the griddle and topped with the classic fixings: lettuce, tomato, house-made pickles, diced white onion and aged cheddar cheese. Vegetarians aren’t left behind, though. The Martian Burger, an alien-green falafel patty made with Ontario chickpeas and a nebula of fresh herbs, comes with a thick slice of tomato and a fat dollop of vegan aïoli—Jong’s version of toum that’s miraculously not over-the-top garlicky. (Carpenter and Jong also owned the recently closed Fattoush, which specialized in Levantine-inspired sandwiches.)

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Rounding out Atomic Burger’s menu are Saturn’s Onion Rings, Chicken Rocket Tenders and Moon Shakes. “We’re making the Moon Shakes as visually delicious—and actually delicious—as possible,” says Jong. “We’ve been sampling milkshakes from around the world as a fun project. Our favourite on the current menu is the Galaxy Shake, which is made with ube, sweet potato and coconut.” The result is a deep-purple concoction topped with a dollop of whipped cream and a smattering of rainbow sprinkles.

The restaurant itself is compact and styled like a soda fountain you might find on the set of 2001: A Space Odyssey, with bright-white walls, mid-century tangerine-coloured details and groovy wall cutouts. While there’s no seating, diners can take their goods to nearby Greenwood Park or back to their home planets.

Atomic Burger, 245 Greenwood Ave., @atomic.to