Introducing: The Rude Boy, Roncesvalles’s new gourmet burger joint

Introducing: The Rude Boy, Roncesvalles’s new gourmet burger joint

Name: The Rude Boy
Neighbourhood: Roncesvalles
Contact info: 397 Roncesvalles Ave., 416-533-3269, @therudeboyronce
Owners: Faiez Bapoo, Liam Kelly, Paul Simmons and Alex Sengupta (The Lakeview, Samuel J. Moore), four friends who met working at The Keg over a decade ago.
The chef: Liam Kelly, an 18-year industry vet

The food: Burgers and other sandwiches, made in-house from local ingredients. Kelly grinds his own chuck, makes all his own condiments (like Blanche de Chambly mustard and baconnaise) and plans to produce his own cheese soon too. The signature Rude Boy burger ($13.50) is topped with both maple rye bacon and peameal, along with smoked cheddar and a fried egg, while the Sting ($11.50) has crispy jalapenos, Sriracha aïoli and pepper jack cheese.

The drinks: Twelve different beers and a rye-focused cocktail menu with Canadianized versions of prohibition-era standards.

The place: Formerly home to a Greek diner, the space has been made over with new hardwood floors, a restored tin ceiling and a copper backsplash rescued from behind a wall and polished back to life. Inspired by Banksy, pastoral oil paintings in the back are hung purposefully askew. Catering equally to the area’s plaid-shirted hipsters and young families with strollers, The Rude Boy stays open until midnight (and later on weekends), and will soon serve lunch and brunch too.

By the numbers:
• 850 square feet of dining space
• 28 seats
• 4 weeks, the time it took to turn The Greek Spot into a gourmet diner
• 1 mid-century modern fridge nicknamed Kurtis Blow, bought in Tiny, Ontario