Name: Matty’s Patty’s Burger Club
Contact: 923A Queen St. W., mattyspattysburgerclub.com, @mattyspattysburgerclub
Neighbourhood: Trinity Bellwoods
Previously: Tacos Rico
Owners: Matty Matheson, Gary Quinto and David Thorek
Chef: Matty Matheson and Coulson Armstrong (Tamarack Farms)
Covid-19 safety measures: Customers can pre-order using a web form. Pickup and delivery only—no dine-in option. Hand sanitizer is available.
Accessibility: No barrier, as orders are currently passed through the front window.
“I came back to Toronto because this is where it all began. This city gave me everything and this is where I grew my career,” says Matheson. “I opened during the pandemic so we could still make a living, create jobs and feed people.” For the burgers, Matheson is sourcing his AAA beef—brisket and chuck—from farms in southwestern Ontario. The house-ground meat is then portioned, refrigerated and smashed on a sizzling-hot flattop, giving each patty those delicious crispy edges. Various sauces are offered (spicy ketchup, pickled jalapeño may and the signature Matty’s Patty’s sauce) but all of the burgers come covered in American cheese on sesame-seed milk buns from Martin’s Bakery.
Cans of Prince Edward County’s Matron Fine Beer, along with chocolate milkshakes and cans of pop.
The team didn’t hire a designer to spruce up the space. Instead, they chose a colour palette from Matheson’s previous pop-ups—specifically, the ones he did in Hawaii and Japan. Pine walls and blue flooring and a decorative surfboard (a collaboration between RVCA and the Campbell Brothers) give the tiny room a beach shack vibe.
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Caroline Aksich, a National Magazine Award recipient, is an ex-Montrealer who writes about Toronto’s ever-evolving food scene, real estate and culture for Toronto Life, Fodor’s, Designlines, Canadian Business, Glory Media and Post City. Her work ranges from features on octopus-hunting in the Adriatic to celebrity profiles.