Mikky's: 3.3/5

Deluxe Burger
Score: 3.4, $4.50 (tax inc.)



Deluxe Cheese Burger
Score: 3.2, $5.00 (tax inc.)

The white and red Mikky’s truck is a veritable institution on Broadway. Twenty-two years ago it belonged to Mikky, somewhere along the way it became Daryl’s, and for the last fifteen years it’s been owned by Don. Originally operating a hot dog cart, Don traded his umbrella for the metal roof of Mikky’s when the opportunity arose.

Don seems to have found the formula for success in the very competitive food truck market. An inexpensive and tasty burger, served quickly, draws lines of people to the Mikky’s order window on sunny lunch hours. Mikky’s feeds the parking meter in front of the WCB and sets itself apart from other trucks by laying out a line of welcome mats on the low granite wall for diners to settle their office attire wrapped derrieres onto. The nice lady taking orders was all smiles and Don came out to tell stories when there was a break in the lunch rush.

The deluxe cheeseburger is only $5, tax included. For $8 you can have fries and a drink with that. The deluxe burger comes standard with lettuce, tomato, fried onions and pickles. There are a couple of condiment stations hanging off the truck and a row of self serve drink coolers on the sidewalk. The mayo is wisely kept inside so it’s not sitting out in the sun. If you have just a burger, it comes nestled in a little wax paper pocket that’s perfect for one handing the burger while containing any fallout. The combo is served in a little cardboard tray that’s quite convenient if you’re sitting and using your lap as a table.

The first thing you notice when you sink your teeth into a Mikky’s burger is the big delicious City Bread bun. There’s plenty of fresh chopped lettuce - if you’re going to have any fallout, it’s going to be the lettuce. The groceries are rounded out with diced ripe tomato and fried onions – a favorite of mine and something you pay extra for at a lot of burger joints.

The thin beef patty gets lost in the bun and groceries. The flavour of this burger is in the bread and toppings. The beef is an inexpensive “store” patty that cooks fast and keeps the price down. I've had the single and decided to ask for a double burger today. That brought the burger-to-bun ratio to where it should be, but my double-meat tilted the flavour balance.

This was our most reviewed burger with twenty-one Burger Clubbers contemplating the sandwich. Mirreille commented “Would have preferred the patty to be bigger to fit the big bun. Enjoyed the grilled bun.” Cary referenced The Whole Nine Yards when he wrote “True Canadian means lots of mayo (Bruce Willis would hate it). Bun was too big, but good and fresh.” Stephanie, our local expert on street food exclaimed “Beautiful day for a food truck! Great deal for the combo. More than enough for me.”

Sandy raised the question of how to rate a burger: “This is my first food truck rating - not sure if I should be a little more generous on the presentation and comfort factors. Great fun!” Eric chimed in “Eating outside always trumps inside. Good for truck burger.” Stan summarized “Service was very quick. Value was excellent. Burger was pretty good, no complaints. The weather was perfect. The company was awesome.”

Victor thought it was a great deal: “If I could give a 6 for price I would. This was probably the most economically fair burger I've had this summer. The patty was kind of small, but the fries were awesome!”

Don suggested we try the European next time so I guess he’s still a hot dog guy at heart.