Hero Certified Burgers – Queen & Palmerston

Very bad customer service burgers were burnt when asked for refund guy on cashier said we do not have refund policy even no body can eat never again to this restaurant be aware.

I just want to know why. Why did you do it? Why did you puke all over my burger and then serve it to me? I just don’t understand. I’m a nice guy. I always say please and thank you and have a nice day. I know I wasn’t rude and am very respectful to the service industry. I was working late, working hard, and I was hungry and wanted a burger on the way home. That’s all. I approach the store and politely asked to try the Chicken deluxe. It coated 14 dollars for the combo, which I thought was insane for a mediocre fast food joint but I was hungry. I was patient. I waited politely and quietly for my order even though you took too long to make it. You didn’t close the bag all the way and you crushed the fries but that’s okay. It didn’t bother me. I walked home and opened my burger and there was brown, transparent liquid soaking the bun like a rag. It could have been a weird sauce, but at Hero burger you choose what goes on your burger. I know this because the cashier rudely told me so and I don’t remember asking for gross brown liquid. The burger was soaked with this unpleasant looking grease and I decided to go closer and smell it to see if I could decipher what it was. It was puke. I’ve vomited a few times in my life so I’m familiar with the distinct smell of stomach acid and half-​digested breakfast. The chef at hero burger puked on my chicken sandwich. Why? Why did you do this? What did I ever do to you? You charged me 14 dollars for a puke sandwich? Why? I’m not even mad I just want to know why. The thought of it haunts me to this day. It is a testimony of the cruel and unusualness of humanity. Why did you decide to puke on my sandwich, make me pay for it and then serve it to me, Hero Burger? What the fuck is wrong with you?
Some of you are going to think this is a joke because of my post history but I promise you it isn’t. This really happened. I’m not going to tell you not to eat at this Hero Burger… But if you don’t like puke sandwiches, you might consider eating somewhere else.

Well, I’ve done it twice, don’t EVER have to do it again.
Recently had a craving for sweet potato fries — thought I could satisfy it here. They were very crisp and tasted of … nothing. (The sweet potato fries sold at the Metro grocery story hot deli counter are much much better, and less than half the price.) Considered trying a veggie burger at the same time, but the counter server couldn’t tell me anything about them — are they «meat-​like» soy, are they perhaps made of legumes & veg’s … he had no idea and there’s not even a picture on the menu board to guess from — or whet the appetite. So, pass on the burger. Should have passed on the fries.
Today had a craving for a meat burger, took an order of fries (regular) with. «Sandwich board» outside advertises a small burger combo, doesn’t say that means «with a drink». Server offered me a combo, then price was different — at that point it means «with a drink & fries». When I actually understood the options (& prices) & made my choice (yes, fries; no, drink) she had to erase the order from the system and start over, trying to remember the condiment choices. When she delivered the burger, about 7 minutes later, she thought to ask about my choice of bun or flatbread. (Again, no image of flatbread, no idea without buying it, what one would be getting.)
Regular (white potato) fries are also tasteless. NO need to ever order those again. Regular burger, OK I guess… so sloppy from excessive relish, hard to really get a grip or a taste. Requested lettuce on the burger was barely there — a couple of sad slivers of iceberg. Fortunately, I had ordered «to go» and could add my own greens at home.
So next time a fries or burger craving hit, I can go to Hero and not be tempted in the slightest.

Just recently went to a Hero Burger location downtown for lunch with my family. I think I may have made a big mistake on doing so.
I normally go to the Mississauga or Brampton locations and they are not as horrible as the downtown locations.
I have doubts on whether or not this franchise actually pays attention to careful hygiene. I recently dined at the King & Jarvis location with my family over the weekend and it’s cool because they have a convenient location. But here is my story.
My boyfriend, Nephew and Niece each ordered a 6oz Burger with fries. The fries were soggy and tasteless and I think when the chef put the fries on our tray, some of the fries tipped over on the counter and front counter person used her dirty hands to put back the dropped fries in our fry cup. Grossness #1
Most of the tables at this location were not properly wiped down and had sticky drink marks on the tables and oil marks on the seats. Grossness #2
Garbage bin was over the top full and had a rancid smell. Grossness #3
The washrooms, I cannot even begin to tell you how disgusting the washrooms were. Sinks were filthy, mirror not wiped down and the toilet? For an expensive food place, I expect a decent washroom. Grossness #4
Enough with the grossness of this, now on to the actual Burger. This company needs to work on consistency with each location because every different Hero Burger I go to, my Burger is either too dry or pink in the middle. Specifically for this location, my boyfriend’s burger was dry and my niece’s burger was under-​cooked, kind of mushy in the middle of the patty. My nephew didn’t complain though except for his fries.
All in all? I would not recommend any downtown location, or maybe any location now after this experience. I used to love Hero Burgers, but it has gone down hill since the last time I visited one. Not to mention, the prices went up too, which will definitely not make me want to come back!
Adiós Hero Burger!

This is going to be simple and sweet.
I think it was my first vegetarian burger in my life. So of course I didn’t know what to expect. You could choose your own fillings and stuff. Cool. Looked like a real burger and tasted heavenly. Mock burger patty was moist and tasty, fresh added nice touch to the whole meal. Fries were crisp and nicely salted. It all went down quite well with fountain Nestea. We kept getting it more.
One thing though, it took a bit too long get the burgers.
Queen West and Spadina location was quite busy, but clean. We managed to find a spot by the window after work. Pleace was clean and the order was fast. Reccommended!

Pretty disappointed, figured if you had burgers in you name they would be pretty amazing but found this place an over priced Mcdonalds, very typical fast food place, nothing special, so not sure why its so pricey,
Try something different, nothing great about this place.

Horror Burger.
Food seems incredibly over-​processed and industrially-​prepared — and I would assume microwaved for speedy service from the mysterious, invisible back preparation area.
Out of a coin-​operated vending machine this (horror — can it be called food?) might be an impressive technological-​cultural artefact. Something fried-​tasting and nondescript you might just consume automaton-​like in a drunken stupor at 3am and, mercifully, never later remember the actual eating of said alleged burger.
As a somewhat expensive takeout meal, Hero Burgers is disgusting. It’s not really food IMO. This chain seems to be riding the (mostly unfortunate) trend of burgers that are mercenarily expensive while rarely delivering value equivalent to price. SUCKER DEAL here folks. Again.
I’ve tried two Hero stores just for a burger. Yes, sober each time. Ick is my verdict, far worse than the traditional large burger chains I also generally avoid but sometimes resort to. Who does mind one Whopper a year for nostalgia’s sake.
**edit — a food prep worker at Hero emailed me on Unilocal about the above review**
«How they’re prepared, I admit, I don’t like it. If they prepared their ingredients properly their food would actually taste good (and this is coming from someone who’s tried everything on their menu).»
(^ Nice caring person! They didn’t want me to think I was eating processed crappy food, just badly-​prepared food that was not enjoyable. So Hero’s still a good restaurant if you can cook your own order.)

Hero a toujours été notre choix car les produits sont de qualité et le rapport qualité prix est juste. Parfaitement bien situé dans la partie chic de Queen West, ce restaurant a chanté de gérant plusieurs fois sans entamer la qualité du service.

Hi folks, I didn’t like my burger. The fries were like Zupas. Why are these opening everywhere? Dirt.

I visited Hero Burger at 230 Commerce Valley, Markham, On restaurant at 6:35PM.
I ordered two Signature combo. I heard about Hero Burger before, but this is the first time I tried Hero Burger. I’m a bit disappointed at the burger. First there was no lettuce, no mustard, no pickle, no relish. There was only cheese, tomato, and white sauce.
Compare South Street burger, Jetsun Burger and Harvey’s, they all have lettuce and pickle. Signature burger is not cheap, I expect the burger has more than tomato and cheese.
I don’t think I will visit Hero Burger again.

I’ve never been the biggest fan of hero but it has a gluten free option and its everywhere so they have my business when I need a quick meal. The burger tastes like something I can make at home, but I’m a big fan of the greasy fries. This location lacks the crazy 1000 flavor coke machine but they have coke zero so I’m happy.

This was by far the most mediocre, over-​priced burger I’ve ever had.
Maybe I’ve been spoiled by Pat Lafrieda and the Shake Shack, but my patty reminded me of those frozen Schneiders burgers you would get at the racetrack, only not as tasty. Mine certainly seemed freshly thawed, on par with a Harvey’s «Angus» burger, except twice the price and with a $ 1.29 Goat Cheese up-​charge. The bun was grocery-​store calibre, spongy and tasteless. Seriously, I’ve had better burgers at Steak ‘n’ Shake on the I-​40 for half the price. I’ve had better burgers at Five Guys fer chrissakes! (Datem datum DAYUM!)
To add insult to injury, I asked if I could try a dab of the Hero «Certified Sauce» with my poutine and was asked for an additional 59¢ — this on top of a $ 13 «combo.» I politely said I just wanted a taste. not a bowl. He actually POINTED to the sign that said «Sauces served as a side: 59¢» — amazingly, since he wasn’t some teenage counter drone, but a man in his 50’s who looked like he could be the manager or franchisee. I politely asked if that didn’t seem sort of chintzy on top of a $ 8.99 combo AND a $ 2.50 up charge for the (Harveys-​like, frankly inedible) Poutine? He looked winsomely back at the sign with a «can’t do nuthin’ fo ya maaaan» shrug.
All the packaging was default fast food, in fact the cups, wax paper and everything was identical to Harveys but for the branding. Are they a stealthy upmarket division of Harvey’s serving the same lame food except with a 50% margin increase? (By rights I should deduct an additional point for no apparent blue boxing strategy; my plastic should have been VERY easy to recycle.)
Worst of all was a half hour stuck listening to a tuneless alt-​rock station stuck in the nineties. It was almost enough to make me long for a Johnny Rockets staff rendition of Cheeseburger in Paradise.
Almost.

Note: A trip to Hero Burger under the influence of alcohol.
I am not someone who enjoys fast food places, if I want a burger I want pure beef cooked to how I want it. Thus why I tend to avoid such places, however drunk and hungry it seemed like to good idea to go to Hero Burger. and in some ways it was!
The burger was ok, I love the choices of toppings and they do gluten free buns. The fries were good, oh my word they were good!
When it is 2 30 am… in need of food and faced with the option of McD’s or Hero Burger, I know what my choice will be. Yes I think the burger is overpriced… yes you can spend less at McD’s (as someone announced in Hero Burger last night) but can you choose from brie, goats cheese, swiss etc for your topping, plus a choice of condiments and fresh salad toppings?
I have had burgers that were much better, but it did the job!

Blech.
There aren’t really any redeeming qualities about HERO’s burgers; and that’s not just at this location, it applies across the chain. HERO is owned by the same folks that conjured up Lettieri, another place to avoid in my opinion.
The food:
1. Fatty, chewy, overcooked, tasteless, previously frozen beef patties. They may be made from 100% «angus» beef; but what does it matter when the burger tastes like a hockey puck?
2. The fries and onion rings are decent
The experience:
1. Everything just seems really half-​assed and like a premium priced Harvey’s
2. The whole idea feels like a marketing ploy with no attention to execution
3. Service is OK, but fairly slow
Concluding notes:
1. Avoid
2. Probably the worst «premium» burger out there, your money is better spent elsewhere
3. Burgers can double as laxative, not advertised
For the same price, Big Smoke a few blocks away on King W is much better.
If you’re really in the mood for a kick ass burger, try out Union on Ossington.

I have to say that although this location is close to my work and home and it’s clean in the day, today wasn’t such a great experience.
My second time there today and well it wasn’t as good as the first time. I used my group buy voucher, and whenever I order at the Sherway gardens place they always ask me what I want. After I paid I said that I forgot to specify toppings, younger dude (40’s) told me that it already is prepared as pictured (I don’t like relish and would have wanted lettuce). When I got my order the guy put on relish (which I asked to have removed) no onions either. The older guy who is nice took it back (no apology though). The guy in the back starts complaining and says that he didn’t make a mistake. Older guy said it’s no one’s mistake. Geez.
Was disappointed they wanted to charge .59 cents for mayo, they don’t do that at sherway. Guess I’ll have to go there for my hero burger fix

Rating: 4.5 Stars.
This restaurant looks absolutely clean inside. The burgers itself taste like real freshly «home“made burgers and you can choose your own topping from a list. The fries are never soggy and is perfectly salted; no additional salt needed to be added.
The man who usually takes your order is really polite and neat, which gives me a good vibe of the restaurant.
I took away .5 of a star because of the price. It is really pricey for something to be eaten regularly, but having once in a while craving won’t hurt! :P

I love the aesthetics of the branding.
Thats about it. The place is way too overpriced and I doubt the burgers are fresh. No flavor at all, and the beef didn’t taste like real angus beef. What saved it was the friendly service and the neat way they packaged the food. But if it wasn’t for that, I would’ve given it a one star. Only my second time here too, but the food was consistently not impressive.

Tastes kind of processed. I don’t think they hand form the patties from ground beef. They probably come from a factory.
On the plus side, lots of interesting toppings to choose from. For a fast food burger joint they’re not bad, but I wouldn’t say they’re good either. Toronto is a burger city and there are a number of better burger spots to choose from like Craft Burger, Burger Shoppe and W Burger Bar. This place is cheaper than those places though.

I really enjoy the burgers from Hero. They use 100% Canadian angus beef amd come in 4oz, 6oz and 8oz sizes. They let you dress it from a long list of condiments and toppings (like spring mix instead of the standard shredded head lettuce, red onion, hero sauce plus many more). They offer things beyond the average burger joint such portabello mushrooms, sauted mushrooms, pemeal bacon, roasted peppers and a selection of 7 different cheeses (Cheddar, Goat, Swiss, Blue, Emmenthal, Gorgonzola and Brie). My burgers have always been delicious, with a nice thick meaty patty.
Healthier options are also available such as wild grilled salmon or chicken on a salad or sandwich.
As Kat said they use a combination of poppy and sesame on their bun, which I actually prefer (except when you get them stuck in your teeth).
I have hit up the location on the corner of Queen and
because they are open until 4am on Thursday thru Saturday, making it a great place for late night eats. There are always tables and it has never been dirty.
The bathrooms are a bit interesting, its like taking a maze all the way down and threw the basement.
The milk shakes are also delicious here made from real ice cream and I found them quite resonable ($ 2.99 if I recall correctly).
I have to say that the service I have received has always been great. There is a young guy that usually works there who has been so friendly and is really cute (even better). The last time I was there I was talking to the guy who owns the franchise at this location, he was so friendly and answered all of my random questions about Hero.
For a burger franchise I give it 4 stars. Beats harveys, McD’s and the rest any day!

GENERAL NOTES
This review is based solely on the one experience I had at this one location. I’m not exactly rushing to give them another chance but I will and when I do I’ll update my review.
MENU RECOMMENDATIONS
It doesn’t matter, you’ll leave before the food is ready (which could be a really long time).
SERVICE NOTES
The worst. It took me forever to place my order despite the fact that there was only 1 person ahead of me in line. I swear the guy at the front just kept ignoring me, pretending to do little tasks so he didn’t have to take my order and when he finally did, it took foreeeeeeeeeeeever. I eventually left and got the 1lb burger down the street at Bellwoods.
LOCATION NOTES
Queen WW. Street parking.
HUMOUROUS STORY
I’m going to go with a Vivek-​like pun and say there’s nothing heroic about bad service. Ehyo!

As soon as the signs went up in the storefront, I was ready to give Hero Burgers a try. I’d walked by several times and seen the line-​up, so a new burger place in the neighbourhood definitely was the place to try.
Using black and white for the interior, it provides you with very clean lines and a modern chic interior. Booths and tables line the edges of the restaurant to accommodate the line-​up at the counter at the back of the room. As you wait, you get to see all the other burger orders come through, making the anticipation pretty hard to take. The menu for a burger place is pretty wide, with a load of condiments available for your selection and a variety of other-​than-​burger options to select as well (salmon fillet?). You can also select a side of fries, onion rings, or poutine. Once placed, the orders come up in a reasonable amount of time and you’re then off and running.
Burger collected, you can sit at a table or take it away and the first bite is, well, it’s okay. It’s a decent burger, but I found in all the hype that surrounded Hero Burger, it tastes like an okay burger. Adequate, and does the job, but in the end, sadly, it’s just a burger. Sigh.