This Long Weekend is Really Just a Countdown Until Downlow Burgers Opens

The pop-up burger glory days are over, it seems. Where we once were lousy with get-’em-while-you-can special events—Hundy’s limited weekend appearances and Downlow Chicken‘s once-a-week burger menu—both burger kings have settled into a more permanent routine. Hundy now operates four nights a week out of a shared space with coffee bar Their There, and Downlow Burgers just announced its commitment to a takeout counter at The American (replacing Monarch Burger). 

We’re not exactly complaining that chef Doug Stephen’s smash-style burgers will be accessible on a less restrictive schedule, or that the menu includes a wider selection of toppings and flavour profiles (like the Tex-Mex style “South of the Border” burg) and a robust list of sides (the famously excellent house-smoked onion rings are joined, for example, by crispy pork belly bites). It’s just lost a little of that air of mystery—like when you move in with a boyfriend and it’s really nice, sure, to see each other all the time, and you’re in love or whatever, but that thrill of not knowing when you’ll meet next or whether you’ll last is gone.

So here’s hoping we can keep that passion alive in our relationship with these burgs as they move from Monday night sometimes-treat to a full-time affair—if Downlow stays committed to the Two Rivers Meats dry-aged beef patties and fresh buns from Livia, though, it shouldn’t be too hard.

Downlow Burgers opens Tuesday, September 3 at The American, 926 Main Street