Best burger and pizza joints near where you live

[Glenn MacGrady]

This is a critically important "canoe destinations" topic -- for when we travel on canoe trips near your home town, we'll often need traditional paddler sustenance: hamburgers and pizza.

Name the best burger and pizza places near you and explain why you like them; and, if appropriate, which ones we should avoid.

 

[Grandpa Paddler]

Great burgers (juicy 1/2 pounders) just 4 miles up the road from me @ Colden Cafe. There are 6 pizza locations within 10 miles: all are adequate but different, depends on how you your sauce.

Now for the bad news: there is some local paddling, but nothing you would want to drive a distance for. Closest good locations are 1 1/2 - 2 hours away. GREAT locations are 5 - 12 hours away. Consequently, I do very little day tripping.

But, if you are ever in my neighborhood for whatever important (or trivial) reason, I'll be happy to treat you to a burger.

 

[sweeper]

Mass sucks for a meal of pizza. We have 3 places that make great pizza, BUT DON'T SERVE BEER! The one other great one is in Bernardston MA, Jct of Rts I91, 5 & 10

 

[Muskrat]

Imo's St. Louis style pizza in St. Louis obviously and Kansas City.

Five star review: They put velveta on a pizza!

One star review: They put velveta on a pizza!

Love it or hate it Provel cheese was spefically designed to be the perfect melting cheese with a clean bite (no stringys). Cheddar Swiss and provolone and an emulsifier. Surely one of man's greatest creations. It needs no toppings, but for God's sake do not put on more than three.

 

[red langford]

My kitchen. If you come here you are welcome.

 

[yellowcanoe]

Burger. 45 minutes away
Pizza 45 minutes away
I ergo make both at home. Not that frozen crap. I make the dough and crank up the fire or oven

 

[Odyssey]

Burger. 45 minutes away
Pizza 45 minutes away
I ergo make both at home. Not that frozen crap. I make the dough and crank up the fire or oven

We have the same problem. My favourite burger is found out west at Big D's Burger Shack in Nanton Alberta. There's paddling there, but it's not local. My wife's favourite burger is found in Paris France. Weird place to choose to eat a burger, but there ya go. There's paddling there, but it's definitely not local. Really good pizza 30 mins away at Knead Pizza in Hamilton Ontario. A little paddling there and in this region, and it's fairly local. We don't day paddle though.
We don't eat out a lot, not even on a road trip. It would be nice to find a good pizza/burger place between home and our usual destination north Ontario. There was one good place we ate at after a trip; excellent burgers/fries/cold beer, but it just might've been post-trip hunger I don't know. Next time we tried it we waited an hour and never saw our food. Paid for the beers and pretzels and left. Still looking for that elusive perfect burger/fries/pizza place. If you want something done right you should just do it yourself I suppose. Or I'll take Red up on his offer and drop in there. Bear burgers? Sounds tasty to me.

 

[frozentripper]

Some interesting places with history east of Algonquin...

- the Wilno tavern east of Algonquin on Hwy 60, alcoholic, has pioneer Polish food like pierogi and cabbage rolls... burgers, some veg dishes. This was originally the hotel that served travelers on the railroad built during the 1890s.

- best place to enjoy Kawartha ice cream is in Combermere south of Barry's Bay, generous cones, enjoy at the picnic tables nearby at the boat launch at the water's edge. This is the general store that has been around for about 150 years, still looks like it inside. There is a chip wagon nearby but I've never tried it.

- in Barry's Bay a good chip wagon with burgers is on the south side of Hwy 60 at the hockey arena road. After getting your order, drive to some shade trees at the arena parking lot and enjoy a much quieter place than the highway or town center.

 

[ShiftlessDriftless]

Wisconsin is a land of the neighborhood bars and roadside taverns, and most serve a decent burger. Finding the really great ones is part of the adventure (if you see an air bake oven, run!). I get culture shock in places where you can drive for miles and miles without seeing a bar.

In La Crosse, Nutbush City Limits has my favorite burger- fresh ingredients, perfectly buttered and toasted buns and great price.

But pizza places that don’t serve beer??? That’s like those kooky states where you can’t drink alcohol in state parks.

 

[Odyssey]

Thread drift alert.
In a local burger franchise The Works my wife opts for a bun-less burger. I opt for pepper crusted burgers, but that's another story. Anyway, they coyly call the bun-less burger "naked". It's a little disconcerting the first time your spouse of many happy years tells a server "I'll go naked for mine, thanks." A weird tingle crept up my spine and I broke out in a sweat. Calming down I considered the naked thing, and jumped in too. It was actually quite good. Too often a good burger is let down by a plain boring bun. Crisp lettuce leaves used as a wrap removes that extra bready bulk and delivers on texture and taste. Just my 2 cents. And another thing, good burgers just like good pizzas should stand alone in quality without heaps of toppings to disguise a sliver of bland beef or cardboard pizza crust. 2 more cents.

 

[yellowcanoe]

Ebemeezers Brewpub in Lowell ME. On a snowmobile trail but a bit off the Saco River
Pepe's pizza in New Haven. Not on a canoe route unless you paddle Long Island Sound. Ottos in Portland has very god garlic potato and bacon pizza

 

[Canotrouge]

Best Pizza in town, is at the Dirty Northern https://fr.tripadvisor.ca/Restauran...y_Northern_Public_House-Whitehorse_Yukon.html
and these guys...https://www.facebook.com/skibumpizza/

As for burgers, hummm hard to say, none of them are exceptional... I make the best!!

 

[Odyssey]

I'm not a burger master (not to be confused with burgermeister or burgemeester). I'll have to try making my own burgers sometime. I do however enjoy making my own pizzas, and if I'm allowed to brag a little, I'm pretty dang good at it. But there's not a lot to it I must confess. Fresh ingredients and simplicity. My introduction to "real" pizza was sitting in a cuccina in an Italian-Canadian home. The slice of pie put before me looked nothing like the kind eaten out of cardboard boxes. This had something missing, actually it had a lot missing. All there was to it was a glistening shimmer of olive oil over a golden thin crust and tiny shards of sea salt; a hint of garlic somewhere. The mamma gave me a second slice, this time sporting slivers of tomatoes. It was a jaw dropping experience. I was the only mangiacake there, so the Italians in the room smiled knowingly while I sipped expresso, chewed pizza and fumbled with grazie grazie mille. Sometimes less really is more.
​Here's my favourite Italian food blog. https://www.theguardian.com/profile/rachel-roddy I love her writing, and her recipes.
Not sure I'm ready to try the potato and rosemary pizza. I wonder where I can paddle in Rome?

 

[scoutergriz]

Le Grande in Coldwater! Hot pizza, cold beer, what more can you say? Actually the pizza is quite good, and generously sized too. 5min from the 400, and 20 to the Severn river!

 

[Mrindy]

If you're in the Twin Cities, MN area, you can find some great Juicy Lucy burgers at Matt's, The Blue Door, or 5-8. Pizza - can't go wrong with Davani's or Giordanos (thanks for the cheese WI!) If you make it to the east side of the BWCA, Sven and Ole's for pizza and Gunflint Tavern for burgers, IMO.

 

[yellowcanoe]

geez all we get are lobster rolls. Think I have to go sulk

 

[DanOver]

I'm originally from NYC, so living in NW Indiana there is nothing really noteworthy. If you venture into Chicago, it's deep dish pizza (many to choose from) BBQ (Rub's Back country BBQ - wood fired ontly!!) and Italian Beef on Taylor st.

Muskrat - Imo's Toasted Ravioli in our town is pure genius! Can't go to STL without getting it.

 

[yknpdlr]

The Klondike Rib and Salmon BBQ in Whitehorse. Caribou, elk and moose burgers, occasionally boar and musk ox too. And the best halibut ever. Desserts to die for. Next Week I'm driving there 3500 miles from the Adirondacks to paddle the Yukon River Quest canoe race. Hoping to find some good eats all along the way.
https://www.klondikerib.com

 

[southcove]

For all you going to Alaska this summer. "Lucky Wishbone" in Anchorage, just good eats all around. "Arctic Roadrunner" and "Weebies" for good burgers. Don't think I have ever had a decent pizza up there, ever...

If you are traveling I-95 between Boston and NYC or going to Mystic Seaport, we like "Illianos Pizza in the New London area, "JackRabbits" in Old Saybrook for nearly anything on the menu...
In New Haven, "Pepe's or "Sally's for thin crust style pizza, if that is your treat. Louis's Lunch for real hamburgers, their style.

For me, if the pizza and burgers are good, the cold beer is just gonna be better in any case.

 

[lowangle al]

For all you going to Alaska this summer. "Lucky Wishbone" in Anchorage, just good eats all around. "Arctic Roadrunner" and "Weebies" for good burgers. Don't think I have ever had a decent pizza up there, ever...

For me, if the pizza and burgers are good, the cold beer is just gonna be better in any case.

The Lucky Wishbone flys up fresh chicken for frying, has good chocolate malts and buys his help health insurance.

Good pizza in Anchorage would be the Mooses Tooth, they are also a microbrewery. It's probably the busiest restaurant in town.