Toronto’s food mashup era shows no signs of slowing down, and the latest crossover might be the most unexpected yet: burger omakase.
At Friday Burger Company on the Danforth, chef Joe Friday has quietly launched a multi-course, chef-crafted tasting menu built entirely around burgers — borrowing the format of a traditional Japanese omakase (typically ten-plus small, mostly sushi-based courses) and reworking it into five burger-and-burger-adjacent courses, finished with dessert. The inaugural lineup included a lobster caviar grilled cheese, a Wagyu bacon jam burger, a Nashville hot chicken sandwich, and the restaurant’s signature Monday and Friday Burgers, closing out with a Mississippi mud pie.
Every beef course is built on a premium dry-aged AAA short rib and chuck blend sourced from trusted local suppliers, a detail that puts the “tasting menu” framing on solid ground rather than treating it as a gimmick. The Friday Burger itself — a single dry-aged halal beef patty with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, house-made pickles, crispy onions, and Friday sauce — anchors the savoury lineup, while the Monday Burger brings two dry-aged halal patties with American cheese, raw onion, ketchup, and Alabama white BBQ sauce into the mix.
True to its high-concept framing, the experience is intentionally low-key about access: there’s no public booking page. To score a seat, guests have to DM the restaurant directly on Instagram expressing interest, and wait to be notified when the next seating is scheduled.
Ready for the most unexpected tasting menu in the city? DM @fridayburgerco on Instagram, or grab a regular burger at 2162 Danforth Ave. or 81 Bay St. in the meantime.