When Big Trouble Pizza served its final slice on Geary Avenue back in January, it felt like a collective heartbreak for the neighbourhood. They had a massive eight-year run, and losing them left a pretty big, carb-shaped void on the street. But as it turns out, the team wasn’t done with us yet. They just swapped their pizza ovens for a flat-top griddle.
Fast-forward to right now, and their new concept, Mista Boiga, is officially open and completely taking over our feeds. If you thought they made good pizza, just wait until you try what they’re doing with a smash burger.
The crew isn’t just slapping meat on a grill and hoping for the best, either. They are actually incredibly obsessive about the details. On their website, they talk about how easy it is to copy a smashburger on paper, but how hard it is to get it right every single time. For them, it’s all about the exact beef-to-patty ratio, the perfect griddle temperature and making sure the 3,000th burger tastes just as good as the very first one. That focus is exactly why every single burger comes out with those incredibly crispy, lacy edges we all look for.
The menu is short, sweet, and doesn’t mess around with weird gimmicks—and best of all, every single burger on the lineup is an even $12. You can go for the Classic OG, which comes with American cheese, lettuce, onion, pickles, and burger sauce. If you want a bit of a kick, the Kwispy Wanch is a total crowd-favourite from their old menu, loaded with pickled red onions, jalapeños, crispy onions, and ranch. There’s also the Roast Lahoma, which features deeply roasted onions and a sharp dijonnaise.
But if you really want to try something special, you need to order the Gaucho Melt. It’s their take on Argentina’s iconic Provoleta, made with fire-torched provolone, fresh chimichurri, and a garlic-lemon aioli. They don’t allow modifications on this one, and honestly, you wouldn’t want to change a thing anyway. Definitely make sure to grab a side of their Fried Pickle Spears ($7.00) with ranch dip while you’re at it.
Naturally, the city is already losing its mind. Local burger lovers have been flooding Google with 5-star reviews, and a few people are already saying it has officially taken the crown from Toronto’s old-school legacy burger spots. One reviewer even admitted to driving over an hour in awful GTA traffic just to grab a Gaucho Melt, writing that it was totally worth the trek.
Aside from the food, the vibe inside is just deeply cool. Co-founder Eddie Chan and the staff are incredibly welcoming, the background music is always on point, and they genuinely treat you like a regular the second you walk through the door.
Follow @mista.boiga on Instagram for hours, or download their app to skip the line.
