Restaurant Review: Clive Burger

Burger places have really exploded in Calgary within the last year or so with each restaurant specializing in a different way of showcasing the burger. I’ve been to a good many of them, but I couldn’t believe how many people kept asking me if I’ve been to Clive Burger yet. So it was inevitable that I had to drop by and experience it myself. Since hearing it from everybody else was getting pretty much unbearable.

Atmosphere: Bright open seating area which overlooks the grill, similar to the diners of old with additional seating in the back for those looking for a bit more room.

  

Price Range: up to mid $10s

Food: The first thing I noticed when I walked in - aside from how busy it was - was the adorable mascots all over the restaurant. I was recently in Las Vegas and was drawn specifically to the mascot at a burger joint they had displayed throughout. I thought it was such a great idea to make a restaurant synonymous with a mascot because when people see them, they not only remember the food, it’s also a potential merchandising opportunity. If Clive Burger decided to sell their mascot as a T-shirt, I would indeed buy one.

I was actually glad that the line was a bit long since it took me a while to decide on what to order. It was pretty straight forward really. You can either get a one, two or three patty burger or a smokie, each with specific fixings you’d like. The hard part was figuring out whether you wanted to burger or the smokie or both and of course the inevitable question of, would you like fries with that.

So between my friends and I, we decided to share some large fries. They’re cooked in peanut oil and were extremely crispy. Normally I try to search for the crispy ones, but with these fries, no searching was required. Any one I picked up was good to dip in the delicious clive sauce (a spicy mayo) or some ketchup. The bag of fries is a very decent portion, good enough to share among 2-3 people.

I got the smokie Clive style and they got the burgers also Clive style with additional cheese, mushrooms, veggies, etc. My smokie came with some sautéed onions and was quite a bit larger than the bun, which made for some messy eating, but I don’t expect to eat a hot dog neatly. It’s just one of those things. I really enjoyed the flavour of the smokie itself, not too heavily spiced. You can still taste the meat itself and it wasn’t overly fatty. The casing provided just the right amount of snap. A must for a good smokie in my books, or else it just ends up getting mushy.

My friends both enjoyed their burgers, the patty themselves are made with a 1/4lb of hormone and antibiotic free beef. You can really taste the difference! It’s juicy so be careful, you’re going to get messy but again…it’s the best part about eating a burger. Some might find it a bit small, but just add an extra patty, there’s a lot of flexibility here. You also get a chance to customize each burger with the free fixins that they provide including clive sauce, sauerkraut, fried onions, mushroom, etc. For a $2 more you can even get a fried egg on top.

I found out that everything at Clive Burger is also environmentally friendly and compostable. From the (very adorable mascot) take out bag, to the straws and wrapping paper! What a great way to create sustainability!

Overall: A great restaurant aiming to be your neighbourhood burger joint with great food without all the fuss. It definitely beats the typical fast food restaurants and the prices are fairly comparable. Now if only I can convince them to make little Clive burger plushies…

Clive Burger
736 17 Avenue SW
Calgary, AB

(403) 461-7088

Website: http://www.facebook.com/Cliveburger17