Broken City: Chili, Burgers, & Beers (oh my!)

Dan    Calgary & Area, Restaurants     bars, beer, burgers, calgary, pub food, vegan

On a lovely November evening, when Calgary was officially the 2nd coldest place in the world, my friends and I decided to venture out (snow suits on, of course) in search of burgers and beers. Broken City offers daily lunch specials between 11-4. Their regular menu is fairly concise with a solid selection of burgers, wraps, nachos, wings, etc…They also boast a nice selection of beers, including the (new to Calgary) Mill Street Original Organic, which is amazing.

What I like about the food menu here is that it is vegan friendly. Burgers, chili, and the poutine all have their vegan counterparts. Yes, Vegan Poutine.

We end up getting some Vegan Chili to start off with. It’s definitely hearty, with lots of chick peas and kidney beans (getting that protein to the vegans!) with a spicy chipotle kick. A baguette slice, served on the side, was topped with guacamole was a nice companion to the heat. The chili was the perfect hot retort to the icy cold outside.

I decided to go with the Steakhouse Burger with a beef patty, which came topped with bleu cheese, caramelized onions, tomatoes, and lettuce. For the side I had to try the Vegan Poutine as I was definitely curious about it. The burger was good, the home-made patty was cooked perfectly and nicely crisp on the outside. The bleu cheese balanced out nicely with the sweet onions.

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Out of the whole meal, the true stand-out for myself would be the vegan poutine! Why? Well, to start off with, the fries had a good crunch, the vegetable-based gravy was surprisingly rich, and the vegan cheese on top was very convincing. Granted, it didn’t quite melt the way real cheese can, but in context of poutine, it didn’t serves it’s purpose. I bet you could serve this to any of your friends and they wouldn’t even think it was vegan.

So, if you’re looking for a good burger and a beer, I’d definitely say head over to Broken City. They also serve brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. Swing by for some live music too, or Punk Rock Bingo on Tuesday nights (if you want to play to win some sweet vintage items…Lite-Brite anyone?).

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