Alley Burger

Ok. I lied.
Alley Burger is just as amazing as Boogie’s Burgers.
For a work event, we ‘rented’ one of the Alley Burger food trucks to come by our office from 12−2pm and it was a huge hit.
The burgers are pretty much to die for, but be prepared for an afternoon food coma once you finish off that delicious burger and fries.
Time for a nap.

I will start by stating what I hope is obvious: I’m a man. Now deeper into my stereotypical psyche… I’m visual and am just like what women think every man is like. That’s why the first thing I noticed was how incredibly cute the woman taking orders was. Take that pansy sensitive men!
I went for the ‘Whole truck’ $ 9 for double-​pattied beef burger sweetness. I got it with cheese and bacon ($ 1 each) and the lettuce, tomato, pickle etc that any great burger needs. I was scared when it was ready. This thing was huge! I wasn’t able to finish it. I bet Michael Moore could eat 14 as an appetizer, but such an appetite isn’t in my power. The burger was awesome. It was so awesome that when the Earth inevitably is attacked by those damned Klingons, it would be a great peace offering to make them go away.
So full. Cannot walk. Please… somebody…come get me…

Got a small Alley Burger; pork patty with peri-​peri aoli and cheese curds for $ 5. The aoli didn’t bring a lot of flavor, but the pork was tasty and the cheese curds melted in a particularly delightful fashion. Also had the beef burger, «the whole truck». Beef was tasty, but if I’d realized how thin the patties were I’d probably have ordered a double. The addition of a fried egg and Spragg’s bacon where nice though, so I’ll definitely be back for another.
Fries where fine, though I tend to like my «truck-​fries» twice fried and a little on the over-​cooked side. My friend’s duck fat poutine was pretty underwhelming. The gravy was nice and thick but didn’t have a particularly strong flavor. Boylan’s sodas where a bit steep at $ 3, but they where ice cold, so we ended up going back for another Birch Beer.
Prices were alright, food was tasty, staff were a hoot… probably the best «vibe» of any of the food trucks I’ve been to. Lineup wasn’t that long. Would get a couple more stars if they were just a bit cheaper.

I arrived to the Alley Burger truck early, due to the food truck app, and was only a few people back from the window.
(Disclaimer: as per my policy, I’d never line up one to two hours to eat ANYTHING — largely in part to gainful employment, and a thing called billable hours. So any substantial lineup = Plan B).
That being said, it did take about 20 minutes longer than advertised for the ordering window to open, and because of this, my «policy» was at risk of being horribly violated.
Luckily, before my threshold had been reached, Alley Burger was open for business.
(Note: at this point there WAS a substantial line behind me).
Stepping up to the plate, it was explained by the cashier that the Alley Burger comes «as is,» and the «Whole Truck» allows you to mix and match your toppings.
I went for the ‘Truck so I could choose my toppings.. . but it was only after the fact I learned they are actually two different burgers. The whole truck is 100% Angus, while the Alley is a roasted garlic pork sausage patty.
I’ve seen Alley Burger photos in the past, so had it in my mind that the ‘truck would be a thicker, homemade looking patty… so I only chose the «single» when ordering (I was a rook). Also, I added a large fries.
As I waited, I noted that traffic to order and pay moved relatively quickly, though food returned more slowly. A number of people were eventually log jamming around the window, with some confusion when people with identical names heard theirs called. An order number would help alleviate this.
My food arrived, and the wrapped burger looked huge, but didn’t feel that heavy. It was later, back at the office, that I noted the Angus patty is quite thin (think almost Big Mac patty). The rest of the size had been made up with lettuce, bun, and toppings.
It tasted fine, with a pan seared crust to the meat edges. .. but two patties I think is a must if you want any real meat content.
Otherwise, the bacon option was cooked less crisp than other burger vendors. But this just made it different from the norm, not a bad thing. More tender in the bite.
The fries were crispy, and not unlike those you’d get from A&W on the exterior (yes, I said A&W). Again, the reference is not a bad thing, just made for comparison.
Overall, it was good, but for the price, which if I recall was $ 15 — 17 for the order without a drink– I’d expect double patties to be fully satisfied. I’m knocking off a star for that reason alone.

I ordered the small alley burger with small fries all for a little under $ 10. The fries were delish and the serving size was generous. The burger was tasty — better than fastfood for sure but not mind-​blowing. I got to the truck before 12 so my waiting time was less than 15 minutes

Food: ³⁄₅
Service: 2.5÷5
Overall experience: ³⁄₅
(1– Terrible; 3– decent; 5– Fantastic)
I was so excited to see Food Trucks in Calgary! I love the concept and with everyone raving about the food from the trucks I had high expectations. Alas, the hype did not meet its expectations…
This review is based on my experience from last year but I remember it very well and I“m pretty sure not much has changed. I give Alley Burger a ²⁄₅ mostly because it is not worth the 1 to 2+ hour wait that some people may face. The food is just not worth the wait, is overpriced, and the service is extremely slow and unfriendly.
If you plan on going for lunch though, I highly suggest you lineup early before the DT lunch rush. I don’t know about now, but when I went last year, the line up grew to a block right at 12pm.
Alley Burger has a simple menu consisting of:
1. Their original «Alley Burger» ($ 5.00 small | $ 8 regular) with Spragg Farm’s Pork and Roasted Garlic Sausage Patty Quebec Cheese Curds and Piri Piri Aioli;
2. «Whole Truck Burger» ($ 6.52 small | $ 9 regular) with Spring Creek Ranch 100% Angus Beef. Toppings such as egg, bacon, or cheese curds are +$ 1 and you can even add extra patties for $ 3
3. and «Fries» ($ 3.95 | $ 5.52) /​«Poutine» ($ 7.52).
The Whole Truck Burger is average. there wasn’t anything special about it. The meat was bland and dry. I was disgusted by the presentation of their Alley Burger when I first got it. The burger was put together sloppily and looked like someone sat on it. Their (salty) pork patty was just a slightly better version of a breakfast sausage patty with a bland aioli. The cheese curds doesn’t add anything to the burger other than a few extra calories. I do however, liked the sweetness of the bun with the burger. After a first few bites though, I couldn’t eat any more because it was getting very ‘heavy’ and boring to eat. There needed to be some sort of «vegetable» to cut through the creaminess of the aioli and saltiness of the meat.
I also had their so-​called «famous» poutine fried in duck fat. They skimped on the quantity of fries, they were soggy, and the presentation of it was ‘sad’. They just plopped a few pieces of curds on top and what little (salty) gravy there was sunk to the bottom.
Overall, I wouldn’t wait in line again for an Alley Burger. Don’t believe the hype! If you are still really curious though then only order when there is little to no line up, and try one of their Alley Burgers which they were originally famous for.

Have tried everything on their menu!
LOVE: original alley burger (focus on high quality juicy patty with pork sausage) with original duck fat fried fries with a little truffle S+P!
They have been pretty regular at coming to Devon Tower for Wednesday lunch

YAYYYYYYY! Finally the Alley burger food truck meets me halfway! I have them on Facebook so when I saw they were going to be at Shaw Barlow at dinner time, I was ecstatic because I work very close by! They were aiming to be there at 5 so I lounged around for a half hour after work just so I could FINALLY give this popular food truck a try. Spence works close by as well so he swang by to pick me up and we headed to the back entrance of Shaw on Barlow. As we were slowly driving looking for the food truck, we finally spotted it all lonesome. I was surprised nobody was there but guess they were just waiting for me? ;) haha but really, I made sure we were there right on the dot to avoid the crowds if there were any.
Moving along, Iike mentioned above, I was ecstatic… I was seriously all giddy and jumpy while walking over to the window! When there, I was greeted and she told me about the burgers. I decided to get the alley burger and famous duck fat poutine and Spence went with the whole truck burger with lettuce and ketchup (~$ 20). She took my name and we waited. The wait was about 5 — 10 minutes before we got our food. It was a little windy out so we went into the car to eat. I first opened the neatly pack poutine… it definitely a generous amount… The fries were nice and crispy, there was a handful of cheese curds and of course tasty duck fat gravy to top it off. I thoroughly enjoyed the poutine but one thing is, I wish the gravy was hotter. as in hot enough to melt the cheese curds! Spence didn’t care for it… that’s ok! Allll mine! Om nom!
To the burgers, Spence liked the whole truck burger but didn’t love it. He thought there was too much bread and too little meat (he got the small) but overall he was glad he tried it. As for the alley burger, it was good! Kinda reminded me of a breakfast burger? I’m pretty sure it was the pork patty, it was seasoned well with a very nice taste. The cheese curds and piri piri garlic aioli was a nice touch, very flavorful.
All in all, I am very happy that I finally got to try the alley burger food truck. It’s good… but not something I would rave about.

Delicious and filling. Sharing an order of small fries between two people is probably more reasonable than getting one each, however they are deliciously salted even though I could feel my arteries clogging as I ate them; it was worth it. They have a wide choice of delicious toppings for your burger and it helps break the boredom of eating at your normal down town destinations for lunch.

Very impressed with this burger. Got the «whole truck» double patty (regular size). The meat quality was exceptional with a very home-​made texture and relatively lean. The topping choices are broad and pricing is actually quite good considering a small (1 patty) will be big enough for most people.
The «pri pri aoli» is delicious and was spread thinly on the bun without being too messy. Cheese was of very high quality, lettuce was cold, etc. Not much to complain about. If you’re a fan of burgers that have evenly distributed toppings, not TOO much sauce, and less bun overall, you will like this.
The fries were decent and benefit from having a variety of seasonings at their disposal. Again, a small is more than enough for one person here.
I had a good experience with the service. Very friendly and very fast.

Woohoo! They showed up outside my building a few weeks ago
I spent the whole morning in hunger and agony of the 12pm availability after I saw the news on twitter where they’d be.
Everything here is simple so I won’t dwell.
The service was fast and friendly. If you want your burger really fast get the pork one as they are pre-​made, whereas the whole truck’s are customized and take a bit longer.
I had a 2 patty whole truck and they dressed it exactly how I wanted it, even reading my awful writing of «extra» next to the aioli.
I also got the spiced your way fries, which I spiced, and they were delicious. They had some really interesting toppings you should try for them!
All in all, delicious burger that wasn’t too greasy and surprisingly didn’t put me into a coma after lunch!

Food truck.
Don t believe the hype.

Why is it that just as I’m thinking about writing my review for Alley Burger, others have that same thought as well?
Here’s the thing about Alley Burger. Half the charm is in the story of where it came from. I’ve had my fair share of lineups in the alley behind Charcut waiting for that kitchen door to open and the infamous Alley Burger to be sold out the back of the restaurant for but $ 5. I watched the lineup grow from a couple of dozen people to well over 100. And then came the food truck.
The lineups that once formed in the alley are now following the Alley Burger truck around town. It shouldn’t be any surprise that there are lineups. They make a damn good burger, and the poutine is nothing to shake a stick at either.
But as much as I loved the original Alley Burger, I’m a fan of The Whole Truck even more. You can pile it high with all kinds of toppings… most free, although I think a few are for an additional cost. My fave combination: all of the free toppings (lettuce, tomato, onion, ketchup, mustard, jalapenos, aioli, and pickle) with an egg on top.
And the poutine is enough to share between two of you.
So, how do you make your Alley Burger experience as good as possible from your end? Do your best to get there early. If you can’t, go expecting a lineup. They’ve got their menu online, so maybe even come prepared and pick out what you want before hand. Make sure you’ve got a place in mind ready to chow down on your yummy burger. And enjoy!

I loved the food. I tried both burgers and they were really good, specially the alley burger.
The reason I’m not going to give them more than 3 stars is because the service was really slow.
The guy that took my order also wasn’t that pleasant… Just took my ticket and didn’t even say hi or thanks.
The food was really good but almost 45 minutes to get your food in this cold is not good enough for me to give them more than 3 stars.

The very first time I tried the Alley Burger they were opening up at some cappuccino wholesale place? I can’t remember the name of it but there was a barrista competition going on inside.
My friend and I waited almost two hours for our chance to hit up the food truck and have a taste of the new hot thing in town. Unfortunately we were not able to have an actual Alley Burger so we had to settle for the Whole Truck burger instead.
I didn’t mind the whole truck burger at all as it was BIG, tasty, FRESH and definitely made me so full I became sleepy. The burger itself was juicy and not dry like I have tasted so many times at other burger joints.
What really amazed me was the poutine that they were offering. Looking at others in line before me that had ordered the poutine I definitely had to try this out for myself. I had to try it out especially because the fries were fried in duck fat, talk about, mouth watering goodness!
Can’t wait to have another go at the Alley Burger truck and actually have a fresh Alley Burger and of course the poutine :)

The stars finally aligned so I could give these guys a try on my most recent trip back to Calgary.
(Un?)fortunately it happened to be the day that Eat Street was filming them. The weather was cold and rainy and with the extra publicity the line ended up taking me two hours to get through. Was the food good? Yes, but not a two hour wait good.
I got the Whole Truck burger with almost everything on it and a poutine. The burger was massive! Due to its size it was a little unwieldy to eat, but I ingested that beefy madness like nobody’s business. The poutine was large also and kind of reminded me of Costco’s poutine in that it’s good and hits the spot, but not memorable in the least. I appreciate all of the different seasoning options for the fries.
Nov. 30-​day challenge ³⁸⁄₃₀

Have tried Alley Burger on two occasions and sampled pretty much their entire menu. Judge me not, it’s a small menu.
Alley Burger — Pork patty, cheese curds, piri piri aioli. Good, flavorful patty and high quality ingredients, but this is not my thing. If I had reviewed them after just the Alley Burger, I would not have such a favorable review.
Whole Truck Burger — Beef burger that you customize how you like it. For me, this means some veggies on there. Also bacon. I love bacon. And, they earned big points in the bacon department because they put two levels of bacon on the burger — both on top of, and below the patty. Amazing and completely worth the extra dollar.
Next time I’m not going to waste time with the cheese curds, this burger can stand on it’s own without them. Those of you that think that 2 patties are a good idea, prepare to unhinge your jaw prior to eating it. I honestly have no idea how you would fit it into your mouth. If you can do it, please send me photos, I like getting mail.
Poutine — Fantastic. But completely unnecessary when ordering any of the other items unless you carry a portable defibrillator with you. I recommend poutine as a sharing option and only then if you are really really hungry.
Bottom line — Go eat at this truck. It’s REALLY good food, prepared by cool people. Plus, food trucks are cool. Like you, right?

Ive managed to have an Alley Burger once, and because it was at the Haultain Street Festival, they were surrounded by other food trucks. So, I only had to wait an hour and a half for a burger. They had a couple order form pads going around the line, so you’re ready to go when you get to the front. I had a simple burger, no accoutrements, and my friend had bacon and cheese added. The bread was fresh and the burger delicious, and perfectly cooked. THere were a few sides available with your burger if you wanted. Maybe I dont have discerning palate, but the burgers at Five Guys Burgers and Fries are just as delicious. I still prefer the Alley Burger though, as I know its free range meat.
Cant wait to try the other combos!

Having tasted the original alley burger from the alley at Charcut restaurant I was afraid that the truck version would be «cheapened» for the masses. Luckily they haven’t cut any corners and the original Alley burger is just as addictive as the original. The new beef burger is a fantastic burger in it’s own right. Combined with the new improved version of the poutine (the gravy is different from Charcut) it is heart rendering goodness on a plate.
We lined up for the grand opening for over 3 hours and it was still worth it. They’ve been selling out since the opening but the lines are thankfully a bit shorter now.
The only thing to knock off a star was their choice of power generator. Their truck is much louder than the other current food trucks and it gets hard on the ears when lining up, especially since the line ups are not usually short.

I first got to try the Alley Burger food truck at the Barista competition at Fratello Coffee.
Needless to say, the burger was fantastic. Full of flavour, and completely satisfying.
I also like the look of the truck and there are a lot of options for what you can get.
… maybe TOO many options!
Essentially you have (more or less) 2 choices of burger: their classic «Alley Burger» (a pork patty with cheese curds and a piri piri aioli), or an angus beef burger (1 patty or 2) with a wide range of toppings (some requiring a $ 1 upgrade per topping), chosen by you!
I really like that you can customize your burger (I opted for a single burger with curds, bacon, piri piri, jalapenos and onions) but I’m not sure that all this variety is ideal for a food truck.
Don’t get me wrong, I have full faith in the well-​skilled staff running the truck, but I can only imagine that all these customizations may slow the service down a little.
In fact, I ended up waiting probably over 2 hours to get through the long line of burger-​hungry gastronomes. Now granted, this was (I think) Alley Burger’s first venture out, and this city has been chomping at the bit for some Alley Burger action! So I don’t anticipate lines like that in normal situations.
I would think that if there were rotating burger «specialties» on the menu, with pre-​selected ingredients, this would make people’s choices faster and the «kitchen» more efficient. But what do I know?
The only other suggestion I would have for improvement is to have tax-​included, rounded-​out prices. My total ended up being $ 13.06 (luckily I had some coins!), but you could see they were starting to struggle for change.
My recommendation is that instead of a burger being $ 7.99, then charging tax, list it as $ 8 on the menu and report it at a cost of $ 7.62 with tax of $ 0.38.
The fries, as always, were delicious and it is amazing the amount of poutine you can get for $ 7 or so. A unique element is that you can also «season» your own fries with a variety of «shakers» alongside the truck: smokey bacon & cheddar, truffled salt & pepper, chipotle bite, etc.
All in all, I am so excited that Alley Burger is going to be regularly hitting the streets. The quality of food did not at all disappoint and I am sure I will be tracking it down quite often.