Kenzington Burger Bar — Restaurant in Barrie

Visited a friend up in the area and ended up at Kenzington Burger Bar. Didn’t expect much at first, but it turned out to be a really solid spot. The server was super understanding and kind enough to accommodate our group, even with one of us arriving late thanks to traffic and all the freezing rain going on. That, plus the laid-back vibe of the place, made it easy to settle in and enjoy the meal. We shared Fried Dills and Porky Poutine to start. I went for the Brie & Fig Burger with onion rings. What I really liked here is how creative the burger menu is. Everything sounded a little quirky in the best way, and honestly, I wanted to try almost all of them. Wish I had more stomachs. The portion sizes were generous too, which made the ride back to Toronto feel extra worth it. They’ve also got a nice variety of options for people with dietary restrictions, which I always think is worth pointing out. While I felt the food could be polished just slightly in a few spots, that’s being picky. Overall quality was solid, and when you pair that with the kind of thoughtful service we got, it just made everything come together. Usually I’m a bit cautious about places that try to do too much, but this one actually pulls it off in a way that feels intentional and fun. Just really glad I had the chance to check it out. Definitely one of those spots I’d return to...

Just left now, service was quick, but it was rather empty anyways. Bar tender with the glasses was prompt in our ordering, but after that, it was downhill. We were ignored. Our food was brought out by a guy with a backwards hat and full beard and was great!!!! Very pleasant, but he was serving the dining side so as expected he went back to serving his customers. Aside from the food being tasteful, the service for the most part sucked bad. I had to get up and pretty much point out that my glass was empty (atleast 15mins i waited) and ask the bar tender to refill it. This was after the bar tender sat there for 15 mins talking to a friend at the bar that walked in and grabbed their own menu and ended up seating themselves after talking about how their day was???? Very confused on how service works here?? The GM (assuming the bigger guy walking around is the GM) has a personality like sand paper!!!! Short, to the point questions?? Done? Anything else? Bill! Thanks!

That sums it up? No boundaries, lack of service on the bar side.

The 2 stars is for the food which was actually 5 stars, and the service from the dining side that brought our food, also would be 5 stars (backwards hat guy with the beard should be the GM in my opinion)

Might go back as its close, probably drive to a different location if we do for...

I hesitated agreeing to eat here with friends as I am of the belief that all burgers pretty much taste the same and the toppings are what makes the difference so most times I just cook them at home so I can control the meat quality and cook temperature myself.

That being said this restaurant knows what they are doing! The most important part of a burger to me is the Maillard reaction (browning of the meat) without overcooking it and they did that beautifully here. I could taste not only the toppings (I ordered the Hawaii Five-O) but the meat flavor came through beautifully.

We also ordered an appetizer platter, fried pickles, jalapeno poppers, nachos and potato skins. All of which were standard except for the skins which were very lacking on toppings.

The service was excellent and overall I enjoyed it so much I immediately looked up local options in Niagara Falls but unfortunately there are none. So I'm looking forward to my next trip back to Barrie specifically to try more of their...