John Anderson Hamburgers — Restaurant in Markham

I have been here twice, first time I got a chicken souvlaki on a pita, and then the second time I just got a chicken souvlaki on a stick since I did not like the pita.

At my second visit, I asked for 2 chicken souvlaki on a stick and confirmed 3 times that I was charged for 2. I ended up paying almost $10, and was given 4 little pieces of chicken… I asked if it was 2 chicken souvlakis but was told no, the owner then proceeded to tell me that a chicken souvlaki on a pita is “$11” and asked, “how much lower do you want me to go?” And tried to discredit another competitor.

For the area, the food is extremely overpriced. Online it suggests that the food is low cost but I believe it’s quite higher.

Similar places like JA Hamburgers have same items on their menu for less than $8 with much better quality.

I love supporting small businesses as I believe that their service is better than any service a corporation can offer, but I was in complete awe after interacting with the owner of JA Hamburgers. I was busy, sending emails and needed to grab a quick bite and I felt like he aggressively tried to justify his high pricing, lack of customer service...

I always read the 1 star ratings before going to eat somewhere. By reading them, it let's you know if they are legitimate gripes, or if they were written by prudes who will never be satisfied.

Reading the 1 stars given to John Anderson's, they were all unanimously written by the latter group. Seeing how the owner passionately responds to their stupidity and defends his livelihood, paired with the 4.5 rating, I had to try it.

Did not disappoint. The burger truly tastes like a homemade burger- because it is. Everything from the family's no fluff personality, to the flavour of the food, to the AMC movies they were playing on TV, helped make me feel truly at home. It was refreshing to eat somewhere witg real character. 5 stars for me.

Beware, the double home burger is not like a double burger you'd get anywhere. The thing is massive. Better go in...

Food: 5 out of 5, they are very serious with their burger. Especially their homemade burger. It's char broil, most of the time the patty becomes dry from char broil. Not this place. They manage the patty is crunchy outside, thick and juicy inside. Most importantly, the patty itself have nice texture. I emphasize a lot is because not many burger places could manage above average quality.

Ambience: 3 out of 5, clean place with typical burger joint sitting.

Price: 2 out of 5, it's not cheap but what you pay is what you get. Worth what you're paying for.

Service: N/A it's self serve, so it's not applicable to give any rating.

Overall: 5 out of 5, it's hidden gem in Markham area. I wouldn't say it is the best, it definitely is better than many places across GTA and...