Big Moe's Burgers is serving Scarborough residents gourmet burgers in an unorthodox location. Tucked in the plaza behind the Petro Canada on the southeast corner of Kennedy and Steeles, the small burger joint offers an alternative to the predominantly Asian offerings in the vicinity of Pacific Mall .

The two of us arrived mid-afternoon on a rainy Sunday, put in our order and grabbed seats at the counter top facing the window (seats about 10) which filled up surprisingly fast. The crew of three looked a little overwhelmed with the traffic, especially after a few take-out orders came via phone. The food took about 25 minutes - a bit longer than expected for a burger.

I opted for the Juicy Lucy ($6.79), Big Moe's signature burger stuffed with gooey cheese in the middle and your choice of typical burger toppings. We also couldn't resist from trying the Foot Long Twister Dog ($6.49) and my dining partner wanted to sample the Funnel Cake ($6.99) with Vanilla Ice Cream ($1.99) and Strawberry Sauce ($1.99) as well.

The burger itself is a round 5oz fresh ground patty pressed into shape on the griddle in a similar fashion to The Burger's Priest . It was indeed juicy, not overcooked and held together quite nicely with cheese oozing out of the middle with every bite. On the negative side I found the amount of toppings given to be lacking and would've liked the bun to be toasted a bit.

The Foot Long Twister Dog (a foot long hot dog wrapped in their tornado fries) was reminiscent of something you might find at the fair or amusement park. I enjoyed the fresh cut spiral of Tornado Fries but the hot dog was quite overcooked and dry.

Lastly, the Funnel Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream and Strawberry Sauce was actually comparable to the one most people are familiar with at Wonderland. Deep fried batter with a scoop of vanilla ice cream topped with hot strawberry sauce and finished with powdered sugar - it's hard to go wrong.

I would definitely put in the extra effort to grab a burger from Big Moe's rather than any neighbouring fast food joints. The Juicy Lucy is definitely some I could see myself craving every once in a while and I honestly think Big Moe's currently offers the best burger in the Scarborough / Markham area.

Writing and photos by Bryan Chang