Friday Burger Company is where the burgers are smashed, the chicken is hot, and the milkshakes are as cold and creamy as anyone could want.

Crisp, clean, and sporting a fresh wash of royal blue paint and a playful mural by artist Natasha Kudashkina, Friday Burger Company on Danforth East is Chef Joe Friday's first solo restaurant venture in Toronto.

The restaurant is a passion project that's been decades in the making, resulting in a spot that marries his love of quality with memories of growing up in North Carolina.

Over the last 20 years, Friday honed his skills at Michelin-starred spots, as a personal chef, and in casual restaurants in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Japan. Despite knowing every fine-dining trick in the book, his dream was to perfect the classic American burger.

In the build-up to opening his own joint, he ate hundreds, touring the U.S. and posting reviews of his orders on his TikTok account. Bottom line? He's a fan of quality and burgers constructed from house-made ingredients.

"Ingredients make the best burger," he says succinctly. "As a chef, we have the opportunity to cheat because when you have really great ingredients, all you have to do is not mess them up."

Rooted in nostalgia, the restaurant's menu is populated with typically American eats. From pimento cheese and Nashville hot spice to a Mississippi mud pie straight out of Jackson, the spot's Southern accent is hard to miss.

The space, designed by Jump Design, is bright and efficient. Smooth white tiles accentuate the room's only décor — a gold Friday Burger Company sign that's quickly becoming a social media darling. Take-out friendly, the room has 10 seats for customers who just can't wait to dig in.

Made from 4-ounce patties (custom-blended from dry-aged brisket, short rib, and sirloin from Woodward Meats), Chef Friday's California-style smash burgers are built on pillowy potato buns.

The signature item, the single-patty Friday Burger ($10), is topped with cheese, tomato, pickles, crispy onions, and chili pepper-spiked Friday sauce.

The Double Friday Burger ($14) includes crisp applewood-smoked bacon, while a Chili Cheese Burger ($11) is crowned with chili and stewed onions.

Patty-less (but just as tempting), is a vegetarian Mushroom Burger ($12) made of grilled mushrooms and Chef Friday's house-made pimento cheese. "I could buy it" he explains. "But it wouldn't be done right."

The same approach applies to Friday's proprietary chicken dredge, used to make the Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich ($13). A combination of flour, cornstarch, and a secret blend of Southern-style spices, it coats buttermilk-soaked, skin-on thighs before they hit the fryer.

Plump and deeply bronzed, the chicken is garnished with shredded lettuce, pickles, and Alabama BBQ sauce — a blend of mayo, vinegar, lemon, Tabasco, and horseradish.

The sandwich ranks at a "five or six" on the spice scale, according to Friday. "It's not too spicy. For now," he adds, explaining that a hotter option might soon join the lineup.

While salads are on offer at the restaurant's Financial District location, sides on Danforth East fall squarely into the "fryer-kissed" category. Fries, onion rings, and fried pickles are outdone by Chili Cheese Fries ($8.50) served in a portion big enough to count as a meal.

"One of my fondest memories is eating chili cheese fries," says Friday. "It's my alternative to poutine, as an American."

Paired with burgers, milkshakes make "the classic combo," says Friday, explaining why he put the creamy, sweet beverages on his menu. Hand-spun versions of Chocolate, Banana Cream Pie, and Strawberry Cheesecake are thick, frothy, and can easily double as dessert.

American-style cold puddings in Banana and Mississippi Mud Pie round out the menu. They're layered with fillings and cut with sweetened whipped cream for the ultimate finale to an indulgent meal.

All in all, Friday Burger Company serves up what Chef Friday calls "a selfish menu."

It's "all the things I like," he laughs. If you share a similar affinity for burgers, fries and shakes, you know where to go.

You'll find Friday Burger Company at 2162 Danforth Ave.