Burger Fix Part 3: Peter's Drive-In

For most Calgarians, Peter's Drive-In is an institution. Whenever I'm driving on 16th Avenue and peer over at that white and blue building, the smell of charbroiled burgers, the lineup of hungry guests and those lurking seagulls in the parking lot only mean that something delicious is close. I can't remember how many times I've paid homage to this landmark burger mecca, but I was about to once again.

A Present from Peter

The menu of Peter's has remained pretty much the same since their debut in 1962. You won't find grilled chicken sandwiches or fish here. I can also assure you that you won't see anything that resembles a salad...nothing here even rhymes with salad. Now that we're clear on that, let's move on to what Peter's does have; Burgers, hot dogs, fries, onion rings, ice cream treats and some of the best shakes you will ever attempt to drink through a straw. As a matter of fact, Peter's claims that you can mix up to 3 of their 30 milkshake flavours for a combination of more than 4500 flavours.

"Small" fries

On this day, I opted for something simple, so the double cheese it would be. I also got an order of small fries, or what Peter's calls 'small' anyway. Trust me, if you are eating alone, don't order the large fry or the seagulls will be visiting for free lunch.

Not a pretty sight

Burger nirvana...

The burgers are charboiled, dressed in a signature fashion that makes them uniquely Peter's. Each patty is made from fresh chuck, individually submerged in their BBQ sauce before being tucked into freshly baked, custom-made buns. They are then lovingly wrapped in their foil before making their way to your mouth. As you can see, we're not making pretty burgers here. Just consistently delicious.

I'll leave you with this tip: if you are coming to Peter's Drive-In, just remember: they only take CASH. Don't catch yourself making that realization when you're in the drive-through queue. Yes, it's happened before. Also, when you're making your order at the Drive-through, don't expect them to tell you how much the total is going to be. Expect an, "ok, thank you" then move on. A little 'Soup Nazi', eh?

Until next time...

A Trip to Kensington

Yesterday morning I got a call from my friend, Sue (see Dolly Parton on the Halloween post). She had some time to kill and wanted to know if I was down for breakfast. I readily accepted, as I am always ready to go somewhere new to eat. She asked me if I had ever been to Nellie’s. I told her I had never gone there, to which she responded, “Well, we have to go to Nellie’s!”


Nellie’s is in the Calgary community of Kensington. It’s a bohemian area of the city with lots of great little shops, pubs, a park and the oldest building in the community, the Plaza theatre which still showcases many indie and foreign films. It’s also walking distance to Memorial drive and the Bow River, with its well travelled pathway system.

Breakfast at Nellie’s is generous and reasonably priced. The service is friendly and attentive as your coffee mug will never go empty. I ordered the Nellie’s Tostada, which featured a baked whole wheat tortilla topped with scrambled eggs, chives, peppers, black olives, tomato, avocado, hot sauce, cheese, salsa and sour cream. They also managed to fit some fruit on there. Sue chose the California omelette with cheese, avocado and chicken, topped with salsa and sour cream. Be sure to ask for the sour cream and salsa on the side, as the portions are very plentiful.

Total for the great meal came in at about $25 for 2, including the 18 cups of coffee we drank. The atmosphere for this location is laid back and makes for a great place to talk and chill out. I’ll add that Nellie’s has 7 locations throughout this great city, so if you’re not in the Kensington area, just google it and you’ll probably find one nearby.

After breakfast, we walked around Kensington, stopping at the different shops and checking out the events calendar at the Plaza Theatre. I love the kinds of areas that are great for walking. You can really spend a lot of time just discovering. In the video, you can see our visit to Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut and Livingstone & Cavell Extraordinary Toys. If you never been to Livingstone & Cavell, you have to go. It will definitely stir up the nostalgic memories. Until next time.