Naina’s Kitchen – Calgary, AB

Naina’s Kitchen is one of those hidden gems that I would never have known about if I hadn’t come across it on the Burger Quest blog site. I was particularly intrigued as the burger from Naina’s Kitchen is currently ranked #1 on the Burger Quest Scoreboard, even ahead of the famous cooked-to-order house ground Alberta AAA 100% sirloin burger from Buchanan’s Chophouse. Personally, I’ve tried the burger at Buchanan’s in the past and thought it was pretty darn good already and if the burger from Naina’s even tops that, then it must be amazing.

At the first opportunity, I convinced a few of my coworkers to try Naina’s with me. Naina’s menu is mainly focused on breakfast and lunch fare as they are only open Mondays to Fridays 8am to 3pm and Saturdays from 9am to 2pm.

There are actually two types of burgers available at Naina’s – the regular burgers with the toppings on top of the patty and the stuffed burgers with the toppings stuffed inside the patty.  The burgers are served with a choice of fries, soup, or salad. Since the stuffed burgers are actually made to order, they take a while to prepare so Naina’s actually allows customers to call their order in advance to cut down on the wait time. We took advantage of this service and actually called in our order so that we could arrive just shortly before our food was ready.

One of my dining companions ordered the Cocoa Beef Chili ($8.50), which was served with a biscuit. I was surprised at how generous the portion was for the chili.

The rest of us ordered the stuffed burgers since Naina’s claim to fame is the stuffed burgers. The choice of toppings included cheddar, ham, bacon, mushroom, onions, sundried tomato, Swiss, mozza, pulled pork, spinach, and jalapeno. My coworker ordered her stuffed burger with a side of fries. We all sampled her fries and were pretty impressed with how good they tasted. They were crispy on the outside and toothsome on the inside.

I ordered the Stuffed Burger ($11.50) and chose to have it stuffed with Swiss, mushroom, and bacon. As a healthier option,  I chose the strawberry spinach salad as a side. The salad was fresh and delicious.

But the real star of the show was the Stuffed Burger. The patty was so juicy and moist. It had a nice crust on the outside. I definitely agree this is one of the best burgers I’ve had in Calgary, especially considering how inexpensive it was. My only wish is that the patty would have more intense beefy flavour. Otherwise, it would have been the perfect burger. My coworkers and I were impressed enough that we’d definitely be back again.

Naina’s Kitchen
#8, 2808 Ogden Rd SE
Calgary, AB
(403) 263-6355
http://nainaskitchen.com