You think you’ve seen it all with burgers and then Naina’s Kitchen comes along with stuffed hamburgers. These hearty half-pounds of ground beef feature a surprise inside. “They talk about stuffing burgers with cheese in magazines or TV, but you can stuff it with anything. So why stop with cheese?” rhetorically asks Erin Muller, owner of Naina’s Kitchen. She has the answer at her diner tucked away in a small strip mall on Ogden Road by the Blackfoot Trail turn-off. Customers can have their burgers stuffed with four types of cheese, sundried tomatoes, salsa, onions, ham, jalapenos and much more.
It is, however, the mouthful that is the Nainalicious burger, stuffed with pulled pork, caramelized onions, aged cheddar and granny smith apple that put the little diner on Calgary’s culinary map. “It wasn’t until we entered the first YYC Burger Week in 2013 that we did the Nainalicious. We won Burger Week that year,” Erin proudly recounts.
Apart from the stuffed burgers, Naina’s also makes grilled cheese sandwiches that push the boundaries for comfort food. One traditional version is made with bacon tomato and cheddar. “I also want a few stranger additions like the Tuscan (with spinach, sundried tomato and bacon) or the ABC (apple, bacon and cheddar),” says Erin. Naina’s also has a homemade five-cheese mac-n-cheese and a build-your-own poutine menu. Yes, you can also have your burger stuffed with poutine or mac-n-cheese rather than on the side.
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Naina’s isn’t fancy, but this little place certainly has a homespun vibe, and if the inviting atmosphere isn’t enough, its home-style food will have you coming back. Stuffed burgers are the house specialty – go easy with a patty stuffed with cheese or veggies, or go full on glutton with a poutine or pulled pork stuffed burger.
View this Smart ListThis little burger spot located near Crossroads Market was Calgary’s best-kept dining secret until it won repeat YYC Burger Week victories and Food Network’s You Gotta Eat Here introduced the nation to its stuffed burger creations. The burgers are some of the best in the city, but their pulled pork is pretty darn good as well. You can add it, along with many other ingredients, to your mac ’n’ cheese, or have it on a poutine. The ultimate pulled pork experience at Nainas? The Nainalicious Stuffed Burger with pulled pork, aged cheddar, caramelized onions and granny smith apple.
View this Smart ListA folksy little spot in Ramsay, Naina’s has won accolades for its huge stuffed burgers, but the home-made fries are also a winner. Thick cut with the skin on (so, definitely made from real potatoes!), Naina’s fries are well seasoned and suitably crispy.
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