Uniburger Montreal: Smash Burgers and 8 Locations

Uniburger is a Montreal smash-burger counter that Younes Bengeloune opened on March 15, 2013, at the Saint-Denis/Ontario corner of the Quartier Latin. It now has 8 locations: six in Montreal, two in Laval. A single costs $8.99 CAD before tax. The flagship at 2001 Rue Saint-Denis serves until 4 AM from Thursday to Saturday, and only two branches, Verdun and Chomedey, use 100% halal-certified beef. I checked every price, address and opening hour below on Uniburger’s official site on October 25, 2026.

Uniburger Montreal at a glance

Uniburger keeps its menu short: smashed beef burgers, fries and shakes. Its own tagline says it has been “making smash burgers in Montreal since 2013.” Here are the key facts as of October 25, 2026:

Uniburger is one stop in our guide to burger restaurants in Montreal, which also covers the city’s other neighbourhoods and chains.

Who founded Uniburger? Younes Bengeloune’s story

Younes Bengeloune founded Uniburger and owns it. The name is a play on his first name: say “Younes” out loud and you hear “uni.” Tastet and Cult MTL both name him as the founder, and so does a 2024 profile by MTL Resto Rap, the most recent source I found.

Bengeloune studied administration and business in California, then moved to Montreal. According to Tastet and MTL Resto Rap, he couldn’t find the American-style fast-food burger he knew from California there. So he opened his own.

From La Paryse to the first Uniburger counter

Uniburger opened on March 15, 2013, in the space that used to house La Paryse, a Quartier Latin burger restaurant (Tastet). In March 2015, Cult MTL gave the address as 302 Ontario E. Today the official site lists the flagship at 2001 Rue Saint-Denis, right by that corner. None of my sources says whether it’s the same building or a move, so I’ll stick to “the Saint-Denis/Ontario corner.”

The corner of Rue Saint-Denis and Rue Ontario in 1937, with the Pharmacie Laurence storefront. Uniburger opened at this Quartier Latin corner on March 15, 2013. Historical archive photo. (Photo: Unknown author, public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Montr%C3%A9al\_1937.\_Rue\_Saint-Denis,\_angle\_rue\_Ontario.\_(7022977525).jpg)

“We don’t offer many things, but try to do them well”

Uniburger’s house philosophy is a short menu done well, in the restaurant’s own words to Tastet. Tastet listed a classic burger, a cheeseburger, the Uniburger with house sauce, a trio, fries, milkshakes and a few extras. In 2015, Bengeloune told Cult MTL that everything was made from scratch. The kitchen had no freezer.

The 2015 guest-chef week

For its second anniversary in March 2015, Uniburger invited seven Montreal chefs to create burgers for charity (Cult MTL): Fabrizio Covone, Stephen Leslie, Danny Smiles, Emma Cardarelli, Derek Dammann, Lionel Piraux and Colin Perry. By then, Cult MTL reported, a second branch had opened in Côte-des-Neiges.

Is Uniburger a smash burger? How the burger is built

Yes, at least today. Uniburger’s official site says its patties are “smashed to order” on a flat-top grill for crispy edges, using “100% Canadian Beef, never frozen.” Neither the 2015 coverage nor Tastet’s review describes the patties as smashed, so I can’t tell whether the early burgers were made the same way.

The beef: Canadian, never frozen

The official site describes the beef only as 100% Canadian and never frozen. Tastet (2021) and MTL Resto Rap (2024) report that Maison du Rôti, a Montreal butcher, makes the patties to Uniburger’s specifications. Tourisme Montréal (MTL.org) calls the beef AAA Canadian. The official site names neither a supplier nor a grade.

Martin’s potato buns

Uniburger uses Martin’s potato buns, the soft potato buns from Martin’s Famous Pastry Shoppe in the United States. Both the official blog and CTV News say so, and Tastet and MTL Resto Rap also note that the buns are imported from the US.

The signature Uniburger, fries and shakes

According to MTL.org, the signature Uniburger comes with lettuce, tomato and special sauce, plus free toppings, fries cut every day and chocolate shakes. MTL.org and Tastet say the shakes were made with ice cream from Le Bilboquet, the Montreal ice-cream maker. The official site now just says “hand-spun shakes,” so I can’t confirm that Bilboquet still supplies them. The current menu also lists crispy chicken and poutine.

Is Uniburger Montreal’s In-N-Out?

The In-N-Out comparison started with the founder himself. In 2015 he told Cult MTL: “Every day someone comes in and tells me we taste like In-N-Out.” Tourisme Montréal picked it up, calling Uniburger “Montréal’s answer to … In-N-Out Burger.” On paper the two are close: a short menu, a sauced signature burger, a potato bun, fresh-cut fries. My take: the label describes the format well, which makes sense for a founder who learned his burgers in California. I’d still treat it as shorthand, not a taste verdict. None of the sources I quote compared the two side by side.

Uniburger menu prices

A single Uniburger costs $8.99 CAD, a double $12.99 and a single trio with fries and a drink $16.49, all before tax. I took these prices from the official homepage on October 25, 2026. They may differ by branch or on delivery apps, and GST, QST and tip come on top.

Uniburger Montreal prices in CAD before GST, QST and tip: single $8.99, double $12.99, single trio with fries and a drink $16.49 (official site, October 25, 2026). (Chart: Burger Breton, CC BY 4.0, data from uniburger.com (checked 2026-10-25), rendered with QuickChart)

At $8.99 for a single, Uniburger costs the same as fast food, even with imported buns and never-frozen beef, and that is the value case for it. If you’d rather have a drive-thru classic, see our A&W locations and menu guide for Montreal.

All 8 Uniburger locations in Montreal and Laval

Uniburger’s official site lists 8 locations: six in Montreal (Saint-Denis, Notre-Dame, Little Italy, Fleury, West Island and Verdun) and two in Laval (Sainte-Rose and Chomedey). The table below gives every address and phone number from the official site, checked October 25, 2026. I’ve listed hours only where I could verify them on the branch’s own page.

Map of Montreal and Laval locating the 8 Uniburger branches: Saint-Denis near Berri-UQAM metro (marked), Notre-Dame, Little Italy, Fleury, West Island, Verdun (halal), Sainte-Rose and Chomedey (halal). (Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL, https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright)

Which Uniburger should you visit?

For a first visit, go to the Saint-Denis flagship. It has the 2013 history and the latest hours, and it’s a short walk from Berri-UQAM metro. In Saint-Henri, the Notre-Dame branch serves until midnight every day. For halal beef, go to Verdun or Chomedey. The official blog mentions late-night hours at five locations, but I could only confirm them for Saint-Denis, so check the branch page before a late trip.

The Berri-UQAM metro entrance on Rue Berri, a short walk from Uniburger’s Saint-Denis flagship, which stays open until 4 AM Thursday to Saturday. Photo from 2017. (Photo: Jeangagnon, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rue\_Berri\_-\_station\_Berri-UQAM\_-\_01.jpg)

Little Italy and branches that have closed

The Little Italy branch at 50 Rue Saint-Zotique E opened on October 30, 2020, with Beyond Meat options on the menu (Narcity). I can’t confirm whether those plant-based options are still offered. Several older locations are missing from today’s list of 8: Côte-des-Neiges (2015), a burger and wine bar in Old Montreal (spring 2019), and a stand at the Le Cathcart food hall downtown (MTL Blog, 2020). Treat those as history, not as places to visit.

Was Uniburger named the best burger in Canada?

Yes. Big 7 Travel ranked Uniburger the #1 burger in Canada in March 2019, then #2 in Canada and #1 in Quebec in 2020. Global News quoted the 2019 entry: “Consistently brilliant; when you throw in one of their famous shakes and those perfect fries you’ll leave a very happy customer.” These are editorial lists partly based on reader votes, not formal awards. Tastet, MTL.org and Time Out have also included Uniburger in their lists of Montreal’s best burgers.

Planning a trip across Quebec? Our guide to the best burgers in Quebec City covers the provincial capital, and the Restaurants section has every city we cover.

How I put this profile together

I wrote this profile from sources, not from a tasting visit. Current prices, addresses, phone numbers, halal status and hours come from uniburger.com and its branch pages, checked on October 25, 2026. The founder story and history come from Tastet, Cult MTL, MTL Resto Rap, MTL Blog and Narcity. The Big 7 Travel rankings come from Global News and MTL Blog, and the best-burger lists come from Tastet, MTL.org and Time Out. Where an older source and the official site disagree, as they do on the beef supplier, the shakes and the first address, I say so and attribute each claim to its source.

Uniburger Montreal FAQ

Who owns Uniburger in Montreal? Younes Bengeloune founded and owns Uniburger, according to Tastet, Cult MTL and MTL Resto Rap. The most recent of these dates from 2024, and the official site doesn’t name an owner.

Who founded Uniburger and when did it open? Younes Bengeloune founded Uniburger. It opened on March 15, 2013, at the Saint-Denis/Ontario corner in Montreal’s Quartier Latin.

Where does the name Uniburger come from? The name plays on the founder’s first name: “Younes” sounds like “uni.”

Is Uniburger a smash burger? Yes. The official site says the Canadian beef patties are “smashed to order” on a flat-top grill for crispy edges.

How much does a burger cost at Uniburger? A single Uniburger costs $8.99, a double $12.99 and a single trio $16.49 (CAD, before GST, QST and tip). These are the official homepage prices on October 25, 2026.

How many Uniburger locations are there, and which one is open late? There are 8: Saint-Denis, Notre-Dame, Little Italy, Fleury, West Island, Verdun, Sainte-Rose and Chomedey. Saint-Denis is open until 4 AM from Thursday to Saturday.

Is Uniburger halal? Only two branches are: Verdun (4621 Rue Wellington) and Chomedey in Laval (3712 Boul. Saint-Martin O) serve 100% halal-certified beef.

Is Uniburger like In-N-Out? The comparison is common. The founder told Cult MTL in 2015 that customers said so every day, and Tourisme Montréal calls Uniburger Montreal’s answer to In-N-Out.

What kind of buns and beef does Uniburger use? Uniburger uses Martin’s potato buns and 100% Canadian beef that is never frozen. Tastet and MTL Resto Rap name Maison du Rôti as the maker of the patties.

Can I order Uniburger for delivery? Yes. Uniburger takes online orders for pickup and delivery through DoorDash.