CNE favourite, Bacon Nation, celebrated the grand opening of its first storefront on Canada Day. The new 40-seat restaurant which celebrates Canadians’ love for bacon features patriotic splashes of red and white on a black background. Owners, Dan and Andrew Motta decorated the interior focusing on customer comfort. Bacon Rules are prominently displayed on one wall, while customers can write or draw anything on a pig Post-It® note and stick it to the message board on the opposing wall.
There are no defibrillators on site. But Motta says that since peameal is leaner, a bacon burger is leaner than your average hamburger.
Located at 170 Spadina Ave., the store site is owned by condominium developers so it is not likely going to be Bacon Nation’s permanent home.
Since it is a temporary location, the restaurant has not applied for a liquor license; however, it is a great post-drinking/clubbing destination for food that will satisfy your early morning munchies. The current hours of operation (which are still being fine-tuned) are Monday-Thursday 11am-10pm; Friday-Saturday 11am-3am; and Sunday 12pm-7pm. They accept cash, credit, and debit and have recently partnered with JustEat.ca to provide delivery and take-out.
If you’re not familiar with Bacon Nation, simply put, every item includes bacon. Bacon Nation first made their appearance on the food scene at the 2012 CNE. Establishing a reputation as creative bacon purveyors, their first claim to fame was the bacon-wrapped deep fried Mars® bar (deep fried then drizzled with caramel, fudge and bacon bites), this was followed the next year by the Nutella bacon sandwich and the Notorious P.I.G. combo consisting of The Canuck Burger, bacon-cheese fries, and a peanut butter and bacon milkshake (7,500 calories in total!). Their crazy gastronomic bacon-creations have resulted in long lines each year at the CNE.
Last year they launched a prototype food truck at the CNE (the food was actually prepared outside, but served from the truck’s window). After a successful trial run, they debuted the Bacon Nation food truck in 2014, which has since been appearing at many local events.
The two brothers have different takes on bacon. Dan is a bacon purist, whereas Andrew likes flavour combinations. His favourite combinations include the Nutella BLT and Apple Porkfection Sandwich (Signature apple slaw, BBQ pulled pork topped with bacon strips on a Kaiser bun). The Nutella BLT was created by wanting to take bacon chocolate “one step up”.
The menu is always a work in progress, with new items always making an appearance. The creative process occurs over a series of text messages between the two brothers. The latest item being featured is a Thick Cut Bacon Stix.
Motta says that restaurant favourites are the Canadian Bacon Tacos (bacon strips, BBQ pulled pork topped with mango, pico de gallo, burrito sauce, cilantro, all served on a peameal bacon shell); Drunken Stupor (Canadian bacon and double smoked bacon strips, crack’d egg, whisky BBQ sauce topped with beer battered onion rings on a Kaiser bun) which he jokingly says is “mayor approved” ; and The Notorious P.I.G. “The Notorious P.I.G. is the one with the flag. It’s the one you conquer,” says Motta. This extreme bacon burger features two strips of bacon, peameal bacon and BBQ pulled pork, cheese, pork patty, dressed with spring mix, tomato, onion straws on a bacon studded bun.
Motta says his love for bacon goes back to even before he could properly pronounce it. “I want smacon” is what he would say. Motta would his brother Dan at the CNE. One day Dan asked him if he would continue working in the banking industry if he won the lottery. His response was: “HELL, NO”. Dan then asked if he would continue working at the CNE food stand if he won the lottery. His response was “YES”. This was a turning point in Andrew’s career.
Bacon Nation currently does not have any franchises but may be considering this in the future. It is not affiliated with the restaurant with the same name in the U.S.
This summer they will be debuting a new item at the CNE. The only clue we could manage to get from Motta was that it is a “tribute to a CNE classic”.
Motta leaves us with one final thought:
“Go pig or go home!”
170 Spadina Avenue, Toronto ON M5T 2C2
@Baconnationca #baconloversunite
Foodie Fridays Contest: Fresh Print Magazine is holding a contest to win a free meal and t-shirt from Bacon Nation. Just follow these steps:
1) Follow Fresh Print Magazine and Bacon Nation on Twitter OR like on Facebook
2) Post or retweet the following message to enter:
@freshprintmag I want to win a #baconnationca prize #FPMFoodieFridays #baconloversunite http://bit.ly/1y6Rb7y
Entries will be accepted from July 11 – July 17, 2014 11:59pm EST. The more you post, the better your odds! The winner will be randomly selected from the eligible posts and will be announced on July 18, 2014.
Photographs by Ingrid Goh.
