A&W Canada’s bacon cheeseburger, built around mozzarella instead of cheddar. Mozzarella is mild and milky, so the sauce does the work: Mozza sauce, a creamy, tangy spread of mayo, relish, and chili sauce, goes on both buns. Bacon, lettuce, and tomato fill in the rest.
This is one of the few unique variations I’ll eat out a few times a year. A&W Canada uses the highest quality of ingredients of any fast food in Canada, and was a champion of recycling before it was cool.
Picks
Creamy, tangy, and mild; the sauce leads.
- Forming burger patties: One regular patty, 85 g (3 oz)
- Seasoning burgers: Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, on the griddle
- Cooking patties: Griddled, flipped two or three times, mozzarella on after the last flip
- Assembling burgers: Real mozzarella, bacon, lettuce, and tomato, on a toasted sesame seed bun
- Sauces and condiments: Mozza burger sauce on the top and bottom buns
Where it comes from
A&W Canada sells the Mozza burger alongside the Burger Family, though it isn’t one of the family. The Canadian chain has been separate from the American A&W since 1972, and its menu has drifted far from the U.S. one; the Mozza is one of the burgers only Canada has, introduced in the 1980s. (A&W (Canada), Wikipedia.)
| Constraint | Pick it explains |
|---|---|
| A burger to stand apart from the Burger Family | Mozzarella and its own sauce instead of cheddar and Teen sauce |
| Mild cheese | Sauce on both buns, to carry the flavour |
Why these picks
- Mozzarella. Milder and creamier than cheddar, and it melts soft and stretchy.
- Sauce on both buns. The mozzarella doesn’t bring much flavour, so the sauce has to. Two layers put the tang in every bite.
- Mozza sauce. A mayo base with sweet pickle or red relish, chili sauce, and a touch of Thousand Island dressing or sugar: creamy, sweet, and tangy, close to a Thousand Island.
- Bacon. The salt and smoke the mild cheese can’t give.
How it fails
- Bland: too little sauce, or the sauce on one bun only.
- Slides apart: too much sauce on a bun that wasn’t toasted.
Recipes
The sauce: Mozza burger sauce.