The K2 Mountain Burger weighs in at roughly 12 pounds. It has been served for more than 30 years at Mrs Riches restaurant on Fraser St. in downtown Nanaimo. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

gigantic burger

Signature Dish: Mrs Riches Restaurant k2 Mountain Burger

Mar 19, 2021 | 1:48 PM

NANAIMO — A renowned burger ordered roughly one thousand times has been finished just once.

The legendary K2 Mountain Burger at Mrs. Riches Restaurant in Nanaimo is so big people who order it typically end up bringing most of it home.

It has been served up for more than three decades at the popular Fraser St. eatery.

Two pounds of beef and heaping amounts of bacon, ham along with two eggs set the tone for the K2 Mountain Burger.

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An entire head of lettuce, two tomatoes, pickles, onions, processed and cheddar cheese and mayo round out the behemoth of a burger.

It’s finished by an enormous three-tiered custom-made bun baked in-store.

A giant serving of wedged potato fries are added for good measure.

A long steak knife helps those brave enough attack the famous.

Making a labour-intensive K2 Mountain Burger is far from an ordinary burger to make, according to Mrs Riches co-owner Ron Wong.

“It takes up a lot of grill space,” chuckled Wong, who said it’s typically ordered only a few times a week and only available for the dine-in crowd.

Wong said the K2 Mountain Burger started out roughly half the size as the current offering a few years after the 36-year-old restaurant launched.

Early in 2020 the historic burger was finished for the first time in a single seating. Wong said a food blogger from Kelowna made a special trip to Nanaimo to conquer the K2 Mountain Burger.

“It was quite quick, it was under 30 minutes that he actually did it, it was unbelievable,” Wong said.

A wall of fame filled with pictures of people posing with the K2 Mountain Burger fill a portion of the family friendly restaurant.

Mrs Riches Restaurant has been owned by the Wong family for its entire history.

Ron’s brother Gerry said the most popular menu item is their homemade wor wonton soup, adding their chicken fettuccini featuring homemade pasta is also highly sought after.

Burgers, pasta, chicken and salads are other core items on the Mrs Riches menu encompassing a variety of tastes from north american cuisine to Mexican and Asian inspired dishes.

Gerry Wong explained what their key to success has been in the competitive restaurant business.

“Consistency and quality,” Wong said. “We try to make sure that everything tastes good and you get a good value.”

Mrs Riches Restaurant is open for dine in, takeout or online ordering Monday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

It’s located at 199 Fraser St. at Wentworth St. and can be contacted at 250-753-8311.

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