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Two burger joints, both alike in dignity, in fair Toledo, where we set our scene. On Secor Road, sandwiched in between Buff City Soap and a Barry Bagels, there’s Burger Hub, one of the few halal burger joints in Toledo; In fact, it may be the only one. A few miles away, located across from the WalMart at Central Ave. and Holland Sylvania sits Beef N Bunns.
Both places offer great burgers in fun, lively atmospheres, and both are operated by dedicated, driven entrepreneurs who bring some sizzle to the Glass City.
Beef N Bunns
5858 Central Ave. (419) 725-0186 beefnbunns.com
Haseed Jaffary was unsatisfied with his career and tired of working for other people — as a general manager for a shipping company after a stint with Amazon. “I got tired of listening to my bosses at work,” said Jaffary. “I got tired of all the corporate politics at work. I was never told ‘Thank you’ for anything. Not once.”
Around the same time, Jaffary’s friend Osama Yousaf pitched him the idea of getting into the restaurant business. “And I thought ‘You know what? That sounds perfect.”
The result was Beef N Bunns, which opened in 2024, serving delicious burgers, unlike anything else in town.
Beast of a burger
Take the Rockstar burger, a monstersized beast featuring a cooked-to-order beef patty topped with mayo, sweet chili sauce, Korean barbecue sauce, jalapenos, grilled pineapple, pepper jack cheese, and slaw. It’s the kind of thing Guy Fieri would order. It makes a mess… but it’s absolutely delicious, a top-to-bottom explosion of sweet and savory flavors that work well together.
“We have a really unique menu. Most places just have a few kinds of burger, but our menu is really different.”
Beef N Bunns also has a full line of chicken sandwiches, ranging from Nashville Hot to the Stinger, which comes slathered with honey garlic sauce. “Our chicken is all sliced fresh every day. It’s not pre-cut. Everything is fresh,” boasts Jaffary.
Milkshake heaven
And the milkshakes; oh goodness the milkshakes. Beef N Bunns uses an old fashioned milkshake maker that’s located under a neon sign that reads “My Milkshake Brings All the Boys to the Yard,” a nod to the classic 2003 Kelis song. Each milkshake takes several minutes to make but that’s because each one is made with real ice cream and other ingredients such as Twix bars.
Served cold and super thick, Beef N Bunns creates milkshake heaven.
The interior of the restaurant features a large colorful mural painted by local muralist and artist “Chilly” Rodriguez, who brings his signature color and graffiti-style to Beef N Bunns, which opened in December of 2024.
“We’re trying to do something different with this place,” said Jaffary. “You won’t find our menu anyplace else in the city.”
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Burger Hub
Burger Hub – 3444 Secor Road. | (419) 873-6060
On Facebook and Instagram at burgerhub419. Burger Hub founder and owner Adam Saie had an inauspicious debut in the restaurant business. At age 10, he was at his father’s restaurant, Yesterday’s Diner, and his dad told him, “You need to get your ass to work. Go fry up some chicken strips and French fries.” The young man dutifully fried the grub…and promptly spilled it all over the floor.
“My dad was pretty unimpressed with that,” said Saie, his voice laced with humor as he recalled the event.
That was then, and this is now, and Saie has graduated to grilling some of the best damned smashburgers in the city. Growing up in the restaurant business (his family also ran Quarters’s in Bowling Green), Saie brings his family’s hard-nosed work ethic and commitment to Burger Hub, which opened in December 2025.
Halal compliant
Everything in Burger Hub is halal appropriate, meaning it’s prepared according to the dietary and religious regulations of Islam, which aligns with Saie’s faith.
“Toledo has a big Muslim community, and I wanted to give them a fun option to visit and eat locally,” explains Saie. “Most of the time to get halal food, you have to go up to Detroit.”
Toledo proud
Saie is a big fan of Toledo and knew when he was kicking around ideas for his restaurant he eschewed the idea of moving to a larger community.
“Being born and raised in Toledo, this is my home, and I love it,” said Saie. “I could’ve gone anywhere, but I wanted to stay home with my family and friends and give back to the community that has given me so much.”
An industrial-sized burger
Then there are the burgers, which are grilled with love and attention. Take the 419 Burger, featuring your choice of a single or double smashed patty, topped with mozzarella sticks, onion rings, and special Hub Sauce. The result is a flavorful industrial-sized burger that will fill you up until breakfast. Another excellent burger is The Hangover, the perfect antidote after a night of carousing…or anytime, for that matter. Built with a single or double patty, the burger comes topped with hash browns, a fried egg, cheese, and bacon—a real, delicious mouthful.
Burger Hub’s colorful interior features several Toledo-centric murals, also, like Beef N Bunns, designed and painted by “Chilly” Rodriguez, who is one of Toledo’s hottest muralist right now. Burger Hub is a fun place to eat, particularly if you enjoy a side of Toledo Pride with your meal.
“Toledo has franchises and chains, but I’m homegrown,” said Saie. “This is my way of giving something fun and unique back to the city of Toledo.”
