The Best Burgers in NYC
Liz Clayman/Peter Luger Steakhouse
If one were to conduct a poll asking a populace to vote for their city's one conclusive best burger, NYC residents would likely come up with the closest race out of any of them. That's because the Big Apple is so vast in its geography and its tastes, so inventive on the form, and so welcoming of smash burgers and traditional patties alike that the myriad potential responses could make a bar graph of results look like the city skyline. Also, people would name their respective bodegas. And since there is no “best burger NYC" straight-up, we've looked to our editors to gather some of their favorite burgers from across the city. These picks fire on all cylinders: we've got the quick-and-dirty casual smashes, and the thick and bloody steakhouse numbers from the best restaurants in the city.
Gotham Burger Social Club
What started for Mike Puma as a hobby of reviewing burgers around the city and making them himself at dozens of popups throughout the city with hours-long waits has beautifully blossomed into a brick-and-mortar one-stop-shop. Gotham Burger Social Club (GBSC) has a small-town-diner feel that blends seamlessly into the hustle and bustle of NYC, exemplified by its always-busy atmosphere. It's a good sign whenever you see a chef running the show in the front-of-house, and that’s exactly where you’ll find Mike Puma. There he is, ensuring that every burger (beef or Impossible) with grilled onions, American cheese, and housemade pickles is smashed to perfection, and that each order of “frickles” (fried pickles) comes with tasty homemade sauces. Don’t miss out on their vanilla or chocolate egg creams to maximize that nostalgic feel, and make sure to drink yours while sitting at the counter looking out on an iconic New York City corner, pretending you’re in a rom-com. —Emily Adler, associate social media manager
7th Street Burger
I consider myself a burger connoisseur so whenever I have a craving, I don't want just any burger—but I also don't want to wait in a line wrapped around the block for the "best" in the city. So when 7th Street Burger opened a mere block away from my favorite dive in the Upper East Side—one of several locations in the city—I was intrigued. Could this be my new go-to? The replacement for pizzas ordered to the bar? The place I stop by on my walk home from a friend's birthday party at midnight? The answer to all of the above is a resounding yes. Their menu is simple—either a plain smash burger or one with cheese. Single or double. Beef or impossible meat. One size of fries. Few toppings, great balance of flavor. Every time that greasy unbranded brown paper bag is in my hands, I know I'm in for a treat. —Taylor Eisenhauer, editorial operations manager
Emily
The burger at Emily, with its secret sauce and caramelized onion, is hands down the best in New York City in my book. It's the kind of burger my friend Fernanda described as "filthy"—so decadent, so indulgent, that describing it in all of its thick, juicy, greasy glory feels NSFW. The cheese oozes out the sides of the pretzel bun, the juices drip down your wrist, the beef is dry-aged Pat LeFrieda. It also costs nearly $31. For a burger! It's delightfully vulgar. This is the burger for hedonists (particularly those who have time to take a nap right after). People say they love the pizza here, but I can't imagine focusing on anything but this burger. —Megan Spurrell, associate director, articles
Red Hook Tavern
Red Hook Tavern is not very near to a subway. Most will have to trek 20 minutes or so from a Brooklyn F or G to get here. But, boy, is the burger (which is famous city-wide despite the remote location) worth it. Just about everyone in this warm and humble eating and drinking house will order the burger—you can see into the kitchen from the bar, where a burger gets built on plate after plate in a row. And it's a worthy burger, even at $30, for a few reasons. If you listen to your waiter, you'll have it medium rare and therefore juicy as can be. The burger will drip all over your fries, which are included. There's a lot of American cheese melted on top, and a demure pile of raw onion. The patty is crusted in pepper. It's just good. And don't get me started on how nicely it pairs with their Vesper martini. —Charlie Hobbs, associate editor
JG Melon
I'm sometimes skeptical of “The One Thing” to order at a given restaurant, but in the case of JG Melon, it holds up. Every time I've been to the (cash only) Upper East Side institution, I've ordered the cheeseburger, and I've not been disappointed. You can get it without cheese, or with bacon; either iteration comes with LTO and pickles. It's no-frills, but in the age of the ever-present smashburger, the size is a nice return to burgers of yore. Is it annoying that the pillowy cottage fries are not included? Yes, but order a side anyway. —Madison Flager, senior commerce editor
Little Grenjai
On an unassuming Bed-Stuy corner sits Thai restaurant Little Grenjai. It's decorated mainly in primary colors, telegraphing that it's a happy little luncheonette. By night, it's an excellent full-service Thai restaurant. During lunch hours, you can still come in—and come in you should, because between noon and three p.m. is the only time you can order their krapow smash burger (available as a single for $12 or a double for $18, and you can add a fried duck egg for $4 more.) Charred on the grill and topped with American cheese, holy basil, giardiniera, and special sauce, the burger is taken especially over the edge by the mix of pork and beef in the patty and by the heavily-sesame-seeded bun. I've been known to come in for a double, then double back for another because it's so good I just want more. —C.H.
Long Island Bar
In what is already an ideal restaurant—vintage-style neon sign out front, wooden bench booths, strong martinis, and a Midwestern-feeling menu of deviled eggs and fried cheese curds—the burger at Long Island Bar is always the ideal order. Think a smashed dry-age patty (two if you're feeling wild, which sometimes I am!), pickles, cheese, and what they call "fancy sauce" (which tells you a lot about this spot's personality). Go in a smallish group, belly up to the bar to put your name in, then order a strong drink if there's a wait. By the time you reach your table, trust me, you'll be ready to roll up your sleeves and dig in. And don't worry, it's not monstrously big—you'll have plenty of energy to totter over to Montero for a divey night of karaoke afterward. —M.S.
Swoony's
It seems everywhere is serving the grown-up happy meal—burger ($26) and a martini—right now. At Swoony's, a new Carroll Gardens spot from the Cafe Spaghetti team, I'm not even mad at more of the same. They do it perfectly. And to be clear, the menu has plenty more to it, from a crab louie ($18) and clams casino ($18), to a hanger steak with "cowboy butter" ($33)—there's a retro Americana thing going on here, if you hadn't noticed—but take a look around the humming dining room and you'll see the thousand-island topped double-patty and martini spinoffs are a draw for many guests. —M.S.
PJ Clarke's
This Midtown East institution might as well have been the green room for Old New York. P.J. Clarke’s was Frank Sinatra’s favorite restaurant, and close friend Nat King Cole once raved that they served, “the Cadillac of burgers,” minting its seat in Manhattan food tours ever since. Even if you’re not coming here to indulge in the Mad Men-ness of it all, these burgers beckon all food pilgrims. A class act in not fixing what isn’t broken, burgers are served with a dill pickle and sea salt fries, the same way it’s been done since 1884. You come here for the freshly ground patties that bleed like a prime cut of steak, the onion-perfumed buns that whet the palate, and a reminder of what every good burger aspires to be. —Kat Chen, editorial assistant, destinations
Raoul's
At old-school SoHo institution Raoul's, the white tablecloths, pressed tin ceilings, and $58 steak au poivre belie a long history of button-pushing and rule-flouting. The top item? The burger au poivre, available only on the brunch menu. Burger hounds obsess over it and its drippy, creamy St.-André cheese topping. For desserts, the banana coconut bread pudding has its devotees. Come here when you’re curious about old, hard-living New York—when the SNL cast would roll out for dinner at 1 a.m., and people might end up dancing on the tables—and to see a slightly more sedate version today. —Alex Van Buren, contributor
Peter Luger
Peter Luger isn't just the Brooklyn steakhouse. It might be the New York City steakhouse, especially if history carries any weight with you, dear reader. This fine establishment has sat at the same address in the Williamsburg Bridge's shadow since 1887, and the interiors carry about as many frills as your average public house—dark wood, plaster walls, and so on. If you're there before 3:45 p.m., you can also experience something that's relatively new: the over-½-lb Luger burger, which is so simple and bloody with optional American cheese that your eyes will roll back in your head. It pairs quite nicely with two sides: steakhouse bacon and tomato-onion salad.—C.H.
Originally Appeared on Condé Nast Traveler
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