I love burgers – especially cheeseburgers – and we don't make them like you do back in the UK.
So, I made it my mission to try as many of the top rated spots from this sub as I could whilst I visited.
In the order I visited:
*apologies for the poor photography
1) Lovelies. We went here by chance on day 1, before we had decided to make burgers a focal point of the trip. Juicy and delicious smash burger. Not mad keen on the fries or cheese sauce. Served through a window, an awesome first burger. 8/10
2) Gotham Burger Social Club. We stayed in Greenpoint, so this was our local – actually the only burger I ate twice as we came back last night. Another top tier smash. Loved the spicy kick. Super soft, goes down in seconds. 8/10
3) Au Cheval. First proper destination burger. I heard it's the same as 4 Charles (no resy's available (obviously) – i tried to queue twice on the trip and failed both times). Regret not getting the egg, heard later its integral. Even so, fantastic burger – bacon so good and melty and crispy. Criticism would be too much bread, maybe the egg would've helped. 8.5/10
4) Rolo's. This was the first time we took a bite and said wow. So delicious. Kind of burnt flavour, cooked onions and crispy patties. Insanely good honestly – think it counts as a smash burger? Im not sure on the rules. Its a double with onions. 9.5/10
5) Diner (Williamsburg). Slightly weighted burger choice by proximity to our accommodation. This was good though. And part of a really nice meal, cool place and friendly service. Its a big chunky patty with salad and cheese. And incredible crunches when you bite in with a solid flavour. 8/10
6) Kellogs. None of the burgers I had were bad, this one was good too, but not as good as others on this list. Other things on the menu were better – the meatloaf and chicken + biscuits were both great. 7/10
7) Hamburger America. Was going to try 7th street but it was shut (this was on thanksgiving day). Sadly never tried 7th but this was an excellent substitute. Reminded me of McDonald's, but was like if McDonald's was way better. 8/10
8) Red Hook Tavern. This was the best burger we had. Just an unbelievable first bite. The juicy patty, crisp bread – pop of the onion. Perfection. Wish we could've gone back. No notes. 10/10
9) Peter Luger. First successful queue and bar seat for me. Really cool place, felt very genuine NYC with locals hanging out with the staff. And a hell of a burger. They give you this delicious special sauce on the side and this awesome slab of bacon. Really good fries too. Burger quite similar to Red Hook's I thought but just not quite as good. Arrived 30 min early for lunch on a weekday and was first in line. 9.5/10
10) Raoul's. Booked to eat here, disappointed to learn you can't get the burger on a table at dinner. Had a great meal that night, then went back and queued to eat at the bar. They make 12 burgers a day, they are exceptional. So tasty, the pickle mayo coleslaw type sauce is so good, as is the peppercorn sauce dip. Second in the queue and arrived 30 min early, on a weekday. 9.5/10
11) JG Melon. Learned about this place from the bartender at Raoul's (who was great). Exactly as he described, felt very authentic – really cool timeless vibe. Didn't need to queue at 5pm on a weekday. Cash only and fairly priced (in comparison to the rest of this list). Burger itself was very good. Big round juicy patty, lots of cheese. My photo of this one is particularly bad, I felt pretty self conscious taking a picture this time as it was quiet and I was alone. 9/10
12) Minetta Tavern. Queued to get in here – arrived 40 min early for lunch on a weekday. Way too early, could've rocked up at opening – thats on me. Went for the black label as the famous one, surprised to find no cheese. I ordered every burger as recommended, so wasnt gunna ask for the cheese. It was really good, the onions are so nice and the burger patty itself is exceptional. But I cant imagine it wouldn't have been better with a slice-o-cheese. 8.5/10
13) Louis' Lunch (New Haven). Wildcard here, obviously not in NYC. We had made plans to drive up to see Boston, whilst having dinner at Don Angie the night before we left, the kind person sat next to me at the bar recommended going here. Very glad they did. They claim to have made the first burger and they hate ketchup. Its proper rough and ready, served on sliced white. Super delicious though. 8.5/10
14) Corner Bistro. Having failed to get into 4 Charles on our last day (despite getting there at 9.45am on a Sunday for an 11am opening) we headed here following a recomendation from a guy we met in the queue for Raoul's. Friendliest service so far, such a nice host! Totally delicious and classic feeling burger. A great way to end the adventure. 8.5/10
Big thanks to everyone who served us or cooked for us. Everything we ate in this incredible city was awesome – we had a lot more than just the burgers.
by beric_au_lait
Dining and Cooking