Best NYC Burgers
4 Charles
4 Charles (West Village, Manhattan)
One of our favorite restaurants in NYC! A top burger for sure, but also don't miss the prime rib sandwich!
Red Hook Tavern (Red Hook, Brooklyn)
Red Hook Tavern is owned by the same people as Hometown BBQ so you know they know meat. Not only is the burger amazing but they also make great dishes like the croquettes or kale salad. This is a vibey, sit at the bar, drink a martini and order a burger kind of joint. Go to Sunny's after for a night cap.
7th Street Burger
7th Street Burger (locations all over Manhattan & Brooklyn)
They have a small burger of only 4 items. Get their fire smashburger!!
Corner Bistro
Corner Bistro (West Village, Manhattan)
Love this old school spot located in the heart of the West Village. Get the bistro burger!!!! A top burger for us.
Pastis
Pastis (Meatpacking District, Manhattan)
Pastis had a 5 year hiatus, but since reopening it's still just as popular. It's always packed, and sometimes can be a bit fussy, but their burger is a great one.
Bernies (Greenpoint, Brooklyn)
Bernie's doesn't have a huge menu, but everything on it is done right. We love Caesar, mozz sticks, ribs, baked clams, burger, and chicken parm. This burger cracks our top 5 list in NYC (guide coming soon). Save room for their amazing desserts.
Smashed
Smashed (West Village & LES, Manhattan)
Smashed is another smash burger joint popping up. We still like 7th Street Burger more but this one is very good too. They have milkshakes, loaded chili tots and a lot more to choose from.
Au Cheval (Tribeca, Manhattan)
This is a hack to trying the amazing 4 Charles burger without all the hassle. It's the same owners. The burgers aren't exactly the same, but Au Cheval's burger is still up there!
Rubys (SoHo, Murray Hill, East Village, & West Village, Manhattan)
Ruby's is an NYC classic. Australian cafe with good shareable food, salads, and always get the fries. Love their smash burger.
PJ Clarkes (Lincoln Square, Midtown, & FiDi, Manhattan)
This is an OG burger spot in the city. Thick patty, simple lettuce and tomato and sliced cheese. It's definitely good but if you don't like a big burger skip this. Best to head to the 3rd ave location and enjoy this in the tavern.
Little Prince (SoHo, Manhattan)
LIttle Prince is known for their french onion soup burger with gruyère, caramelized onions, dijon, hand-cut fries, and garlic aioli. Most dishes are well made here. The menu and place is small but can get rowdy and crowded.
Corner Bar
Corner Bar (LES, Manhattan)
Corner Bar is owned by the same team as Altro Paradiso, Lodi, and Estella which opened in the gorgeous Nine Orchard Hotel. It's cozy yet elegant and the food is really good. Simple cooking, great burger - heads up, it's a little on the pricier side.
Nowon
Nowon (East Village, Manhattan)
Nowon is a Korean East Village restaurant with a legit burger. Try the Legendary Burger with a double patty, kimchi mayo, american cheese, bread and butter pickles, and onions. We're also curious about the black truffle burger and don’t think about not ordering their tater tots.
Gotham Burger Social Club
Gotham Burger Social Club (LES, Manhattan)
Popular smash burger from @gothamburgersocialclub that pops up across the city, majority of the time at Ray's Bar on the LES. They add special sauce, mustard, and ketchup to their burgers and you'll be able to smell the onions/burgers of the grill from blocks away. There’s usually a LONG WAIT, so be ready and dress warm, but it’ll be worth it.
Minetta Tavern (Greenwich Village, Manhattan)
Minetta Tavern is an old school french bistro. They offer two burgers… the Minetta Burger and The Black Label Burger. The Black Label burger is great if you're a meat lover - fry aged beef and caramelized onions, that is it. We prefer the Minetta since it comes with cheese.
Gramercy Tavern (Flatiron District, Manhattan)
Owned by Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality, this one Michelin Star spot is great. It's an NYC classic and we love that they offer an off menu tavern burger (you can only get it from the front of the restaurant). It's really good and we love the cheese they pair it with.
Harlem Shake
Harlem Shake (Harlem, Manhattan)
This smashburger is one of the best in the city. It’s topped with two crispy patties, american cheese, raw onions, and their own peppery burger sauce. Enjoy it in their diner style restaurant surrounded by over 200 autographed headshots of celebs like Asap Rocky, Janelle Monae, and Maya Angelou.
Fairfax (Greenwich Village, Manhattan)
The Bar Sardine burger lives on! Fairfax (from Happy Cooking) added this to their menu and it's perfection. Thin patty, buttery toasted bun, bq mayo, smoked cheddar, and crispy potatoes on the burger.
Hamburger America
Hamburger America (SoHo, Manhattan)
Come here to sit at the counter and watch burger expert, George Motz flip burgers. He’s making his Oklahoma fried onion burger to recognize that the onion was the burgers first topping. Don’t you dare add ketchup to your burger, it’s only there to accompany your fries.
Upland (Flatiron District, Manhattan)
Upland is the quintessential spot to bring your parents and is great for brunch (we've taken our parents here a few times). It's owned by the well known group, Starr Restaurants. The burger is just delicious and we love the seeded bun it comes on. Also comes with grass fed beef, american cheese, peppadew peppers & avocado and believe it is LUNCH/BRUNCH ONLY!
Miznon
Miznon (Chelsea, Times Square, Midtown, & Hudson Yards, Manhattan)
An unconventional burger, the folded cheeseburger pita from Israeli restaurant, Miznon. This is a sick sandwich whether you want to call it a burger or not. The pita is perfectly fluffy and you get the crispy cheese from the flat top grill. Enjoy with the whole cauliflower and minute steak.
Raoul’s (SoHo, Manhattan)
The elusive Raoul's burger, which you can technically only get at their bar. The patty is coated in au poivre style sauce, topped with arugula, red onions and a pungent cheese. Sit at the bar and get this with a martini. And don't miss other French classics.
Superiority Burger
Superiority Burger (East Village, Manhattan)
Superiority Burger was named #2 on Pete Wells Best New Restaurants in NYC for 2023. This vegetarian burger is the best you can find in NYC.
Taqueria Ramirez
Taqueria Ramirez (Greenpoint, Brooklyn)
Not only is Taqueria Ramirez cranking out some of the best tacos in New York, but they have a secret burger available at the dive bar The Mallard Drake in Brooklyn. It’s an al pastor burger and for $15 you can get the burger, fries, and a beer.
Oh Boy
Oh Boy (Greenpoint, Brooklyn)
If you’re a pickle fan… you’ll ADORE this smashburger. They make it with Oh Boy sauce and melt the cheese with pickle juice steam.
Lord’s
Lord’s (Greenwich Village, Manhattan)
Lord’s is from the same team as Dame, which we’re huge fans of. This burger is just wow, but fair warning, they only make 12 a night. Their burger is off-menu, so if you don’t see it don’t be alarmed. The burger comes with a thick prime rib patty, raw white onion, welsh rarebit melty cheese on a buttery pretzel bun. We also took Grocery Store Joe and Serena Pitt!
Donovan’s Pub
Donovan’s Pub (Woodside, Queens)
This pub is a long time neighborhood hangout joint in Woodside. It originated in 1966 and is still just as charming today. If you want to enjoy a quality burger in a landmark Queens spot, this is the spot.
Rolo’s
Rolo’s (Ridgewood, Queens)
Rolo’s is such a gem and comes from the same team as Radio Bakery! Get their burger with saucy dijanaise and grilled onions, but don’t skip their other tasty menu items.
Mighties (Lower East Side, Manhattan)
It’s located in Essex Market, where they also get their meat from. We love their double patty with chopped onions, cheese, and special sauce.
Burger Joint (Midtown, Manhattan)
Nothing like a speakeasy serving an amazing burger hidden inside a nice hotel! Such a simple and juicy burger. Top it with the works and get the fries to pair.
Burger Joint
Skip
JG Melon (UES, Manhattan)
We know people are obsessed, but we don't get the hype. Maybe it once was good, but their burgers just aren't tasty.
Balthazar (SoHo, Manhattan)
Balthazar comes from Keith McNally, the same Restaurateur behind Pastis and Minetta Tavern. While we love Pastis, we had high hopes for Balthazar. Unfortunately, the food is subpar. The staff is lovely and the cocktails are good, but there's way better burgers in NYC. Besides, do you really want to eat somewhere James Corden is banned?
Emily
Emily (West Village, Manhattan)
Don't get us wrong we love Emily for the pizza and snacks but sometimes the burger is just too large and raw for us. It's rich and a lot is going on.
Peter Luger Steak House
Peter Luger Steak House (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
It’s no secret we think Peter Luger is overrated and not worth the fuss. While, the burger isn’t bad compared to the rest of their food, we do not think it’s worth going out of your way for. P.S. their burger is ONLY available at lunch.
Want to try
Handcraft (Bryant Park, Manhattan)
Lots of love on social media for these burgers. We’re planning to make our way there to try one for ourselves.
Cozy Royale (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
We’ve only heard good things about the vibes and thick cut burger at this Brooklyn "cozy" joint.
Le Rivage (Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan)
Their burger comes on an english muffin, but they also have french onion soup and a steak au poivre burger. A must try for us soon...
