From a Greenwich Village bistro famous for its dry-aged Black Label Burger to a Williamsburg counter that has been at it since 2005, these are the burgers New Yorkers argue about. Five spots across Brooklyn and Manhattan.
Greenwich Village · 113 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012, USA
Red leather booths, low ceilings, and just enough dim light to lose track of time. A baguette lands, champagne sometimes follows (unprompted) and suddenly you’re ordering another round. The Black Label Burger (dry-aged …
Gowanus + Red Hook · 329 Van Brunt St, Brooklyn, NY 11231
This spot feels like it’s been holding down the corner forever. Dark wood bar, worn banquettes, low lights, and a jukebox that makes everything sound better after a whiskey or two. The burger is the star (thick, perfect…
Williamsburg · 314 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211
Williamsburg's first burger joint, holding down Bedford Ave. since 2005 and still drawing lines in a space barely big enough for a dozen tables. The DuMAC and cheese is a quiet legend, the wings are a sleeper hit, and t…
Lower East Side · 131 Essex St, New York, NY 10002, USA
Specializing in smash burgers before it was all the rage, and yet the Gotham Smash is still the reason to come: lacy griddle-seared patties, grilled onions, housemade pickles, jalapeños, and a club sauce that ties it to…
East Village · 119 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009, USA
The quinoa-chickpea veggie burger sounds suspiciously virtuous until it shows up stacked with Muenster, iceberg, and dill pickle and quietly outperforms half the burgers in the East Village. The $7 Grab Bag pulls straig…