Oh, America. Land of the free, and home of the burger. In a young country with limited food traditions, the humble American cheeseburger has become a culinary icon. It’s a superstar in the U.S.A., an emblem of all that is good and tasty. The burger is the ultimate comfort food for us Americans, a handheld snack for when you’re on-the-go – greasy, cheesy, umami, perfection. Sure, we’ve been known to overdo it at times. We have stacked patty on top of patty, creating burger skyscrapers and layering in various toppings between the beef – pickles, bacon, cheese, onions, and sometimes even mac’n’cheese. If you can fit it on a burger, we’ve tried it. A surf and turf burger? Why not! A peanut-butter-and-jelly-slathered burger? Believe us, it’s been done.
But the best burgers are not these over-the-top monstrosities that dominate the food porn-saturated social media channels, they’re the simpler ones. The meat and cheese roadstand shack burgers and the craft burgers cooked perfectly medium rare, with only a few intentional ingredients there to enhance the high-quality meat. We’ve spent years trying all of the best burgers in New York City, from iconic restaurants like Peter Luger, The Spotted Pig, Le Rivage, and J.G. Melon, to Instagram fads like Burger Joint and Black Tap – and every fast food chain that’s opened in between. The following burgers are our current favorites in NYC.
Looking for more great spots for food and drinks in NYC? Check out our city map of New York!
Emily
Our favorite burger in New York is found at a pizza restaurant in Brooklyn. What makes it so perfect? The Emmy Burger is made with extremely high quality meat (dry-aged and perfectly cooked medium rare) in one big, juicy patty; a healthy amount of melted cheddar cheese; sweet, caramelized onions; a fluffy yet sturdy bun that tastes like a brioche and pretzel bun hybrid; and a slightly spicy sauce that brings all the flavors together. It’s sweet, it’s salty, it’s an umami bomb exploding in your mouth. It’s not a cheap burger (it costs $31 USD), but it’s worth every penny. Note: Emily now has several locations and a few offshoots called Emmy Squared, but each shop has a burger that’s unique to that location. Only the original Emily in Clinton Hill serves this exact version of the Emmy Burger.
EMILY Address & Contact Information 919 Fulton St, Brooklyn, New York, United States Website Instagram Facebook
Virginia’s
At a neighborhood restaurant in East Village, you’ll find one of New York’s best burgers. A thick, juicy beef patty comes sandwiched inside a toasted brioche bun, and is topped with Cabot cheddar, Vidalia onion, bone marrow marmalade, and mayonnaise. The burger is perfectly cooked, oozing meat juice, and we love the sweetness provided by the onions and cheese. Adding a slice of bacon is optional, but we are burger purists and prefer not to draw attention away from the beef.
VIRGINIA'S Address & Contact Information 200 E 3rd Street, New York, New York, United States Website Instagram Facebook
Red Hook Tavern
One of New York’s most iconic burgers can be found at Red Hook Tavern in Brooklyn, from Billy Durney, who owns Hometown Bar-B-Que. Unlike the Texas-inspired barbecue joint down the street, Red Hook Tavern is inspired by classic New York taverns and steakhouses like Keens and Peter Luger. The signature burger here is a real meat lover’s burger – it’s all about the meat. A big, thick patty (dry-aged beef from Pat LaFrieda) is cooked medium rare – it’s intensely beefy, with a little bite from the slices of raw white onions, a velvety layer of melted American cheese, and a toasted sesame bun. While it’s missing a sauce to make it a perfect burger for us, it’s still exceptionally juicy. This is a burger for the purists. Make a reservation or arrive before opening to secure a walk-in spot.
RED HOOK TAVERN Address & Contact Information 329 Van Brunt St, Brooklyn, New York, United States Website Instagram Facebook
Hamburger America
Hamburger America is so much more than a restaurant – it’s a history lesson about burger culture in the United States. Owner George Motz is a true burger scholar, and his luncheonette-style restaurant is his “love letter to the American burger.” In 2004, he made a documentary called Hamburger America, where he “took to the road and experienced America’s best and most innovative burgers at the source.” Along the way, he learned about the variety of burger styles offered around the country. There’s no one else who has done such a deep dive into American burgers – Motz is one of the most knowledgeable burger authorities in the world. He’s always on the road testing new burgers, showcasing his smashing technique, and spreading the burger love through pop-ups. He’s experimented with all the different methods you can cook a burger: “smoked, stuffed, smashed, steamed, deep-fried, grilled, breaded, and poached.”
Naturally, the signature at Hamburger America is the fried onion burger. The beef is placed on the griddle, and a generous amount of onions are piled on top before they are smashed down and caramelized. The cheese and bun are steamed on top of the patty while the burger cooks. In a world obsessed with trendy smash burgers, it’s refreshing to see a restaurant that celebrates the classic American cheeseburger. Hamburger America isn’t here to innovate – it’s here to celebrate burger history and tradition. In addition to the standard menu, there’s a rotating monthly burger special featuring famous burgers from around the U.S.
HAMBURGER AMERICA Address & Contact Information 155 W Houston St, New York, New York, United States Website Instagram
Nowon
Nowon is a playful Korean American hotspot famous for their burgers. They have a few varieties on the menu, but their dry-aged, thick patty cheeseburger is easily one of the best in New York. The delicious meat is perfectly cooked, and served with a tangy Korean kimchi sauce, American cheese, pickles, and onions. The only thing missing for us was a little sweetness, so be sure to order some of the honey butter tater tots on the side. Next time we want to try their Black Truffle Burger! In addition to their original East Village location, Nowon has also opened a second location in Bushwick, Brooklyn.
NOWON Address & Contact Information 507 E 6th St, New York, New York, United States Website Instagram Facebook
Sailor
Sailor, the latest venture from April Bloomfield, is the perfect place for a sunny summer brunch in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. Naturally, like at The Spotted Pig, the burger has become a signature here – a thick patty cooked to your preference with melted onions and cheddar on a crispy, crunchy bun. With an 80/20 blend of Pat LaFrieda beef, it has a very hearty, rich, umami flavor and some funk. It has a lot of the things that we love in a burger (caramelized onions, cheddar), and it was cooked perfectly – it’s definitely one of the best burgers in the city.
SAILOR Address & Contact Information 228 DeKalb Ave, Brooklyn, New York, United States Website Instagram
Minetta Tavern
Minetta Tavern is a New York institution. It’s impossible to have a conversation about NYC burgers without referencing this icon, so we finally visited this Greenwich Village staple on our most recent trip to New York. It was time to finally see what the hype is all about! There are two burgers on the menu: the Minetta Burger ($29), which has cheese, and the Black Label Burger ($36), which has no cheese but uses prime, dry-aged beef. All vegetables are served on the side, so you can decide if you want to add any lettuce or tomatoes. The Black Label Burger was significantly better than the Minetta Burger – you could really taste the difference in meat quality. It’s a good burger, but for it to be a perfect burger for us, it really needs cheese, it needs a little more seasoning, and it needs sauce. But, the burgers were perfectly cooked, and we appreciated the simple, meat-forward flavors. Pro tip: make a reservation in advance, this place books up.
MINETTA TAVERN Address & Contact Information 113 MacDougal St, New York, New York, United States Website Instagram
Shake Shack
We’ve been long-time fans of Shake Shack, Danny Meyer’s popular fast food burger chain, and use this burger as a baseline when testing new burgers around the world. Sorry, In-N-Out – Shake Shack is our favorite fast food burger chain, by far! On our most recent trip to NYC we got to visit the Shake Shack Innovation Kitchen, where the executive chef and culinary director of the brand test new burger ideas and seasonal specials. While at the Innovation Kitchen, we got to try the Seattle-exclusive “Montlake Double Cut,” a double cheeseburger with jack cheese, caramelized onions, and mustard mayo. We also had a Shack Burger fresh from the griddle and some new shakes still in the testing phase. If you visit the Innovation Kitchen location, you just might be the first to taste test some new menu items, but if you want to visit the original Shake Shack location, head to the charming, string light-illuminated stand inside Madison Square Park.
SHAKE SHACK Address & Contact Information 225 Varick St, New York, New York, United States Website Instagram Facebook
What’s your favorite burger in New York City? Let us know so we can try it next time!
J G Melon should be on any list of best burgers in New York.