Burgers—an American comfort food that’s best served with crispy fries. They’re juicy, cheesy, and taste delicious with any toppings you prefer…or all of them if you don’t mind a temporary mess.
With so many options around the city it can be hard to decipher the good from the bad, or know if it’s worth the price tag (at some pricier restaurants). However, if you’re craving a tasty hamburger we’ve made the search easier by breaking down some of the city’s best burger joints. We’ve also ranked them by price, ranging from as cheap as $5 to as expensive as $295! It’s all about the toppings and the aged meat…but personally, we’ll stick to the comfort and cost of the first half of this list most days…
Shake Shack’s Shackburger, $5
Where: Multiple Locations
It may be a chain, but for $5 and change it’s a staple burger for any New Yorker. A cheesy patty in a potato roll with some shack sauce…yum! You can even splurge on double patties for $8.
Superiority Burger, $6
Where: 430 East 9th Street
If you’re not feeling the chain burger but still want something cheap and delicious, superiority burger is a must-try. The cheeseburger comes with muenster cheese, lettuce, and a dill pickle. Perfectly simple.
Boilermaker’s Burger, $8
Where: 13 First Avenue
This low-key bar in the East Village has a great happy hour, and a great burger! For $8 (for a single, or $11 for a double) you’ll get a delicious burger made by the chef of nearby Filipino gastropub Jeepney, Miguel Trinidad. The burger is made with Jeepney’s Atchara (pickled vegetables), their signature sauce, lettuce, tomato, and onion.
J.G. Melon’s Cheeseburger, $11
Where: 1291 3rd Avenue
J.G. Melon serves one of NYC’s quintessential hamburgers. Simple and classic, it’s got American cheese, pickles and raw onions. And even though it’s not fancy, it’s so popular that the restaurant goes through 300 pounds of beef a day.
Whitman’s Juicy Lucy, $12
Where: 406 East 9th Street
The Whitman’s Juicy Lucy burger is stuffed with delicious pimento cheese that oozes out when you bite into it (you may not want to cut this one in half if you’re not ready to deal with a cheesy mess on your plate). The juicy burger comes topped with caramelized onions, bibb lettuce, tomatoes, spicy pickles, special sauce, all on sesame bun.
Peter Luger’s Luger-Burger, $15
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Where: 178 Broadway, Brooklyn
As a steakhouse it’s only fitting that they’d also have an amazing burger. The half pound Luger-Burger is made out of the same beef as their dry ages steak.
P.J. Clarke’s “The Cadillac,” $15
Where: 915 3rd Avenue
This is one of the city’s most famous cheeseburgers. Nat King Cole dubbed it “the Cadillac of burgers” in the 50’s. It’s thick and juicy, and topped with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, and double smoked country bacon.
The NoMad Bar’s Dry-Aged Beef Burger, $21
Where: 1170 Broadway
According to the annual list of “The World’s 50 Best Bars,” The NoMad Bar is one of the best in the world, and has been the country’s best bar for several years. It should be of no surprise that the bar food there is just as good as the cocktails. The Dry-Aged Beef burger here is made with suet and bone marrow, and topped with red onions, cheddar, and a special sauce.
The Spotted Pig’s Chargrilled Burger, $21
Where: 314 West 11th Street
Classic with an upscale twist. The patty is made with a rich short rib blend. It’s char-grilled and topped with Roquefort cheese. On the side you’ll get a massive pile of shoestring fries.
Lure’s Burger, $22
Where: 142 Mercer Street
You probably wouldn’t expect a fish bar to serve great meat, but their burger is a tasty surprise. It’s so good actually that the chef, Josh Capon, even opened Burger & Barrel after it (located on 25 West Houston Street, the Bash Burger here is $20).
Salvation Burger’s Salvation Burger, $25
Where: 230 East 51st Street
Two patties separated by cheese, an even distribution of pickles, and a sesame bun. This is the burger you’ve been searching for since you saw THAT episode of How I Met Your Mother.
Pizza Loves Emily‘s Emmy Burger, $26
Where: 35 Downing Street
LaFrieda dry-aged beef, EMMY sauce, caramelized onion, American cheese, & pickles on a pretzel bun – with curly fries… yeah, it’s as good as it sounds.
Minetta Tavern’s Black Label Burger, $28
Where: 13 Macdougal Street
This is one of the most hyped burgers in the city. It consistently makes all the “best burger” lists, and it doesn’t disappoint. It’s made with prime dry-aged beef cuts, topped with caramelized onions and served on a brioche bun.
21 Club’s 21 Burger, $36
Where: 21 West 52nd Street
This is known as America’s original gourmet hamburger. It premiered in 1950 and has kept its name since, although the composition has changed over time. It’s made with a dry-aged blend, topped with sauteed onions, and served on a challah bun.
DB Bistro Moderne’s Royale Double Truffle Burger, $120
Where: 55 West 44th Street
You can barely fit this burger in your mouth, and you can barely fit the price in your budget. The ground sirloin prime rib burger is stuffed with foie gras, short ribs, veggies, and black truffle. So much black truffle goes into this burger that you can only order it in the winter, so put a reminder on your calendar for six months from now.
(AN HONORABLE MENTION)
Serendipity 3’s, Le Burger Extravagante, $295
Where: 225 E 60th St, New York, NY 10022
An honorable mention? Well, it no longer appears on their menu, but we’re told it is still available. This is the most expensive burger in New York City, and one of the most expensive in the world. The high price is not only the result of a bunch of ingredients you can’t pronounce (butter-infused Wagyu, Chinese Kaluga caviar, and a blini), but also the gold, diamond-encrusted toothpick that holds it together. Put it on your bucket list and hope you’re this rich some day.
