The 25 Best Burgers in NYC

Image via Complex Original

Kill cow. Eat cow. America! We are a country obsessed with the hamburger. Lettuce and tomato. Pickles and mustard. Medium rare for taste; well done for health. However you might like yours, if you're here, you're eating one. New York City is no exception. If you're craving a cheeseburger, you can find one on almost any block in the city. We've got hundreds of McDonald's. Any bodega with a grill can make a halfway decent burger to order.

But you want something better. Something served on a soft, buttery brioche roll or toasted sesame bun. Or maybe you're looking for that cheeseburger that tastes like a finely aged steak. Where do you go for the caramelized onions or sauteed jalapeños? If you're serious about your burger, we have the answers.

With a bypass surgeon on hand, we criss-crossed the city on a burger bender. We hit a few chains (gasp!), and even the outer boroughs (spoiler alert: Manhattanites are gonna have to hit a bridge or tunnel to visit our No. 1). Welcome to the 25 Best Burgers in NYC.

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25. Shake Shack

Address: Various locations (check website)
Website: shakeshack.com

A certified institution, Shake Shack is one of the city's most popular spots, especially for those of us craving something American and red: cheeseburger, fries, and a shake. But it's still “New York”—a burger your friends can't get back in Des Moines or Albuquerque, or even Chicago, L.A., or Philadelphia.

Let's be real: Shack Shack is very good, but perhaps not to the degree that the lines stretching all the way to Broadway suggest. The smallish burgers come topped with the signaute Shack Sauce, a kinda sorta sweet 'n cheap number that complements the crisp-around-the-edges beef. There's something wonderful about the wax paper you untuck the burger from. And eating under the trees—we're thinking of the Madison Square Park location—brings out the nostalgia in the burger experience. No hate, Shake Shack; your burger is solid as a rock. (R.I.P. Nick Ashford.)

24. Thunder Jackson's

Address: 169 Bleecker St.
Website: thunderjacksons.com

Order the Filthy Burger but be sure to know the rules. No cheese, no lettuce, no tomato, no ketchup, no mustard. If you want all those things, order some other burger on the menu (though you'll be settling for average then). See, the Filthy Burger is not your average burger, and— trust us—you’re not going to want/need those toppings.

First reason: The burger is dipped in honey. Which makes it the definition of the food pyramid's "Use Sparingly" category. Candied red meat, every health teacher’s dream. Oh, and it’s covered in garlic aioli, which packs a different sort of punch entirely. The most interesting part about the burger, though, is the chance you might hate it. Ordering it is a fun risk to take, because there are really only two options here, love or hate. The incredible sweetness can be too much for some people, like, for instance, those punks who complain about Coke being too sweet. 

Tip: Stop in at lunch for the $8 burger and beer special, Monday through Friday. It’s cheaper and you can avoid the rowdy frat-boy atmosphere that turns the place into a blend of Hooters, football, the word bro, and Coyote Ugly at about 6 p.m. every day.

23. Park Slope Ale House

Address: 356 Sixth Ave., Park Slope, Brooklyn
Website: parkslopealehouse.com

Put an inexperienced cook on grill duty during a backyard barbecue and you're liable to end up with burgers that shrink down and get crunchy black. They're crisp on the top and the initial bites smack of charcoal. Park Slope Ale House flips the script on this by offering blackened burgers, slightly similar in texture, though the crunch becomes a mark of deliciousness rather than ineptitude, as the charcoal flavor has been replaced by a thick rind of Cajun seasoning. This burger is blackened like catfish, not like what your dopey Uncle Steve does when he wields fire.

The Ale House encourages you to make your own decisions, so after making the right choice by getting the burger Cajun style, decide to put some bleu cheese in your life. It melts perfectly across the scorched top of the patty. So pretty.

22. Stand4

Address: 24 East 12th St.
Website: standburger.com

The seasoned beef of the Stand Burger has a spicy flare to it (grilled onions, parsley, and Worcestershire sauce). Not incredibly bold but enough to raise a pair of eyebrows, the result is a patty with a taste similar to quality taco meat. The house sauce compliments the seasoning well, adding a little sweetness. The thick-cut applewood smoked bacon is a delicious extra.

But let's talk about Stand4's fries right quick. They bring them out early, early as in appetizer status early. Like, Oh hey, done with my fries, now it’s time for the burger to show up. Why would they do that? They should stop.

21. 5 Napkin Burger

Address: Various locations (check website)
Website: 5napkinburger.com

5 Napkin can get loud and crowded at the Hell’s Kitchen location. The restaurant has a modern look to it, like it’s trying to be chic so that burgers will be cool. The thing is, burgers are already cool. They’re actually fucking awesome. 

This burger, in fact, requires the use stacks on stacks of napkins, on account of how wet and greasy it is. It's also a heavyweight amongst gourmet burgers, weighing in at 10 ounces, which appeals to the burger lover's desire for a completely full stomach.

The ground chuck 5 Napkin comes with Gruyere cheese, caramelized onions, and a rosemary aioli. The aioli doesn’t overpower the meat, and it pairs well with the gruyere. The bun is above average, though not spectacular, beginning to fall apart by meal's end, which probably has to do with all the juice a 10 ounce burger can produce. But the meat and cheese complement each other so well, you could eat it without the bun if you wanted to.

20. Burger Joint

Address: 119 West 56th St.
Website: parkermeridien.com

This gem hides itself in the lobby of a luxury hotel, Le Parker Meridien. The very experience of walking through such an uppity establishment to get a burger place is ridiculous, but once inside the Burger Joint, you’ll forget all about that look the concierge gave you when you asked where exactly you needed to go.

Ordering at the Burger Joint is not unlike ordering a real Philly cheesesteak in Philadelphia. There it's "wiz wit." Here it’s cheeseburger, medium rare, the works. The patties are thick, unlike many similar joints (cough...Shake Shack...cough), which always makes for a better pink burger, cooked nicely around the outside, just right.

19. Five Guys Burgers and Fries

Address: Various locations (check website)
Website: fiveguys.com

An interloper on the NYC burger scene (the chain got its start in the D.C. area), Five Guys is the anti-Shake Shack, albeit with a slightly similar burger. No breezy outdoor seating, no special sauce, and no shakes (not to mention no wine), Five Guys is the throwback diner to Shake Shack's nouveau roadside stand. But this is about the burgers, so, let's talk about them shits.

Both SS and FG achieve that flakey consistency that's the hallmark of great chain burgers (think In N' Out), but where Shake Shack is dainty, Five Guys is bull-in-the-china-shop big, all ungainly beef outcroppings and dripping cheese. It's a mouthful that's probably not suited to al fresco dining, but these are burgers we're talking here—if a few tchotckes get knocked on the floor, so be it.

18. 67 Burger

Address: 67 Lafayette Ave., Fort Greene, Brooklyn
Website: 67burger.com

This spot grills quite a juiced-up patty, bun soaking in fact. It's a great start to what can be a great burger, depending on which of their choices you decide on. The Southwestern, for example, has a nice spicy kick to it, with roasted peppers, chipotle mayo, and pepper jack cheese. It’s an amazing burger. But 67 Burger offers some not-so-sure shots: Skip the Parisian and the Italian.

But even with the lesser items, 67 Burger makes one thing obvious: Toasted bun are underrated. Just a little bit of crunch can dress up an otherwise uninspiring burger, especially when it ends up soaked in beef juice.

67 Burger quirk: the back has a garage door that opens up for a view of...nothing. There's a brick wall and a stairwell that leads to...nowhere! It’s quite strange. It might even be cool.

Photo by Robyn Lee

17. The Dram Shop

Address: 3319 9th St., Park Slope, Brooklyn
Website: n/a

A frequent problem that arises during sandwich creation is distribution. How do you achieve excellence across the entire bread and meat experience? The Dram Shop, through carefully paid attention, has figured this out. With shredded lettuce, diced onions, and thinly-sliced, well-placed pickles, this burger strives for equality in each bite. And it succeeds; each mouthful miraculously containes every element. The thin patties recall a Big Mac, but in appearance only. McDonald's would have to sell their soul to Satan to get a burger this good. And did we mention those paper pickles? Again, the McDonald's shaking hands with the Big Red One comment applies.

16. Goodburger

Address: Various locations (check website)
Website: goodburgerny.com

The only thing that could've moved Goodburger up this list would be if they made their employees say, "Welcome to Goodburger, home of the Goodburger, can I take your order?”

But seriously, All That references aside, this is the best “fast food” burger in the city. They grill burgers to order with remarkable consistency and speed, all the while handling a large volume of orders. Order it medium, you’ll get it medium. Even if the guy in front of you ordered it well done and the guy behind you ordered it rare. Plus, you can get it with the works and your patty won’t get dominated by inferior vegetables. No, the Goodburger burger distributes lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickles with extreme efficiency, which is more or less the mark of the establishment. Tasty, beefy efficiency.

15. Great Jones Cafe

Address: 54 Great Jones St.
Website: greatjones.com

The Great Jones Cafe posts their menu on the wall inside, and while most choices exist as erasable chalk on a blackboard, falling prey to the cycle of brunch choices and dinner entrees, the hamburger options live forever in black paint. There’s a real confidence they place in their ground chuck burger. Charred on the outside, pink and delicate in the middle. It’s big and imposing, hovering at around 8 oz, with an expensive space ship sized bun that covers the field.

Like the paint says, Great Jones let's you dress the burger a bunch of different ways, paper doll game. Burger, Cheeseburger, Bacon Cheese Burger, Bacon Burger. But consider the rest of the menu, packed with jambalaya, po’ boys, pulled pork, and then order the Chili Burger, a dish with the soulful flare of spicy beef chili. Throw on a little bacon and you've got a meatlover’s Southern dream.

14. Black Iron Burger Shop

Address: 540 East 5th St.
Website: blackironburger.com

The Iron Horse burger. A fucking woolly mammoth of a burger, utterly deserving of its name and your attention. Two six-ounce patties topped with grilled onions, horseradish cheddar, lettuce, and tomato, and served on a sesame seed bun. It looks like a Five Guys' burger, but raised on steroids and fresher vegetables. Some might call it unnecessarily big. Some might say it borders on glutinous. We have a name for those people: cowards. We tell them to order one of the single patty options. After that we order the Iron Horse with jalapeños for a little added kick that pairs well with the horseradish cheddar. Then we call it a night. The best part, Black Iron’s basically a dive bar. This is what heaven looks like. If you're a carnivorous alcoholic.

13. DuMont Burger

Address: 314 Bedford Ave., Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Website: dumontburger.com

A great burger, served with lettuce, tomato, red onions, and house-made bread-and-butter pickles that are always fresh. Served on a grilled brioche bun that is buttery, crunchy, and delicious (not to mention a hallmark of any fine-dining burger experience). The DuMont offers one of the best burgers in Williamsburg.

One setback, though—the seating is limited. The place is often cramped, which is great for the business, but can be annoying when you're trying to chill out and enjoy a good burger. If it's nice outside, they have tables on the sidewalk that allow for a much more comfortable dining experience. Plus, they have take-out and delivery, if the crowds really bother you.

Photo by Robyn Lee

12. Paul's, Da Burger Joint

Address: 131 2nd Ave.
Website: paulsburgers.com

If you’re looking for a hamburger in the East Village, it has to be “Da Burger Joint.” Paul’s has been serving ½ lb burgers since 1989 with a ‘50s diner attitude that comes complete with checkered table cloths, a counter to sit at, and a staff that takes real pride in cooking great grub at a reasonable price (a simple cheeseburger and fries will only cost you $8.50). 

Order the Eastsider and watch them grill all the meat. Beef patty, bacon, and ham. Sit at the counter and let the olfactory system take control for a while. Breath in the smells. Then watch them prepare the burger, adding the mushrooms, tomatoes, and onions. Allow the anticipation to grow, as the burger builds taller and taller, more and more stuff. In the end, the Eastsider winds up basically as big as the enormous plastic hamburger adorning the sidewalk next to the entrance. But finally biting into the real thing is much more satisfying.

11. Bareburger

Address: Various locations (check website)
Website: bareburger.com

Sitting down for a meal at Bareburger can feel like a lecture on environmentalism and organic living. The table setting comes complete with FAQs on “Why Organic?” (For the record, it's “Better for You,” “Tastier,” and “Better for the Environment”). Real talk: The tables were crafted from trees felled by storms, the tiles are made from cork, and the hand dryer in the bathroom is high efficiency.

But we digress. Bareburger is really all about the meat choices: beef, turkey, lamb, elk, bison, or ostrich (and nonmeats: veggie, portabella). Try an elk burger, which brings a little more sweetness to the table than beef, and have it on a buttery brioche bun. Enjoy the richness of organic vegetables. Fresh tomato slices, sauteed mushrooms, even simple Romaine lettuce, it all tastes juicier. 

If you shop at a food co-op or grow veggies in your studio apartment, if you're all about keepin' it green, you'll love Bareburger. If you don't want to think about paper towel waste or how other food comes complete with added hormones, try staring at the TVs showing cartoons on silent. Or bring a cute date and just enjoy an elk burger because it tastes amazing.

10. J.G. Melon

Address: 1291 3rd Ave.
Website: n/a

Proper thickness, you feel us? Don't get the wrong idea, though—we're still talking burgers. Specifically the meaty slabs served perfectly cooked (meaning a bit bloody) at this Upper East Side institution. Melon's classic status extends back to the early '70s—check out the décor—and their burger comes to you bearing all the expertise accumulated over those four decades. The amount of juice released with each bite demands a tall stack of napkins or else you'll have grease down to your elbows. Be careful with the bun. It starts out chewy and delicious, embarrassing the hell out of those joints that stick to bland McDonald's-style cappers, but if you're lackadaisical with your chomping, you might end up with sopping bread plastered around your patty like papier-mâché. Eat fast, die young.

9. Bonnie's Grill

Address: 278 5th Ave., Park Slope, Brooklyn
Website: bonniesgrill.com

Simple. American. Burgers, wings, and beer. It’s on 5th Avenue in Park Slope and it's hard to imagine this spot existing anywhere else in the city. Bonnie’s is a family friendly diner-type restaurant that's great for everyone, perfect for the neighborhood.

The Spiced Black Angus Sirloin Burger tastes like steak on a bun. Bonnie’s serves some hot wings and their burger falls right in line with that. It has a great spice to it, and for free you can add sauteed jalapeños. It’s a kick-you-in-the-teeth burger that makes you want to just say, “Fuck yes, this is what I want.” Except there are kids around, so you don’t. You just eat it.

8. Dubuque Restaurant

Address: 548 Court St., Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn
Website: facebook.com/pages/Dubuque-Restaurant

Down Under The Brooklyn Queens Expressway: This restaurant serves up some wonderful gourmet burgers. It's a small, good thing that they don’t name their burgers stupid things. For example, they have a beef burger; they have a spiced lamb burger. They don’t have a Brie-ncredible Magic Mushroom burger, they have a “beef burger stuffed with truffled mushroom duxelle with grilled marinated portobello mushrooms and brie.” And it’s exquisite.

People will complain that the burger is too small. People are cheap. Dubuque takes care to make each burger fantastic, whether it’s one of the more complicated stuffed ones, or a simple bacon cheeseburger; it will be cooked to order. It’s worth the price, which really isn’t all that much ($10-$20). Plus this is the kind of place where it’s nice to go with a bunch of people and share. Try all the burgers. Call it a night out.

7. Joy Burger Bar

Address: Various locations (check website)
Website: joyburgerbar.com

Joy Burger Bar has a ton of sauces, because in Joy’s own words, "It’s all about the sauces." Garlic mayo, spicy mayo, BBQ, chimichuri, pesto, dijon mustard, spicy mango chutney, honey mustard, and sweet chili. Joy Burger Bar is a build-it-yourself wet dream; they have three different sized burgers, plus turkey and veggie. And for a little extra money, you can get avocado, chili, portobello, roasted peppers, egg, or sun-dried tomatoes.

The meat is solid, with the right amount of grease, just enough to make it a little bit gross. But in a best way possible. Like having sex in a public bathroom. Add all that sauce, and these comparisons are getting to sleazy even for us. We're disgusted with ourselves. But not so much that we can't stomach another bite.

6. Donovan's Pub

Address: 57-24 Roosevelt Ave., Queens
Website: n/a

Oh, what’s that? The health department recently shut the pub down for a couple days? But they reopened? Yes. Well then, we're sure it’s clean now.

Actually, probably it’s not, but who cares. Give us a great burger and a few beers, and we can forget all about it.

This is the best a burger can be without trying, which makes it the coolest burger on the block. It’s the best possible version of what your father was always grilling up, a fact you'll admit when you first taste the burger, a fact that will prove you’re man enough to drop the sentimental attachment you have to to your father’s grilling. (We understand; it’s hard to do.)

Donovan’s hamburgers are simple, big and juicy. Smother it with cheese and bacon. It’s a greasy, char-broiled, half-pound beast. Health code issues—whatever. Donovan’s is worth the trip to Queens. 

5. Social Eatz

Address: 232 East 53rd St.
Website: n/a

If you don't know the difference between Asian-American and American-Asian cuisines, think about it this way: if somebody serves you hamburger, you know it's not Chinese food, even if it's cooked in a bucket of soy sauce. The same cannot be said about dishes such as General Tso's Chicken (Asian-American), which many wrongly think is a Chinese dish despite this Wikipedia gem: “descendants of General Tso...say that they have never heard of such a dish.”

If you're still confused, try the Korean-influenced Bulgogi burger at Social Eatz (American-Asian). According to the menu, the burger's name means “fire meat” in Korean, but it has the look of classic American comfort food...only with an Asian kick of soy sauce, cucumber kimchee, kewpee, and Japanese mayo.

If that isn't a good enough reason to dine at Social Eatz, try this one: the chef, Angelo Sosa, was a Top Chef runner-up. 

4. BLT Burger

Address: 470 6th Ave.
Website: bltburger.com

“Tip waiters, not cows.” – T-Shirt of the employees at BLT Burger.

While these kind of jokes make us sick, we did manage to STOMACH (see what we did right there?) the steakhouse burger. For $18, you get BLT's custom blend of 30-day dry-aged prime beef (brisket, shortribs, sirloin), and sweet caramelized onions. Treat it like a steak. Because it tastes like a steak. Ask for it medium-rare at most, and let the juice soak into the bun. A burger so sophisticated, it feels wrong. Good wrong.

3. Minetta Tavern

Address: 113 MacDougal St.
Website: minettatavernny.com

Two expensive burgers to pick from, both worth the price tag. For $17 you can have the Minetta Burger, which comes with cheddar cheese and caramelized onions. Certainly nothing to scoff at, this burger is juicy, and the cheddar cheese packs tons of flavor. But why kick a field goal when you can go for two, right?

Order the Black Label Burger. $26 and worth every Lincoln-faced penny. Prime dry-aged beef cuts topped with caramelized onions. Served on a custom-created Balthazar Bakery brioche bun studded with sesame seeds. They say it doesn’t need cheese, but don't let them tell you what your burger needs. You know what you want.

2. Peter Luger Steak House

Address: 178 Broadway, South Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Website: peterluger.com

You can only order the burger at lunch, and lunch ends at 3 p.m. When you do order the burger, prepare yourself for some disdainful looks from the waitstaff, which can be an illicit sort of pleasure. Like getting caught smoking pot by that friend who doesn’t like getting high. 

Peter Luger serves their burger on a deliciously crispy sesame seed bun. The meat blends ground chuck and ground porterhouse to perfection. The only issue with the Peter Luger burger is that the attitude the server gives you when you order is the same attitude the kitchen staff shows to the burger. The Steak House doesn’t exacly give a fuck. Pick off the raw onion they casually toss on and just bite into that motherfucker. The staff can keep their noses in the air, it doesn't matter. You're down there with the blood, meat, and bun. You're a savage in a steak house and goddamn that feels good. Dig in.

1. Peaches HotHouse

Address: 415 Tompkins Ave., Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn
Website: peacheshothouse.com

This establishment in Bed Stuy calls itself “an urban ‘country cafe,’” (we'd also add "soul food spot" to that—it made our list of 10 Soul Food Spots You Should Know) and that's a damn good description. Peaches is a tiny restaurant that pulls off an incredibly cozy vibe, complete with a friendly, knowledgeable staff. And the blues music in the background fits perfectly with the Southern cuisine and their signature Nashville-style hot chicken. 

But let’s talk about the burger, because this is a burger list and this is the best the city has to offer. Oh, and almost nobody knows about it. A recent menu change has put a new topping on the hamburger at Peaches HotHouse: crispy chicken skin. In other words, they've changed the game. The crispy chicken skin from a place that has fried chicken on lock will now top your burger. And it’s incredible. Not to mention that thee natural-beef burger tastes delicious on its own. Plus, you can get a heaping portion of sauteed mushrooms and onions as additional toppings that the server will bring out to you in a small side dish, cooked to perfection. Add as much as you like.

One more thing: Order a side of fried chicken. That ensures you're in for one of the best meals of your life.