Pickin' Burgers: The Royale at PYT in Philadelphia

Reader Alex Telischak writes in with his take on his Philly favorite.

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By Alex Telischak @eponymoushipstr
For me, it’s how the various components of a burger come together that creates the overall experience. While I definitely want to taste the patty when I bite into a burger, I need to experience how the toppings, sauce, and condiments mingle to create a full flavor that complements the patty itself. PYT, located in the Piazza at Schmidt’s in the Northern Liberties neighborhood of Philadelphia, is your mecca if you share my viewpoint on burgers.

On my last visit to this bar and restaurant, I tried their Royale, a double patty beast of a burger. As with their single patty PYT burger or triple (!) patty Big Mic, all three come with lettuce, raw onion, tomato, bacon, and special PYT sauce. Aside from these, I had the option of 14 toppings, including spicy pickles, avocado, fried egg, and eight different cheeses, including Boursin, goat cheese, and provolone—literally thousands of variations. I had my Royale with a fried egg, provolone, and hot mustard. The patty is juicy and not at all overpowering in its flavor. But the beauty of this burger is in the coming together. Picture this: spicy mustard, a juicy burger patty, fried egg yolk, caramelized onion, and special sauce between two toasted Martin’s Potato Roll burger buns that are just the right consistency and weight for the contents between them. Picking a single word to describe this flavor is difficult, but I’ll go with “spectacular.” And don’t forget: you’ll need to ask for extra napkins.

PYT Philadelphia: The Pickin' Burgers Index

Price: 3 ($10; as sampled, $12).
Convenience: 1.
Taste: 9. It's that good.
Total: 13 (out of 20).


The Pickin' Burgers Index explained:
Taste is ranked on a 10-point scale, and is entirely subjective, entirely at each individual reviewer's discretion.
Price and Convenience are objective measurements on a 5-point scale. For Price, a "5" is given to burgers costing less than $2.50, a "4" to burgers costing $2.50 to $10, with a point drop for each subsequent $5 price increase (a "3" for $10-$15, a "2" for $15-$20, etc., to a "1" for $20+).
For Convenience, a "5" is awarded to burgers served at over 1000 locations, a "4" to burgers served at 100-1000 locations in more than 30 states, a "3" to burgers served at 10-100 locations in more than one state, a "2" to burgers served at more than one location in a city or region, and a "1" to burgers served at one location.


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