Business & Tech

These 16 NYC Burgers Are Among The Nation's Best

Burger heaven is closer than you think.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK — New York City may be known for its world-famous pizza, but the city is also home to some of the nation's finest burgers.

The Daily Meal employed the expertise of famed meat purveyor and butcher extraordinaire Pat LaFrieda to draw up a list of the 101 best burgers in America.

New York City may have taken third place under Chicago and Atlanta, but it takes 16 spots on the list.

Find out what's happening in Midtown-Hell's Kitchenfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Here’s how New York City fared this year:

  • No. 73: Bowery Meat Company’s Cheeseburger (East Village) – A cheeseburger with griddled onions, raclette and tomato aïoli.
  • No. 50: The Corner Bistro’s Bistro Burger (Greenwich Village) – “Old-timers complain that it isn't what it used to be, but the burgers still taste darn good to us,” LaFrieda said.
  • No. 47: Prime Meats’ Prime Meats Burger (Carroll Gardens) – “It’s so beefy, juicy, well-seared, and full of dry-aged funkiness that it really doesn’t even need toppings or a bun,” LaFrieda said.
  • No. 42: Brindle Room’s Sebastian’s Steak House Burger (East Village) – LaFrieda had this to say about Brindle Room’s dry-aged creation: “It comes topped with caramelized onions and your choice of cheese, but honestly, would you top a dry-aged ribeye with cheese?”
  • No. 26: B&B Winpub’s Bash Style (SoHo) – “This is the foundation of what you could argue has become unparalleled burger greatness,” LaFrieda said.
  • No. 24: 4 Charles Prime Rib’s American Cheeseburger (Greenwich Village) – “It’s got that perfect level of heft, a wonderful char, and an ideal interplay of all its components,” LaFrieda said.
  • No. 22: Keens Steakhouse’s Hamburger (Midtown) – This burger is “just as worthy of praise as the legendary mutton chop,” LaFrieda said.
  • No. 19: The NoMad Bar’s Dry-Aged Beef Burger (NoMad) – This “swanky” burger “doesn’t come out of the same kitchen that prepares the signature $94 whole-roasted chicken with foie gras and black truffles, it’s still in the same sphere of indulgence, albeit more beefy and affordable,” LaFrieda said, referring to the NoMad Bar’s two separate entrances.
  • No. 18: P.J. Clarke’s The Cadillac (Midtown East) – The burger got its name from Nat “King” Cole himself, LaFrieda said, who dubbed this eatery “the Cadillac of burgers.”
  • No. 15: Burger Joint’s Cheeseburger (Midtown) – Simple, yet satisfying, according to LaFrieda.
  • No. 14: Peter Luger’s Luger Burger (Williamsburg) – “There are no bells and whistles, but Peter Luger has been handling meat since 1887, and its rich, half-pound Luger Burger, made from porterhouse and prime chuck roll trimmings, is worth figuring out how to sneak out of the office for a long lunch,” LaFrieda said.
  • No. 11: The Little Owl’s Bacon Cheese Burger (Greenwich Village) – “It’s rich and meaty and hit all the right notes,” LaFrieda said.
  • No. 10: J.G. Melon’s Cheeseburger (Greenwich Village) – “JG Melon is the kind of place where many burger memories are made, and a fine example of a classic, old-school New York City burger,” LaFrieda said.
  • No. 9: dc Bistro Moderne’s Original db Burger (Midtown) – “Indulgent? You bet.” LaFrieda said. “Juicy? Absolutely. Salty, sweet, and savory with a bit of a bite? Oh yeah.”
  • No. 5: Minetta Tavern’s Black Label Burger (Greenwich Village) – “Juicy, savory, salty, soul-satisfying… these words lose meaning in the presence of a burger this good,” LaFrieda said.
  • No. 3: The Spotted Pig’s Chargrilled Burger (Greenwich Village) – This juicy creation is “the kind of burger that will force you to close your eyes after taking the first bite and just be with the beefy, cheesy decadence,” La Frieda said, but get it while you can. “This is a burger that you’ll be dreaming about for weeks to come, but you might not be able to experience it for much longer: The new co-owners, Gabrielle Hamilton and Ashley Merriman from the city’s renowned Prune, haven’t committed to keeping it on the menu once they take over.”

Read the Daily Meal's article here.

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock

Find out what's happening in Midtown-Hell's Kitchenfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

More from Midtown-Hell's Kitchen