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A burger with onions and melty cheese sits on a plate at Gus’s Chop House.
The off-menu burger at Gus’s Chop House.
Gus’s Chop House/Teddy Wolff

NYC’s Top 15 Burgers Right Now

From the simple White Mana burger to an off-menu stunner in Carroll Gardens

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The off-menu burger at Gus’s Chop House.
| Gus’s Chop House/Teddy Wolff

Yes, there’s reason to believe the hamburger as we know it may have been invented in New York City in the 1820s, where it was named after a North Sea port, and sold as street food to German sailors along the docks around Chambers Street. By the mid-1800s, it was a staple of Delmonico’s and other fancy places. So it’s no surprise that New York City is a hamburger town, and we love to eat them whether expensive or budget-friendly — in every part of the city. Some options on this list are local icons, while other newfangled ones have become must-tries. From the head-turning burger at Rolo’s to the frankly weird upside-down burgers at Fairfax to one of the city’s best diner burgers, here are the ones we recommend ordering.

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JG Melon

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This Upper East Side mainstay dating to 1972 is a paragon of bar food. Sure the turkey club and chef’s salad are up to par, but the burgers command the most attention, especially when they pop up enticingly at the pass of the semi-open kitchen. The ground beef is fresh and the patty arrives deeply seared from the flat top, but still pink and juicy. Rippled cottage fries are the classic accompaniment.

A cheeseburger with pickles and purple onions in a paper boat.
JG Melon’s juicy specimen is a classic bar burger.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Pig Beach BBQ

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A great barbecue joint proves to be a pretty good place to look for a tasty burger. At the sprawling Astoria location of Pig Beach (the Gowanus original is closed), the modest-sized patty benefits from the wood smoke, and the cheese is applied with an unstinting hand, making for a gooey mess. Yes, the burger doesn’t look like much, but it’s delicious nevertheless.

A hand holds up a compact burger in a bun with melted cheese streaming.
The burger at Pig Beach BBQ.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

White Mana Diner

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Looking like a spaceship that landed by a nest of highway overpasses long ago, this spot has been located in Jersey City since 1946. Before that, the building started off as a minor attraction at the 1936 World's Fair in Flushing, Queens. Today, it serves classic sliders with cheese and pickles, small enough that you can eat two or three at its curving Formica counter. It was once open 24/7, but hours are now 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.

A thin cheeseburger sits on top of a cupcake wrapper, with a stack of pickles on its bun
The simple burger at White Mana Diner.
Eater NY

Many worried when the Court Street Grocers took over the old Eisenberg’s that it wouldn’t be as good. Well, it is, and that includes the burger. It has been rehabilitated like it’s a burger of long ago — a modest patty, smothering American cheese, raw onions, plain dill pickles, and most importantly, glorious quantities of mustard. (Note that the burgers range form $9 to $12 — a deal these days.)

A hand holds a modest cheeseburger.
S&P’s retro cheeseburger — no it’s not a smash burger.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Hollywood Diner

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The diner burger is making a comeback, and we’re beginning to realize it is a burger unique enough to have a category all its own. Similar to the smash burger, it’s seared, but on both sides, and the thicker patty is also cooked all the way through. While this makes it drier, it’s still great because double American cheese is annealed to both sides of the bun before the burger is assembled. Hollywood provides one of our best examples.

A plate with the halves of the bun side by side and the patty on one and pickles, slaw, tomatoes, lettuce on the side.
The Hollywood Diner cheeseburger.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Fairfax

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Maybe this burger at the all-day Fairfax, looks like a stunt burger, with more emphasis on appearance than taste. But you’d be wrong — topped with smoked cheddar and barbecue mayo, the flavor is sweet and smoky, with the potato sticks providing welcome crunch and extra salinity. And what’s with the goofy upside-down bun?

A burger with the bun upside down and potato sticks on top.
The burger at Fairfax in the West Village.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

First offered at the late East Village bar Black Emperor, this simple burger now lives on at chef Jae Lee’s Korean-American restaurant Nowon. Eater critic Ryan Sutton extolled the cheeseburger for its simplicity: a blend of chuck and short rib on a sesame bun with American cheese, kimchi mayo, and a hulking pickle skewered on top.

A cheese burger placed on a white plate with a pattern along the border. The cheese burger is sandwiched in a sesame bun with a giant sliced pickle on top held together by a toothpick.
The Nowon cheeseburger, elegantly topped with a pickle spear.
Katie Harman

Burger By Day

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Burgers have invaded Chinatown in a big way with Burger By Day, occupying a mini food court that also boasts bubble tea right over the D train stop. The BBD smashburger comes with a pair of patties smashed into oblivion, the sear so profound the thing crackles when you bite into it. American cheese and the counter’s special sauce, which is pink and on the sweet side, finish up the package. A dozen burger sizes and configurations make it hard to decide.

Two patties with cheese on top held by a hand.
The smash burger at Burger By Day.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

BK Jani

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The burgers served at this Brooklyn Pakistani restaurant were so popular that owner Sibte Hassan outgrew his original home in Bushwick. He relocated to this expanded space in Williamsburg two weeks before the pandemic, where his fat, juicy patties now live on. The burgers here pack heat, without feeling heavy, and come with a grilled tomato slice and dab of mint chutney. There are additional locations inside Dekalb Market and at the Hugh food hall.

A white paper plate sitting on a table at Pakistani restaurant BK Jani featuring spicy fries, tamarind ketchup, and a burger
A burger from BK Jani with spicy fries.
Tanay Warerkar/Eater NY

Rolo’s

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When a burger creeps toward the $20 mark, without fries, it’s held to a different standard: We expect better beef, a cheese that holds its own, and maybe a spoonful of jammy, caramelized onions to tie things together. Rolo’s in Ridgewood hits all the marks with its double cheeseburger, throwing a pickled hot pepper on the side like it’s an old-school Italian sandwich shop. It’s rich and meaty, the kind of burger you might not want to share but will be thankful you did.

A hot pepper lounges on a plate next to a burger overflowing with crisp bacon.
The Rolo’s burger comes with a long hot pepper.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Pera Ždera (Peter Eater)

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A pljeskavica is a Balkan burger that features a combination of meats, often pork, lamb, and beef — though Muslim versions omit the pork. This particular rendition from a snack shop in Glendale features the onion-laced patty on a round bread called pogacha, dressed with a spicy red-pepper ajvar relish. The mascot is Popeye’s hamburger-eating friend Wimpy, who is known as Peter in Belgrade.

A burger in a mottled and irregular bun with some angry looking red sauce visible on the bottom half of the bun, lettuce, too.
Pljeskavica is a Balkan burger.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

The Long Island Bar

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In 2013, Joel Tompkins and Toby Cecchini restored and re-opened Long Island Bar, a neighborhood fixture since 1951. Today, in addition to offering fabulous mid-century design, there’s the diminutive single dry-aged patty burger with pickles, cheese, fancy sauce, and fries. If you’re really hungry you can get the double-patty Long Island burger, but the former is sufficient and won’t weigh you down.

A small American flag attached to a toothpick sticks out of a burger oozing with yellow cheese.
The burger at the Long Island Bar.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Gus's Chop House

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Like many of the bigger burgers on this list, the off-menu one at Gus’s is best when shared. Grab hold of the bun and watch meat juices flow as you divide this burger with a steak knife that’s probably meant for the pricier lamb loin. The patty is made from a blend of pork, chuck, and dry-aged beef, then topped with raw and caramelized onions, aged cheddar, and cornichons. To note, this burger isn’t listed on the menu, and there’s a limited number made each night.

A burger with onions and melty cheese sits on a plate at Gus’s Chop House.
The off-menu burger at Gus’s.
Gus’s Chop House/Teddy Wolff

Red Hook Tavern

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Whatever you heard about big burgers being “out” hasn’t fazed Red Hook Tavern. This restaurant from the team behind Hometown Bar-B-Que, in the same neighborhood, is known for its burger, a $28 patty topped with American cheese and a couple rings of raw onion. It’s served on a bun speckled with sesame seeds and a small mound of cottage fries.

Dry-aged burger with American cheese, white onions, and wedge fries
Potato wedges have since been swapped out for cottage fries.
Daniel Krieger/Red Hook Tavern

Yellow Magnolia Café

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If you’re looking for a burger quite literally “in the garden” drop by the Yellow Magnolia Cafe in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Mounted on a toasted brioche and mantled with gruyere, the patty is made with ground beef cut more coarse than usual and cooked medium rare, resulting in a more chew that explodes with beefy flavor, and a yellow slice of tomato further amplifies the cafe’s signature color.

A burger cut in half with pickle slices in front and salad on the side.
The burger at Yellow Magnolia Café.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

JG Melon

This Upper East Side mainstay dating to 1972 is a paragon of bar food. Sure the turkey club and chef’s salad are up to par, but the burgers command the most attention, especially when they pop up enticingly at the pass of the semi-open kitchen. The ground beef is fresh and the patty arrives deeply seared from the flat top, but still pink and juicy. Rippled cottage fries are the classic accompaniment.

A cheeseburger with pickles and purple onions in a paper boat.
JG Melon’s juicy specimen is a classic bar burger.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Pig Beach BBQ

A great barbecue joint proves to be a pretty good place to look for a tasty burger. At the sprawling Astoria location of Pig Beach (the Gowanus original is closed), the modest-sized patty benefits from the wood smoke, and the cheese is applied with an unstinting hand, making for a gooey mess. Yes, the burger doesn’t look like much, but it’s delicious nevertheless.

A hand holds up a compact burger in a bun with melted cheese streaming.
The burger at Pig Beach BBQ.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

White Mana Diner

Looking like a spaceship that landed by a nest of highway overpasses long ago, this spot has been located in Jersey City since 1946. Before that, the building started off as a minor attraction at the 1936 World's Fair in Flushing, Queens. Today, it serves classic sliders with cheese and pickles, small enough that you can eat two or three at its curving Formica counter. It was once open 24/7, but hours are now 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.

A thin cheeseburger sits on top of a cupcake wrapper, with a stack of pickles on its bun
The simple burger at White Mana Diner.
Eater NY

S&P

Many worried when the Court Street Grocers took over the old Eisenberg’s that it wouldn’t be as good. Well, it is, and that includes the burger. It has been rehabilitated like it’s a burger of long ago — a modest patty, smothering American cheese, raw onions, plain dill pickles, and most importantly, glorious quantities of mustard. (Note that the burgers range form $9 to $12 — a deal these days.)

A hand holds a modest cheeseburger.
S&P’s retro cheeseburger — no it’s not a smash burger.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Hollywood Diner

The diner burger is making a comeback, and we’re beginning to realize it is a burger unique enough to have a category all its own. Similar to the smash burger, it’s seared, but on both sides, and the thicker patty is also cooked all the way through. While this makes it drier, it’s still great because double American cheese is annealed to both sides of the bun before the burger is assembled. Hollywood provides one of our best examples.

A plate with the halves of the bun side by side and the patty on one and pickles, slaw, tomatoes, lettuce on the side.
The Hollywood Diner cheeseburger.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Fairfax

Maybe this burger at the all-day Fairfax, looks like a stunt burger, with more emphasis on appearance than taste. But you’d be wrong — topped with smoked cheddar and barbecue mayo, the flavor is sweet and smoky, with the potato sticks providing welcome crunch and extra salinity. And what’s with the goofy upside-down bun?

A burger with the bun upside down and potato sticks on top.
The burger at Fairfax in the West Village.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Nowon

First offered at the late East Village bar Black Emperor, this simple burger now lives on at chef Jae Lee’s Korean-American restaurant Nowon. Eater critic Ryan Sutton extolled the cheeseburger for its simplicity: a blend of chuck and short rib on a sesame bun with American cheese, kimchi mayo, and a hulking pickle skewered on top.

A cheese burger placed on a white plate with a pattern along the border. The cheese burger is sandwiched in a sesame bun with a giant sliced pickle on top held together by a toothpick.
The Nowon cheeseburger, elegantly topped with a pickle spear.
Katie Harman

Burger By Day

Burgers have invaded Chinatown in a big way with Burger By Day, occupying a mini food court that also boasts bubble tea right over the D train stop. The BBD smashburger comes with a pair of patties smashed into oblivion, the sear so profound the thing crackles when you bite into it. American cheese and the counter’s special sauce, which is pink and on the sweet side, finish up the package. A dozen burger sizes and configurations make it hard to decide.

Two patties with cheese on top held by a hand.
The smash burger at Burger By Day.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

BK Jani

The burgers served at this Brooklyn Pakistani restaurant were so popular that owner Sibte Hassan outgrew his original home in Bushwick. He relocated to this expanded space in Williamsburg two weeks before the pandemic, where his fat, juicy patties now live on. The burgers here pack heat, without feeling heavy, and come with a grilled tomato slice and dab of mint chutney. There are additional locations inside Dekalb Market and at the Hugh food hall.

A white paper plate sitting on a table at Pakistani restaurant BK Jani featuring spicy fries, tamarind ketchup, and a burger
A burger from BK Jani with spicy fries.
Tanay Warerkar/Eater NY

Rolo’s

When a burger creeps toward the $20 mark, without fries, it’s held to a different standard: We expect better beef, a cheese that holds its own, and maybe a spoonful of jammy, caramelized onions to tie things together. Rolo’s in Ridgewood hits all the marks with its double cheeseburger, throwing a pickled hot pepper on the side like it’s an old-school Italian sandwich shop. It’s rich and meaty, the kind of burger you might not want to share but will be thankful you did.

A hot pepper lounges on a plate next to a burger overflowing with crisp bacon.
The Rolo’s burger comes with a long hot pepper.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Pera Ždera (Peter Eater)

A pljeskavica is a Balkan burger that features a combination of meats, often pork, lamb, and beef — though Muslim versions omit the pork. This particular rendition from a snack shop in Glendale features the onion-laced patty on a round bread called pogacha, dressed with a spicy red-pepper ajvar relish. The mascot is Popeye’s hamburger-eating friend Wimpy, who is known as Peter in Belgrade.

A burger in a mottled and irregular bun with some angry looking red sauce visible on the bottom half of the bun, lettuce, too.
Pljeskavica is a Balkan burger.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

The Long Island Bar

In 2013, Joel Tompkins and Toby Cecchini restored and re-opened Long Island Bar, a neighborhood fixture since 1951. Today, in addition to offering fabulous mid-century design, there’s the diminutive single dry-aged patty burger with pickles, cheese, fancy sauce, and fries. If you’re really hungry you can get the double-patty Long Island burger, but the former is sufficient and won’t weigh you down.

A small American flag attached to a toothpick sticks out of a burger oozing with yellow cheese.
The burger at the Long Island Bar.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Gus's Chop House

Like many of the bigger burgers on this list, the off-menu one at Gus’s is best when shared. Grab hold of the bun and watch meat juices flow as you divide this burger with a steak knife that’s probably meant for the pricier lamb loin. The patty is made from a blend of pork, chuck, and dry-aged beef, then topped with raw and caramelized onions, aged cheddar, and cornichons. To note, this burger isn’t listed on the menu, and there’s a limited number made each night.

A burger with onions and melty cheese sits on a plate at Gus’s Chop House.
The off-menu burger at Gus’s.
Gus’s Chop House/Teddy Wolff

Red Hook Tavern

Whatever you heard about big burgers being “out” hasn’t fazed Red Hook Tavern. This restaurant from the team behind Hometown Bar-B-Que, in the same neighborhood, is known for its burger, a $28 patty topped with American cheese and a couple rings of raw onion. It’s served on a bun speckled with sesame seeds and a small mound of cottage fries.

Dry-aged burger with American cheese, white onions, and wedge fries
Potato wedges have since been swapped out for cottage fries.
Daniel Krieger/Red Hook Tavern

Yellow Magnolia Café

If you’re looking for a burger quite literally “in the garden” drop by the Yellow Magnolia Cafe in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Mounted on a toasted brioche and mantled with gruyere, the patty is made with ground beef cut more coarse than usual and cooked medium rare, resulting in a more chew that explodes with beefy flavor, and a yellow slice of tomato further amplifies the cafe’s signature color.

A burger cut in half with pickle slices in front and salad on the side.
The burger at Yellow Magnolia Café.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

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