Lined with nostalgic decorations like a museum, Harlem Shake is the most militant of burger smashers, smashing its Harlem classic so hard that the sear turns into a separable membrane. The flavor of the meat is notably good, with the usual American cheese underneath. Another permutation of a menu that mainly restricts itself to burgers, franks, and fried chicken sandwiches is the “hot mess,” which features a relish of cherry peppers and bacon on the seared patty, and there’s a vegan cheeseburger, too. Get the fries but skip the milkshakes.

In the new food court called the Hugh, diners can find the latest branch of this Israeli pita-based chain. One of its best offerings is called the folded cheeseburger. Invented by chef Eyal Shani, it features a skinny beef patty seared into oblivion on one side, folded over white cheddar, slathered with garlic aioli, and garnished with tomato and pickles. It’s essentially a classic smash burger, but one deposited in a fluffy pita rather than a bun.

Lately there have been a rash of small hamburger joints offering halal meats and limited menus concentrating mainly on burgers. Burgermania, a stone’s throw from the Port Authority Bus Terminal, is a perfect example of the genre. The default is the smashed-down-hard manic burger, dressed with ketchup and mayo, but a series of variations have whimsical names, including the oozy (mushrooms and pepperjack) and the big boy (cheddar, beef bacon, and “southwest” sauce). Fried chicken sandwiches round out the menu, and the website boasts, “Our buns are golden brown marshmallow soft.”

Shake Shack, which started off as a seasonal hamburger stand in Madison Square Park, is the rare example of a chain that’s managed to keep up quality while expanding across the globe. Lettuce, tomato, slices of American cheese, and a squirt of Shack Sauce serve as supporting roles for one of New York’s most widely available smash burgers. What these patties lack in char and caramelization, they make up for in sheer portion size, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a smash burger with more beef for under $10.

In a city with no shortage of great patties, restaurant names like Best Burger are fighting words, but in the case of this Meatpacking District restaurant, which sources its beef right across the street, it helps that they’re mostly true. The burger here is loosely modeled after the ones at In-N-Out — meaning onion, tomato, pickle, shredded lettuce, and sauce are all on the table. It comes with two smash patties by default (around $12). The fries get the job done, but for something different, try the onion rings battered in gluten-free beer, offered at the same price.

This list’s newest entry comes from Bastard Burgers, a burger counter located downstairs in the Bronx Brewery’s East Village taproom. It’s the first U.S. outpost of a well-established Swedish chain, which defies certain smash burger conventions common here: It employs cheddar — rather than American — cheese, for one, and has a strong mustardy taste. The default burger is $12 for a single patty, and a few more dollars for a double, but whichever you choose, be sure to grab twice as many napkins as you think you need because this burger is a heaping, drippy mess.

The burgers at Jerrell’s Betr Brgr tick all the boxes: They’re hot, greasy, filling, and available late at night. But in the crowded field of smash burgers, Jerrell’s stands out in one way — everything is vegan. The flavorful, satisfying Impossible burgers come with vegan cheese, grilled onions, and a sauce that adds a hint of sweetness. There’s single and double burgers, the the latter of which can be loaded with vegan bacon, chili, and jalapenos. Order ahead or walk up to the window under the bright, bold signage on lower Sixth Avenue at just about any hour of the night.

Smashed was one of the first to the punch in the latest wave of smash burger openings, and while other burger shops have since popped up nearby, this Lower East Side takeout counter with a rowdy late-night crowd remains one of the absolute best. The Big Shmacc, essentially a smash burger Big Mac on a sesame seed bun, is the way to go, but burger purists will find plenty to love in the classic double smash, made with griddled onions, pickles, and charred beef patties overflowing from a Martin’s potato roll bun.

This Lower East Side halal burger counter has two other branches in Long Island, but this one is owned by Kaveh Tabatabaie. The signature holy burger has two thin, intensely seared patties and a lavish quantity of American cheese — so if you like your burgers cheesy, this is your place. It’s also a great place to grab a milkshake, and the menu also offers a chopped cheese in a hamburger bun utilizing the same seared patty.

When the first Blue Collar opened in Williamsburg a decade ago by Gavin Compton and Jeff Slagg, it was identified as a California burger in the In-N-Out vein, But in retrospect, the burger is more like Shake Shack’s, with its green leaf lettuce and bright red tomato, the thinness of the patty with paradoxically big flavor, and general laudable greasiness — though not as intentionally greasy as 7th Street Burger’s.

Apocalypse Burger landed in the Brooklyn last year by way of Indiana, where chef Martha Hoover (of James Beard acclaim) started cooking up smashed patties during the pandemic. Her burgers can be ordered for delivery from Hungry House, a ghost kitchen in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, but stop by in person for a hotter, fresher burger. Stick to the simple Plain Jane burger, a melty, meaty creation that could probably benefit from more caramelization on the grill but will no doubt satisfy a smash burger craving.