New York's burger scene has a nice built-in insurance policy: if the line at one famous patty is two hours long, the one down the street is probably just as good. A new round-up from Condé Nast Traveller UK makes that case convincingly, sending readers to 15 spots across Manhattan and Brooklyn — and framing them in two camps: thick classic patties and griddle-smashed ones.
The toughest reservation on the list is 4 Charles Prime Rib in the West Village, so hard to bag that the writer nearly left it off entirely. Slightly easier: Deux Luxe on Broome Street in Nolita, a spin-off of a Harrison, Westchester café run by sisters Charlotte and Carrie Denoyer, where a Wagyu double on a pain au lait bun with cheddar and garlic aioli has become the headline act. Fat Ronnie's in Greenwich Village offers a friendlier proposition — thick Angus patties on a sweet country roll, a recipe from Maxine Faust of 1970s Harlem restaurant Maxine's, with a self-serve toppings counter at no extra charge.
Brooklyn punches hard. Emily in Clinton Hill (and the West Village) serves a dry-aged Pat LaFrieda burger with secret sauce and caramelised onion on a pretzel bun — decadent, dripping, and priced at around £24. Red Hook Tavern's pepper-crusted, medium-rare number runs about £22 and comes with crinkle-cut fries; it's a 20-minute walk from the F or G train, though the moodier Tavern Next Door now pulls from the same kitchen and shortens the wait. In Bed-Stuy, Little Grenjai's krapow smash burger — pork-and-beef, holy basil, giardiniera, American cheese — is lunch-only (noon to 3pm), $12 for a single, $18 for a double, plus a fried duck egg if you like.
The classics hold their ground too. P.J. Clarke's, a Midtown institution since 1884 that Nat King Cole called home of "the Cadillac of burgers", still serves freshly ground patties with dill pickle and sea-salt fries. Keens Steakhouse hides its aged-cheddar whopper on the downstairs Tavern menu — though they'll bring it upstairs if you ask. Gotham Burger Social Club on the Lower East Side is the smash-burger dream: grilled onions, American cheese, house pickles, fried pickles ("frickles") and an egg cream at the counter, run by founder Mike Puma himself.
Vegetarians aren't an afterthought: Superiority Burger in the East Village does a grain-and-bean patty with Muenster, pickles and umami sauce that converts committed carnivores. For atmosphere, The Long Island Bar in Cobble Hill pairs a smashed dry-age patty and "fancy sauce" with strong martinis, Swoony's in Carroll Gardens nails the burger-and-martini combo, and Eel Bar on the Lower East Side takes the boldest swing — Roquefort, white onion and, for $3 more, marinated white anchovies that work better than they sound.
Who's this for? Anyone building an eating itinerary around New York — which, frankly, is a solid way to see the city. Mix one splurge (Emily or 4 Charles) with a counter-seat smash burger and you'll cover Manhattan and Brooklyn in the most delicious way possible.
