photo: Christina Livadiotis
Unless you don't eat meat, it's hard not to love the hamburger. A perfectly made combination of tender ground beef and just-right bun is one of life's great pleasures – especially when paired with crisp french fries. But where to find the best ones? For that kind of major decision we turned to the 38,128 people who voted in this year's NYC survey. And so we present the Top Burgers in New York, fresh from the 2009 New York City Restaurants guide:
DuMont; 432 Union Ave., Brooklyn; 718-486-7717
DuMont Burger; 314 Bedford Ave., Brooklyn; 718-384-6127
Williamsburgers can “stop cooking at home” thanks to this “easygoing joint” serving “artful” yet “cheap” New American standards; a “hip crowd” convenes in the “inviting” interior or “Zen-like garden”, or hits the Bedford Avenue mini spin-off for “awesome” burgers and sandwiches.
Madison Square Park, 23rd St.; 212-889-6600
“Brilliant” burgers and hot dogs plus “shakes worth every calorie” add up to pure “magic” at this Madison Square Park alfresco “treat”, now open year ’round and soon to expand to the UWS and beyond; one “negative” – “half the planet” is “on line”, so “check their webcam” or “be prepared” for a “monumental” wait.
119 W. 56th St.; 212-708-7414
For “top-class burgers” in the “most unlikely” setting, check out this “old-school” hamburger joint incongruously “tucked away behind a curtain” in a “swank” Midtown hotel lobby; while the chow scores well, the “intimidating service”, “lowbrow decor”, “minimal seating” and “unbearable” lunch lines don’t; P.S. the secret’s out, “even Oprah knows.”
331 W. Fourth St.; 212-242-9502
“Grimy” decor is “part of the charm” at this “genuine” Village tavern famed for its “thick”, “messy” burgers, “paper-plate” china and “dirt-cheap beer”; expect “long lines” of “frat boys” with “impending hangovers” who don’t mind the “military service” or “truck stop restrooms.”
766 Ninth Ave.; 212-307-7934
Big “messy burgers” with a “seemingly infinite choice of toppings” washed down with “dreamy shakes” are the hooks at this surf-themed Hell’s Kitchen “staple”; “low costs” distract from the “no-frills” decor and the much-lamented “lack of french fries.”
1291 Third Ave.; 212-744-0585
The burgers and cottage fries blow away the rest of the “buttoned-down comfort-food” menu offered at this longtime UES pub; despite “cranky” staffers and a “cash-only” rule, it’s a “preppy” magnet thanks to its “college-days”-meets-“country-club” aura.
Still not enough burger fun for you? Check out our Midtown Burger Tour. Or, for more NYC Top Lists, click here.