Stand's Classic Burger.
(Cell phone photo!)
You can learn a lot about a destination by sampling its very best hamburgers -- is the patty thin or thick? How's the bun? What toppings are de rigeur? These are all delicious questions to answer, but it's always challenging to figure out who makes the very best burger in town, as foodies (locals and visitors) can debate this question for endless hours. (N.B.: Boston's best burgers. )
I'm going to wade into the fray here, since I'm beginning to compile a list of the best burgers in cities all around the United States. (UPDATED: And here it is!) One early piece of research was at New York City's Stand burger, a slick modern burger joint in the heart of the student-central Village. My burger was thick and juicy -- for toppings, I liked the onion marmalade and the porcini sauce, and I really enjoyed the sweet potato fries with dijon dipping sauce. Stand also serves a huge variety of milkshakes, housemade sodas, and a nice selection of regional beers.
Have a favorite burger -- in New York City or elsewhere -- that I should consider for my list? Share in the comments!
UPDATED: Shake Shack was mentioned a couple of times in the comments. Here's some more info on the Madison Square Park fave.
UPDATED STILL MORE: Read about The Little Owl's celebrated cheeseburger.
UPDATED YET AGAIN! Here's a city-by-city guide to the best burgers in the United States.
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Photo: by Alison Stein Wellner, who forgot her camera.
I should not be giving up the “secrets” but these are the best 2 places in the city!
Burger Joint
Le Parker Meridien New York
and
Shake Shack
Madison Square Park
Oooh Heather I love Shake Shack! Especially love their frozen custard, although those burgers ain’t bad.
Been to Stand once and I wish I could agree with your judgement. Sadly, my experience was paltry and the burger I ordered was almost horrific. Badly seasoned, burnt bun and terrible toppings. The sidenote is that the toasted marshmallow shake and the fries were amazing. I think you’d benefit from checking out Shake Shack (as an astute commentor wrote already), as well as JG Melon. If you have more travel time, you should check some of the other NYC burger‘s rated and listed on my site as well. Keep up the reviews, love to hear other bloggers opinions!
Hey Kyle,
Thanks for the comment, yeah, I had a very good experience at Stand, but I think that there’s an awful lot of variability in burger making, because when you read reviews and messages boards, people seem to have very different experiences. I do love Shake Shack, too, it’s right in my neighborhood, and I’ll put JG Melon my list.
Love your site, btw. What do you think of the burgers at Waterfront Ale House?
Hey Alison,
Absolutely a wide array of opinion when it comes to burgers. Its a truly subjective topic and you can make the case for any burger with the right supporting evidence
I am just one of many blogging about the best burgers in NYC but we all seem to focus on the same handful of great spots in the end.
I actually really dig the burger at Waterfront. Very flavorful and juicy, not too big or messy either. Waterfront is so close to my apartment too, so I often find myself grabbing a burger (with chili usually) or their pulled pork…with a draft beer of course! As for Shake Shack, I usually cant get enough. Definitely let me know what you think of JG Melon too.
We just reviewed Rare, you should check that out too if you’re in the Murray Hill neighborhood…check it out: Best Burger NYC.
Thanks for the website praise! I’ve bookmarked your blog as well.
Great review of Rare! I went there for a party, but didn’t have the burger…so based on your review, I’m not kicking myself.
Please let me know when you’ve rounded out your top five, I’ll do a blog post to celebrate that happy day.
Hey Alison!
Shake Shack review is on its way, thought you might be interested.
How goes your culinary travels these days?
Hey Kyle, would love to see the Shake Shack review, so either feel free to link here or else send it to me on my email above.
I’m just back from West Sweden — where I had an excellent moose burger!
Check out http://www.burgernyc.com. They have tons of great reviews on the best burgers in NYC. It’s really easy to navigate through also.