15 best burgers in New York – here's where to get your fix

The best burger in New York City? There's no such thing. The Big Apple is a constellation of diverse patties that exist in part, unfortunately, to be compared and pitted against each other in a debate with no purpose. The reality is that many of these burgers, high and low, are great. The greatness is a tier. If there's a huge line or reservation battle hindering access to the great one you seek, you can go get another and eat greatness nevertheless.

Below, find the Traveller edit of burgers worth planning a trip around. And that suggestion is not beyond the pale – in scouting the burger at 4 Charles Prime Rib, I met such a person and in fact shared a table with him (4 Charles being so difficult to get into that its exclusivity nearly precluded its inclusion, for what's the point of recommending a burger you can't get? But I have advice.)

For us, there are two categories of burgers these days: those with a classic, thick patty, and those that have been smashed on the griddle. Both scratch entirely different itches, and both are well represented here. But before we begin, let's reiterate one thing: the point of a burger, in large part, is that it will be good no matter what. Beef, cheese, bread. It's reliable. It can be eaten in a steakhouse, a diner, or out of a bag on the street. But it's also true that some take the form to another level, and those are the burgers we are interested in here. Below, the best burgers NYC has to offer.

Deux Luxe

Before there was Deux Luxe, there was Café Deux. Opened in 2023 in the Westchester town of Harrison, this all-day cafe from sisters (and NYC natives) Charlotte and Carrie Denoyer quickly took off in part due to the runaway success of the wide-ranging menu's burger. Two patties of Wagyu beef, bun of pain au lait, cheddar cheese, garlic aioli – it's simple, it's perfect, it belongs in a big city brick and mortar all its own. Because it's Wagyu, it's wet with fat. The dry bun absorbs the myriad juices best it can, while the cheese practically liquefies in the initial heat. It's the first burger I've had that feels truly like a whole rather than a combination of distinct parts. There are now several other options worth trying, but the original is where it's at. Charlie Hobbs, associate editor

Address: 384 Broome St, Nolita, New York, NY 10012
Website: https://www.deuxluxeny.com/

What started for Mike Puma as a hobby of reviewing burgers around the city and making them himself at dozens of popups throughout the city with hours-long waits has beautifully blossomed into a brick-and-mortar one-stop-shop. Gotham Burger Social Club (GBSC) has a small-town-diner feel that blends seamlessly into the hustle and bustle of NYC, exemplified by its always-busy atmosphere. It's a good sign whenever you see a chef running the show in the front-of-house, and that’s exactly where you’ll find Mike Puma. There he is, ensuring that every burger (beef or Impossible) with grilled onions, American cheese, and house-made pickles is smashed to perfection, and that each order of “frickles” (fried pickles) comes with tasty homemade sauces. Don’t miss out on their vanilla or chocolate egg creams to maximize that nostalgic feel, and make sure to drink yours while sitting at the counter looking out on an iconic New York City corner, pretending you’re in a rom-com. Emily Adler, former associate social media manager

Address: 131 Essex St, Lower East Side, New York, NY
Website: gbsc.nyc

Fat Ronnie's Burger Bar

While Reynaldo “Ronnie” Faust first started slinging his burgers in on Martha's Vineyard (for that reason, the menu also counts its fair share of lobster), it's always been a decidedly New York City enterprise. That's because his recipe comes from his grandmother, one Maxine Faust, the restaurateur and chef behind bygone ’70s Harlem institution Maxine’s. Now a brick and mortar in the Greenwich Village for Fat Ronnie's brings the burger home. There are quite a few things that make it special here: that it's a fast food concept that's serving thick Angus patties rather than smashing them is one, meaning you don't need to double up to feel satisfied; the perfectly toasted, almost sweet country roll holding it all together as the bun is another. That you can stand at the counter and select your toppings from behind the glass counter – as many as you want, by the way, from lettuce and tomato to jalapeños and guacamole for no extra charge – is icing. But I recommend keeping a level head, for less is always more and this burger with some cheese is more than enough. Charlie Hobbs, associate editor

Address: 303 6th Ave, Greenwich Village, New York, NY 10014
Website: fatronniesburgerbar.com/

Emily

The burger at Emily, with its secret sauce and caramelised onion, is hands down the best in New York City in my book. It's the kind of burger my friend Fernanda described as “filthy” – so decadent, so indulgent, that describing it in all of its thick, juicy, greasy glory feels NSFW. The cheese oozes out the sides of the pretzel bun, the juices drip down your wrist, the beef is dry-aged Pat LeFrieda. It also costs nearly £24. For a burger! It's delightfully vulgar. This is the burger for hedonists (particularly those who have time to take a nap right after). People say they love the pizza here, but I can't imagine focusing on anything but this burger. Megan Spurrell, associate director, articles

Address: 919 Fulton St, Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, NY 11238; 35 Downing St, West Village, New York, NY 10014
Website: pizzalovesemily.com

P.J. Clarke's

This Midtown East institution might as well have been the green room for Old New York. P.J. Clarke’s was Frank Sinatra’s favourite restaurant, and close friend Nat King Cole once raved that they served, “the Cadillac of burgers,” minting its seat in Manhattan food tours ever since. Even if you’re not coming here to indulge in the Mad Men-ness of it all, these burgers beckon all food pilgrims. A class act in not fixing what isn’t broke, burgers are served with a dill pickle and sea salt fries, the same way it’s been done since 1884. You come here for the freshly ground patties that bleed like a prime cut of steak, the onion-perfumed buns that whet the palate, and a reminder of what every good burger aspires to be. Kat Chen, editorial assistant

Address: Numerous locations: Financial District, Midtown East, Manhattan West, Upper West Side
Website: pjclarkes.com

Keens Steakhouse

A burger at Keens is more appetiser than main event – the mutton chop is the true diva. But don't let that discount the punch packed by this reliable whopper. It's hefty, with a generous cut of aged white cheddar melting like wax over an even thicker patty bleeding juices. It's also, technically, only on the menu at the downstairs Tavern. But Keens is not a pretentious place. They'll bring it upstairs. Charlie Hobbs, associate editor

Address: 72 W 36th St., Midtown, New York, NY
Website: keens.com

Red Hook Tavern (and Tavern Next Door)

Red Hook Tavern is not at all close to a subway. Most will have to trek 20 minutes or so from a Brooklyn F or G train to get here. But, boy, is the burger worth it. This is not an original take. Just about everyone in this warm and humble eating and drinking house will order the burger – you can see into the kitchen from the bar, where rows of burgers are assembled one after the other. And it's a worthy burger, even at £22, for a few reasons. If you listen to your waiter, you'll have it medium rare and therefore juicy as can be. The burger will drip all over your fries, which are included and cut like pickle chips. There's a lot of American cheese melted on top, and a demure pile of raw onion. The patty is crusted in pepper. It's just good. And it's also easier to get now that the team has opened Tavern Next Door, well, next door. It's a much moodier bar concept, but the burger comes carried out from the same kitchen. Charlie Hobbs, associate editor

Address: 329 Van Brunt St, Red Hook, Brooklyn, NY
Website: redhooktavern.com

Superiority Burger

A veggie burger? On the best burgers list? Nope, it’s not an editorial error. This namesake handheld from East Village hot spot Superiority Burger can play with the best of them, satisfying the stomachs of Manhattan’s most strong-minded meat-eaters (no really, it’s one of my husband’s favourite burgers and he called himself a carnivore in college, unironically). “Squishy by design,” according the menu, and topped with melty Muenster, crunchy pickles, and an umami sauce, the grain-and-bean patty will leave you feeling full afterwards – not like shit (a blessing in the world of burgers). Hannah Chubb, senior commerce editor

Address: 119 Avenue A, The East Village, New York, NY
Website: superiorityburger.com

The Long Island Bar

In what is already an ideal restaurant—vintage-style neon sign out front, wooden bench booths, strong martinis, and a Midwestern-feeling menu of devilled eggs and fried cheese curds – the burger at Long Island Bar is always the ideal order. Think a smashed dry-age patty (two if you're feeling wild, which sometimes I am!), pickles, cheese, and what they call "fancy sauce" (which tells you a lot about this spot's personality). Go in a smallish group, belly up to the bar to put your name in, then order a strong drink if there's a wait. By the time you reach your table, trust me, you'll be ready to roll up your sleeves and dig in. And don't worry, it's not monstrously big – you'll have plenty of energy to totter over to Montero for a divey night of karaoke afterward. Megan Spurrell, senior features editor

Address: 110 Atlantic Ave, Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, NY
Website: https://www.thelongislandbar.com/

Swoony's

It seems everywhere is serving the grown-up happy meal—burger and a martini—right now. At Swoony's, a new Carroll Gardens spot from the Cafe Spaghetti team, I'm not even mad at more of the same. They do it perfectly. And to be clear, the menu has plenty more to it, from a crab louie and clams casino, to a hanger steak with “cowboy butter”—there's a retro Americana thing going on here, if you hadn't noticed—but take a look around the humming dining room and you'll see the thousand-island topped double-patty and martini spinoffs are a draw for many guests. —Megan Spurrell, senior features editor

Address: 215 Columbia St, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, NY
Website: swoonys.com

Little Grenjai

On an unassuming Bed-Stuy corner sits Thai restaurant Little Grenjai. It's decorated mainly in primary colours, telegraphing that it's a happy little luncheonette. By night, it's an excellent full-service Thai restaurant. During lunch hours, you can still come in – and come in you should, because between noon and three p.m. is the only time you can order their krapow smash burger (available as a single for $12 (£9) or a double for $18 (£13), and you can add a fried duck egg for £3 more.) Charred on the grill and topped with American cheese, holy basil, giardiniera, and special sauce, the burger is taken especially over the edge by the mix of pork and beef in the patty and by the heavily-sesame-seeded bun. I've been known to come in for a double, then double back for another because it's so good I just want more. Charlie Hobbs, associate editor

Address: 477 Gates Ave, Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, NY
Website: littlegrenjai.com

Eel Bar

Eel Bar has the most daring burger on this list, with a caveat – you must order the marinated white anchovies on top for an additional $3 (£2.30). It works! But it's also got a pillowy bun, piles of thinly-sliced white onion circles, and biting, gooey Roquefort, making for a burger that appeals to all of my dare-me ordering inclinations, but won't scare away others (the anchovies are gentler than they sound.) Because Eel Bar has so many tasty little plates, I say order one for the table (if you can bear to share). Megan Spurrell, senior features editor

Address: 252 Broome Street, Lower East Side, New York, NY
Website: eelbarnyc.com

Raoul's

Raoul’s has been a longstanding New York City institution since the likes of Warhol, Basquiat, Haring, and Koons swapped art for checks. Wild nights, bon vivant escapades, A-lister benders – this bistro has a gritty legacy. As such, with the complex passage of time, this reputation can give the contemporary Raoul's a faint pastiche as a pitstop for internet tourism, which makes it annoying that the burger here is good enough to validate any impulse that you should bite your tongue, shamelessly wait in their disjointed upstairs loft, and try to get a seat to order it. Limited to 12 burgers a night at the bar and weekend at standard seating for brunch hours, this au poivre-style burger is layered with a triple-cream St André cheese, cornichons, and a side of ever-faithful pomp frites. And of course – of course! – there’s a ramekin of Raoul’s signature au poivre sauce on the side, their pièce de résistance refined for over 50 years. And it’s the au poivre of it all that gets you in the end, too good to pass up, a dip-it-clean-until-it's-gone situation. Peeling back the iron wall of Raoul’s scarcity tactics, though, it really is a fantastic burger. Put your pride aside, guzzle a $16 Bloody Mary, savour this burger, then go home to a paralytic nap that will catapult you into the next millennium. Bridget Knowles, associate social media manager

Address: 180 Prince St, SoHo, New York, NY 10012
Website: raouls.com

Wild Cherry

Wild Cherry has pedigree—it's from the team behind Frenchette and Le Veau d’Or. The coveted enclave inside Cherry Lane Theatre has internet socialites bending over backwards, forwards, sideways to get past the (literal) red velvet rope for a seating, and it does make it a tantalising place to devour a burger. And despite the bandwagon shame, it's a great burger! Dubbed ‘Cheeseburger’ on the menu, no less. In your hands it’s a perfectly pouted Frenchette bun dripping with melted cheddar, upheld with raw onion, and cloaked with Sauce Choron, a tomato-spiked variation of Béarnaise sauce. It does not come with fries. Why? Feels better that I don’t know, but ordering fries is essential to a burger experience, especially one where you’re one (maybe two) confidently poured cocktails deep inside a pseudo-diner troped with dark romance. So, yeah, order the extra fries, don’t be weird about it. Bridget Knowles, associate social media manager

Address: 38 Commerce St, West Village, New York, NY 10014
Website: wildcherrynyc.com/

4 Charles Prime Rib

Much is made of the West Village's 4 Charles in general – how impossible it is to get a table, and how worthwhile the food is once you do. And I've got to tell you, having scored a seat by showing up at 3 p.m. on a week day myself (this is what you're going to have to do – even just to put your name in for later), the burger warranted such ridiculous pursuit if burgers are your area of interest. It's $39 (£29) and accordingly massive, with two Wagyu patties and dripping American cheese – as such, it's somewhere between smash and steakhouse. It's cut table-side by a white-gloved waiter (order the fried egg on top for extra drama). Godspeed. Charlie Hobbs, associate editor

Address: 4 Charles St, West Village New York, NY 10014
Website: nycprimerib.com

This story was originally published on cntraveler.com