nyc best burgers

NYC’s 56 Best Burgers, Ranked

We're on a search to find the best burgers in New York City. See the full ranked list and map on the Beli app.

Search status: In progress | Stops: 56

We’ve combed New York City restaurants in search of the best burger in NYC. From Emily to JG Melon, we’ve tried them all so you don’t have to!

See any you like? Save them on the Beli App—a (WAY) better version of that restaurant note/spreadsheet/map you’re using now. Click the button below to download on the App Store.

4 Charles prime rib burger

#1 - 4 Charles Prime Rib

Beli rating: 10.0 | West Village

4 Charles is the restaurant of our dreams. It’s nearly impossible to order something bad on their menu, but the burger with egg and bacon is a can’t-miss. Perfectly cooked, perfectly balanced, and incredibly decadent. The restaurant usually recommends sharing as an appetizer.

What to order: American Cheeseburger

Emily bk burger

#2 - Emily BK

Beli rating: 9.9 | Clinton Hill

We didn’t originally plan to feature burgers from both the original BK location and the WV location of Emily, but given the subtle differences between the two, we decided they each deserved their own spot. The main difference between the two “Emmy Burgers” is the single vs. double patty, but more importantly, Emily BK will cook that single patty to your desired temp. As fanatical supporters of Emily WV, our only knock has ever been that we can’t order the burger medium rare. Anyway, to end this rant, these are two of the very best burgers in NYC, and probably anywhere, and you should try either/both if you get the chance.

What to order: Emmy Burger

Emily west village burger

#3 - Emily WV

Beli rating: 9.8 | Greenwich Village

Emily is not only one of our favorite pizza places, but it also serves one of the best burgers in the city. Incredibly juicy, cheesy, saucy, (and messy), but held together with that shiny pretzel bun.

What to order: Emmy Burger Double Stack

minetta tavern burger

#4 - Minetta Tavern

Beli rating: 9.8 | South Village

A top 3 burger for us in NYC, and I know we're not alone. A decadent mix of dry-aged beef, cooked a perfect medium are, and topped with a dollop of onion so caramelized it's practically the same color as the burger.

What to order: Black Label Burger

au cheval burger

#5 - Au Cheval

Beli rating: 9.7 | Lower Manhattan

By Hogsalt Hospitality, the same group behind 4 Charles, it probably comes as no surprise that this one also made our top 5. With the original location being in Chicago, some argue this shouldn't be on a NYC burger list. but, with a brick and mortar in Tribeca, we think it more than qualifies and is worth a visit if you're looking for a great burger. The burger is VERY similar to the one from 4 Charles.

What to order: Double Cheeseburger with Bacon & Egg

7th street

#6 - 7th Street Burger

Beli rating: 9.5 | East Village

Our favorite smash burger in the city. Deceptively simple-looking, the mix of charred meat, onion, cheese, special sauce, and buttered bun is something very special.

What to order: Double Cheeseburger

golden diner burger

#7 - Golden Diner

Beli rating: 8.6 | Red Hook

Wow. This was a good one. Perfectly cooked and seasoned, and topped with one of the best sauces we’ve seen on a burger—like a Korean mushroom au poivre sauce. Warning: very messy.

What to order: golden cheeseburger

#8 - Nowon

Beli rating: 9.5 | East Village

This Korean restaurant in the East Village serves one of the best burgers we’ve tried so far. Their “Legendary Cheeseburger” takes an excellent smash patty burger and brings it to another level with an addictive kimchi mayo.

What to order: Legendary Cheeseburger

polo bar burger

#9 - Polo Bar

Beli rating: 9.4 | Midtown East

This is definitely a martini-worthy burger. Very classic and simple, but elevated by some subtle details and very high quality ingredients. Like a prime steak, the beef is laced with marbled fat and expertly cooked—a thin layer of crust surrounding a uniformly medium-rare center. The only weak point for us was the bacon, which was very average compared to other top spots like Peter Luger and 4 Charles.

What to order: The Polo Bar Burger

the Fulton burger

#10 - The Fulton

Beli rating: 9.4 | Seaport

If a cheeseburger had a baby with a Jean-Georges onion soup, it would be this burger. The funky gruyere, with the crispy onions, and the side of oniony jus is fire. You might feel embarrassed ordering a burger at a seafood restaurant, but in this case you definitely shouldn’t.

What to order: Gruyère Cheeseburger au Jus

Clinton st baking burger

#11 - Clinton Street Baking Co

Beli rating: 9.4 | Lower East Side

Everyone knows about the pancakes at Clinton St. Baking Co., but we’ve gotta talk about this burger. A big steakhouse-style patty, cooked a perfect medium rare and topped with caramelized onions. To us it was very reminiscent of Minetta Tavern, but it’s a fraction of the price.

What to order: Clinton St. Cheeseburger

Emmy squared burger

#12 - Emmy Squared

Beli rating: 9.4 | East Village

cooked well, great flavor combo, juicy.

What to order: Le Big Matt Burger

the nines burger

#13 - The Nines

Beli rating: 9.4 | NoHo

Another very good burger—somewhat Minetta-Black-Label-esque. Perfectly cooked, great quality beef, a little aged (but not overwhelming), and topped with sweet caramelized onions. Somewhat expensive, but we think very worth a visit for NYC burger enthusiasts!

What to order: N˚9 Burger

Bernies cheeseburger

#14 - Bernie's

Beli rating: 9.3 | Greenpoint

Excellent burger from a real hidden gem. Perfectly cooked and seasoned. It felt like a classic diner turned dive bar turned upscale restaurant—sounds confusing, but was awesome. The brownie sundae to finish was an added bonus.

What to order: Cheeseburger Deluxe

Fairfax burger

#15 - Fairfax

Beli rating: 9.3 | West Village

very well cooked, unique flavors and textures (smoked cheddar, bbq Mayo, and crispness of potatoes). We thought it was a creative take on a cheeseburger that actually worked.

What to order: Bar Sardine Burger

Raoul's burger

#16 - Raoul's

Beli rating: 9.3 | South Village

probably best known for its exclusivity, the Raoul’s burger is an insane/awesome combination of burger and French steak au poivre. While it’s incredibly difficult to get it for dinner—they only serve it at the bar and in limited quantities—if you go for brunch, you can actually just order it to your table.

What to order: Raoul’s Burger Au Poivre

strip house burger

#17 - Strip House

Beli rating: 9.3 | Greenwich Village

We’ve been longtime fans of Strip House for their steaks, so when we heard that they had a burger, we had to try. The bun made us nervous, but wow, the burger was delicious. No surprise that a place that knows how to cook a steak knows how to cook a burger.

What to order: Charbroiled Burger

union square cafe burger

#18 - Union Square Cafe

Beli rating: 9.2 | Gramercy Park

Great burger! Perfectly cooked with high quality ingredients.

What to order: 19th Street Burger

virginias burger

#19 - Virginia's

Beli rating: 9.1 | East Village

Very sad to hear Virginia’s is closing in 2022 (at least for the time being). Their burger is one of our long-time favorites—juicy, well-seasoned, and topped with delicious caramelized onion. Thank you for all the incredible meals, and we hope they are able to reopen again soon!

What to order: Virginia’s Burger

chef raph burger

#20 - Ray's (Chef Raph Pop-up)

Beli rating: 9.1 | Bowery

Chef Raph is at Ray’s Bar every Friday and Saturday night, and his burgers are insane!

What to order: smash burger

Peter luger burger

#21 - Peter Luger Steak House

Beli rating: 9.0 | Southside

Great burger: cooked to a perfect medium rare, juicy, high quality ingredients.

What to order: Luger Burger

red hook cheeseburger

#22 - Red Hook Tavern

Beli rating: 8.9 | Red Hook

By the same owners as Hometown BBQ and inspired by Peter Luger, this place knows a thing or two about meat! Minimal toppings really make this burger all about the beef.

What to order: Dry Aged Red Hood Tavern Burger

black iron burger

#23 - Black Iron Burger

Beli rating: 8.8 | Midtown South

This was our first time trying them, and we were pretty impressed. The dual 4oz patties were juicy and medium rare, and the toppings on
the namesake "Black Iron" burger-horseradish cheddar, caramelized onion, and horseradish mayo-were unique and worked really well together.

What to order: The black iron

American bar burger

#24 - American Bar

Beli rating: 8.8 | West Village

As we pointed out in our Cacio e Pepe series, American Bar serves food a lot better than you might expect (and than it probably needs to). Known more for the scene than the cuisine, their burger was simple, well-seasoned, and perfectly cooked!

What to order: Cheeseburger

harlem shake burger

#25 - Harlem Shake

Beli rating: 8.8 | Harlem

Now THIS is a smash burger. All crisp edges, melted American cheese, onion, and special sauce. Their classic burger is in a similar vein to another favorite of ours: 7th Street Burger.

What to order: Harlem Classic

bronsons burgers

#26 - Bronson's Burgers

Beli rating: 8.7 | Nolita

We'd trust almost anything the Wayla/Kimika group puts out, and this burger was no exception. A bit of a smash burger/steakhouse hybrid with caramelized onions and a Balthazar bun.

What to order: Bronson’s Burger

Mollys cheeseburger

#27 - Molly's

Beli rating: 8.7 | Gramercy Park

The quintessential pub burger: big, juicy, and incredibly satisfying. Molly’s is also a great neighborhood spot—would be perfect for a post-work drink and a bite.

What to order: Beef Burger

little prince burger

#28 - Little Prince

Beli rating: 8.7 | South Village

As a big fan of both onion soup and burgers, I was pretty excited to try this one. The beef, onion, & Gruyère worked great together, and while it was maybe a bit mayo-heavy, it was overall a very good burger!

What to order: The French Onion Soup Burger

Gotham burger

#29 - Gotham Burger Social Club

Beli rating: 8.7 | Lower East side

Finally got our hands on the highly sought after smash burger from this wildly popular popup, and it was indeed a very good burger. We loved the onion in the burger and the butter-griddled bun. Our only knock—and maybe it was being one of the first in line (before the griddle picked up much seasoning)—was that the flavor of the burger and the crust didn’t fully come across through the other ingredients.

What to order: double cheeseburger

brindle room burger

#30 - Brindle Room

Beli rating: 8.5 | east Village

We’re so thrilled that Brindle Room is back! This quintessential neighborhood spot serves a darned good burger. While we don’t typically order our burgers medium, the Brindle Room burger manages to still be juicy and has a great crust—somewhat reminiscent of a smash burger.

What to order: Sebastian’s Steakhouse Burger

diner burger

#31 - Diner

Beli rating: 8.4 | Southside

Like everything at Diner, their burger takes a simple dish and brings in high quality ingredients, and it’s very good. Not as memorable as some, but very well executed and worth an order!

What to order:Grass-fed & Finished Burger

davids cafe burger

#32 - David's Cafe

Beli rating: 8.3 | East Village

Another very good smash burger—comparable to a Ruby’s Cafe. Thin patties, but still perfectly pink, with a great pickley “special sauce” and sesame-seeded bun.

What to order: The Burger Queen Deluxe

Rubys cafe burger

#33 - Ruby's Cafe

Beli rating: 8.3 | Kips Bay

very good smash patty—felt like a higher-end homage to In-N-Out.

What to order: Classic Cheeseburger

gramercy tavern burger

#34 - Gramercy Tavern

Beli rating: 8.2 | Flatiron District

One of the most famous fine dining establishments in the city, Gramercy Tavern also does a very good (but expensive) burger. We were able to walk in for an early dinner in The Tavern (their more casual venue), but they also have bar seating, and even offer their burger for takeout. The meat quality was clearly very high, and even slightly above medium rare, it was still very juicy.

What to order: The Tavern Burger

jack and charlies burger

#35 - Jack & Charlie's

Beli rating: 8.1 | West Village

The bacon is the star here. Thickcut bacon on a high quality beef patty, with simple toppings. A good order from a great new addition to the neighborhood.

What to order: Bacon Cheeseburger

PJ Clarke's burger

#36 - P.J. Clarke's

Beli rating: 8.1 | Midtown East

This burger was cooked very well, but it lacked some seasoning.

What to order: The Clarke Burger

burger joint

#37 - Burger Joint

Beli rating: 8.0 | Midtown Manhattan

One of the original destination burger spots in the city (and a childhood favorite)--picture a divey burger counter and some booths hidden in the back of a 5-star midtown hotel. Still a solid burger, but a step below what it once was and some of the other newcomers on our list.

What to order: double cheeseburger

shake shack burger

#38 - Shake Shack

Beli rating: 8.0 | Flatiron District

Not sure this one needs much of a review - the chain's success probably speaks for the burger enough.

What to order: Double Shack Burger

happiest hour burger

#39 - The Happiest Hour

Beli rating: 7.9 | West Village

very good smash burger from a famous NYC cocktail lounge.

What to order: The happiest burger

Whitmans burger

#40 - Whitmans

Beli rating: 7.9 | East village

Whitmans is a great neighborhood spot (now in three neighborhoods: East Village, SoHo, and Hudson Yards) that serves a very good burger. The Minneapolis-inspired "Juicy Lucy" is filled with molten pimento cheese, which is pretty decadent and awesome.

What to order: Juicy lucy burger

smashed burger

#41 - SMASHED

Beli rating: 7.8 | Lower East Side

Really enjoyed this smash burger from SMASHED, one of the leaders of nyc’s smash burger trend. Good crust and flavor.

What to order: Classic Smashed Double

#42 - JG Melon

Beli rating: 7.6 | Lenox Hill

This was by far the most requested spot. What we liked: Simple and satisfying. What we didn’t: We’ve been long time fans of this place, but we felt the burger wasn’t as flavorful, evenly cooked, or juicy as some of the other places we’ve been.

What to order: Bacon Cheeseburger

Joe jr burger

#43 - Joe Jr

Beli rating: 7.6 | Gramercy Park

The burger at Joe Jr is the quintessential diner burger—completely no frills, but completely satisfying. Not the same quality of meat as some of our other stops, but their cheeseburger is among the best value!

What to order: cheeseburger

suprema provisions burger

#44 - Suprema Provisions

Beli rating: 7.5 | West Village

good burger with creative toppings (roasted tomatoes, jamón ibérico bacon jam, and aged cheddar). It didn’t come together perfectly for us, but still worth a visit.

What to order: Suprema Burger

upland cheeseburger

#45 - Upland

Beli rating: 7.5 | Rose Hill

Very Californian burger—from the state flag, to the In-N-Out-style smash patties, to the avocado. Very good ingredients and burger overall, if a bit expensive.

What to order: upland cheeseburger

and son burger

#46 - & Son

Beli rating: 7.5 | Lenox Hill

Cool speakeasy steakhouse experience on the UES. Burger was very solid and composed of ground strip steak on a toasted sesame seed bun. A little heavy on the special sauce, but my diet starts tomorrow, so all’s well.

What to order: prime burger

two8two burger

#47 - two8two Bar & Burger

Beli rating: 7.4 | Boerum Hill

This popular Brooklyn spot serves a very solid and reasonably priced pub-style burger, and offers some interesting topping options like fried egg and poblano chiles.

What to order: Billy Burger

#48 - Jackson Hole

Beli rating: 7.2 | Lenox Hill

A neighborhood staple (in a few different neighborhoods), this place is known for its massive (>1/2 pound) burgers. Not necessarily a destination, but a solid burger nonetheless.

What to order: The classic

pastis burger

#49 - Pastis

Beli rating: 7.2 | West Village

solid smash burger, but it probably doesn’t live up to the hype for us, especially given the price relative to comparable burgers.

What to order: Cheeseburger à l'Américaine

the spaniard

#50 - The Spaniard

Beli rating: 7.1 | West Village

Solid smash burger to enjoy over drinks in a very fun atmosphere.

What to order: Smash Burger

mark's off Madison cheeseburger

#51 - Mark’s Off Madison

Beli rating: 7.1 | Flatiron District

Very photogenic, solid burger from this jack-of-all-trades Italian restaurant/bagel shop/bakery. Ours was a bit oversalted, but with the nice layer of melted cheddar, it made for a satisfying lunch. Worth noting that the Belgian fries it comes with are quite good.

What to order Local Cheddar Cheeseburger Deluxe

the dutch burger

#52 - The Dutch

Beli rating: 7.1 | South Village

Solid restaurant burger—not life-changing, but no real complaints.

What to order: Grass-Fed Double Cheddar Burger

corner bistro burger

#53 - Corner Bistro

Beli rating: 7.0 | West Village

Corner Bistro serves an absolute classic NYC burger. Today, there are others that may serve a better one, but any burger lover should check this place out! And it's not going to break the bank.

What to order: Bistro Burger

the smith burger

#54 - The Smith

Beli rating: 7.0 | NoMad

Well cooked and flavorful, this was definitely an above average burger!

What to order: The Smith Burger

royale cheeseburger

#55 - Royale

Beli rating: 7.0 | Alphabet City

We only just figured out that this place is Pulp Fiction themed—with burgers like the “Royale with Cheese” and the “Marsellus Wallace”. Names aside, this burger was solid, but not one of our very favorites. The burger was simple and reasonably priced—somewhat reminiscent of a Corner Bistro, but not as much of a classic. Definitely not bad, but not worth a special trip.

What to order: Double Royale

lucky's cheeseburger

#56 - Lucky's

Beli rating: 5.2 | Chelsea

Honestly didn’t love this one—patties were kind of in between a smash burger and a pub burger, and it was a bit bland. Definitely not terrible, but wouldn’t go out of your way.

What to order: double cheeseburger

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