11 Bucket-List Burgers in New York City

On my last visit to the Russian Tea Room, I fell into a vodka-fueled row with my tablemate, a certain Travyis Dorinovsky—a notorious rogue whose wealth is only exceeded by his licentiousness. He insisted, with the black vitriol of Raskolnikov mid-interrogation, that caviar, herring, or stroganoff was the only proper choice in a dining room as sumptuous as the Czar’s palace. But a burger? Not even Dostoevsky, in his darkest passages, could have described such an unspeakable blasphemy.

I fixed Travyis with a glare as icy as the Siberian tundra, my hand nearly reaching for the bottle of high-proof vodka to set him ablaze like a Molotov cocktail. But at the last second, I recalled Tolstoy’s Christ-like message of compassion and forgiveness for the ignorant. Like a weary priest gently correcting Dmitri Karamazov, I took it upon myself to enlightenthis pitiable soul breaking bread with me.

A burger, I explained, is a litmus test for a kitchen. Just as a daiquiri or margarita is the yardstick for a mixologist, a burger reveals the true chops of a chef. The blueprint may be universal, but in skilled hands, it becomes an expression of a restaurant’s essence. My hunch at the Russian Tea Room was spot-on: the wagyu–short rib burger, paired with a bump of Ossetra caviar, was as sublime as the winter stars over St. Petersburg.

New York has no shortage of Instagram darlings, but some of the city’s finest burgers hide in plain sight—at an Indian restaurant in Brooklyn, a bar adjoining a kaiseki counter, and on a menu riffing on Israeli street food. Below are 11 of my favorite burgers in the city—charred, juicy treats from both iconic institutions and hidden gems.

A native of southern India, chef Jay Kumar cut his teeth in elite European kitchens. The flavors of the Subcontinent anchor his cuisine, but like an avant-garde artist, he remixes and tinkers with eclectic influences. LORE, a Michellin Bib Gourmand recipient, is an embodiment of Brooklyn’s exuberant creativity tempered by meticulous craftsmanship.

Chef Jay enlivens his burger with a swizzle of masala aioli—spicy velvet infused with ginger-garlic paste, cumin, fennel, turmeric, black cardamom, and coriander powder. It’s smoky, herbaceous, and packs a pleasant capsaicin punch. LORE’s desserts and cocktails are also delightfully innovative and nod to India and beyond.

In a regal Beaux-Arts building near Wall Street, Delmonico’s is a living landmark of American culinary history. When it opened in 1837, it was the nation’s first fine dining restaurant, welcoming dignitaries like Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, and Nikola Tesla. Steakhouse staples like the Wedge Salad and Baked Alakska were invented here. 

The Delmonico’s Burger, available only at lunch, is a dry-aged wagyu patty crowned with brie and thick-cut bacon—the epitome of the over-the-top luxury of a classic New York steakhouse. Pair it with the famous crab cake and a glass of red chosen by the sommelier.

Carroll Gardens, a neighborhood of leafy streets and stately brownstones, is home to many of Brooklyn’s most storied restaurants. There’s Lucali, the near-mythic pizzeria; Travel Bar, one of New York’s finest whiskey collections; and Luana’s Tavern, a stalwart for superb burgers.

Luana’s is one of the oldest bars in New York, and legend has it Al Capone threw his wedding party in the back dining room after exchanging vows at nearby St. Mary Star of the Sea. They serve both a smashburger and a tavern burger, and skipping either is a sin against man and God. The pro move is to polish off one, throw back a bourbon at the bar with owner Enrique, and then order the second.

HALL is the cocktail bar near the entrance of Odo Lounge, a kaiseki counter with two Michelin stars. The burger is every bit as dazzling as the holy-grail Japanese whiskies behind the bar. 

The patty—a blend of wagyu and American sirloin—is glazed with artisanal soy sauce and seasoned with sanshō, a pulverized Japanese berry whose flavor falls between lemon zest and Sichuan peppercorn. Sharp cheddar, crispy onions, and a tangy house sauce amplifies the deep umami punch. The whole shebang rests in a sweet, house-baked milk bun—satori on a plate.

Clinton Hall takes its name from Castle Clinton, the old stone fort on the southern tip of Manhattan built to fend off marauding British privateers. When the threat of the Queen’s sea dogs subsided, the fort became America’s first beer garden in 1824.

While all the burgers are delicious and decadent, I’m partial to the Bacon Bacon Bacon Burger—a patty heaped with white cheddar, thick-cut bacon, and bacon jam. A fistful of arugula adds just enough freshness to cut through the porcine maximalism. Pair it with a New York craft beer from Clinton Hall’s rotating taps.

With an outlaw-country soundtrack, wall-mounted longhorns, and drive-thru–style menu boards, Gotham Burger Social Club is a rabbit hole from Lower Manhattan to West Texas—a land where burgercraft ranks alongside rodeo and Friday night football. The cooks smash the patties thin enough to caramelize the edges into a salty, lacy crust and double-stack them between lightly toasted Martin’s potato rolls.

The Oklahoma Burger has fresh onions fried right into the patty, a technique born from Dust Bowl scarcity. The California Burger, an homage to In-N-Out, is topped with caramelized onions the color of aged bourbon. Every condiment, save the ketchup and mustard, is scratch-made. Try the ghost pepper–infused ranch—it spikes the endorphins so intensely it ought to be a Schedule I drug.

My Texas chauvinism once kept me from trying barbecue in New York City. But after five years here, I’ll grudgingly admit that some Yankee pitmasters know what the hell they’re doing. Virgil’s dabbles in a medley of regional barbecue styles, with Memphis-style ribs and Texas-style brisket sharing the menu.

While the ’cue could pass muster (mustard?) in Lockhart or Lubbock, it’s the burger that keeps me coming back. A slice of cheddar and a generous hit of barbecue sauce coat the thick, juicy patty, and a sturdy bun soaks up every last drop. Sip a cold draught of Lone Star while you wait, and whistle a Willie Nelson number as Midtown roars outside.

Miznon is chef Eyal Shani’s love letter to Tel Aviv street food. The Folded Cheeseburger trades the bun for Miznon’s signature pita—warm, pillowy, and charred enough to haunt your dreams. The thin beef patty sears on the plancha until crisp and caramelized, with shredded white cheddar melted directly into the meat. A hit of aioli and sour cream ups the umami ante, while fresh tomato slices and Israeli pickles add color and crunch. 

With dry-aged ribeyes presented on sizzling metal platters, waiters who move with the precision of Green Berets, and burgundy leather banquettes, Peter Luger is the Platonic ideal of a New York steakhouse. Skip the long waits at dinner and come for lunch, when the dining room breathes a little easier and the Luger Burger makes its only appearance.

The Luger Burger is sublime in its simplicity—nothing more than dry-aged beef, fresh white onion, cheese, and a sesame seed bun. Pair it with a side of German potatoes—fried in beef drippings with caramelized onions—and douse everything with Luger’s tangy steak sauce. Afterwards, order a bourbon as a digestif and pretend you’re Tony Soprano cutting deals. 

Next door to its Michelin-starred sister restaurant l’Abeille, l’Abeille à Côté is chef Mitsunobu Nagae’s dressed-down take on French-Japanese fusion. Nagae, who trained under Joël Robuchon in both Tokyo and Paris, cooks like a Zen poet who fell in love with a Parisian belle.

The Wagyu Teriyaki Burger is a decadently marbled patty glazed in teriyaki and topped with silky mayo. The beef rests in a house-made bun as delicate as a calligrapher’s brushstroke. Wash it down with a fine bottle of sake or a Franco-Japanese cocktail.