The famous Olympia Diner scene from SNL, come to life!
I have to say, I expected this burger to suck, seeing as though this place is definitely somewhat of a tourist trap, and the meat to bun ratio seemed way off. That’s why I went with the triple. Boy was I wrong in my assumptions. The burger was great!
I will make it a mission to come here on every visit to Chicago. Next time I’ll try the Polish sausage and the hotdog.
BILLY GOAT TAVERN
Lower 430 North Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL 60611
having gone to Haswell Green’s several times for cocktails over the years, I finally made it over there to try the food. I have to say: the burger matches the quality of the cocktails: AWESOME!
It’s a double smash patty burger on a potato bun with pickles, cheese and special sauce. Very simple, but really well executed. Go give it a shot. I actually think this might be my favorite burger in that part of town. Better than Black Tap, all the steakhouses nearby, and any other bar or fast food joint slinging burgers for theater patrons.
The boneless wings pork+veal meatballs are decent as well.
But make sure you try some of their cocktails. Really nicely crafted.
HASWELL’S GREEN
240 W 52nd St
New York, NY 10019
The tiny burger at Black Crescent may be overpriced at $13, but it is damn delicious. Great char, lovely beefy chuck flavor, and plenty of cheese coverage.
It’s definitely more of a slider sized burger (it’s sitting on a small ketchup cup in the pic above), but whatever. As long as it’s good.
Pro tip: order the waffle fries for $10: it’s basically enough for three people.
BLACK CRESCENT
76 Clinton St
New York, NY 10002
In my quest to try all the burgers in the lower east side, I came across another addition to the smash burger craze that’s sweeping the area: King’s Cafe.
The burger was beautiful, and well assembled. Cheddar, aioli, double patties, caramelized onions… Everything was great about it, except for the overwhelming flavor of onion water. It was as if the onions had been sitting in the bottom of a sink, just stewing there. I’m not really sure how else to put it!
Great seasoned fries, awesome bun, great ratios all over the place. Just that onion water… Odd.
KING’S CAFE
79 Clinton St
New York, NY 10002
The Burgary’s Lower Eastsider has potential to be one of my new favorites in the area. It’s got a 6oz dry aged patty, topped with crispy pastrami that acts like bacon and brings it into the “lower east side”/Jewish deli flavor profile, along with a killer horseradish mustard sauce. Gruyere, pickles, everything brioche. Very unique! It’s light on tomato and lettuce, which is good. In the negative column, it could use fewer raw onions and the patty was a little dense/over worked. Great batter style fries to go along with it though. I didn’t try the tots. Next time. This burger is definitely a winner in my book.
UPDATE 07-15-2023
Their lamb burger is absolutely incredible as well!!!
It’s topped with cucumbers, red onions, a feta yogurt type sauce, and harissa. Lights out! It may look like too much, but it worked!
We also enjoyed the Stool Pigeon fried chicken sandwich. Perfectly crisp.
Fried pickles, calamari and wings were all great for starters.
On the side, tots never disappoint. The onion rings are nice too.
This s’mores shake is BONKERS too.
Don’t forget to check out the speakeasy called Garfunkel’s upstairs. It’s so cool! You can see a little bit of it in my Ride & Review video on YouTube HERE.
THE BURGARY
67 Clinton St
New York, NY 10002
After trying their bourbon a few times and really enjoying it, I finally got over to Great Jones Distillery for some food and drinks.
My wife and I tried a flight of their spirits as well as their fancy burger.
The burger is topped with a bacon and bourbon jam, blue or cheddar cheese (we chose blue based on the waitress’ recommendation) and potato chips.
It was cooked perfectly, and the fries were good. However, we wish we picked cheddar since the blue sort of overpowered that bacon and bourbon jam. But otherwise it was good.
I’m a fan of their bourbon too, so we picked up a bottle on the way out. I’m looking forward to going back for a tour and a steak.
GREAT JONES DISTILLING CO
686 Broadway
New York, NY 10012
My wife and I just tried Bastard Burger over at the new Bronx Brewery location in the east village.
The beer selection is great – a little something for everyone, as opposed to just non-stop shitty IPAs. We tried a cardamom ale, and a saison. Both were tasty.
The burger is quality as well. I’m not a huge fan of the stringy cheddar, but the patty, toppings, bun and sauce were all good.
The “Ziggy” fries are awesome. Crispy and well seasoned. I’d definitely eat here again.
BASTARD BURGER
64 2nd Ave
New York, NY 10003
Oddly enough, I first tried the fried chicken sandwich here with onion rings, and both were awesome. Spicy honey, slaw, and great pickles.
That made me want to come back to try the burger.
This was incredible! Plus, it’s real handsome:
I highly recommend this burger – so good!
BEST BURGER NYC
53 Little West 12th St
New York, NY 10014
A buddy of mine helped open this joint over by Bryant Park, so I had to go check it out. The food here is excellent! Check out how perfect this burger looks:
That’s a handsome fella. And it was as delicious as it looks. Certified Angus Beef smash patties, shredded lettuce, sharp American cheese, and tomato on a brioche bun. The crust on those patties was perfect!
The chicken sandwich was great as well. Great spice to it.
As a tribute to Rutt’s Hut over in NJ, they also offer this ripper hot dog. It really hit the spot with a crispy snap.
And to top it off, the fries and tots were both golden and crunchy.
I highly recommend this place. The food is better than most other joints out there slinging smash patties now.
HANDCRAFT BURGERS & BREW
110 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018
I popped into this little French joint for Brunch last weekend. I tried the steak burger and really enjoyed it. it was topped with melted brie, thin sliced tomato and cucumbers, and tartar sauce, of all things. It really worked nicely. And the fries were BONKERS. I’d definitely eat this burger again.
LES ENFANTS DE BOHEME
177 Henry St
New York, NY 10002
