The 9 Best Burgers in New York City, According to Chefs

New York City is well known for its bagels and pizza, but it’s also an exceptional burger town. High-end and fast-casual restaurants alike have become known for their signature burgers — and people will wait in line to get them before they sell out. From crispy smashburgers to juicy eight-ounce patties, these are the nine best burgers in New York City, according to professional chefs. 

Black Label Burger (Minetta Tavern)

As the former chef of Minetta Tavern in the West Village, 1997 F&W Best New Chef Dan Silverman is partial to its two legendary burgers: the Minetta Burger and the Black Label Burger. Both burgers come with a pile of sweet caramelized onions, but the $38 Black Label is made with a selection of prime dry-aged beef. “Both are craveable, but the Black Label is a bit more of a special-occasion burger because the dry-aged flavor is so pronounced,” he says. 

The Black Label is also a favorite of 1999 F&W Best New Chef Rocco DiSpirito’s. “It’s basically a dry-aged steak pretending to be a burger. Rich, funky, perfectly seared — and yes, it’s worth the price.”

The Dry-Aged Cheeseburger (Cozy Royale)

2022 F&W Best New Chef Calvin Eng prefers thin smashburgers, like the ones served at Cozy Royale in East Williamsburg. The dry-aged cheeseburger comes with two smashed patties, raclette, arugula, bacon jam, Calabrian aioli, and pickled red onions. “It has the perfect amount of umami funk,” says Eng. But there’s a catch — Cozy Royale only serves 10 a night. 

If the restaurant sells out, you can reliably fall back on its classic cheeseburger, a six-ounce patty with American cheese, pickles, onion, and “fancy sauce.” Both burgers are the same price ($22) and made with ground beef from the restaurant’s sister butcher shop, The Meat Hook, so you can trust they’ll be delicious.

ShackBurger (Shake Shack)

If 2015 F&W Best New Chef Bryce Shuman isn’t making burgers at home, he’s getting them at Shake Shack. Founded in New York City in 2001 by restaurateur Danny Meyer of Union Square Hospitality Group, the fast-casual burger chain now has over 500 locations worldwide. Shuman often visits the original brick-and-mortar location in Madison Square Park, where he orders the ShackBurger — an Angus beef smashburger with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, and punchy, creamy ShackSauce on a toasted potato bun.

Double Cheeseburger (Rolo’s)

2023 F&W Best New Chef Eunji Lee also loves a ShackBurger on-the-go, but her all-time favorite burger is at Rolo’s. The double cheeseburger at this cozy neighborhood restaurant in Ridgewood, Queens has earned cult status, often selling out within an hour of service. Made with New York state grass-fed beef that’s butchered and ground in-house, the two patties come with cheese, grilled onion, dijonnaise, and pickled long hot peppers. Lee suggests accompanying it with crispy potatoes smothered in mayonnaise, spicy peanut sauce, and white onions — what Rolo’s refers to as “War Style.”

The Legendary Cheeseburger (Nowon)

With locations in the East Village and Bushwick, Nowon is a Korean restaurant known for its burger. “I have an aversion to brazen fusion, but the restraint and edit of this burger is what makes it so impossibly delicious,” says 2021 F&W Best New Chef Lucas Sin. The towering sandwich includes two smashed, umami-packed beef patties, American cheese, a kimchi-based special sauce, caramelized kimchi, white onion, and pickles. “It’s a luxurious, transcendental experience between a sesame milk bun that is quintessentially New York.”

Superiority Burger (Superiority Burger)

As far as veggie burger spots go, there is no place more iconic than Superiority Burger. Founded by chef Brooks Headley in 2015, it started as a tiny to-go counter in the East Village and in 2023, evolved into a full-service restaurant in a refurbished diner. “I’m a fan of everything Brooks Headley does and I cannot hype this restaurant enough,” says 2025 F&W Best New Chef Telly Justice.

The eponymous, quinoa- and chickpea-based burger is piled with Muenster cheese, pickles, iceberg lettuce, mustard, and a tangy “burger sauce.”

2022 F&W Best New Chef Caroline Schiff, a vegetarian, is also a big fan of this plant-based sandwich. “It’s a remarkable feat to make a delicious veggie burger that’s not fake meat or a bean patty afterthought,” she says. “Brooks made something so good, thoughtful, and special that even meat eaters love it.”

Dry-Aged Red Hook Tavern Burger (Red Hook Tavern)

Another one of New York City’s most sought-after burgers is at Red Hook Tavern, an American restaurant owned by Hometown Bar-B-Que founder Billy Durney. The thick, signature burger, with melty American cheese and a slab of raw white onion, is made with a blend of 45-day dry-aged New York strip and hanger steak. “That burger tastes like a dry-aged steak,” says 2020 F&W Best New Chef Trigg Brown. “The fat carries that dry-aged flavor, but it’s palatable in a different way than a steak because it’s not chewy — it melts in your mouth. Plus, the bun is super crispy and the onion keeps it from getting soggy.”

George Motz’s Fried Onion Burger (Hamburger America)

One of the newest burger institutions to grace New York City, Hamburger America is owned by famed “burger historian” George Motz. The hamburgers there, all made with thin smashed patties, are most often inspired by classic burgers from around the country. 2012 F&W Best New Chef Rich Torrisi goes for George Motz’s Fried Onion Burger, an homage to Oklahoma-style burgers where a pile of thinly sliced onions are flattened onto the ground beef as it’s frying. The ultra-crispy patty (or patties, if you’re getting a double) is finished with American cheese and sandwiched in a soft potato bun. “Its super beefy, intense flavor creates a homogenous bite of molten lava beef and cheese,” says Torrisi.

Le Burger (Le B)

“The 45-day dry-aged burger at Le B lives up to the hype in every way,” says 2001 F&W Best New Chef Anita Lo. At this high-end Greenwich Village restaurant from 2017 F&W Best New Chef Angie Mar, the “Le Burger” is exclusively available at the bar and only nine are served per night — you can reserve one in advance with a $25 deposit (the cost is at market price). 

The eight-ounce patty is made with 90% 45-day dry-aged rib eye, as well as short loin, brisket, and chuck meat — a proprietary blend that Mar became known for at her previous restaurant, The Beatrice Inn. It comes with a triple-cream d’Affinois cheese from France, Cabernet onions that have been caramelized for eight hours, and a brioche bun. “The bun is rich and airy and the meat fits perfectly, going exactly to the outer perimeter. The overall experience brings me back to my time in France — no small feat for a hamburger.”