The Best Burgers in New York City

Brooks Headley left a Michelin-starred pastry-chef job to open this East Village vegetarian burger counter — a James Beard Award finalist, Michelin Bib Gourmand, and Eater 38 pick that also lands at #47 on the New York Times' Top 100 Best NYC Restaurants for 2026. The smashed, crispy patty converts skeptics; the rotating wrap of the day and the fries round out the order.

A Hell's Kitchen counter on Ninth Avenue serving a griddle-style, old-fashioned patty in the middle of the neighborhood's restaurant row. No-frills and fast — a reliable stop before a Midtown show.

An Upper East Side institution that's served the same griddled patty on a sesame bun since 1972. The cottage fries are the standard side, and the Bloody Marys have a reputation of their own. Walk-in, old-school, no interest in trends.

Best known for its Detroit-style pizza, but the Emmy Burger has become a genuine rival to dedicated burger joints across the city — a sleeper hit alongside the Colony pie at the Williamsburg original. Walk-in.

Started as a hot dog cart in Madison Square Park and grew into one of the country's biggest fast-casual chains. The ShackBurger — Angus beef, American cheese, ShackSauce — is the benchmark, and the original Madison Square Park location still draws the longest line. Walk-in.

Burger scholar George Motz's SoHo love letter to the American hamburger, an Eater 38 pick running three styles — smash, fried onion, and a rotating regional special — under one roof. Walk-in, with separate fast and slow (counter) lines.