With all the brew ha ha lately about NYC burger culture, this review is likely to incite some debate. The burger is the corner stone of American comfort food. It's what foreign people refer to (albeit naively) as America's contribution to modern cuisine. Almost all of us have had a burger, whether a veggie burger, turkey burger, salmon burger, or tuna burger. It seems the irresistible combination of burger bun, meat, and accouterment is a perfect combination.
As a New York native, and a long time East Village resident, I have searched high and low for the best East Village burger, and after five years of long painstaking, sometimes greasy, get-your-hands-dirty research, the winners are quite clear.
Up to six months ago, the best burger in the East Village would have been an easy choice, but now the best burger honors must be shared between Royale and BLK Market.
East Village's Best Burger: Royale (tie)
Royale has been a long time favorite of mine. The first time I went, I was so shocked that I ordered a second burger immediately after devouring my first. The burgers are healthy sized, without being overwhelming. They use butter lettuce and fresh tomatoes and onion and the bun-to-meat proportions are perfect. A burger goes for $6.50, and of course you want to be very Pulp Fiction and at least order the 'Royale with Cheese' for $7.50, or chip in a dollar for bacon.
The burgers are always properly cooked to order, an inexcusable faux pas that plagues other burger establishments, and they come to the table fresh off the grill and are juicy without being greasy. Too many restaurants go for a lean burger to reduce fat, but 80% grade burger meat is necessary for the proper experience. Royale checks in at eight ounces of 75% Black Angus. Delicious!
Royale's menu is simple with few choices so definitely go for the burger (although the chicken sandwich is delicious) and frankly the fries should be avoided, but their onion rings are decent. Royale's scene is more sports bar than restaurant inside, dark like the color of Guinness, but it has a lovely patio and garden area in the back that's almost out of place with the decor. Together, it gives your choice of sports bar or lounge area with friends and makes for a great summer spot.
East Village's Best Burger: BLK Market (tie)
The other top East Village burger is BLK Market, who has been causing a stir in East Village burger connoisseur circles. BLK Market sources it's meat from Pat LaFrieda, the only LaFrieda burger in the East Village. Like other NYC burger best customers (The Spotted Pig, Shake Shack, Minetta Tavern), you can tell from that first bite. The meat is richer and refined with a deeper flavor that lingers on the palate. It's less juicy than Royale, but not by much and the juiciness is not missed. Of course, meat like this, even at just six ounces, costs more money so you will be paying $14 for that delicious East Village burger champion. You won't regret a single cent though.
The scene at BLK Market is of a dark upscale bar: a nouveau restaurant with East Village flavor and speakeasy decor. The drinks are certainly upscale and delicious and the staff is extraordinarily friendly. It's the type of place that has mixologists, not bartenders. Word on Chowhound is that the burger is the best thing on the menu and after a bite or two, you won't ever ask about the other items on the menu. I haven't. The fries and accoutrement are also fantastic, but it really is hard to focus away from that burger.
Best East Village Burger Runner Ups: Paul's Place, Back Forty and Brindle Room
While Royale and BLK Market may hold the East Village burger excellence crown, there are many other places to find a good one. Paul's Place, affectionally known as "Da Burger Joint" is the perennial East Village greasy burger. It's not the least bit pretentious and offers so many burger and fry combinations, you could spend all month eating there and not make a dent. They have at least five different types of fries, for example, including sweet potato. And of course their establishment can easily be recognized by the both gaudy and charming sign out front. If you are not going the haughty-taughty route, Paul's Place is the most down to earth of all the best East Village burger restaurants and caters to the St. Marks crowd.
And then there is Back Forty, Peter Hoffman's farm-to-table restaurant that brings a little country to our city life. Their onion rings are as good as their burgers and the scene is both casual and upscale at the same time. Brindle Room, a newcomer on the scene has a dry-aged burger that is definitely worth a try. At $13, it's about half the price of the Minetta Tavern Black Label burger, although Minetta Tavern's burger is more divine.
And we absolutely have to give a nod to Korzo Haus, a newcomer that could be easily dismissed as a burger gimick - that's right, a deep fried bacon cheeseburger. It's not what you think. The korzo dough is light, not greasy and it forms a seal around the burger that locks the juice in. The burger is in fact, quite delicious and deserves to be mentioned among the East Village's best burgers. Try the bryndza haluski which is "what mac and cheese wants to be" and a special shout out for the best portabello burger I have ever had.
So there you have it.
Locations of East Village's Best Burgers
Royale - 157 Avenue C at 10th Street
BLK Market - 110 Avenue A at Seventh Street
Paul's Place - 131 Second Avenue at St. Mark's Place
Back Forty - 190 Avenue B at 12th Street
Brindle Room - 277 East 10th St (between Avenue A and First Avenue)
Korzo Haus - 178 East 7th St (between Avenue A and Avenue B)
