Best burgers in East Village?

[wweats]

Looking for this and searching the board turns up nothing relevant. Just what it says is fine. A perfect place would also be comfortable for grown-ups on a Saturday night, but that may be too much to ask given the neighborhood. Quality of the burger is #1.

[carijo3]

Checkout this blog on burgers throughout the City.

http://burgerepicureans.blogspot.com/

[sugartoof]

Back Forty, Spitzers,Veselka, stick out for me.Black Market under Niagra is getting interesting write ups. The sliders at Marshall Stacks are good too. There's also Little Giant.

I don't get the fuss over Royale. It's not a great burger by any means. It's passable, but reminds me of many diner burgers, with perhaps, a better bun. On the other end of the coin, Redhead's burger, which was overhyped suffered from a stale bun when I tried it.

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Little Giant
85 Orchard Street, New York, NY 10002

Royale
157 Ave C, New York, NY 10009

Back Forty
190 Avenue B, New York, NY 10009

Marshall Stack
66 Rivington St, New York, NY 10002

[CalJack]

I'll vouch for the burger at Royale as well - not mind-blowing by any means, but it's as solid of a burger value as you'll find anywhere in the city, and the atmosphere is relatively comfortable as long as you avoid the latenight weekend fratastrophe on Avenue C. Corner Bistro is really the only other place that compares from a size and price perspective, and the flavor and consistency of the patty at Royale are far superior in my experience.

I love the burger at The Redhead. It's a bit more substantial than Royale's -- and substantially messier to boot -- though the place will likely be mobbed on a Saturday night just like everywhere else in the neighborhood. I'm also partial to the burger at Westville East and that at Veselka, though I'm not crazy about the Portuguese muffin bun at the former or the brusque service at the latter.

To put my opinions in perspective (something I think is crucial in any constructive burger discussion), I love a hearty pub/gourmet burger served perfectly medium rare (or occasionally just rare), a bun that's substantial enough to stand up to the meat while never distracting with its sweetness or size, snappy lettuce, crisp tomatoes, and a pickle or 2 for contrast. Cheddar and American cheese are both welcome, and a crusty-salty char is the fastest way to my heart (attack).

Enjoy your meat!

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Veselka
144 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

Westville East
173 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009

The Redhead
349 E 13th St, New York, NY 10003

[kathryn]

I like the burger at Redhead as well but it's seasoned with something, herbs, maybe? I can never put my finger on it.

[harrison]

Crow probably is Stone Crow - Washington Place

I like the burger at The Smith...

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Washington Place
75 Washington Pl, New York, NY 10011

[princeofpork]

Royale, Crow, Flat Iron. All excellent burgers

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Royale
157 Ave C, New York, NY 10009

[kathryn]

Where's Crow? Is it new? I've never heard of it!

[EV_Eats]

Crow? Yikes? Never heard of that one either.

Royale has the best burger in the 'hood although I've taken a shine to the Black & Blue Burger at Black Iron Burger on East 5th. Belcourt has an amazing Lamb Burger.

I've heard good things about the Wagyu/Kobe Burger at Zaitzeff. Anyone tried the burger at Black Market?
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http://www.eveats.com

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Royale
157 Ave C, New York, NY 10009

Belcourt
84 East 4th Street, New York, NY 10003

Black Iron Burger Shop
540 E 5th St, New York, NY 10009

Zaitzeff
18 Avenue B, New York, NY 10009

Black Market
110 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009

[ExFlexitarian]

Black Market burger is solid; just Pat LaFrieda done right. The rest of the menu is a bit sparse / boring.

Not sure why Royale gets so much hype... it's pretty run of the mill.

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Royale
157 Ave C, New York, NY 10009

Black Market
110 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009

[princeofpork]

Completely disagree about Royale. The burger is one of the few in NYC that can be eaten without a ton of "special sauce", bulky toppoings, waiting on a 60 min line, costing $18 or it being the size of a softball.
The burger is $5, cooked perfectly made to order each time, great bun, you can sit outside in the back yard, the pickles are fresh and cold and the burger just tates great. A diner burger is run of the mill, this is far better.

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Royale
157 Ave C, New York, NY 10009

[lawstud]

I've really come to like Black Iron, but it's mostly for the atmosphere. It's small, dark and cozy, and the bartender is very friendly. The burger is fine, but everything they serve seems overly salted.

The burger with bacon at Back forty is great too.

[princeofpork]

The few times I have been to Black Iron I liked the burger but I came out smelling like I was in a grease fire.

[lawstud]

Agree with the smell at Black Iron -- it's a cost of doing business.

Had the burger at Black Market last night. I was shocked at the price -- $14 for a cheeseburger with bacon -- but pleased with the results. It really is just a simple burger prepared with excellent ingredients, but what mroe can you ask for? It's much better than Black Iron and in the same realm as (if not better than) Shake Shack. That said the exorbitant prices don't stop with the burger -- they charged $5 for a small glass of beer (10 oz?) which is just too much. The decor is cool, the location is great if you live in the area, and the cocktail list is solid, but they've really overestimated the demographics if they think they can get away with midtown prices on Avenue A.

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Shake Shack
Madison Ave and E 23rd St, New York, NY 10010

Avenue A
105 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009

Black Market
110 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009

[2slices]

I'm guessing he means stone crow which is waverly or something like that, not EV. Great burger.

Re Black Iron, while it was very good, for a place that does ONYL burgers it could've been better. Royale is fantastic IMO.

Some people loves Joes on 2nd, The best version of the NY Coffee shop burger i grew up on at Jackson Holle. Huge, and grey. Not my fav but Joe's version is good. Just brought it up, I think any EV burger thread should include it.

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Royale
157 Ave C, New York, NY 10009