
NYC's Top Burgers: As Voted by Professional Chefs
- Oct 20, 2025
New York City's food scene, renowned for its array of international culinary delights, is certainly not short on excellent burgers. Whether you're searching for a gourmet patty or a fast-food fix, the city's chefs have their favorites, and they're spilling the secrets.
Dan Silverman, former chef of West Village's Minetta Tavern, swears by the two iconic burgers served at his former workplace. These include the Minetta Burger and the pricier Black Label Burger, featuring a prime dry-aged cut of beef. The Black Label's robust, dry-aged flavor gives it the appeal of a special-occasion meal, according to Silverman. Chef Rocco DiSpirito also sings praises of the Black Label; the 1999 F&W Best New Chef describes it as a "dry-aged steak pretending to be a burger."
If you're in East Williamsburg, Calvin Eng, a 2022 F&W Best New Chef, recommends the thin smashburger at Cozy Royale. However, only ten of these dry-aged cheeseburgers, loaded with dual smashed Patties, raclette, arugula, bacon jam, Calabrian aioli, and pickled red onions, are available each night. The restaurant also offers a classic cheeseburger option made using ground beef from its sister butcher shop, The Meat Hook.
2015 F&W Best New Chef Bryce Shuman offers a more accessible option - Shake Shack. The fast-food chain, which was founded in New York City in 2001 and boasts over 500 locations globally, champions the ShackBurger, an Angus beef smashburger served on a toasted potato bun.
Eunji Lee, another F&W Best New Chef from 2023, favors the ShackBurger for a quick meal. However, her top choice is the double cheeseburger at Rolo's, a neighborhood food spot in Ridgewood, Queens. This burger, featuring grass-fed beef, cheese, grilled onion, dijonnaise, and pickled long hot peppers, is so popular that it typically sells out within the first hour of service.
Meanwhile, the Korean-American style burger at Nowon caught the attention of 2021 F&W Best New Chef Lucas Sin who praises it for successfully merging the flavors of two cultures. Known for its burgers, Nowon provides a "luxurious, transcendental" experience with its unique combination of umami-packed beef patties, American cheese, a kimchi-based special sauce, caramelized kimchi, and pickles.
And for those who prefer vegetarian options, Superiority Burger gets the seal of approval from 2025 F&W Best New Chef Telly Justice and 2022 F&W Best Chef Caroline Schiff. This quinoa- and chickpea-based creation, crowned with Muenster cheese, pickles, iceberg lettuce, mustard, and a tangy “burger sauce” is a favorite among herbivores and omnivores alike.
For a real dry-aged steak experience, 2020 F&W Best Chef Trigg Brown points to Red Hook Tavern. The American restaurant, led by Hometown Bar-B-Que founder Billy Durney, serves a hefty dry-aged burger that melts in your mouth, featuring a crispy bun and a slab of raw white onion.
Then there's Hamburger America, a relative newcomer to the NYC's burger scene, helmed by "burger historian" George Motz. The restaurant's thin smashed patties are inspired by classic American burgers, with 2012 F&W Best New Chef Rich Torrisi praising the fried Onion Burger for "a homogenous bite of molten lava beef and cheese."
Lastly, the prestigious Le B gets a nod from 2001 F&W Best New Chef Anita Lo. The French-inspired burger borrows flavorsite from that nation and is served at market price. It's an upscale blend of 45-day dry-aged rib eye, short loin, brisket, and chuck meat crowned with French d'Affinois cheese, long-caramelized Cabernet onions, and served in a light brioche bun. The demand is so high that only nine are served per night.