New to NYC Burger Chains: The Counter, SmashBurger, Go Burger, and Elevation Burger

Last week, I visited Elevation Burger, an organic burger chain from Falls Church Virginia, The Counter, a high concept design-a-burger chain from California, Go Burger, a brick-and-mortar version of the truck based on a Los Angeles burger joint, and Smashburger, the rapidly expanding Denver-based chain that just opened its first New York location in Brooklyn. At each restaurant, I ordered a few burgers, tried all of their sides and special menu items, as well as a milkshake. How'd they compare to each other, and more importantly, are they going to be key players in the New York burger landscape? Let's take a look at them one at a time and see.

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33 Comments | Posted by J. Kenji López-Alt, June 20, 2011 at 10:30 AM
Tagged: Brooklyn, chains, Elevation Burger, Go Burger, NYC, SmashBurger, The Counter, Times Square, Upper East Side, West Village

Photo of the Day: Cheeseburger from J.G. Melon

I've been living in New York City for about six years and only tried J.G. Melon for the first time this month. Yes, for shame. And I regret that I hadn't gone sooner—now I'd easily name their cheeseburger ($9.25) one of my favorite burgers in the city. Nick Solares wrote a great review of J.G. Melon back in 2008, but his words still ring true today.

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11 Comments | Posted by Robyn Lee, February 22, 2011 at 6:30 PM
Tagged: J.G. Melon, NYC, Photo of the Day, Upper East Side

Shake Shack Shakedown: Are All ShackBurgers Created Equal?

The expansion of Shake Shack is a double-edged sword. With four Shake Shack locations in Manhattan, the average New Yorker is now closer than ever to juicy, gooey, beefy, cheesy bliss. On the other hand, the real question is whether or not quality will suffer with the expansion. Is it possible to cook burgers that are not only the best in the city, but consistently the best in the city in four different locations? I took it upon myself to find out.

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43 Comments | Posted by J. Kenji López-Alt, January 11, 2011 at 10:15 AM
Tagged: AHT reviews, Madison Square Park, reviews, Shake Shack, Times Square, Upper East Side, Upper West Side

Blue 9 Burger Expands to Midtown West and the Upper East Side

[Photograph: Nick Solares] According to a sign posted in their window, downtown joint Blue 9 Burger is making the move uptown and opening locations in Midtown West at 789 9th Ave (b/n 52nd and 53rd; map) and the Upper...

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2 Comments | Posted by Nick Solares, September 8, 2010 at 11:45 AM
Tagged: Blue 9 Burger, NYC. Midtown West, openings, Upper East Side

The Pizzaburger at NYC's Soup Burg

I've blogged about pizza and burgers for years. So of course I've seen a fair share of pizzaburgers on various diner and burger joint menus. I've never eaten one—if I have, it was so long ago I don't remember. Maybe it was the purist in me that held me back from mixing two perfectly excellent dishes that can (and some say should) otherwise stand on their own. That all changed last night, when I found myself at Soup Burg on Manhattan's Upper East Side.

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22 Comments | Posted by Adam Kuban, August 12, 2010 at 9:00 AM
Tagged: AHT reviews, fusion burgers, Manhattan, NYC, pizzaburgers, reviews, Soup Burg, Upper East Side

Cheese-Stuffed Burgers from the Stumble Inn in New York City

Burger stuffed with American cheese and sauteed onions taken by Tina Wong. Tina Wong of The Wandering Eater features some cheese-laden burger porn in her review of the Stumble Inn, a restaurant that specializes in stuffed burgers, on the Upper...

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12 Comments | Posted by Robyn Lee, January 23, 2009 at 10:00 AM
Tagged: cheese-stuffed burgers, cheeseburgers, NYC, reviews, The Stumble Inn, Upper East Side