Donovan’s Pub serves what many call the best burger in Queens. This Tudor-Style tavern nestled under the tracks of the 7 train has been around since 1966. With an interior decked out in royal blue and orange and its proximity to Citi Field (duh), it was clear to see this was a go-to spot for Mets fans to congregate on game days. Sure enough, by the end of my meal, the space was almost completely full of jersey-clad patrons ahead of the afternoon game.
I shared this burger with my friend Drew, who I technically connected with because of my tweet ranking my initial top 10 burgers.
As it turns out, Drew and I had crossed paths before and we had a handful of mutual friends but ultimately, the power of the Burger ™ is what kickstarted our friendship. With Drew moving to Nashville that upcoming week, we knew we wanted to schedule a burger together.
We sat at the bar for lunch and I had a respectable 12:30pm Blue Moon. There was one burger on the menu labeled “Best Burger in Queens” so I picked that out of the 18 (!) choices listed for 17.95, including fries or onion rings. This came with bacon and BBQ sauce, as well as lettuce and tomato. I decided to go for the onion rings - something about a BBQ burger just screams out for a battered onion companion. I also thought it was interesting that you could opt for an English muffin up-charge, but that wasn’t in the cards for me on this Saturday afternoon.
The burger came out of the kitchen standing tall - a half pound charred patty on a slightly blackened sesame bun with well done bacon, iceberg full leaf lettuce, a thick slice of tomato, the sweet BBQ sauce and dill chips off to the side along with some mayo. Like a true pub, everything served was just a little oversized - burger, beers, rings, and Drew’s fries, which were closer to a potato wedge. But on a sunny day where I knew I’d just be laying in the park for an hour or two after, I welcomed the platter into my heart.
Since this was a tavern style burger (loosely packed) and I ordered it medium, I knew I was probably in for Mess and I was right. Bite number one produced an instant puddle on my plate. It was one of those burgers that you felt like you couldn’t put down just because being able to pick it back up would be such an endeavor. The bottom bun melded into the giant patty, so in my hand she stayed.
I’ll be honest - I don’t think the BBQ sauce did much for me, especially surrounded by the other fresh, crisp toppings. I almost wish it was diluted with mayo to cut the tang and add some creaminess.
My burger was cooked pretty well, but I can’t say this same for Drew – his was closer to a medium well, well done in some spots. For how juicy mine was, I was impressed that the burger’s char was sustained through the whole meal. However, this was one where I had a ton of bun left on the plate after my meal. The more the buns absorbed the juices, the further they pushed out the contents of the burger.
I rank the BBQ burger at Donovan’s right at number 20 - below Peter Luger and above the Pop burger at Strange Flavor. I would definitely make a return trip here, especially to watch a Mets game alongside people that sound like everyone I’m related to.
No.