Fanelli Cafe (known more colloquially as Fanelli’s) is NYC’s second-oldest food-and-drink establishment in the same locale, with the 94 Prince Street facade continuously serving up plates under a variety of owners since 1847. Its most recent iteration of Fanelli’s was established in 1922 by Michael Fanelli, who also ran the location as a speakeasy until 1933.
When I arrived on a rainy Tuesday to try out the old school burger, I was greeted with a beautiful neon sign reflected in the wet cobblestones and a wrench in the plan - there was a corporate holiday party occupying the main dining space until 8:30. My friend Susana and I were still down to clown (get an outdoor heated covered table) since it was a pretty brief wait.
Once seated we both ordered martinis (mine Hendricks with a twist, hers gin dirty with a twist) and our burgers and fries. Susana and I followed each other on Twitter a few months ago and once I noticed her proclivity for red meat and gin, I knew we’d have to pencil in a burger together. In the spirit of New York institutions, we swapped stories over our drinks about our own classic NYC experiences: bed bugs, break-ins, boyfriends, the works.
Our burgers came out appearing robust - a thick patty, lightly toasted bun, a generous slice of onion and tomato on top, and a bit of leaf lettuce on the underside, Susana’s with cheese. It was served with a pickle on the side and no sauce, but squeeze bottles of ketchup and mustard were available to me.
It looked incredible and was piled high to more or less my preference. I took a bite and wasn’t very impressed. I took another and…the patty started to fall apart? I took another and yeah no there’s no way this was cooked to medium. I’m no stranger to a bloody burger but when it’s undercooked to the point of practically crumbling in my hand I have to take a beat.
In my journey I’ve had a couple of boring bites but none that were actively bad - until now. As I continued to down my undersalted bites, I thought of the famous patrons and storied history of Fanelli’s. If Rocky Marciano and Bob Dylan cozied up to the bar and counted themselves as regulars, I felt almost silly having a bad time.
At the end of my meal, I had a pile of onion slices, limp tomato pieces and scraps of bun left. I wound up actually salting my patty once I passed the halfway mark, something I try to avoid doing if I’m assessing my meal. Susana also noticed that she was using an excessive amount of ketchup on her fries - a sodium shortage all around.
I relayed my less-than-stellar experience to some of my fellow burger aficionados and they weren’t terribly surprised - while many of them had had positive meals with Fanelli’s, they’ve also had subpar experiences. Some of them encouraged me to return, explaining sometimes the food is better at lunch or I need to sit at the bar or even simply go for the chicken fingers instead of the burger. But I’m not Chicken Finger Diva am I? (Not a bad pivot though)
My friend Susana was also apologetic about the meal we shared - but I assured her that the restaurant’s lack of consistency was not her burden to bear. Next time we’ll just go to Revelie.
The burger at Fanelli’s occupies the last spot on my ranking - number 24. But if any Fanelli’s shooters are adamant on my return, I’m happy to have it happen on your dime.
Nooo! I’ve never had their burger but can def recommend their wings 10/10. Thank you for your service. Also this is so close to me! I need to get on the next soho area burger trial.
My Fanelli-fan friend said her boyfriend also had a bad experience w their burger! It truly is hit or miss!!!!!!!