The Legendary Burger at Nowon in the East Village and Bushwick has been a fixture on many a top burger list since the outposts opened in 2019 and 2023, respectively. As I continue to chip away at the acclaimed burgers across the city through listicles, word of mouth and my social media feeds, this was at the top of my “to try” spreadsheet tab.
I locked in a reservation at the Bushwick location, the more spacious of the two, and made the journey to meet my friend Anna, another Twitter-turned-in person pal. 2015 Music Twitter really bringing people together!
I walked in and was greeted by the plentiful red lights, aluminum siding and dual projectors showing music videos. At one point I looked up and they were playing Gangnam Style, which they did, of course, do on Glee.
Anna and I ordered the wings, honey garlic butter tots, the chicken bun, and of course Thee Legendary Burger to munch on while we caught up with each other.
The burger came out already cut in two, with two toothpicks piercing the top of the plush sesame buns. Since the double smash burger was topped with kimchi special sauce, roasted kimchi, pickles, and onion, I appreciated the structural assistance. It’s also served with American cheese, which I requested be nixed, as usual!
Right out of the gate, I’ll admit that I had higher hopes for the Nowon burger. I think my exact words to Anna after my first two bites: “First impression: wet.”
My biggest gripe was that it was really lacking in texture, especially compared to what I had conjured up in my head. Pickles, onions and roasted kimchi painted a picture of a burger with some snappy elements but ultimately all of those wound up limp. That missing crunch combined with the overall heft of the burger created a homogenous mouthfeel.
Flavor-wise it was good, but just short of great. The culprit? Relying on the American cheese for an extra burst of salt. Without that infusion, the flavors ended up muddled. It has a real potential to be an umami bomb but stops short with a leg of the race yet to be run.
In my opinion, the Nowon burger was yummy but not worth the cash ($21) or the hype. There are better burgers in both Bushwick and the East Village, but I understand that they might not be playing Gangnam Style on their back wall.
I’m ranking Nowon at 17, under the burger at Corner Bar and above Lovely’s Old Fashioned. If you’ve tried this burger with cheese, let me know your flavor thoughts!
I have high hopes for the next few burgers - I’ll be hitting Virginia’s, Minetta Tavern and Swoony’s to start! And I have new series coming soon, all about quenching your thirst while you chow down.
In the meantime, sound off on what burger you think I should make sure to hit in February!