Swoony's
thousand island dressing i was not familiar with your game
I swung by Swoony’s in Cobble Hill on a blustery February night. This spot, full of vintage knick knacks and china in the cabinets like a cross between TGI Fridays and your cool Grandma’s house, is in a part of Brooklyn I admittedly don’t see much. West of the BQE, north of Brooklyn Battery Tunnel and right on the water, it’s a bit out of the way, not dissimilar to a well-loved Burger Diva spot just a dozen blocks south, Red Hook Tavern.
Swoony’s came to me through a direct recommendation. The folks at Cafe Spaghetti just around the corner opened the bistro November 2023 and the burger has quietly gained buzz since then.
I made plans to go with my friend Chris, who had similarly heard praise of the Swoony’s burger.
As we sat and looked over the drink menu (dinner was obviously decided), we noticed that nearly all of the tables around us had at least one burger on it. After each ordering our burgers, I asked our waiter about how many burgers he thinks Swoony’s pushes out in a night. He didn’t have a nightly estimate but said that in 2024, they probably sold close to 50,000!
Our burgers arrived on their plush Portuguese rolls with two smashed patties, Thousand Island dressing, dill pickle chips and American cheese for Chris. Each order came with a healthy serving of fries for $25, about the average for the burgers I’ve tried that have a combo situation.
The Swoony’s burger had an excellent first bite - the light roll, smashed lace and tangy dressing made for a flavorful impression. As I made my way through the burger, some small faults came to light.
Most of them were rooted in the amount of grease and oil the double smash produced - this led to the pickles becoming prematurely limp and a bottom bun breakdown. While the airiness of the bun is a great quality, it doesn’t exist in a vacuum and ultimately the oil led to some gumminess and slick, greasy hands at the end of my meal.
Mess factor aside, this was a delicious burger - I’m going to nestle the Swoony’s burger at 14 between Rippers and the Pop burger at Strange Flavor. And I know this isn’t Dessert Diva, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the sweet treat we got at the end - a French toast adjacent mousse with spiced apples.
