Ten Burgers, Reranked

as of December 2024

Hi Divas!

On this, the final day of 2024, I would love to present to you my updated top ten burgers in New York. As a reminder, this is not me saying these are the BEST burgers, simply my favorite!

My first ranking was done in August and I’ve had so many burgers since then!

Ten Burgers, Ranked

Spoiler: there’s only one burger in my top 10 in the borough of Manhattan! Looking to find more winners there as well as hit the Bronx and the borough that adorns my birth certificate: Staten Island. Lore drop!

Speaking of more to come, here’s a few other drops to look out for in 2025 from yours truly:

• More Burger Reviews

• Collaborations with other folks in Food and Bev including:

  • Drink pairings!

  • Building our best burgers at home!

  • Events! 👀

• Night Out with Burger Diva - a whole date night or platonic romp planned around my favorite spots!

• And more personalized recs for my paid tier!

For this re-rank, I’ll link out to the full write-up, give you some fast facts and a bite sized review. Now let’s get into it and count backwards from ten.

10. Blue Collar Burger - New Entry

704 Manhattan Ave, Brooklyn, NY
Price: $9
Comes with fries: No, fries are $4.99
Served up: Green leaf lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions.
Style: True smash
Eaten when + with: 10/8/2024, Solo

An easy on-the-go smash - a great balance of fresh and salty.

9. Leo - New Entry!

123 Havemeyer St, Brooklyn, NY
Price: $20
Comes with fries: Yes!
Toppings: Lettuce, white onion, pickles, sauce
Style: Pub-ish
Eaten when + with: 11/13/2024 with Brooke and Frenchie

A rich buttery burger done well by a sourdough pizza spot.

8. Strange Flavor: The Chop - New Entry!

369 Troutman St, Brooklyn, NY
Price: $12.75
Comes with fries: No, fries are $6.
Toppings: Charred cabbage, peanut, pickles, cilantro-scallion, mustard and mala glaze
Style: Smash
Eaten when + with: 12/17/24, with my Secret Santa group.

A salty Asian-fusion punch between two potato buns. Give me three more!

7. Ingas Bar - Position Change, down from 4

66 Hicks St, Brooklyn, NY
Price: $21
Comes with fries: Yes!
Toppings: Mayo, raw white onion and pickles
Style: Smash-ish
Eaten when + with: 8/1/2024 with Leah

A great double patty with a sturdy bun and some of my favorite toppings (raw onions + pickles 4ever).

6. The Seneca - New Entry

582 Seneca Ave, Ridgewood, NY
Price: $12 for a single, $16 for a double
Comes with fries: No, you can add them on for $5
Toppings: Fried onion, housemade bread and butter pickles, and “comeback sauce.”
Eaten when + with: 11/18/24 with Claudia

A perfectly crusted smash with a kick!

5. Cozy Royale - New Entry!

434 Humboldt St, Brooklyn, NY
Price: $22
Comes with fries: Yes!
Toppings: Raw white onion, pickles and a burger sauce
Style: Smash-ish
Eaten when + with: 8/24/24 with Amy and Viv to celebrate my first 100 subs!

Ideal pickle proportions and a spot-on salt level.

4. Union Square Cafe - Position change, down from 3

101 E 19th St, New York, NY
Price: $30
Comes with fries: Yes!
Toppings: Heritage bacon, Bibb lettuce, sliced red onion and herb aioli
Style: Pub
Eaten when + with: 1/11/24, 4/19/24 and 12/30/24 with my coworkers, reevaluation in December done solo.

Rich and salty with a great topping combo - the raw ingredients play so well with the hearty bacon and creamy aioli. I ended up dropping this down from 3 to 4 because of how much bun remained at the end of my meal - ratios are important!

3. Lori Jayne - New Entry!

140 Wilson Ave, Brooklyn, NY
Price: $10
Comes with fries: No, an order of fries is $5.
Toppings: Bone broth caramelized onions, dill pickle chips and Lori Jayne sauce
Style: Smash-ish
Eaten when + with: 10/14/24 solo

I nearly cheered biting into this - somehow both indulgent and balanced with an insane price tag (positive).

2. Red Hook Tavern - No Change

329 Van Brunt St, Brooklyn, NY
Price: $29
Comes with fries: Yes, specifically cottage potatoes!
Toppings: Thick slice of white onion (ketchup and mayo on the side)
Style: Pub, with dry aged beef
Eaten when + with: 7/12/24 solo

Sometimes the key to greatness is simplicity. And great beef! I said “oh my god” out loud after my first bite.

1. Rolo’s - No Change

853 Onderdonk Ave, Ridgewood, NY
Price: $18
Comes with fries: No, you can add crispy potatoes for $8 or $12 war style - mayo, spicy peanut sauce, and raw white onion.
Toppings: Grilled onions, dijonnaise, pickled long hot on the side
Style: Smash-ish
Eaten when + with: 8/16/23 with Thom and co, 8/14/24 with Mateo, and probably every subsequent August in perpetuity.

Rolo’s you will ALWAYS be famous. No further comment.

Happy 2025 - here’s to more burgers, friends, and burgers with friends!