Best Burgers in Brooklyn: Neighborhood by Neighborhood

The #1 burger in our entire NYC ranking. Pat LaFrieda dry-aged strip and hanger steak blend, griddled to medium rare, with American cheese and a raw white onion slice on an Italian-style bun. The simplicity is the point: when beef this good is involved, anything else would be a distraction. From the team behind Hometown Bar-B-Que. Worth the trip to Red Hook every single time.

The Grilled Burger at chef Dennis Spina's 20-seat Red Hook bistro is one of the best burgers in New York, and it wins on balance: an exceptionally seasoned, well-crusted patty with cheddar, a toasted bun, a single slice of raw onion, and a peppercorn aioli made with pickle juice that eats like au poivre and cuts through the richness. Nothing about it is complicated, and it can go head to head with 4 Charles. The bun turns slightly greasy by the end without doing any damage.

Rule of Thirds has quietly become one of the best burgers in the city. The Japanese-influenced Greenpoint restaurant puts the same care into their burger that they put into everything else on the menu. The beef has real depth, the construction is precise, and the overall experience places it firmly in Hall of Fame territory.

The burger we reviewed uses dry-aged Meat Hook beef. Our reviewed version layered raclette, arugula, bacon jam, pickled red onion and Calabrian chili aioli; the current menu describes the beef and fries without confirming those toppings. Choose the Sunday-only Dry-Aged Cheeseburger, a separate item from the regular cheeseburger.

The Jani is a distinctly Pakistani burger and the best thing in Williamsburg: mint chutney and raita over an exceptionally juicy Pat LaFrieda patty, with grilled tomato for sweetness and brightness. The flavor is outstanding. The patty runs soft and the build could use something crisp, so it eats more like a composed sandwich than a beef-led burger, but the chutney alone justifies the trip to Grand Street.

Diner is a classic Williamsburg restaurant in an actual old dining car. The menu changes nightly, written on your paper tablecloth by the server. The burger is the one thing that never changes, and it's the best thing to order. Thick but not too thick, with sharp cheese, a soft bun, and fat crispy fries.

Sailor's burger is a drippy, fatty creation with sweet melted onions and a big slab of cheddar. The burger appears on the lunch and brunch menus. It is a midday option; check the current menu when booking, since the posted menus are samples.

A good, down-the-middle double cheeseburger from chef Austin Baker, formerly culinary director at Hogsalt, at a walk-in Greenpoint bistro across from McCarren Park. Solid beef, American cheese, pickles that keep their bite and a mustard aioli with a real kick; the sauce runs too creamy and the bun turns bready in places. The build recalls 4 Charles, down to the bun on an off night.