Best Burgers in Manhattan, Ranked
By Brotherly Burgers, October 2026
The best burger in Manhattan is 4 Charles (9.5), ranked #2 in all of NYC. The West Village's double wagyu cheeseburger is level on score with Nowon (9.5) in the East Village and ahead of it on our tie-break, with The Noortwyck (9.4), Lord's (9.4), Gotham (9.4) and Chez Margaux (9.4) directly behind. Only one burger in the city ranks above the top of this list, and it is not in Manhattan.
The scope is simple: every Manhattan burger scoring 8.9 or higher, in citywide rank order. That is 13 burgers across 8 neighborhoods, 9 of them in the Hall of Fame or Pantheon tiers. 4 of the 13 are in the West Village, which is why that neighborhood has its own guide. Places we have not eaten are not on this list, and neither is anything that has closed.
Scores tie. Where they do, the order is our tie-break, the same order the citywide ranking uses, and it is an editorial judgment rather than an algorithm. We took the whole 8.9 block rather than cutting it at a round number so that no tie is split.
The Rankings
The Double Wagyu Cheeseburger has one of the highest ceilings of any burger in New York: Snake River Farms Wagyu, deep beefy flavor, enormous juiciness and precise seasoning on a strong batch. Bacon and egg should wreck the balance and instead stay in a supporting role. The brioche is the weak component, and the burger has shown some variance across visits, which is why its ceiling and its repeatability are not the same thing.
Menu price: $38.99
Base double cheeseburger; bacon, egg and sides cost extra.
Checked 2026-09-14 · Menu source. Prices may change.
Location: 4 Charles Street, New York, NY 10014. Directions
Posted hours: Monday–Thursday 4–11:30 p.m.; Friday noon–11:30 p.m.; Saturday 11 a.m.–11:30 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m.–10 p.m. Weekend brunch runs until 2 p.m.
The full dinner menu is also available during weekend brunch. The burger’s bacon and egg are paid additions; the recorded base price does not include them.
Official visit information · Checked 2026-09-14. Confirm availability before visiting.
NYC address record · Address checked 2026-09-14.
The Legendary Cheeseburger is the most distinctive fusion burger in the city and one of the most cohesive. Cooking the kimchi softens its pungency, so the kimchi special sauce cuts the richness instead of fighting it, and the double patties carry a proper sear underneath. Highly original without sacrificing balance.
Recorded price: $21
Current menu price unverified.
Location: 507 East 6th Street, New York, NY 10009. Directions
This profile and map pin refer to the East Village flagship. Use its menu and booking page; Bushwick and Boston have separate menus and reservations.
Booking: Book the East Village location through the restaurant’s Resy link. Booking information
Official visit information · Checked 2026-09-14. Confirm availability before visiting.
NYC address record · Address checked 2026-09-14.
One of the most under-discussed elite burgers in New York. A single thick dry-aged patty with deep, nutty beef flavor and perfect seasoning, with raw onion and a horseradish aioli that supply exactly the sharpness the richness needs. Sold only as the weekday Corner Combo during Burger Hour, so it takes planning.
Recorded price: $30
Current menu price unverified.
Location: 289 Bleecker Street, New York, NY 10014. Directions
Burger availability: Corner Combo: Monday–Friday until 6:30 p.m. or sellout; bar and front room only.
The burger is sold as a combo with a beverage pairing. This is a limited Burger Hour offering, so plan around the service window rather than the restaurant’s later dinner hours.
Official visit information · Checked 2026-09-14. Confirm availability before visiting.
Official location · Address checked 2026-09-14.
One of the most memorable burgers in New York: an incredibly juicy, well-seasoned patty under a heavy layer of house-made Welsh rarebit, on a sweet, soft pretzel bun with raw onion to cut through it. On our first visit the onion ran sharp enough to pick off; on the September 2026 return it was perfectly balanced and the burger hit its full potential. An experience burger done exactly right.
Recorded price: $26
Current menu price unverified.
Location: 506 Laguardia Place, New York, NY 10012. Directions
The venue serves dinner Monday–Saturday and brunch Saturday–Sunday. Confirm the Welsh Rarebit Cheeseburger and remaining quantity before a dedicated trip.
Booking: Resy reservations release at noon two weeks ahead. The restaurant tries to hold seats for walk-ins. Booking information
Official visit information · Checked 2026-09-14. Confirm availability before visiting.
NYC address record · Address checked 2026-09-14.
The platonic ideal of a classic smash burger. Every bite of the Gotham Smash lands beefiness, acidity, sweetness and heat in balance: a lacy crust, juicy patties, grilled onions cooked into the meat, housemade pickles, jalapeños and club sauce on a bun that holds together. At $12.50 it is also one of the cheapest burgers on this list, which is the part nobody expects.
Recorded price: $12.50
Current menu price unverified.
Location: 131 Essex Street, New York, NY 10002. Directions
Posted hours: 11 a.m.–11 p.m. Sunday–Wednesday; 11 a.m.–1 a.m. Thursday–Saturday.
The reviewed Lower East Side branch is walk-in only and does not take reservations. Other Gotham locations have separate schedules. The posted closing time is not a separately confirmed kitchen cutoff.
Official visit information · Checked 2026-09-14. Confirm availability before visiting.
NYC address record · Address checked 2026-09-14.
An exceptionally rich, beef-forward burger whose defining achievement is texture: a crisp sesame bun, crunchy onions, soft beef and Gruyère, served au jus, with a dijon chili mayonnaise cutting the richness. The catch is access. Chez Margaux is a private members' club, so this is the best burger in Manhattan most people cannot order.
Recorded price: $54
Current menu price unverified.
Location: 403 West 13th Street, New York, NY 10014. Directions
This is a members-only club. Arrange access before making a trip. No public menu verifies the recorded burger prices; confirm the current price and availability with the club.
Official visit information · Checked 2026-09-14. Confirm availability before visiting.
NYC address record · Address checked 2026-09-14.
The Tavern Burger reads as overengineered on paper and eats as a flavor explosion that stays coherent: A5 Wagyu, a house-made Parmesan single, cured cabbage slaw and shishito relish on a sesame potato bun. The fermented acidity is what keeps all that richness in line. The bun runs slightly bready and flaky; that is the one nitpick.
Menu price: $35
Guzzle upstairs; dinner menu, subject to availability.
Checked 2026-09-14 · Menu source. Prices may change.
Location: 29 Cornelia Street, New York, NY 10014. Directions
Burger availability: Listed on Guzzle’s 4–10:30 p.m. dinner menu, subject to availability.
Order the Tavern Burger upstairs at Guzzle. Its dinner menu marks it as limited, without publishing an exact daily count. A separate, walk-in-only late-night menu starts at 10:30 p.m.; do not assume the Tavern Burger carries over.
Booking: Reservations open ten days ahead at midnight. The venue also holds tables for walk-ins. Booking information
Official visit information · Checked 2026-09-14. Confirm availability before visiting.
NYC address record · Address checked 2026-09-14.
A hidden-gem burger built on a chuck, brisket and short rib blend so concentrated it registers almost dry-aged in character. Gruyère deepens the richness, and balsamic onions and garlic aioli add the sweetness and sharpness that keep it from going heavy. Rich, savory, subtly bright and immediately rewarding.
Recorded price: $36
Current menu price unverified.
Location: 314 West 11th Street, New York, NY 10014. Directions
Sunday dinner reservations are for the Wallace Room only. The site lists bar hours separately from dinner reservations; a late bar closing time is not a confirmed burger cutoff.
Booking: Book through the official Resy or OpenTable links. Booking information
Official visit information · Checked 2026-09-14. Confirm availability before visiting.
NYC address record · Address checked 2026-09-14.
Not flashy, just quietly nails the fundamentals. House-ground dry-aged beef, American cheese, grilled onion, flaky salt and a toasted sesame bun: intensely beefy, unapologetically salty, stripped of anything unnecessary. Both brothers have received the same burger across repeat visits. Walk-in only, so prime time can mean a real wait.
Recorded price: $19
Current menu price unverified.
Location: 132 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10009. Directions
Kitchen closes: Midnight Monday–Tuesday; 1 a.m. Wednesday–Saturday; 11 p.m. Sunday.
Walk-ins only; no reservations. The posted end-of-summer kitchen schedule makes Wednesday–Saturday the after-midnight option. Bar hours run later than food service.
Official visit information · Checked 2026-09-14. Confirm availability before visiting.
NYC address record · Address checked 2026-09-14.
Midtown's best burger by a wide margin. The 550 Burger is beef-forward and precisely seasoned: a USDA Prime patty cooked perfectly and very juicy, peppercorn mustard and onion for sharpness, a Parmesan crisp for savory depth. The bun's chew becomes slightly too prominent in a few bites, and that is the whole complaint.
Menu price: $38
Lunch à la carte price. At dinner, the burger is an entrée choice in the $95-per-person set menu; other charges or supplements can apply.
Checked 2026-09-14 · Menu source. Prices may change.
Location: 550 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10022. Directions
Posted hours: Lunch noon–3 p.m.; dinner 5–11 p.m., as posted by the venue.
At 550 Madison. The lunch menu offers the 550 Burger à la carte; dinner uses a set-menu format. Check the service and total menu cost when booking, rather than treating the lunch burger price as the price of dinner.
Official visit information · Checked 2026-09-14. Confirm availability before visiting.
NYC address record · Address checked 2026-09-14.
One of the most intensely beef-forward dry-aged burgers in New York. The patty cook and meat quality were among the best we have encountered, and Spanish Mahón amplifies the dry-aged funk rather than redirecting it. Off-menu and reportedly five a night, which makes it the hardest acquisition on this list after Chez Margaux.
Recorded price: $35
Current menu price unverified.
Location: 35 W 20th Street, New York, NY 10011. Directions
Our review is of the off-menu burger. Confirm availability directly before booking around it: the official site does not publish a burger count or an ordering cutoff. Call (212) 463-7890.
Booking: The restaurant links to Resy for reservations. Booking information
Official visit information · Checked 2026-09-14. Confirm availability before visiting.
Official location · Address checked 2026-09-14.
An original French bistro burger that lives up to its reputation: peppercorn-crusted Pat LaFrieda brisket, St. André, watercress and cornichons on challah with au poivre sauce, each component supporting the next. The challah has slightly too much chew. The burger is listed on the official brunch menu; confirm evening availability directly.
Menu price: $32 · Fries included
Price on the brunch menu.
Checked 2026-09-14 · Menu source. Prices may change.
Location: 180 Prince Street, New York, NY 10012. Directions
Burger availability: Listed on the brunch menu.
The official brunch menu lists the Burger au Poivre with frites. Confirm evening burger availability directly rather than relying on an old nightly allotment or assuming a dinner reservation guarantees one.
Official visit information · Checked 2026-09-14. Confirm availability before visiting.
NYC address record · Address checked 2026-09-14.
An unassuming bar burger with restaurant-level beef quality. The wagyu patty was exceptionally juicy, well cooked and well seasoned; the onions were thinly shaved, the tomato restrained, the bun well toasted, and the burger held the same balance from its first bite through its last. No sauce arrived and none was needed.
Menu price: $25 · Fries included
Checked 2026-09-14 · Menu source. Prices may change.
Location: 157 Bleecker Street, New York, NY 10012. Directions
The posted Wagyu Burger includes French fries. The menu lists dijonnaise; our tasting notes describe the burger we actually received, which differed.
Official visit information · Checked 2026-09-14. Confirm availability before visiting.
Official location · Address checked 2026-09-14.
Go deeper
The full borough ranking, including everything below the floor, is on the Manhattan borough page. For a single neighborhood, start with the West Village, East Village and Midtown guides, or the winner of every NYC neighborhood.
The short answer
- Highest ranked here
- 4 Charles9.5 · #2 citywide
- Score range
- 8.9–9.513 ranked picks
- Price range
- $12.50–$5413 priced
Updated October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best burger in Manhattan?›
4 Charles Prime Rib in the West Village (9.5) is the best burger in Manhattan and ranks #2 in all of NYC. Nowon (9.5) in the East Village has the same score and sits behind it on our tie-break; both are Pantheon tier. The Noortwyck (9.4), Lord's (9.4), Gotham (9.4) and Chez Margaux (9.4) follow.
Which Manhattan neighborhood has the best burgers?›
The West Village. 4 Charles (9.5), The Noortwyck (9.4), Sip & Guzzle (9.3) and Golden Swan (9.3) are all Hall of Fame or better, making it a useful neighborhood for comparing several highly rated options, and 4 Charles is the single best burger in Manhattan.
Which of the best Manhattan burgers can you actually get?›
Gotham (9.4) and Lion's Bar (9.0) are the easiest of the top tier: Lion's Bar is walk-in only, and Yesterday's (8.9) takes reservations on Resy. The hardest are Chez Margaux (9.4), a members-only club; Opto (8.9), whose off-menu burger availability needs to be confirmed; and Sip & Guzzle (9.3), whose dinner menu marks the Tavern Burger as limited. The Noortwyck (9.4) sells its burger only on weekdays until 6:30pm.
How much does a top burger in Manhattan cost?›
Anywhere from $12.50 for Gotham's smash burger (9.4) to $54 for Chez Margaux (9.4). 4 Charles is $38.99, Sip & Guzzle is $35, and Lion's Bar (9.0) is $19. Price and score are not correlated at the top of this list.
All scores are from the Burgerverse ranking system, based on Brotherly Burgers' reviews of 109 ranked NYC burgers. Scores use a 0-10 scale with decimal precision.