Best Cheap Burgers in NYC
By Brotherly Burgers, October 2026
The best cheap burger in NYC is Gotham (9.4) in the Lower East Side, a Hall of Fame-tier burger at a price point that doesn't require a second mortgage. You don't need to spend $35+ on a burger to have a great one in this city. These are the value burgers we'd genuinely recommend, most under $15, plus a few slightly pricier options that punch way above their cost.
We've eaten 109 ranked burgers across NYC and scored them all. Most "cheap burger" lists are filled with tourist traps and nostalgia plays. This one is filled with burgers that actually taste good, ranked with decimal-precision scores.
Best Value Burgers
The best burger on this list is also one of the cheapest. Gotham scores a 9.4, Hall of Fame tier, at $12.50. Every bite balances beefiness, acidity, sweetness and heat — the platonic ideal of what a smashburger can be. If you take one recommendation from this guide, take this one.
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.
Our favorite grab-and-go burger in New York outside of Gotham, and a great value for what goes into it: $11.50 for a double, Elite tier (8.8), on 100% grass-fed Pat LaFrieda beef, pickles brined by The Pickle Guys and a super thin, buttery brioche that is one of the best fast-food buns in the city. It tastes remarkably clean for fast food. We each ate two doubles and felt great.
Menu price: $11.50
Double, as reviewed. The single is $8.
Checked 2026-09-27 · Menu source. Prices may change.
Location: 139 Eldridge Street, New York, NY 10002. Directions
Posted hours: Lower East Side: 11:30 a.m.–1 a.m. Sunday–Wednesday; 11:30 a.m.–3 a.m. Thursday; 11:30 a.m.–4 a.m. Friday–Saturday.
These are the posted hours of the Eldridge Street shop, the location we reviewed. The other Flat Out locations keep different schedules. After-midnight times belong to the evening service that starts on the named day.
Official visit information · Checked 2026-09-27. Confirm availability before visiting.
NYC address record · Address checked 2026-09-14.
The best value in this guide if you want anything other than a smash burger. Lion's Bar scores a 9.0, Hall of Fame tier, and while $19 isn't dirt cheap, every other non-smash burger we score this high comes with sit-down restaurant prices. You're getting a burger that competes with $35+ options at nearly half the price. In the East Village, this is the move.
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.
Elite tier (8.5) at $8.99 from a gas station bodega. Pound for pound the best value burger in Manhattan. The patty gets proper crisp, the cheese is melted correctly, and the bun doesn't disintegrate. At this price, there's no excuse not to try it.
Recorded price: $8.99
Current menu price unverified.
Location: 51–63 Eighth Avenue, New York, NY 10014. Directions
Posted hours: Noon–11 p.m. Sunday–Thursday; noon–1 a.m. Friday–Saturday.
The burger counter is at the West Village gas station on Eighth Avenue. Delivery runs 3–11 p.m. daily, a shorter window than the posted opening hours on Friday and Saturday.
Official visit information · Checked 2026-09-14. Confirm availability before visiting.
Official location · Address checked 2026-09-14.
George Motz literally wrote the book on hamburgers, and his counter serves Oklahoma-style fried onion smash burgers at fast-food prices, Elite tier (8.5). The onions are grilled directly into the patty. Crack a High Life and enjoy.
Menu price: $12.50 · Fries extra
Double burger price. Single $7.75; fries sold separately.
Checked 2026-09-14 · Menu source. Prices may change.
Location: 155 W Houston Street, New York, NY 10012. Directions
Posted hours: 11 a.m.–10 p.m. Sunday–Thursday; 11 a.m.–11 p.m. Friday–Saturday.
The official visitor address is West Houston Street at MacDougal. Our recorded price is for the double Fried Onion Burger; the single costs less. Monthly specials rotate, so check the menu for the current special.
Official visit information · Checked 2026-09-14. Confirm availability before visiting.
Official location · Address checked 2026-09-14.
At $16, this is one of the pricier options in our value selection. Standout tier (8.3) for a Wagyu cheeseburger whose richness never turns exhausting: American cheese and secret sauce build the savory base, while pickles and tamed jalapeños reset the palate between bites.
Recorded price: $16
Current menu price unverified.
Location: 25 Cleveland Place, New York, NY 10012. Directions
NYC address record · Address checked 2026-09-14.
Standout tier (8.0) at $8.99, which is the whole argument. A well-executed halal smashburger built on the fundamentals: a proper crust on the patty, seasoned correctly, and a house sauce that complements the beef, American cheese and onions rather than burying them.
Recorded price: $8.99
Current menu price unverified; recorded 2026-07-31.
Location: 106 Macdougal Street, New York, NY 10012. Directions
NYC address record · Address checked 2026-09-14.
A simple, accessible smashburger, recorded at $7 in our ranking. 7th Street is useful when you want an inexpensive counter-service meal. Locations have different schedules; the East Village details below are the ones we checked.
Recorded price: $7
Current menu price unverified.
Location: 91 E 7th Street, New York, NY 10009. Directions
Posted hours: East Village: noon–1 a.m. Monday–Wednesday; noon–3 a.m. Thursday–Saturday; noon–2 a.m. Sunday.
These are the East Village branch’s posted hours. Other locations and online ordering cutoffs can differ. After-midnight times belong to the evening service that starts on the named day.
Official visit information · Checked 2026-09-14. Confirm availability before visiting.
Official location · Address checked 2026-09-14.
An Upper East Side institution at $14.25, Good tier (7.5). The char on the patty is outstanding, and this is the best version of the burger someone's father makes on a backyard grill — meant as praise. Be warned about the bun: flaky and dry, and on a build this spare there is nothing else to absorb that.
Recorded price: $14.25
Current menu price unverified.
Location: 1291 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10021. Directions
Kitchen closes: 2:30 a.m. Monday–Thursday; 2:40 a.m. Friday–Saturday; 12:40 a.m. Sunday.
No reservations. The restaurant stays open later than the kitchen: 3 a.m. Monday–Saturday and 1 a.m. Sunday. Arrive before the kitchen cutoff to order food.
Official visit information · Checked 2026-09-14. Confirm availability before visiting.
Official location · Address checked 2026-09-14.
On Our Radar
An Albany burger shop with a Williamsburg location at 196 Roebling Street. Still on our list to try; check its own site for current prices and hours.
An East Village burger shop we have not scored yet. Check the current menu and ordering hours rather than assuming a weekend late-night service.
The short answer
- Our top pick
- Gotham9.4 · #7 citywide
- Score range
- 7.5–9.49 ranked picks
- Price range
- $7–$199 priced
Updated October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best cheap burger in NYC?›
For pure value, Flat Out Burger on the Lower East Side ($11.50 for a double, score 8.8), Smacking Burger in the West Village ($8.99, score 8.5) and Hamburger America in SoHo ($12.50, score 8.5) offer the best quality at the lowest prices. All three are Elite tier or above in our rankings.
Can I get a good burger in NYC for under $10?›
At the prices recorded in this guide: Smacking Burger ($8.99), Butter Smashburgers ($8.99), 7th Street ($7). These are burger prices before tax, tips and any extras; check the current menu before ordering.
What is the best budget burger in Manhattan?›
Lion's Bar in the East Village (9.0) at $19 offers the best quality-to-price ratio. For less money, Smacking Burger (8.5) in the West Village at $8.99 is the best value burger in Manhattan.
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.