The Best Smash Burgers in NYC, Ranked
By Brotherly Burgers, October 2026
The best smash burger in NYC is Nowon (9.5), the Korean-inspired East Village spot whose kimchi-laden double stack has no equal for flavor innovation and sits in our Pantheon tier. It's followed by Gotham Burger Social Club (9.4), the Lower East Side club-turned-flagship whose butter-basted double smash is the platonic ideal of the classic form, and Rolo's (8.9) in Ridgewood, Queens. We've scored 109 burgers across NYC and these are the smash burgers that earned their spots through crispy edges, proper cheese melt, and genuine flavor, not hype.
Smash burgers dominate NYC right now, and for good reason: the Maillard reaction on a thin, pressed patty creates a crust that thicker burgers can't match. But not every place pressing patties flat deserves your time. Here are the ones that do.
The Rankings
Nowon's double smash burger is Pantheon tier, period. The kimchi caramelized into the patty creates this sweet-savory-funky flavor that nothing else in the city replicates. Two perfectly crispy patties with gochujang-kissed American cheese on a sesame milk bun.
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.
GBSC started as a pop-up and the energy still feels that way: the griddle sizzling, butter being basted, American cheese cascading. They toast the exterior of the top bun, which is a small thing that changes everything. The caramelized onions are cooked into the patty, not placed on top. That distinction matters.
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.
Rolo's uses dry-aged beef in their smash burger, which gives it a depth most smash spots can't touch. The double patty arrives dripping with dijonnaise and a mix of shiny grease that you'll want to mop up with their crispy potatoes. Worth the trip to Ridgewood.
Menu price: $20
Base double cheeseburger; limited availability.
Checked 2026-09-14 · Menu source. Prices may change.
Location: 853 Onderdonk Avenue, Ridgewood, NY 11385. Directions
Burger availability: Limited quantities at dinner and weekend brunch.
The restaurant explicitly recommends arriving before 6 p.m. for the best dinner burger chances. Its brunch menu warns that the limited burgers are likely gone by 1 p.m. Neither time guarantees availability.
Booking: Resy reservations for up to seven; tables and bar seats are also set aside for walk-ins. Booking information
Official visit information · Checked 2026-09-14. Confirm availability before visiting.
Official location · Address checked 2026-09-14.
Our favorite grab-and-go burger in New York outside of Gotham. The Flat Out Classic pairs incredibly juicy grass-fed Pat LaFrieda beef with American cheese, grilled onions and signature sauce on a super thin, buttery brioche, one of the best fast-food buns in the city. The pickles, brined for the shop by The Pickle Guys, lean sweeter and less acidic than most and still cut. It eats remarkably clean: we each had 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.
A West Village institution since 1880 now serving one of the neighborhood's best smash burgers. The patties get a serious sear and the whole thing is assembled with care you don't expect from a place with this much history. It's a proper pub smash burger done at a high level.
Recorded price: $27
Current menu price unverified; recorded 2026-07-31.
Location: 567 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014. Directions
Use the West Village tavern at Hudson Street for this review. The venue has separate brunch and all-day menus. Confirm the Double Smash Burger and its current price on the live menu before visiting.
Booking: Use the Resy link on the restaurant’s website. Booking information
Official visit information · Checked 2026-09-14. Confirm availability before visiting.
NYC address record · Address checked 2026-09-14.
Operating out of a gas station bodega on the corner of West 4th, Smacking Burger is proof that great smash burgers don't need a fancy address. At $8.99, it's the best value smash burger in Manhattan. The griddle is right there. You watch them make it. Every ingredient is placed with intention.
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.
NADC in SoHo balances rich Wagyu beef and American cheese with pickles and gently spicy jalapeños. That acidity keeps the burger from becoming exhausting, which is what stood out in our review. Choose it for a rich smashburger with enough sharpness to keep each bite interesting.
Recorded price: $16
Current menu price unverified.
Location: 25 Cleveland Place, New York, NY 10012. Directions
NYC address record · Address checked 2026-09-14.
Do Not Disturb in the West Village takes its dry-aged smashburger in a different direction: espresso bacon jam adds smoke, sweetness and restrained bitterness, while roasted garlic mayo ketchup brings the flavors together. Our review found the combination cohesive and unusually savory.
Recorded price: $30
Current menu price unverified.
Location: 285 West 12th Street, New York, NY 10014. Directions
NYC address record · Address checked 2026-09-14.
A West Village whiskey bar whose Double-Double was one of the neighborhood's hidden-gem smash burgers at lunch: juicy beef under a real crust, balanced toppings, a toasted sesame bun. A Saturday-night return in October 2026 was totally mediocre, with edges that were not very crispy, so go in knowing it is inconsistent.
Recorded price: $18
Current menu price unverified.
Location: 190 West 4th Street, New York, NY 10014. Directions
Kitchen closes: 2 a.m. daily; the late-night food menu runs 11 p.m.–2 a.m.
The Smash Burger appears on the late-night menu. The brunch burger and happy-hour single are different configurations from the reviewed double.
Official visit information · Checked 2026-09-14. Confirm availability before visiting.
NYC address record · Address checked 2026-09-14.
On Our Radar
The Hot Mess smash burger has been getting serious attention. We haven't tried it yet but it's high on our list.
The short answer
- Highest ranked here
- Nowon9.5 · #4 citywide
- Score range
- 7.4–9.59 ranked picks
- Price range
- $8.99–$309 priced
Updated October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best smash burger in NYC?›
Nowon in the East Village scores a 9.5 in our rankings, making it the best smash burger in NYC, with kimchi caramelized into the patty. Gotham Burger Social Club (9.4) on the Lower East Side, our platonic ideal of the classic smashburger, is right behind it.
What is the cheapest good smash burger in NYC?›
Smacking Burger in the West Village is the best value. Operating out of a gas station bodega, it scores 8.5, Elite tier, at a fraction of the price of sit-down spots. Flat Out Burger (8.8) on the Lower East Side is our favorite grab-and-go smash burger outside of Gotham, at $11.50 for a double of grass-fed Pat LaFrieda beef.
What is the difference between a smash burger and a regular burger?›
A smash burger uses a ball of beef pressed flat on a hot griddle, creating maximum surface contact for a crispy, caramelized crust. Regular burgers are formed into thicker patties and cooked without pressing. The smash technique produces more Maillard reaction flavor per bite.
Where can I get a smash burger in the West Village?›
White Horse Tavern (8.7), Smacking Burger (8.5) and Do Not Disturb (8.1) are the West Village smash burgers we would send you to. The Spaniard (7.4) has been good at lunch and mediocre on a Saturday night, so treat it as inconsistent. For the best value, Smacking Burger can't be beat.
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.