#49 in NYC
Legasea
Midtown, Manhattan
Brotherly Breakdown
Our own take, from eating it. Written by Brotherly Burgers.
Legasea's French onion burger is a concept burger that actually delivers on its concept. The wagyu, Gruyère, horseradish, and jus mix cohesively enough that it genuinely tastes like French onion dip rather than like a burger with onion soup ideas attached.
The most interesting part is the bun. It is dry and flaky, which we would normally hold against a burger, and here it works, because it soaks up the jus and carries more flavor into the bite.
Best for
French onion flavors, wagyu, Gruyère, horseradish, au jus builds, and Midtown seafood restaurants.
What it's actually like
Legasea is a seafood restaurant in the Moxy Times Square, which is not where you go looking for a serious burger. This one is more considered than it needs to be. This assessment is based on one visit.
The build is the French onion idea taken literally: wagyu, slow-caramelized onions, melted Gruyère, horseradish mayonnaise, and jus. What makes it work is that those elements combine rather than stack. The horseradish and the jus and the cheese arrive together, and the result reads as one flavor instead of five.
The bun is the part we did not expect to defend. Dry and flaky is normally a structural failure, and on almost any other burger we would knock it. On a burger served with jus it becomes the delivery mechanism. It absorbs, and what it absorbs is flavor. That inversion is the most interesting thing about the burger and the reason it is worth ordering at a restaurant built around fish.
Our notes record no component that undercuts it, so we are not going to invent one. Around the burger, the garlic bread, the tuna tartare, and the Korean wings were all good.
One ordering note: the restaurant's current name for it is the Wagyu French Onion Burger.
Strengths
- Cohesive French onion flavor that delivers on the concept
- Wagyu, Gruyère, horseradish, and jus combine rather than compete
- The dry, flaky bun soaks up the jus and adds flavor
- A genuinely distinctive build
Why this score
The burger sets itself a specific target and hits it, which is rarer than it sounds for a concept build. The components read as one flavor, and the bun turns what would normally be a fault into an advantage.
Our tasting notes identify no component that held it back, so nothing is set against it here.
Reviewed by Brotherly Burgers. Last written July 2026.
- Neighborhood
- Midtown, Manhattan
- Cuisine
- Seafood
- Price
- $$$
French Onion Dip Burger
Gruyère, horseradish mayonnaise, served with au jus.
$26
Seafood-focused Midtown restaurant with a surprisingly strong burger.
