#14 in NYC

Raoul's

Name: Raoul's
Address: New York, NY, US
Price range: $$$$

SoHo, Manhattan

8.9/10

#14 NYC · ELITE

Brotherly Breakdown

Our own take, from eating it. Written by Brotherly Burgers.

Raoul's Burger au Poivre is an original and exceptionally well-constructed French bistro burger that lives up to its reputation.
The peppercorn-crusted patty, St. André cheese, watercress, cornichons, and au poivre sauce create a rich but balanced composition, with each component supporting the next without overwhelming the burger.

Best for

Peppercorn-forward burgers, au poivre sauce, French bistro flavors, rich cheese balanced by acidity, and limited bar-only burger hunts.

The catch

The challah bun has slightly too much chew, which interrupts an otherwise excellent texture balance.

At dinner, only twelve burgers are served at the bar on a first-come basis, although the burger is listed during weekend brunch.

What it's actually like

Raoul's is one of those rare burgers that is famous, annoying to acquire, and still deserving of the mythology. It is served inside an old-school SoHo French bistro that still feels like an old-school New York establishment.

The peppercorn crust gives the patty a distinct flavor before the sauce even enters the equation. The St. André brings creaminess and richness. The watercress adds freshness, and the cornichons provide the acidity needed to keep the entire thing from becoming too heavy.

Then you dip it into the au poivre. Those bites feel like hitting a green timing in 2K. The sauce reinforces everything the burger is already trying to do. It pushes the pepper forward, adds another level of richness, and makes the burger feel even more connected to Raoul's steak au poivre history.

Every component balances another component. The cheese needs the watercress and cornichons. The patty needs the sauce. The sauce needs the sharpness surrounding it.

The bun is the one thing holding it back. Instead of disappearing into the bite, it occasionally makes you work through it. On a burger this balanced everywhere else, that extra resistance is noticeable.

That is really the entire criticism. The peppercorn crust is excellent, the composition is original, and the au poivre sauce is worth the ritual. We both visited before and returned in April 2026, and the conclusion held.

Raoul's has been in SoHo since 1975, opened by the Alsatian brothers Guy and Serge Raoul, and the room still carries the feeling of a downtown New York institution rather than a restaurant trying to manufacture one. Executive chef David Honeysett introduced the burger around 2014 as a riff on the restaurant's steak au poivre, which is exactly what it tastes like. This is not a French theme placed on top of an American burger.

The only problem is getting one. The nightly limit has an almost embarrassingly simple origin: the buns arrived twelve to a package, so the kitchen made twelve. Get there early or go at brunch.

Strengths

Distinctive peppercorn-crusted patty
Excellent au poivre sauce
Rich and creamy St. André cheese
Watercress and cornichons balance the richness
Original and cohesive French-bistro construction

Why this score

Raoul's separates itself through an original composition in which pepper, creaminess, acidity, and freshness remain in balance. The au poivre sauce deepens the burger's defining flavor without making the other components irrelevant.

The challah bun's extra chew is the single factor preventing the construction from feeling completely resolved.

Reviewed by Brotherly Burgers. Last written July 2026.