7th Street Burger

When you get to 7th Street Burger in the East Village, you’ll probably see a big crowd blocking the sidewalk. We know, standing in line sucks. But unlike a sample sale in Soho with bins of lime green pants that nobody wants, the burgers here are worth the wait.

There are only four things on the menu at 7th Street Burger, and this simplicity will work in your favor when you want to do minimal thinking after a long night of chasing whiskey with Miller Lights. (This place is open until 3am on weekends.) Your options are: a cheeseburger, a double cheeseburger, an Impossible burger, and fries. Focus your attention on the most crucial item here, the cheeseburger.

photo credit: Emily Schindler

Despite having only a few ingredients, the cheeseburger keeps digging its way into our brains Inception-style. Roughly-chopped onions are pressed into a beef patty as it’s smashed with a spatula, resulting in something that’ll remind you of a White Castle slider. The whole thing, with its gooey yellow American cheese, is an unapologetic salute to salt and fat. Even the grilled Martin’s potato roll comes super greasy. Tweaks to the burger (e.g., no pickles) are allowed, but we wouldn’t change a single thing about it. 

There’s nowhere to sit or stand inside of 7th Street Burger, and the few outdoor tables are usually taken. That means you’ll have to eat your food standing on the sidewalk like everyone else, as curious onlookers walk by and stare. We once heard someone say, “Why the hell are so many people waiting at this place? It must be good.” When you see a long line, that doesn’t mean you should automatically join and spend the next unknown amount of time guessing words or crushing candies on your phone. But in this case, it does.

Food Rundown

photo credit: Emily Schindler

Cheeseburger

This $6.50 burger is the reason you come to 7th Street. It has a beef patty made with a 75/25 blend from Schweid & Sons, grilled sweet onions, a single pickle slice, American cheese, and house sauce on a Martin’s potato roll. The people working here won’t (or can’t) tell you what’s in the house sauce, but we mostly taste mayo with a bit of ketchup and pickle relish. The cheeseburgers aren’t that big, so maybe order two right off the bat.

photo credit: Emily Schindler

Double Cheeseburger

This is the same as the cheeseburger, just with double the meat and cheese. It’s a good alternative when you want a more substantial burger, but you do lose the ideal meat-to-bun ratio that we love about the single cheeseburger. You will, however, get more overall juiciness from the two patties.

Impossible Cheeseburger

We’re not going to pretend like this tastes exactly like the cheeseburger. The genuine beefiness is lacking, and the texture is a little on the mealy side. But it’s still pretty darn close to the real thing, and if 7th Street is ever out of beef one day, we’d happily order this burger.

photo credit: Emily Schindler

Fries

The fries here are on the well-done (i.e., a little past golden brown) and crunchy side, and we like how they’re thick and never lacking in salt. Ask for a side of house sauce for dipping. (They also have ketchup packets.)

photo credit: Kenny Yang

Chopped Beef Fries

Reminiscent of roadkill fries from In-N-Out, this off-menu item has everything from the cheeseburger (minus the bun) thrown on top of a basket of fries. It tastes as good as it sounds. We prefer this with the spicy sauce, which isn’t always available. (You should know that you can’t get the spicy sauce on any burgers.) Make sure you have a fork—you’ll need it.