Let's talk about burgers & hot dogs in Brooklyn

This laidback Williamsburg tavern serves sustainably sourced food that is yummy, creative and always excellent. They offer four different burgers: the Classic Allswell Burger, the Portobello Burger, the Pioneer Burger, and the Cali Burger. All burgers come on a sesame bun with a variety of delicious trimmings, and all are fabulous.

For more than twenty years this beautiful 90-year-old Pullman dining car, located on a corner under the Williamsburg Bridge, has been the place to go for excellent food and people-watching. But their amazing burger is the real star of the show. The charming waiters write out the daily menu onto your butcher-paper tablecloth, which is an entertaining touch. After all these years of being a quality hipster place, this place still continues to deliver the same quality of its early days.

Nathan’s is an institution. The original Coney Island restaurant was founded in 1916 by the Polish immigrant Nathan Handwerker and is still in the same location on the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenue. It is also home of the annual 4th of July Hot Dog Eating Contest. In 2021, Joey Chestnut set a new world record by eating 76 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. Eat that!

Emily is a small space with tons of character that makes very good thin crust pizza, but it’s the Emily Burger that is the talk of the town. What makes this burger so good? Extremely high-quality meat, cooked medium rare in one big, juicy patty; plenty of melted cheddar cheese; sweet, caramelized onions; a brioche/pretzel bun; and a slightly spicy sauce. There’s also a West Village location in Manhattan.

This beautiful old space pays tribute to the working-class pubs of New York and classic American food on a quiet corner in Red Hook. A line of tables under electric gas lamps and stools with a white-oak bar, combined with the wallpaper and tin ceiling make this place look like real old New York. But the biggest attraction has to be its cheeseburger, which is a damn good New York City pub burger!