7th Street Burger East Village

"Despite having only a few ingredients, the cheeseburger from 7th Street keeps digging its way into our brains Inception-style. Roughly-chopped sweet onions are pressed into a 75/25 Schweid & Sons 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. When you stop by the original East Village location, you’ll probably see a big crowd, and you should join it. But 7th Street has quickly expanded, and now has outposts all over the city." - will hartman, bryan kim, neha talreja, willa moore, kenny yang

"There are only four items on the menu at 7th Street Burger in the East Village, and this simplicity works in your favor when you want to do minimal thinking after a long night of chasing whiskey with Miller Lights. Your options are: one of the city’s best smashburgers, a double cheeseburger, an Impossible burger, and fries—and they're available until 3am on Thursday to Saturday. 7th Street Burger has more than ten locations throughout the city—hours vary." - willa moore, will hartman, neha talreja, bryan kim, sonal shah

"How did 7th Street Burger become the most hypebeasty place to eat a patty between two buns? Maybe it’s because this East Village spot sells incredibly straightforward burgers for $6.50. Or maybe it’s because they also serve an impossible burger for only $1.50 more. In reality, the appeal of 7th Street is easy to understand. This is somewhere you should come for relatively affordable burgers and crispy fries, even if you don’t eat meat." - will hartman, bryan kim, willa moore, kenny yang, neha talreja

"Your Order: Cheeseburger ($7.67). Keep it simple.  In theory, a basic smashburger should taste the same everywhere. It’s just an extra-thin patty topped with cheese and squashed between two buns, after all. But 7th Street Burger turns the process into something more like composing a sonnet, with precise arrangements of flavor and texture. Roughly chopped onions are pressed into a beef patty made with a 75/25 blend from Schweid & Sons, and cooked until the edges get crispy. They then top it off with grilled sweet onions, a single pickle slice, american cheese, and a creamy house sauce on a gloriously greasy potato roll. 7th Street now has locations all over the city, but we like the original East Village spot best." - willa moore, neha talreja, will hartman, bryan kim

"When 7th Street Burger opened in 2021 in the East Village, it caused a sensation. The idea is extreme simplicity: It sells only three cheeseburgers (a single, a double, and a vegetarian version made with Impossible Meat) that are seared and smashed flat with a slice of American cheese and a squirt of sauce. It’s smash burger heaven, and the chain has held up as it expands across the city. There are now around a dozen branches." - Robert Sietsema, Eater Staff