Harlem Shake

"Your Order: The Hot Mess ($10.50), sweet yam fries ($4.75), and a milkshake ($6), because they have shake in their name and it seems wrong not to.  You can, of course, eat an excellent smashburger at Harlem Shake, but you can also hang out in the retro diner-like space while doing so. There’s usually a band jamming on Sundays, a large sidewalk patio for summertime milkshake sipping, and it’s open until 2am on the weekends. Get the Hot Mess burger, which follows their standard double patty practice, but adds pickled cherry pepper and bacon relish, american cheese, and chipotle mayo. They also have a location in Park Slope for any Brooklyn burger cravings, and a Harlem Shake Express in LIC where you order your burger at a kiosk and pick it up from a locker. " - willa moore, neha talreja, will hartman, bryan kim

"In a city increasingly full of two-dimensional patties, the “Hot Mess” from Harlem Shake remains a top-notch smashburger. We never thought ground beef could get this crispy until we tasted the edges on these patties, and the pickled cherry pepper-bacon relish is a very nice touch. Not to mention that Harlem Shake is exactly the kind of business we love to support. The owners do their best to hire from within the community, and they donate part of their profits to local charities and initiatives." - will hartman, bryan kim, neha talreja, willa moore, kenny yang

"Harlem Shake’s burgers are made with thin, fast-food style patties that make fast-food patties taste like plastic. This diner-inspired spot on West 124th Street also serves a red velvet milkshake we’d like to go Upstate with one weekend." - hannah albertine

"Done up like a rockin’ ‘50s diner with lots of chrome, twirling stools, and a turquoise color scheme, Harlem Shake specializes in heavily seared smash burgers, along with dressed fries, chicken sandwiches, and hot dogs. Soft serve ice cream is a secondary focus, with shakes topped with whipped cream and root beer floats. For parents, there are beers and pitchers of mimosas." - Eater Staff

"Lined with nostalgic decorations like a museum, Harlem Shake’s patties are as thin as they come. The meat is crisp around the edges with a nice beef flavor, and a slice of American cheese is draped underneath. Burgers can be ordered with a few unusual toppings, like pickled cherry peppers and bacon, called the “hot mess,” or french fries and mayo seasoned with jerk spice. There’s a second location in Park Slope." - Robert Sietsema, Eater Staff