Category Archives: Burgers

Burgers, California, Latin/Mexican & Caribbean, Restaurant Reviews

San Diego

November 6, 2024 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

My wife and I took a short trip to San Diego to celebrate a friend’s retirement from the Navy, so we spent a bunch of time walking around, eating and drinking our way through the city.

Here’s what we tried:

Donut Bar

This spot was pretty good. We liked the lemon pistachio better than the raspberry cheesecake.

Tacos El Gordo

Great spot for tacos, and reasonably priced considering that this place gets a lot of hype and crowds. The al pastor tacos was the winner for us, but we also tried cabeza (face), lengua (tongue) and tripe.

Mike Hess Brewery

The barrel aged Vietnamese coffee stout was our favorite.

San Diego Burger Co.

This wasn’t that good. Skip this joint. I had high hopes, but the patty was a little under seasoned and the bun was dry and crumbled.

Dinner at Greystone Prime Steakhouse is detailed HERE.

Senor Taquero

This spot was probably my favorite place to eat of the entire trip. I wish we had some regular tacos here too. They were so cheap (3 for $7.99)! The rolled chicken tacos and adobado burrito were killer. The churro had a nice vanilla pudding type of filling inside.

Ballast Point Brewery

We had a short pit stop here while we were waiting for Swagyu to open. Speedboat was like a corona with a lime in it. Refreshing.

Swagyu

This was great but pricey at $23. I’d much rather have gone back to Senor Taquero to try the tacos.

The World Famous I-Bar

This is where the retirement party was held. The bar was the inspiration for the scenes in the movie Maverick that take place in the Air Force bar on base. Very cool spot.

Not bad for a weekend trip! We hit a lot of spots.

African/Middle Eastern, Burgers, Lower East Side/Chinatown, Mediterranean, Parms, Restaurant Reviews

Eastwood

September 28, 2024 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

My wife and I came here twice. The first visit was just for a snack and a drink, so I never wrote it up. But now that we’ve had a full meal here, I figured I would put together a review from both experiences.

On the first visit, we had drinks, an Israeli scotch egg, and some cake. They have a nice selection of beer and wine. Saison Dupont is my favorite of all time.

The Israeli scotch egg is surrounded by falafel, which was unique and delicious.

On the second visit we did some entrees. My wife had the lamb burger, which comes with crunchy slaw and a harissa mayo. She added Gruyere cheese at the owner’s suggestion. It was absolutely delicious. Easily a top three lamb burger.

I had the chicken schnitzel plate, which came with fries and a salad. The schnitzel was unique in that it was breaded with a sesame seed batter!

I really liked it.

The cake we had on our first visit was a flourless chocolate birthday cake, which, I think, may have even been vegan. I liked it more than my wife did.

We will definitely be back to try more items from Eastwood. Super friendly staff, great prices, and great food!

EASTWOOD
200 Clinton St.
New York, NY 10002

Burgers, Lower East Side/Chinatown, Restaurant Reviews, Spanish

Eel Bar

August 30, 2024 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

First, check out my Ride & Review HERE:

This joint, run by the same folks as Cervos, just opened nearby. My wife and I tried five items:

Squid Pintxos

These were awesome. I would get them again and again. I only wish there was more on the plate! Perfectly fried and dressed, and really nice toasty bread underneath. I was transported back to San Sebastian.

Fried Mussels

I would pass on these. They tasted like canned or tinned mussels that were breaded and fried. A bit too potent. I’m curious if they might be better on another night. Perhaps just a funky batch?

White Shrimp

Best item of the night. These were perfectly cooked and dressed in a deliciously light and garlicky tomato sauce and drizzled with olive oil. Make sure you ask for extra sourdough to soak up the sauce!

Rainbow Trout

I was surprised that this was a whole fish (deboned)! It was really light but flavorful. I would get it again.

Burger

Yes – that burger has fried anchovies on it. It wasn’t as nasty as I expected. It was actually tasty, in a way. The roquefort lessened the fishy flavor, but it did feel like I was eating a burger on the seaside. Nice medium rare temp with a good crust too. I probably wouldn’t get it again, but I’m glad I tried it.

We will definitely be back to try more items! FYI: There is no eel on the menu, at all.

EEL BAR
252 Broome St.
New York, NY 10002

Burgers, East Village, Lower East Side/Chinatown, Pub Food, Restaurant Reviews

The Commodore II

April 23, 2024 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

First, check out my Ride & Review HERE:

A second location of the popular Williamsburg bar “The Commodore” just opened in the lower east side at Avenue C and Houston Street. My wife and I have been eagerly awaiting the open since we saw renovations going on there last year. The interior is really cool, almost like you’re aboard a yacht. They even have life fish in a tank along the right side wall, with circular portals for viewing.

We started with two frozen drinks and both were great. The winner between the Orange Julio and the frozen mojito was the mojito, however. They also serve $4 cans of Schaefer, which is a steal. During happy hour, you can get a beer and a shot for $7, which is a price that’s on par with the cheapest dives in town.

Speaking of happy hour, they offer their burger with fries for $14 (normally just the burger costs $14, but at happy hour the fries come with). The burger is a nice crumbly patty that’s well seasoned and dressed with all the fixings.

We also tried their fried chicken, which, despite saying three thighs on the menu, actually came with four. Also great biscuits, two hot sauces and a sweet honey butter. At $22 this is a great deal, especially considering how crispy outside and juicy inside the chicken was. Delicious.

We also tried their fried green tomato sandwich with slaw. I enjoyed this, and the baguette was a really nice surprice here on this sandwich. I expected it to be too hard and rough, but it was warm, soft and really nicely butter-toasted.

Definitely can’t wait to go back and try their fish items, grilled cheese and nachos.

THE COMMODORE II
14 Avenue C
New York, NY 10009

Burgers, Queens

Burger Queens

April 11, 2024 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

First, check out THIS EPISODE of Around the Hood in 8 Minutes, featuring Burger Queens.

We stopped at this joint during a group ride, and it really hit the spot. The burger itself was a double smash patty, and I got the works on it in terms of toppings.

The shoestring fries were also perfectly crispy and delicious, well seasoned. I would definitely go here again to try the fried chicken thigh sandwich.

BURGER QUEENS
96-19 23rd Ave.
Queens, NY 11369

American, Burgers, East Village, Pub Food, Restaurant Reviews

The Lions

April 9, 2024 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

First, check out my Ride & Review video HERE:

This place has been popping up all over Instagram, and once I saw the images of their burger and mortadella sandwich, I knew I had to get in ASAP to try.

We went right when they opened at 5pm on a Saturday, and the place was jammed by 5:30. Apparently everyone had the same idea!

We started with the fried mozzarella and Lions baked potato (with sour cream and an egg yolk).

The baked potato was a game changer. It was so freaking flavorful. We both loved it. As for the mozzarella…

Perfect temperature for stretching! And surprisingly light. Very flavorful.

The burger was 100% perfection. A nice thick aged patty, topped with two slices of American cheese, atop a slice of grilled onion, which helps to protect the beautiful sesame seed bottom bun. Four slices of pickle came on the plate as well. We obviously put them on top.

My pictures sucked, but the interior was a perfect medium rare / medium, which is ideal for this ind of “steakhouse” style burger. This was a killer. On par with Luger or Red Hook Tavern for just $18. For $4 you can get fries with it, and the fries were excellent. Nice and crispy, not too salty. The only down was that they charged us for the side order of fries ($8) rather than the “accompanying” fried ($4). I was wondering why this was such a huge order.

The mortadella sandwich was excellent too. While it ate a bit salty due to the Calabrian chili tapenade, the flavor was out of this world. The pistachio studded mortadella had a ton of porky character, and the blue cheese on this was more like a spread than a crumble or a saucy mess. It worked, though I questioned whether it would when I saw it on the menu.

As you can see, this came with chips. So we had three types of potato with this meal: chips, fries and a baked potato.

Side note: They also make a great martini.

This place is also going to be offering a steak night on Wednesdays for something like $35, and monthly “Beefsteak” meals which will be an all-inclusive price that covers drinks, starters, steak and dessert. I really can’t want to try those!

THE LIONS
132 1st Ave.
New York, NY 10009

Brooklyn, Burgers

20 Grams Cafe

March 18, 2024 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

20 Grams Cafe is a little burger joint that operates above the Jubilee grocery store over on West Street in Greenpoint. It became popular because they sell burgers for just $2. Specifically, Hamburgers for $2.15 and cheeseburgers for $2.55. How do they do it? It’s basically a 2 or 3 ounce patty with sliced onions, similar to the Motz smash burger at Hamburger America, only smaller and cheaper, with less of a toasty bun.

I liked it so much I went back the next day and ate two more. The tots are also really good, and you get a bunch for just $3.

For the price, this place can not be beat.

20 GRAMS CAFE
145 West St.
Brooklyn, NY 11222

Burgers, Nolita/Soho, West Village

Hamburger America

March 12, 2024 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

First, watch this episode of Around the Hood HERE:

I finally got over to Hamburger America to try out George Motz’s take on the historic Oklahoma style onion smash burger.

He keeps it really simple: A meatball goes onto the flat top, it gets seasoned, and then it gets smushed into a flat burger patty with thin sliced onions. The two become one, and they’re topped with a slice of yellow American cheese – one per patty. A swirl of mustard and a few slices of pickle is all that garnishes this bite of American nostalgia – which gets sandwiched inside a soft, pillowy, butter-toasted potato bun.

There’s less crispy texture here than with other smash burgers, due to the steaming onion aspect, but the simple, unconfused flavors make me want to keep coming back for more. It’s a great burger! Simple and delicious.

And the shoestring fries are perfectly crisped and seasoned as well.

Make sure you try a slice of pie and an egg cream, too. There’s nothing better while sitting at a diner counter.

HAMBURGER AMERICA
51 MacDougal St.
New York, NY 10012

Burgers, Queens

Petey’s Burger

February 25, 2024 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

I stopped in this joint with some guys from the NYC Zooz Club after a ride, and stuffed a double cheeseburger down my throat.

It was really good! I didn’t get a photo of their shoestring fries, but they were excellent. All in, with a drink, $17. Excellent deal!

PETEY’S BURGER
46-46 Vernon Blvd.
Queens, NY 11101

American, Burgers, Pub Food, Queens, Restaurant Reviews

The Baroness

February 17, 2024 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

First, check out my Ride & Review HERE:

I’ve been meaning to get over to this joint ever since I learned that my guys over at Golden Packing supply the burgers and some other meat proteins here. So I rode up on the Zooz and met with Tyson and Lupe, both Golden gang members, to chow down.

The savage wings are smoked and then fried, so they pack a ton of flavor. The burnt ends bologna was masterful. I’ve always wanted to try smoked BBQ style bologna, and this place definitely has me wanting more. The skillet mac and cheese was really nice. Also smoky and flavorful. The standard “Judith” 6oz burger was perfect. Great crisp on the patty, some caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato, pickles… really nice. I probably could have crushed two of these!