*Stacked Town — We couldn’t pick just one burger!
Little B’s Burger Bar
Pinning down just one burger at Little B’s can be a Sisyphean task: The restaurant is known for its build-your-own program. Choose from Angus beef, bison, the house special grind (which includes bacon), or several others, then top it with any of nine cheeses, 21 toppings, and nearly two-dozen sauces. Start with bison, and you’ll get a burger with a luxe, savage character that oozes gamey juice all over its nearly sweet, brioche bun. For those overwhelmed by the options, special burgers with set toppings typically grace the menu — think Greek burger that’s a combination of ground gyro meat and beef — and change monthly.
49 Main St; 914.631.2228
RiverMarket Bar & Kitchen
127 W Main St; 914.631.3100
Whether it’s the Gruyère (broiled to crispy perfection), the salty funkiness of the sauerkraut topping, or the fact that the Mangalitsa burger is made from what’s often called the Kobe beef of pork, something about this rich, funky burger feels like nurture. For a more traditional take, there’s the house burger that literally looks like a steak and comes topped with super-crisp Mountain Products Smokehouse bacon and melted cheese. All of RiverMarket’s burgers come topped with homemade butter pickles and wedged into an Eli’s brioche bun, and served with hand-cut fries.
The Tapp
17 N Broadway; 914.418.5454
There’s a meaty, feral, juicy richness to the Tapp Burger, thanks in part to the fact that the meat — a combination of short rib, brisket, and chuck, which is ground in-house and hand-formed into patties — arrives fresh almost daily. That wildness is accentuated by a layer of Port wine cheddar cheese, a slight sweetness coming from onion marmalade, and serious umami courtesy of the sautéed wild mushrooms. At the newly reopened Tapp, all the burgers — including Kermit’s Favorite, which comes topped with pork belly (the frog loves Piggy, after all) — weigh in at a hulking 10 oz (except for the 8-oz Ain’t No Little Lamb Burger) and come with hand-cut fries.