burger joint
Burger joint has been hiding behind a red curtain in a Midtown hotel lobby since 2002. Kenny Yang rated it 5.9 for The Infatuation and wrote:
The burgers here used to be worth the wait. They're not anymore.
Why go
The room is the reason people still push through the curtain. It opened in 2002 as a hidden counter inside the old Le Parker Meridien, which is now the Thompson Central Park, and the only marker in the lobby is a neon burger sign.2 Yang looks for grease, juiciness, beefiness and salt in a patty and says none of it is there, and the patties are thick enough that the plain beef dominates every bite.1 The fries carry no salt at all.1 The way in and out is one narrow hallway, and the line moves slowly through it.1
Order this / avoid
- Order: the Beyond burger. Yang recommends nothing else on the menu:
The nicely-charred and seasoned Beyond burger is unexpectedly the best thing to order here.
1 - Avoid: the fries. Yang:
We had no idea fries could taste so bland.
1 - Avoid: the queue if the burger is your only reason for standing in it. The Infatuation tags this room Wasting Your Time & Money.1
What locals & experts say
- Kenny Yang, The Infatuation, 6 September 2022, 5.9: The Infatuation explains that score on the page itself.
Not Recommended: Anything in this range means you're starting to have some major problems. Something is wrong and you'll probably be disappointed.
1 - burger joint's own site, on the room: it
debuted in 2002 as a secret venue inside the former Le Parker Meridien hotel,
behinda floor-to-ceiling Wizard of Oz velvet red curtain.
2
Good to know
- Finding it: the curtain is off the Thompson Central Park lobby on West 56th, marked by a neon burger sign.
- Booking: none. You queue in the hallway.
Verdict
listed — Yang's review is four years old and a kitchen can come back, so treat the 5.9 as a warning. As it stands the curtain and the neon sign are the reason to go, and Yang says the beef is not. Order the Beyond burger, skip the fries, and if the burger is the point of the evening, The Infatuation puts Red Hook Tavern in Brooklyn at 9.0.