5 Napkin Burger

Reviewed on: 2011-08-23 By: Joey Franco
Cuisine type: Burgers
Price range: 15-30
Address: 630 9th avenue @ 45th Street
Phone: 212.757.2277

A must for burger lovers, and epicureans as well.  If you have one burger in Manhattan, make it a 5 Napkin Burger.

Ok, so I’ve been hearing about the greatness of a 5 Napkin Burger for over a year, but haven’t had the patience to wait the dreadful line… until now.  I must say, it was worth both the anticipation and the lineup!

More than likely, you will have to wait at least 30-40 minutes to get a table at this Hell’s Kitchen establishment.  You will get a beeper to alert you when your table is available.  During our wait, we hit the bar and had some exquisite white wine and San Pellegrino sparkling water.  The stopover at the bar, made the wait fly by in an instant.

The 5 Napkin story goes something like this; In 2003, restaurateurs Andy D’Amico and Simon Oren opened Nice Matin on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Since opening, no dish has been more popular than the “5 Napkin Burger.” The dish became so popular that D’Amico and Oren, along with partner Robert Guarino, decided to give the burger its own stage in Hell’s Kitchen.

The 5 Napkin Burger is 10 ounces of fresh ground chuck topped with Gruyere cheese, caramelized onions and a rosemary aioli. In addition to the house burger, the menu features six other burgers: cheddar bacon, Italian turkey, lamb kofta burger, veggie burger, inside out burger and a burger salad.

Basically, 5 Napkin Burger is a great neighborhood restaurant. They have rounded out the burger section of the menu with a broad array of dishes that appeal to many diverse taste buds. The menu offers hand-crafted sushi, appetizer, and a full selection of entrees.

Firstly, it is a great idea to try one of 5NB’s starters.  Our party of three split the Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip ($10.75), which features endive spears and French bread crostini.  This awas a delightful start to our meal.  Guests can choose from 50 beers, 100 wines and 10 specialty cocktails.

Since the place has the word Burger, it is logical to opt for a burger.  The burgers range from $11.95 for the 5 Napkin Veggie Burger to $15.95 for the Ahi Tuna Burger, which is quite fair since I’ve had much more expensive burgers in Midtown.

I opted for the Lamb Kofta Burger which featured chopped tomato, cucumber, pepper and onion salad, tahini sauce all over a soft white roll.  As a side I chose the Tuscan fries; an Italian herb variation of fries!  Other side options included tater tots, homemade onion rings, and creamed spinach.

The Lamb Kofta Burger was without a doubt one of the best burgers I had ever tasted.  It was perfectly cooked to medium, and very juicy.

The Lobster Roll Sliders were also a crowd favorite, made with sweet Maine Lobster with 5N mayo, scallions and cucumbers on 3 toasted brioche rolls with fries.

Tourists will be happy to know that the brand has opened up restaurants across the US; Boston, Miami, and Atlanta, as well as two other New York locations in Astoria Queens, and the Upper West Side.

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