Minetta Tavern

113 Macdougal St New York, NY 10012

Without “mincing” our words (sorry), we’re burger people. We have them at casual joints, Parisian bistros, and at least once a week at home. We’re snobs about this very common, very American thing. At this iconic New York landmark, the room glows in that low, amber light that makes everyone look a little dangerous and a little more attractive. It’s part Paris brasserie, part New York myth, and entirely itself.

The food is not shy. The Black Label Burger, their calling card, is a monument. A dry-aged blend so intensely beefy it borders on spiritual, draped in melted cheese that barely contains itself. You don’t eat it so much as surrender to it. It’s the kind of burger that makes lesser burgers seem like practical jokes. It’s why Martinis were invented.

The supporting cast is no afterthought. Fries that crack like breaking glass, salty and arrogant. Oysters cold enough to sting. Bone marrow that slides down with the velvet authority of someone who doesn’t ask permission. Dessert? You should. The grand marnier soufflé rises like a curtain call—warm, boozy, elegant, unnecessary in the best possible way. More important a visit than The Statue of Liberty, because it truly sets you free.