In an age where the iconic 1950’s Americana diners are few and far between, 7th Street Burger’s comfort food fills its place for all New Yorkers.
Tucked away on the skinny scaffold covered street of Nassau in New York’s Financial district, 7th street burger offers a convenient, affordable, and craving-satisfying lunch. This is just one of several locations throughout the city, which compared to other burger places offers humane prices in the whirlwind of New York costs.
When you walk in, you’re greeted with tile walls, stand up counters, and a readerboard sign for a menu, all inviting a casual and comfortable atmosphere. The line can sometimes be a bit tedious, but it moves relatively quickly. Service is friendly, and typically offers free food to customers if someone doesn’t pick it up.
The menu is simple - you can’t mess up your order. They keep it classic: single cheeseburger, double cheeseburger, fries, and their signature 7th Street fries. Keeping a similar attitude, drinks include water, Mexican coke, and Mexican sprite. On this particular visit, I ordered a double burger, fries, and a Mexican sprite. However, their portions are small, so I usually find myself ordering more than one burger. The Smash burger at 7th Street Quinn Peacock
After ordering, I open my sprite on a vintage bottle opener attached to the wall, with a trash can conveniently placed to catch the falling cap, and within 10 minutes the cashier is bringing my order to the counter I’m standing at (impressively remembering and matching my face to an order). I first unwrap my double cheeseburger, its checkered paper soaked with grease - a continuous nod to the comforting feel of a classic American diner. Cheese overflows the confines of the bun, just how I like it. I’ve found that places stingy with cheese are often too confident in their seasoning blend, as if that alone can carry the weight of a ‘modern burger’. The soft potato bun, meat, cheese, and special house sauce melt in your mouth. The cheese and house sauce work so well together: the sweetness and funk from the onions mixed with the salt and flavor of the cheese compliment the meat very well. While the flavors are amazing, balance and consistency is not always as exceptional. I find there is often a lack of bun in the ratio of the burger, as all the moisture sort of melts it away.
The fries are a different boat from the burger - they lack something in all ways. They feel a little too fried and far under seasoned. A condiment is necessary with them, otherwise your mouth will be left an unsatisfied desert. However, the simple addition of ketchup or mustard pushes them into the realm of the passable - unsophisticated, but still enjoyable.
7th Street Burger has been a staple of my high school career, with its late night hours and far delivery radius accommodating for the New York Lifestyle. Its burgers - while sometimes unbalanced - always offer delicious flavors and allow you to feel the comfort of their aesthetic from your home. If you need a quick bite and strapped for cash, there’s truly no better place.
