Much like the burger at Peter Luger, the one at Red Hook Tavern is all about the meat. It’s just one big patty with American cheese and a cross-section of onion on a sesame bun that plays its role perfectly without causing any distractions. The burger is intensely rich and salty - but we’re pretty sure we could eat several in one sitting. Maybe that’s because the patty is surprisingly light for its size, or maybe it’s because we lack self-restraint.

The burger at Raoul's is unlike any other on this list—because every inch of the patty is encrusted with black peppercorns. If you like black pepper, you'll love this thing. If you don't, you'll still probably enjoy it. Rather than cheddar or American, the burger comes topped with creamy St. Andre cheese (in addition to cornichons and watercress), and the whole thing is intensely buttery. The fries that come on the side are also perfectly crisp and salty.

Lord's in Greenwich Village only makes 12 of these bad boys a day. So getting your hands on one requires a reservation at a time that starts with five. The burger, blanketed in a layer of sharp Welsh Rarebit, is worth the fuss. It’s served on a pretzel bun with a slab of onion, making the whole thing supremely savory. Between the burger, the excellent cocktails, and the comfortable pub vibe, Lord's is a great place for a date.

Beef burger purists, avert your eyes. The Cervo’s burger is made from ground lamb. The meat itself is soft and luxurious, and the celery-forward slaw and big dollop of aioli do a fantastic job of making cheese seem absolutely unnecessary on a burger. You can add marinated anchovies for $3, and if you’re a little fish freak, you should. Split this with someone on the prime people-watching patio looking out onto Dimes Square, or eat it with some vermouth all by yourself at the bar.

We know the single vs. double debate comes down to personal burger-eating preferences, but after having both options at Nowon in the East Village, here’s where we stand: you’ll taste every ingredient more prominently in their new medium-rare Pat Lafrieda single-patty burger. By comparison, their double smash patty feels like eating gobs of tangy kimchi mayo and American cheese with a side of burger. If you like to taste high-quality steak meat in your burgers, you’ll love Nowon’s thick version.

Yes, at $33 this burger is ridiculously expensive, but this isn’t a list of the most morally defensible foods in NYC. The Black Label Burger at Minetta Tavern was one of the first super-luxe burgers in the city, and it’s still one of the best. Maybe it’s the butter-basted patty made from dry-aged ribeye, or the mound of caramelized onions, or the custom Balthazar bun. Or maybe it’s all three.

The burgers at Smashed are all about texture: thin, lacy, burnished, patties; gooey cheese; grilled and raw onions (an inspired move); pickles for crunch; and special sauce. All that on a fluffy, slightly steamy potato bun. When you get your teeth through every individual layer, it causes a near alchemical reaction. We like that these burgers aren’t too messy, making them a great lunch option—and they’re also open until 3am on the weekends.

Despite having only a few ingredients, the cheeseburger from 7th Street keeps digging its way into our brains Inception-style. Roughly-chopped sweet onions are pressed into a 75/25 Schweid & Sons beef patty as it’s smashed with a spatula, resulting in something that’ll remind you of a White Castle slider. The whole thing, with its gooey yellow American cheese, is an unapologetic salute to salt and fat. When you stop by, you’ll probably see a big crowd blocking the sidewalk.

If Gotham Burger Social Club’s double smashburger had its own Instagram account, it would probably post a photo of its brown, griddled bun with the caption “So I did a thing.” Lots of places toast the inside of their buns for a buttery crisp, but GBSC on the Lower East Side toasts the exterior of the top bun, then layers it with lacy, caramelized beef patties, steamed onions, pickles and pickled jalapeños, plus a slice of gooey american cheese. The result is a textural wonderland.

4 Charles is from the people behind Au Cheval, and the burger here is similarly fantastic. Like at Au Cheval, it has two patties, tons of cheese, plenty of sauce, and a bun that soaks it all up. The burger is cut tableside by a white-gloved server, and it’s often shared as an appetizer before the $99 prime rib arrives. 4 Charles looks like a rich uncle’s cigar room, and it’s nearly impossible to get a reservation before 11pm. But once you’re in, it’s one of the best burger experiences in NYC.