A year after Clay first noticed the sign for a new burger shop on 36th Street and Sixth Avenue, 5 Boro Burger is finally open. It’s a bar/burger joint with a similar red logo to the other five burger companies (Napkin and Guys). I stopped by to check out the scene and it was a bit harried on Friday. There weren’t even enough menus to go around (the restaurant was half full). When I did get my hands on one, I discovered the burgers themselves range from $8-$11. And if you want to get one of the five specialty burgers named after each borough (with toppings that have a vague resemblance to the actual borough), it’ll run you about $15. They also have hot dogs, sandwiches, and bar snacks. I had already eaten, so didn’t get to actually try the food. Has anybody else ventured in yet? Early adopters, let us know in the comments.

When’s the last time THE New York Times restaurant review also qualified as a Midtown Lunch? Apparently, Pete Wells has discovered Shake Shack and awarded it one star in today’s dining section. I can’t decide of it’s badass or just bizarre to review it … now. While Mr. Wells was “never let down by the hot dogs,” he was brutal when it came to their fries, calling them “pretty awful,” among other things. But for the main event, the burgers, he found the doneness unpredictable. “Shake Shack wasn’t even consistently inconsistent,” he wrote when two patties in the same sandwich were cooked differently. We are certainly fans of Shake Shack on this blog, but it’s hard to defend the place when Mr. Wells isn’t exactly wrong. Sure, I’ve had inconsistently cooked food from Shake Shack, but when you get a really good Shack burger … it’s just SO GOOD.

But even stranger might have been the companion blog piece comparing seven other NYC burgers to the Shack, including several from Midtown. He bestowed favorable words to both the signature burger from Steak N’ Shake and Schnipper’s Quality Kitchen’s burger while mentioning that Bill’s Bar & Burger was greasy. True. But the fact that Mr. Wells didn’t even address Five Guys or Burger Joint at all is pretty inexcusable.  What do you guys think?

Angelo Sosa’s Social Eatz (on 53rd btw. 2nd and 3rd) has already gotten a fair amount of coverage on this site (and others), with most of it focused around their famous Bibimbap Burger. I recently took my first trip to the restaurant, fully intending to try it, but the Hanoi Burger caught my eye instead.

The Hanoi Burger consists of ground beef with mint, lemongrass, cilantro and red onion topped with lettuce and served with a chili mayo and a sweet onion jam. No, it doesn’t have a slow-cooked egg oozing all over it like the Bibimbap Burger, but how can this flavor combo go wrong?

My burger was cooked a little past the requested medium rare, but it was juicy enough that it didn’t matter. All of the ingredients balanced each other nicely. The salty, savory burgery patty complemented the cool mint, lemongrass, and cilantro, and the sweet onion jam tied the whole thing together. Some romaine on the bottom added some textural contrast and kept the burger juices (juicez?) from soaking through the buttery bun, and of course I had to give the whole thing a light dunk in sriracha on its way to my mouth.

I still haven’t tried the Bibimbap burger, so I can’t say whether I prefer this one or that one, but I can tell you that this is a pretty great “fusion” burger. It’s also $1 cheaper ($11 vs. $12 for the Bibimbap)! If that’s still too much for you, I’ll tell you a secret. Scoutmob has a deal for 50% off through April 6th (available only by downloading their free mobile app), so if you haven’t yet tried any of these burger’z, now is the time to do it.

Luckily for us, Lunch’er Hightemp was on the scene on opening day, albeit for dinner, and wrote this review of the original double cheese burger (which is the most like Shake Shack), plus one of the dog options.

Since its in my ‘hood I went by for dinner. Waited outside for about 5 minutes around 8pm but I hit them right when the “perfect storm” of kitchen craziness hit so ended up waiting about 40 minutes inside to actually order. I got a free strawberry shake for waiting. The staff was all very friendly.

Got an Original Double Cheese ‘n fries and (since I had waited and felt like I had to justify the wait) a Chili Cheese Steak frank ‘n fries. Everything was good and came out fast. I can see how they get credited as the inspiration for the shake shack. Burger had that same crusty/salty thing going on. Frank was sort of a normal frank but the chili and the onions they put on was a nice touch…could have used more cheese. Fries were really good…thin and crunchy…though 2 orders was excessive even for me. Still I’m very glad to have it in the area.

When I was there, my wait was also longer than expected.

The outside wait time was 25 minutes, inside was 15 and then it took 5 minutes to get my food once I had ordered. Apparently they’d been getting a lot of large $80 orders that backed up the kitchen and stalled ordering so they could catch up. I’m sure once the hype dies down and these guys get into a groove, the wait time will improve, but I think I can speak for most ML’ers when I say, 45 minutes is just too long to spend waiting on a regular basis.

I ordered the new menu item, the Signature Steak Burger ‘n Fries ($5.99) and a vanilla milkshake ($2.99). The vanilla shake had a luxuriously rich, thick consistency, which is exactly what you want from a real ice cream milkshake. Topped with whipped cream and a maraschino cherry, the shake exudes diner nostalgia. Plus, my shake cup told me they offer happy hour on weekdays 2-4 p.m. and a.m., which means all shakes and drinks (excluding Red Bull) are 1/2 price. Nothing on the menu is particularly expensive, but if you’re looking to grab lunch on the later side, this might be a nice option to save a couple bucks.

The signature burger is a 6 oz organic beef steak patty topped with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles. My first impression is that the meat itself has more flavor than BV’s burger, but probably less than Shake Shack. While a very good and moist burger, it wasn’t in any way remarkable enough to make me want to wait 45 minutes a second time. The hand-cut fries were thin and crispy, with the just the right amount of salt. If you’re a fan of shoestring fries like I am, these are absolutely worth a try!

I’m very interested in trying some of their other burger ‘n fries combos, especially those on the specialty menu. A colleague of mine swears by the frisco melt, which admittedly sounds pretty rad. But, I think I’ll wait several weeks before returning in the hopes that the hype — and therefor the wait — dies down.

The + (What someone who likes this place would say)

• The price is right!
• The shakes are rich and delicious.
• Shoestring fries are the best (and steak fries are the pits), and I could eat these all day long.

The – (What someone who doesn’t like this place would say)

• Did we need another burger place? I hadn’t heard.
• What makes this burger different from all other burgers?
• Yikes, I don’t have that kind of time for the line, especially in the cold.

Steak ‘n Shake, 1695 Broadway btw 53+54, 212-247-6584

Thanks to Lunch’er Michelle for tipping us off to two new places about pop up on 44th street between 8th and 9th.  The first is a new burger joint called Smokey Burger Organic, which describes themselves as “organic burgers, salads, and sides, all natural shakes and sodas crafted from fresh quality ingredients.” I wish I could tell you more about it (price point, menu items, etc.), but the website they’ve plastered on the signs (smokeyburgerorganic.com) doesn’t appear to be functional yet.

With Five Napkin Burger and Island Burgers & Shakes up 9th avenue, Shake Shack half a block east and Steak ‘n Shake’s debut yesterday, the burger market’s getting to be a crowded one. Unless they’ve got something cool up their sleeves to entice us over there, I’m not sure if a burger place is what we need more of in Midtown West.

Now, Japanese BBQ?  That’s a different story altogether!

Apparently New York’s third Gyu-Kaku location is also opening soon on the same block (44th street between 8th and 9th). We already know from the east side location that most lunch options are north of $10, but Gyu-Kaku happens to be the home of some sizzling hot bibimbap ($10) that we wrote up a couple of years ago. Although the meal failed to pass the authentic Korean bibimbap test based on lack of banchan, the dish itself passed with flying colors. Anyway, start looking forward to a west side location.

Signs indicate they’re hiring, but there’s no countdown in the window telling us when they’ll open. Personally, I can’t wait. I’m a big fan of this place, and besides their lunch options, they do great happy hour specials as well. Thanks again to Lunch’er Michelle for the tips!

Back in August, we announced the opening of a brand new Bon Chon location in Turtle Bay, but never got around to a full review. Since I’ve never been to Bon Chon (criminal, I know), I decided it was most definitely time for me to venture over.  Korean fried chicken places can get a bit expensive if you aren’t careful, but there are four lunch specials on the menu that all clock in at under $10: BonChon Chicken Lunch, LaFrieda Korean Bulgogi Burger + Frite, Balsamic House Salad, and BonChon Marinated Chicken Fried Rice.

The namesake chicken lunch ($8) consisted of 5 wings and 1 drumstick, in either Hot & Spicy or Soy Garlic flavor. I got the hot and spicy, and it was nice and spicy without being uncomfortable. The skin on the chicken was crispy, and the wings were clearly fresh out of the fryer. In my opinion, they could have been a bit saucier, but once again I am a BonChon newbie, so maybe this is just how they are?

I had very high hopes for the burger ($9). LaFrieda? Check. Bulgogi? Double check. Unfortunately, the result did not live up to the expectations. The burger was small and overcooked, and had none of the juiciness, sweetness, or fattiness I generally associate with bulgogi. The lettuce and thin slice of cucumber were an afterthought and added little to the burger.

Another thing I need to mention is the fact that the service was very slow. I would try to do takeout unless you have a full hour for lunch, and stick to the chicken if you’re going to go for a lunch special. The one other item in the ML range I would be interested in trying is the Seoul Rice Bowl ($10): marinated steak or spicy chicken, mushroom, and local vegetables.  But considering what they did with the burger, I might just stick with what I know is going to be good: aka the chicken.

BonChon, 957 2nd Ave (btw. 51+50th), 212-308-8810

When Feed Your Hole launched in January, they got an ear full from Midtown Lunch’ers in our comments. People had a problem with the name. And the logo. The random use of red words on the menu. The use of the Philly-style word “wit.” And, of course, there were accusations of shilling. Feed Your Hole’s Sean Sullivan got involved, stood up for their food and offered the haters free lunch (no word if anyone took him up on it). Clocking in at 133(!!) comments in just four days, it was intense.

After a recent mention in the forums, I figured it might be time to check back in with the truck and see what the food’s all about.

You might remember from the original post that the truck’s basic offerings are hot dogs and burgers. I ordered a medium rare Asian Sensation — a grass fed beef burger with fresh spring salad, tomato and Asian toasted sesame dressing — for $8.00. It boiled down to a burger with some Asian salad on top, but it tasted very good, although unevenly cooked. The sesame dressing added a complimentary sweetness to the burger meat’s savory flavor.

I understand that the quality of the ingredients is supposed to be very good, but since the burger is comparable in size to Shake Shack, and smaller than BV’s Burger, the price might be difficult to justify, especially if you’re adding fries.

Hand cut french fries are going to cost you an extra $3.00 (at least) for a small-size deli container, putting you over the ML limit if you opt for a burger (you should be OK if you go with dogs). But, then again, they were very good, and I can’t help but recommend the splurge.

I’d love to hear if anyone has tried Feed Your Hole’s hot dogs, since I haven’t yet. The truck has been popping up on 46th street lately, but as always you should check their Twitter account or the ML Twitter Tracker before heading out.

Bobby Van’s is certainly not a Midtown Lunch — no upscale steakhouse is. But, what if you actually could get lunch for under $10? Turns out if you round the corner into the plaza next to the restaurant you’ll find BV’s Burger, a small space dedicated to a far less expensive takeout burger menu (plus some soups, salads and sandwiches). The surprisingly hefty 1/2 lb sirloin burger will run you only $6.00 ($6.50 with your choice of cheese) and comes with lettuce, tomato, pickles and ketchup; mayo, mustard, chopped onions and sauerkraut are also free toppings. “Extra add-ons” include sauteed onions, guacamole, grilled mushrooms, bacon and chili, each running you an extra $1.00.

So, to stay under $10 you pretty much have to make a choice: a burger with extra add-ons or one with a side of fries ($3.00).  I tried both, naturally.

The 1/2 lb sirloin burger, medium rare, was cooked perfectly. Extra add-ons on this baby included chopped onion (free) and guac ($1.00). As you can tell from the mess above, guac doesn’t travel so well. In fact, it made for one of the messiest hand-held lunches I’ve had in a while- possibly because they put all the toppings — well — on the bottom, under the patty.

The cheddar burger, cooked medium, with fries fared a little better. Although, fries are always a tricky item for takeout, and these did get soft in transit. Being 1/2 lb, the burger has more bulk than other patties you’ll get in midtown, so come hungry if you opt for this combo. Taste-wise, I’m not sure being from a steakhouse makes it any better than Shake Shack.

Outside BV’s Burger, there is a courtyard with tables and chairs that you can take advantage of on nice days. Sitting outside made waiting (about 10 minutes) for my order a more enjoyable experience.

BV’s Burger, 120 West 45th Street (located in the rear courtyard)

I don’t know what it is about burgers this week but out of nowhere I noticed this sign up announcing a new burger shop coming to 36th Street, just off of 6th Avenue. It’s in an old salon space next to a pizza shop. There’s no real hint as to what type of burger shop this will be, but we’ll keep our eyes and ears peeled.