As you know, I don’t really write about breakfast in Midtown, mostly because I don’t eat breakfast in Midtown.  Lunch is more my thing.  But occasionally something will come along that just demands to be written about.  Like this, which I noticed on Goodburger’s Breakfast menu:

Whaaaa???  Are you kidding me.  Seriously.  I mean… No you didn’t! Oh, and in case you were wondering, those *are* harsh browns underneath the burger.  Greatest breakfast sandwich of all time?  I’m trembling just thinking about it. 

The real thing, in all its glory, after the jump…

For $5.95, you get hash browns, topped with a hamburger, topped with a fried egg.  $6 may seem like a lot for breakfast, but it comes with a free coffee (making it a slightly better deal), and after one bite, you kind of feel like Goodburger is the one getting ripped off.  I’ve only had it once, so I don’t know if it’s too early to say this… but I think I’m in love.

Despite what the flyer above says, I think they actually serve it until 11am- but I hereby declare it my mission to get this thing added to the Goodburger lunch menu.  And no excuses!  “We don’t time or room on the grill to fry eggs during lunch-”  blah blah blah.  Quit your whining and make it happen Goodburger!  This is how you carve your niche in the Midtown burger scene.  The crabcake sandwich is good, but this takes it another level.

Best… breakfast sandwich… ever.  (Now can I be on your wall?)

Related: Original Goodburger Post (with list of locations)

With so many quality burger places open in Midtown these days, each place needs it’s own special thing to differentiate themselves from the others.  The way I see it, Burger Joint has the sweet location, Five Guys is for free toppings and freshly cut fries, Pop Burger is the choice if you want sliders, and while the newly opened City Burger is still working out their kinks, it’s clear they’re working off the notion that you wouldn’t mind having some chicken wings or mozarella sticks with your burger.

Goodburger, on the other hand, has never done enough to get me back there on a regular basis.  There is no doubt it is a tasty hamburger, made from quality beef, but it’s always been expensive (the value meals are over $10), and the patty is just not that big.  With all the other options (and my willingness to travel more than a few blocks away from my office) I just didn’t really have a reason to go… until now.

At the beginning of March, Goodburger introduced the “Crabby Patty” to their menu, a deep fried Maryland crab cake sandwich for $7.99.  It’s not on the menu screen, and sometimes they forget to put out the little stand that advertises it, so make sure you ask for it specifically.  I stopped by last week to check it out, and was pretty pleased with the results. 

Deep fried, and super crunchy on the outside, the inside has more real crabmeat then you would expect from a fast food place (but less than you would get from a fancy restaurant), making it about right for the $8 price tag- which, while expensive for a lunchtime sandwich, is not so bad for a quality crabcake.  The hamburger bun is fine, and I was down with their homemade “remoulade tartar sauce” (a tasty blend of ketchup, mayo, and pickles).  Nicely done, with extra kudos for the Spongebob reference.  (Now can I be on your wall?)

Goodburger, Multiple Midtown Locations

• 23 w. 45th St. (btw. 5+6th), 212-354-0900
• 636 Lexington Ave. (at 54th), 212-838-6000
• 800 2nd Ave. (at 43rd), 212-922-1700

Thanks to “Angie’s Matt” for the original comment alerting me to the Goodburger Crabcake.  Do you have a tip, suggestion or news to share?  Email it to zach@midtownlunch.com

I was planning on going for Chinese food on Monday as my post-Thanksgiving day lunch (you’ve gotta do something to get that taste of turkey out of your mouth) but decided to stopat the newest Good Burger location on Lexington & 54th, to see what was going on.  The line was about 5 people long (and about 10 people were waiting for their food) and I had a realization…  There will never be fewer people in this place at peak lunchtime.  That’s right.  Monday, 5 days after the opening was my best shot at not having to wait forever for a burger and fries… so I decided to forgo my Chinese food and check out the newest Midtown burger place.

WARNING:  What you are about to read was not written by a burger connoisseur.  That’s right.  I said it when I wrote about Burger Joint & Prime Burger, and I’ll say it again.  I like a burger just as much as the next guy, but I don’t know if I can determine the nuances between a burger made from USDA Prime or other fancy meats.  I don’t eat McDonald’s or Burger King, but I love In N Out Burger.  I love the Burger Joint, and I’ve always wanted to go to the Shake Shack.  I’ve always thought the prices at those two places were high, but mentally I wonder if I don’t mind paying the price because one is outside in a park, and the other is tucked away in a hidden part of a fancy hotel lobby.

Goodburger doesn’t have either of these things… it’s just another fast food place in Midtown- that happens to use quality ingredients (thereby justifying the price to some).  The one thing they do have (that I complained about Prime Burger & Burger Joint NOT having) is a combo meal.  Who doesn’t love a combo meal?  It’s a price break for ordering a group of items together.  How could you not like that???  At Goodburger, the hamburger, fries and soda combo is $9.95.  So basically, they are admitting that when you combine their three basic items, it will cost you more than $10.  That’s crazy!  The price of the combo sent me into a math coma, hurriedly trying to add up different combinations of items in my mind… trying to beat the “combo system”.  Desperately trying to see if I should get the combo, or just resign myself to paying $10+ for my “fast food” burger lunch.

That being said- despite my wishing it was cheaper, I resigned myself to paying the money and decided to go for the Hamburger and Fries ala carte at a price of just over $9.00.  Pictures and the +/- after the jump…

The burger w/ the works comes with Lettuce, Tomato, Onions, Pickles, Mayo, Mustard and Ketchup.  I don’t remember any pickles or tomato in mine… but it didn’t matter.  The real star is the hamburger patty.  It’s clearly made from good meat, cooked perfectly Medium and it tasted like something you would get at a barbecue.  They give you a ton of fries for your $2.25 and they are shoestrings which I am a big fan of.  The fat guy that I am, I asked if they do half fries, half onion rings (the perfect combo for the other fatties like me who can’t decide which one to order).  They told me not yet, but they planned on adding it to the menu soon.  Eureka!  A reason to go back…

I got grilled onions, but they cost extra and are rendered pointless by the fresh red onions that they already put on the sandwich.  It also bothered me that I paid 50 cents extra for something that was not much different than what they give you for free.  I didn’t end up trying the onion rings, but they were the large beer battered variety, and looked pretty delicious.  They also have cheese fries, chili made from steak, a veggie burger, chicken sandwich and grilled cheese… a nice variety for people looking for something other than just a burger.

There are certainly things to complain about, but considering our other options- I think Goodburger will end up being pretty popular, despite its price tag.  All in all, once you resign yourself to paying the money it’s a good Midtown Lunch.  So check it out for yourself-  OR… WE CAN REVOLT!!!  Take to the streets!  Boycott these expensive burger places!!!  The In N Out burger combo is less than $5!!!!  Sure the patty is much smaller, but that’s what the double double is for.  And you get fries, a soda and FREE GRILLED ONIONS!!!!  SAY NO TO EXPENSIVE NEW YORK CITY BURGER PLACES!!!!!!!!!

Who am I kidding.  Just go to Goodburger now… before it’s get to crowded to be worth it.

THE +

• A take out burger made from quality meat
• It’s grilled to perfection
• Shoestring fries (and they give you a decent amount for your $2.25)
• Unlike Prime Burger, it comes with the works (Lettuce, Tomato, Pickles, Onions, Mustard, Mayo & Ketchup)
• Unlike Burger Joint, there are a ton of other options beside the Burger (Veggie Burger, Chicken Sandwich, etc)
• Ordering is quick and the wait was not nearly as bad as the line… but that might change as time goes on. 
• They have combo meals to give you a price break (but mentally it’s hard for me to order a $10 combo)
• You don’t have to sit at a table, order from waiter and tip (so it ends up being cheaper than Prime Burger or Burger Heaven)

THE -

• The price

Goodburger, 636 Lexington Ave. (on 54th St.) 212-838-6000 

Since this post was written, a new location has opened:

Goodburger, 23 W 45th Street (btw. 5+6th), 212-354-0900 link

And they’ve also started serving a Crabcake Sandwich at all the locations