Goodburger
636 Lexington Avenue
(between 54th St & 55th St)
New York, NY 10022 (212) 838-6000
- Nearest Transit:
Lexington-3rd Aves-51st St (6, E, V)
59th St-Lexington Ave (4, 5, 6, N, R, W)
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: No
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Lunch
- Alcohol: None
21 Reviews for Goodburger
We wandered out of the W Hotel looking for something to eat yesterday and stumbled upon Goodburger! All in all it was a "good" burger but overpriced. I had a cheese burger which was roughly 6 bucks and Rose had the crab cake burger which was a little more but a better deal. Basically you're paying $6 for a $2 cheese burger from In-n-Out burger, but I guess this is Manhattan. A couple of nice surprises were the french fries and the fact that they had a flat screen in the eating area tuned to the YES network. Nothing like having your burger and fries and watching a Yankees game. Bottom line....If you want a good, relatively expensive burger, cooked the way you want it with fast service, then this is your place.
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The short of it: Goodburger should have been named " Good(but-really-really-overpriced-for-what-i t-is)burger."
The long of it: If there was a (free) blind taste test for burgers, I have no doubt Goodburger would fare very well. The meat was thick and moist. Cooked to "medium" (which ended up being closer to medium-well but was still very tasty). The fries are very good (though, you might want to pass on the cheese fries). I had a bit of the vanilla shake and found it to be pretty good. The real find was the soda fountain (which, btw, does NOT serve noncarbonated drinks like ice tea, lemonade, fruit juice, etc) which served Fanta Ginger Ale -- a hard find in this city. The service was not spectacular but nothing to complain about. Plenty of clean tables and chairs all around. I quickly decided that this burger cannot be compared to a good old In-n-Out burger. Just two completely different beasts. A Goodburger is closer to something along the lines of what you would get at Burger Joint (though not quite as good). The fries are what you'd expect from McDonalds (and I do love the McD fries). The shake was no Shake Shack, but definitely a notch above most places.
But, in the end, I paid $19 for a double cheeseburger with an order of cheese fries and a small drink. Was it really THAT good? No. No, it sure wasn't. Was it worth the one trip to find out? Yes.
I mean, c'mon, my favorite part of the meal was sipping my Fanta Ginger Ale.
This place is a little over priced and the regular beef burger is just ok but the turkey burger is quite good. Moist and tasty. Great onion rings as well.
Haven't tried the shakes because they are ridiculously expensive. They are actually more expensive the 5 dollar shake from Pulp Fiction.
Also good is the organic greens salad with crispy fried onions.
If you're looking for The Greatest Burger Ever you're not going to find it here but if you're selective you'll have a nice, tasty meal.
So disappointing. I have ordered from here at work and home and it was bad on all occasions. Burgers are tiny, the buns are straight out of a grocery store a la Wonder Bread, and the lettuce on my burger was utterly pathetic-limp, practically see through, and not the least bit of crunch. The meat was full of gristle bits and lacked a rich flavor. At least they cooked it to my specifications, but with such tasteless meat, who cares?
The onion rings are awful. No good onion flavor and when mine were delivered they were literally burnt to a crisp and completely black, which is, needless to say, extremely unappetizing.
The only redeeming quality to this place is their milkshakes. The strawberry banana is thick and packed with flavor, but at $6.50 for a tiny shake, it is just not worth it.
Bad Goodburger, you've shamed the burger name.
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Whoa...this burger is tiny, and $7? The tomatoes, lettuce and onions are too cold and don't taste that good. The burger, supposed to be cooked medium, was charred. And while I was the only one in the place at 11 AM, it took forever to come out. Just walk a few blocks over to the Parker Meridian and the get the burger there. This place isn't really worth the time.
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Goodburger = Mediocore Burger.
Their actual burgers do not have any flavor to them. I just remember eating pure meat and started to realize that I was getting tired of eating the meat 60% done not because I was full but because it was bland.
I used to get the fries (they are equivalent to McDonalds so that is already telling you alot if you know the fries industry) but cant digest them anymore.
Their grilled chicken is okay, nothing to rave about.
I just had their turkey burger and I was pretty satisfied with it. It wasnt dark meat, it looked like white meat that had some seasoning to it.
I also had their black and white cookie and was not happy with it. Had a particular stale taste to them.
Oh yeah- go after 2pm. You will get your food really quickly.
I also like their portions - Normal portions, not supersized.
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3 stars for the following reasons -
The burger tasted good, but I need to keep in mind the fact that I hadn't eaten all day, was starving, and there were so many toppings on it that the actual burger was masked a little.
The fries were good but they have the same exact ones at McDonald's.
They only have 1 size for beverages, so when I wanted a large diet coke, I had to settle for the standard size diet coke.
All in all, good for when you want to grab something quick and there's nothing better around (in this case, there is - PJ Clarke's is right around the corner, so go there instead if you're looking for something better than a fast-food-ish burger place).
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Nothing to write home about, but the burgers here are consistent and good. For a lunch take-out spot for the banker-types working here in Midtown, that is a good thing-- I have never been disappointed with the food here: consistency is the key word. I know when I'm feeling like having a burger, I can walk down here and get it.
PRICE
For the crowd that it serves, the price is reasonable. $10 for a burger+fries might scare away non-New Yorkers, but I'd pay that for a burger I can count on. If you're about price, the Dollar Menu at BK isn't that bad. No, really, I love my 99c Whopper Junior, best burger deal in the USA! But back to goodburger:
FOOD
The bun is a simple white bun. If you get "The Works" you get lettuce/tomatoes/onions/ketchup/mustard on your burger. The meat is a bit small (diameter fills about 80-85% of the bun) but it's thick. And pretty juicy and tastes good.
The fries are just right: just the right crispiness and saltiness. I don't feel sick after eating them (as I do sometimes with McD or BK fries).
There are other food options here, like Turkey burgers, but I think most of the people here just order the meat burgers. At least the lunch crowd. It gets crowded in here around 1pm-2pm. Get there earlier (12pm-ish) for a seat. Most people are doing take-out anyway to go back up to their cubicles to eat. :)
COMPARABLES
I've tried other burgers in the city: PJ Clarkes, Pop Burger, Burger Joint, etc. and I say this place is pretty on-par with the other establishments. Nothing great, but not bad. Good. Consistent. Now that I think about it, it's pretty similar to the burgers at Burger Joint (as someone pointed out, goodburger was started by people who came from there).
LOCATION & SPACE
It's diagonally across from the Citicorp building on the Northwest corner. Currently covered with scaffolding all around. Two doors, one main door on Lexington and the "back" door on E.54th Street.
There are about 8 tables for 2, and 6 tables for 4. Not many tables. Space is a bit cramped, which is why I said "not good for kids" (kids need space). It's loud in here with the Satellite Radio blaring, so I guess kids being loud and crying won't be looked down upon.
SERVICE
The service is very quick. There are 2-3 people taking orders and one person busy packing the food and calling out your number to pick up your order. There is someone taking care of the drinks/shakes so it's all lined up and ready to go. Very efficient and fast. The way a burger place should be.
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I want to give it 3 stars but the prices are a bit high for the size of the burger and the cost of the fries seemed steep. $10 for cheeseburger and fries seems high to me. Granted it was better than McDs but I don't know if it is 2-3 times better.
Let's face it...we are buying a hamburger. It's ground beef put between 2 pieces of bread and dressed up with condiments. This place doesn't try to fancy it all up with exotic toppings or fancy meats/cuts of beef (e.g., Kobe). It basically sells a hamburger that you can make yourself at home or on the BBQ.
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High price for a tiny burger (this might qualify as a slyder).
My order was for medium-rare. I got something that was closer to well done. It wasn't juicy at all. I can't imagine what they did to produce such a dry burger. Did the cook repeatedly poke at the pattie (releashing it's juices)?, did they use extra lean pattie meat?, did they overcook it? My guess would have been all of the above.
I was very disappointed with their burger. After that meal, I felt like I was taken for my money :(
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Quick delivery. Online ordering. I'd really give it three stars, but the portion size was perfect. The burgers were a good size, but not HUGE ala Jackson Hole or someplace similar.
Satisfies the crappy burger craving juuuuust fine. My friends also swear by their milkshakes.
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I stumbled on this place on a Sunday afternoon following an unsuccessful trip to the Tea Box at Takashimaya (apparently, they're closed on Sundays). I figured that if I couldn't have my afternoon tea and sandwiches, a burger and milkshake would be the next best thing. And whaddayaknow, at just three-ish blocks away from Takashimaya, I was destined for Goodburger.
The moment I stepped inside, I knew there was trouble. The place was about about half full and the staff at the prep area looked like they were working at full capacity. This means waiting. Still, I was hungry, and decided to suck it up. Maybe the burgers are really really good...
After I placed my order I got a neat little ticket with a number. "I wonder what number they're at now," I thought eagerly. At that point, a number 10 less than mine was called.
"Gee, this might take a while, I'd better go find a table."
Well, there were tables, but none were clean.
"I guess these guys really get their staff to focus on making burgers. I bet my burger's gonna be pretty tasty."
When I finally did get my meal after over ten minutes of anticipation, I got my burger at last. Feeling the significance of my accomplishment, I took a slow, savory bite into my burger.
"This burger is much too cold."
Which kind of confused me, since the whole gist of this place seemed to be serving burgers fresh from the grill. Oh well. Anyway, the burger was tasty, though I've had better, warmer ones before. In the end, quality of the food and service don't seem to justify the premium price.
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I haven't actually been to the place, but I've ordered takeout from them. I've only had the Turkeyburger and just for this, I'm giving them 4 stars. Their turkeyburger is infused with flavor, and is cooked perfectly everytime I've ordered from them. It has just the right amount of juiciness and tastes clean and healthy, not greasy like some other places. It's light in color with specks of green and red bell pepper. I def would recommend it!!
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It is called "Goodburger" for a reason.
It is not called, "Cows Are Willing to Become Martyrs To Be This Burger."
It is not called Badburger. It is not Greatburger.
It is a Goodburger. Taste was good, but my medium-well burger could have had a little less blood. Fries were OK. Wait was a little long but not terrible. For $6 + I would have expected a little bit larger patty, but it was OK overall.
It was..... a good burger.
The End
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Here's the thing about this place: the name sets you up for something mid-range. GOODburger? Okay.
The thing is actually pretty tasty. They cook the burger the way you want it (get the temp right), and the fries are hella good. Nice and crispy. :D Fries are a la carte though -- at a whopping $4.50!! :(
My only complaint is that they are pretty expensive for what you actually get. I can get a burger in a standard pub and it would be more burger for my buck. Two dollar soda's don't sit so well in my pocket either. They could have 4 stars, if it wasn't for the comparatively expensive experience.
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I ordered my burger medium well, and the works with fries to go. It was alright. Fries kinda taste like MacDonalds minus that weird greasy smell. It was a juicy burger but I couldnt taste anything else..I had tomatoes lettuce onions and cheese but nada, cero! Price is alright, not too bad unless you order milkshakes or anyotherh drinks to go along with the burger. Goodburger's burger is what MacDonalds should taste like, and that's pretty much it. Iam not to hyped about this place. It was just a "good burger" no excellent.
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Expensive for your generic basic burger and a side of fries. I can't believe we still paid the prices we did to eat here... it was fast food! Stood in line, ordered at a registered, when they called your name you went to pick it up. Sure the food is all natural, but seriously people what in the world. I'll have to say though the onion rings were pretty good.
The only reason why we ended up eating here was heck it was Christmas Eve and everything was closing.
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Goodburger was started by some of the same people who worked at the famous Burger Joint in Le Parker Meridien Hotel nearby. The burgers are nearly identical and the wait is around the same, the nice thing is that the fries are a little better and they have a much larger menu. The burgers are really good, although I used to go to Burger Joint to often and now I'm kinda tired of them, now I go to Shake Shack for my burger fix...getting back to the point though, their chili is surprisingly good and I like that they have root beer. Worth a try if you work in midtown, far superior to Burger Heaven.
Also, the burgers are a tad expensive but they take a credit card for those of us who don't carry much cash.
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just scarfed one of these.
it was delivered a bit cold and it took forever to get here. however the burger itself (except for its temperature) was pretty great. good onion rings too. but everything is definitely overpriced.
all in all a "good" burger.
also you can order online! internet excitement!
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It's a travesty that this place only gets 3 stars from everyone yet Burger Joint keeps getting 5 star ratings. Honestly, is a curtain and a long line really all it takes to get a good review? I will admit that putting Prime Burger up against Burger Joint was probably an exaggeration on my part. But, Good Burger is at least as good as Burger Joint, if not better. The burgers are bigger, you can "customize" the toppings, they cook them to whatever temperature you like, and they offer onion rings. I haven't had the shakes here so maybe Burger Joint has them beat on the shakes. But, Goodburger cooks up a great no-frills back yard style burger. It's not as decadent as some other burgers (Shake Shack, Blue 9) around in Manhattan, but it's a good meal. Oh and the lines aren't as long as at Burger Joint which is down the street from this location for those that are sick of waiting. I would be wiling to give this place 5 stars if it weren't for the fact that it is a bit expensive - about $12 for fries, soda and a cheeseburger (including tax) - but again it's commensurate with Burger Joint which is very close by.
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I had a veggie burger, which was surprisingly good. It seems like they make their own veggie patties -- I could see broccoli and carrots in the burger. A pea rolled out at one point. They definitely don't serve gardenburgers or boca burgers.
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