One Of The Toughest Burgers To Get In NYC
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When you want a hamburger that isn't fast food, it's best to go to a restaurant, where they always taste better than any you make at home. One fine-dining establishment in Manhattan takes this to another level with a luxurious version that's so exclusive it's one of the toughest burgers to get in New York City. In order to have Restaurant Le B.'s signature Le Burger, patrons must specifically make a reservation for it ahead of time on OpenTable.
Clicking to reserve it shows available days and times when you can get one of the limited number made each day at the dinner-only restaurant. A $25 deposit per person is required for the special reservation, which is ultimately applied to the meal's total bill. Le Burger is sold at market price, which can change based on the cost of the beef they use, and it doesn't come cheap. For example, one YouTuber who visited in mid-2025 paid a steep $46. Other than the online reservation process, the only other way to snag one is by ordering either of the two tasting menus. They include a Burger Mignon among their courses, which is a mini 2½-ounce version of the regular eight-ouncer.
Le B.'s menu notes that Vogue magazine has dubbed its famous offering "the Birkin bag of burgers," after the hard-to-get-your-hands-on Hermès designer bag immortalized on "Sex and the City" when Samantha tried to get one. It also touts that an episode of the MasterClass "G.O.A.T." video series starring chef and owner Angie Mar explaining how to make it won a prestigious James Beard award.
What's in Le Burger?
The Le Burger's patty is angus beef that's 90% ribeye (America's most popular steak cut) dry-aged for 45 days, which Angie Mar says is the "top 1% of the 1% in the country" (via Instagram). Dry aging creates a stronger, more concentrated beef flavor and also tenderizes the meat, a different result than wet aging. A blend of short loin, brisket, and chuck makes up the rest. The generously seasoned patties are flame-grilled over medium-low heat and turned every 45 seconds for even cooking. They're rested when done like a steak, and served medium-rare.
The burger is covered with melted French fromager d'affinois cheese. The Brie-like buttery, soft cheese is a triple-crème, meaning extra cream was added and it contains at least 75% butterfat. It's also topped with onions that are sweetly caramelized for hours in cabernet wine that's also from France. Finally, they're presented on toasted brioche buns that are baked fresh every day.
Mar, author of the 2019 cookbook "Butcher + Beast," told New York City Tourism + Conventions that she created Le Burger back in 2013 after several years of experimentation to create exactly what she wanted. It used to be on the menu when she owned The Beatrice Inn for several years before closing it in 2020. She brought it back when she opened Restaurant Le B. in 2023, which serves a modern version of continental cuisine.