Our Guys Take on Five Guys: Long Island’s Home Grown Burger Revolution Continues

The Burger Spot
150 Seventh St.
Garden City
516-746-6100
This sleek, order-at-the-counter spot makes a perfect hamburger. At first, the brioche bun looks like it might overpower the 6-ounce patty but the opposite is true. Its soft halves compliment the cooked-to-order burger, adding flavor, nicely cradling the lettuce, tomato and onions. The grilled signature burger ($6) has something that I crave in a burger, juiciness. The juices ran with each delicious bite—a three-napkin burger. And the sandwich stays intact down to the last bite. It comes with their pink house sauce, but there’s garlic herb mayo and smoked BBQ sauce to try, too. The turkey burger ($7) is surprisingly moist and there are no less than three varieties of veggie burgers ($9). The frozen fries are miss-ible but the Cobb salad, one of six salads, is not. Neither are the real milk shakes.

LTBurger In the Harbor
62 Main St.
Sag Harbor
631-899-4646
www.ltburger.com
Get a basket of crisp, juicy Horman’s Fried Dill Pickles while you wait for your burgers to cook. Order up a cocktail or a Mocktail for the kids from the wraparound bar in the middle of the funky retro-style, white-tiled room. Laurent Tourondel lands with a splash out east, leaving the BLT/Market/Steak/Fish/Burger empire behind. The Classic burger ($9), 7 ounces of Angus beef, ground from brisket, sirloin, chuck and short rib, is dense but juicy, served on a large seeded bun. A good burger, and they score points for making it less than the usual $10 minimum for a Hampton burger. Big shots can blow some cash on the more upscale Snake River Farm Kobe Burger ($16). Combo the classic with a craft beer and waffle or skinny fries, surprisingly not homemade but not bad. A long roster of coffee drinks, smoothies and shakes made with Twinkies, PB&J or Nutella abound. They’re also open for breakfast, serving steel-cut oatmeal, Greek yogurt and a fried egg dish called the East End Pileup.

Jimmy Jacks
221 Bedford Ave.
Bellmore
516-557-2455
www.jimmyjacksny.com
This recent startup makes a good basic griddled burger ($4.25) served on a brioche bun. Fresh ground from sirloin and brisket cuts, the 5-ounce patty is cooked to your preference and there’s a long list of free toppings. I added grilled onion to my usual pickles, lettuce and tomato. It’s a terrific burger for the money, directly competing with Five Guys at a similar price point. My burger had good flavor although somewhat softer in the middle than I like, but that wouldn’t stop me from returning to down a few more. Fries are frozen but there are turkey burgers ($4.50), a grilled Portobella mushroom covered with mozzarella and red peppers ($4.75) and mini burger ($2.25).

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