I know, I know...I am in the States for almost three months now and there has still been no blogpost on Burgers, so here it is. The reason for this slightly delayed post, is me simply not wanting to write about all the burger chains and burger places I tried, which were rather just average.




Honestly, I don't get the hype about 'Shake Shack' burgers. Of course the meat tastes good and the fries are ok, too, but waiting half an hour in line at Madison Square Park, to buy a burger, which did not satisfy me at all, is not really worth the effort. For me, the meat is too thin, and even if it's cooked well it doesn't have that 'homemade' taste...Do you know what I mean?!

The next was 'Five Guys', which is not expensive at all, you can put whatever toppings you like on your small or big burger and it is a REAL meat feast. Unfortunately, the meat didn't sweep me off my feet, either. There were several other burger places I've been to (way to many if you ask me, but I've challenged myself to finding the (my) best burger place in New York City). Then, finally, this week my friend showed me that very nice place - 'Umami Burger'. Apparently it is a burger restaurant with its beginnings in the west of the US, which recently opened in NYC. Although you have to wait for a bit, it is worth it for sure!

Type of Place: A nice burger place with dimmed light, simple furniture, a simple bar, which helps you to overcome boredom while waiting to be seated. It is not some super individual, overly decorated place, but it really doesn't need to be, cause their burgers are convincing enough. Waiting can take up to 45 minutes, so if you want to take a walk somewhere close, feel free! Miss your spot?! Certainly not, because they get your phone number and text you 5 minutes in advance to let you know it's your turn to enjoy their juicy burgers to the fullest. Waiters are fast and super friendly, though there is one little minus, which was the (side) fries arriving right after we ordered, so they were gone before we got our burgers (or would have been cold already, if we waited).

Food: Yum, yum.. geile Sause!!! Their truffle special was going on when we were there, so I definitely had to order the Truffled Shiitake Royal Burger and I did not regret it. Tender, perfectly medium-rare cooked ground beef, topped with port onions, truffle glaze and truffled shiitake mushrooms, in a kind of sweetish, fluffy but crispy, burger bun (bit like brioche). The meat was perfect to me and I think this was so far the best burger I've eaten in NYC. They also have other amazing burger combinations and also some vegetarian alternatives such as the tuna burger, which looked delicious! The fries were good, not overwhelmingly good, but good. They were very slim but tasty and in combination with the the four sauces you get with it, a nice side dish. Next time I would try the Irish Truffle Nachos, which are also offered at their special 'Truffle Season Menu' where you can find all kinds of truffled dishes. Short: I really enjoyed the meat, cooked so well and being so juicy, fresh and having that certain 'homemade' taste (oh yes, Umami would be able to compete with 'Kiosko' or 'Fette Kuh'). Also, the meat is thicker than at some other burger places, which is a must for me; 200g are perfect, I think 'Umami' was a bit less, though (maybe the 360g double burger at 'Freddy Schilling' some months ago was a bit too enthusiastic...BUT I did it!!).

Check out their menu here --> Menu Umami (some advice from my side, DON'T look at it in case you are being hungry!!!!)

Price: It's more expensive than 'Shake Shack' or 'Five Guys', but that pays off!! Quality is great, service is nice and come on, who wouldn't pay 3 or 4 Dollars more for that truffle taste in your mouth?! Burgers are around $12-15 and sides come at $4-6.

Location: 432 Sixth Avenue, New York, New York 10011