| Hamburger America | |
|---|---|
 | |
 The restaurant's exterior in May 2024 | |
 Interactive map of Hamburger America | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | November 2023; 2 years ago (2023-11) |
| Owner | George Motz |
| Head chef | George Motz |
| Food type | |
| Location | 51MacDougal Street (entrance onHouston Street)[1], New York, New York, 10012, United States |
| Coordinates | 40°43′41″N74°00′09″W / 40.727977°N 74.002368°W /40.727977; -74.002368 |
| Website | www |
Hamburger America is aluncheonette-stylehamburger restaurant located at 51MacDougal Street inSoHo, Manhattan, New York City. It was founded in 2023 by American chef, television personality, and burger scholarGeorge Motz as an homage to thehistory of the hamburger in the United States. Specializing in traditionalsmash burgers,french fries,sandwiches, and milk drinks includingegg cream, the restaurant offers 11-stool counter service, booth and table seating, and take-out.[2][3]
Hamburger America derives its name from founderGeorge Motz's 2004 documentary filmHamburger America and 2008 bookHamburger America: A State-by-State Guide to 200 Great Burger Joints, which both chronicle thehistory of the hamburger in the United States and showcase regional burgers throughout the United States.[4][5]
During theCOVID-19 pandemic, Motz created the Burgerslide, "asocially distant burger delivery system" through which he delivered thousands ofOklahoma onion burgers out of hisBrooklyn apartment and otherpop-up locations.[5][6] He then partnered with restaurant owners Jonathan and Andrew Schnipper to develop his first brick-and-mortar restaurant, which became Hamburger America.[5][7] Motz's goal was to recreate "what hamburgers used to taste like" by using historically accurate ingredients and cooking processes.[8]
Construction for Hamburger America broke ground in May 2023, with initial plans to open in July 2023.[9] The restaurant eventually opened in November 2023, drawing notable guests on its opening day includingChris Rock,Sean Evans,Christy Turlington, and former New York City mayorMichael Bloomberg.[5][10]
Motz has considered expanding the restaurant to additional locations, but says that for the time being, he is "just trying to get one right".[10]
Hamburger America offers two hamburgers—a classic smash burger and an Oklahoma-stylefried onion burger known as "George Motz's fried onion burger"—both of which can be ordered with a single or double patty and with or withoutAmerican cheese.[1] Both burgers are smashed using Motz's proprietary "Smashula", which is custom-made in Argentina.[10] The restaurant also servesfrench fries; diner-style sandwiches includingegg salad,tuna salad,peanut butter and jelly, and The Chester, a variant on thepatty melt;[11] and desserts includingkey lime pie.[1][4] Beverages includecoffee,lemonade,Miller High Life beer, and a selection of traditional Americanflavored milk drinks such ascoffee milk andegg cream.[2][4][5]
Since April 2024, the restaurant has offered a monthly rotation of regional American hamburgers, including theolive burger fromLansing, Michigan, thebutter burger fromWisconsin, and the double-patty No. 5 from Keller's Drive-In inDallas, Texas.[1][8][12]
Hamburger America has received positive reviews from restaurant critics. In April 2024,The New York Times restaurant criticPete Wells named the restaurant among the top 100 restaurants in New York City, calling it "the geeked-out burger stand New York didn't know it needed".[13] In a full-length review, Wells called Hamburger America "partfast food restaurant, part shrine to roadside America, partart installation, part nostalgia immersion," writing that Motz's onion burger "tastes like late-night drives into empty downtowns, of cheap beer on boardwalks and wax paper at fly-by-night carnivals, of places where you talk to weird characters you wouldn't meet in the daytime."[12]
Helen Rosner ofThe New Yorker wrote that the classic smash burger "is fantastic, strong and correct. You don't need to know the history of burgers to be taken with its honest flavors, its modest size, its firm handshake of pickle and onion and good ol' American ground beef. It's a hamburger you trust, a hamburger you'd feel good about taking your daughter to prom."[4]Robert Sietsema ofEater said the classic smash burger is "probably the best smash burger in the city".[1]
Tammie Teclemariam ofNew York magazine'sGrub Street pointed to the restaurant's hype on social media platforms such asTikTok, confirming that its burgers "live up to the hype: they deliver a concentrated beef flavor and bring a new level of crusty smash to the city."[10]