Eating in New York City: Island Burgers & Shakes

In the ceaseless search for the best burger in New York City, my fiancée and I finally stopped into this slim little dive that I'd seen for years but had never given a chance. Island Burgers & Shakes is what it says it is; burgers and shakes rule the day and while most of the variety of hamburger are also available as a chicken 'burger' (chicken churasco, is what they call them) and there are a few other dishes such as salads, fajitas, a variety of appetizers, chicken and salad plates, and your basic lineup of standard sandwiches (BLT, grilled ham and Swiss, Genoa, and a couple of other ciabatta and sourdough options. While the seating is cramped the burgers & shakes that Island propagates are worth a second look.

Though there are a whole bunch of options for you available at Island, the real story with this place is the burgers and the shakes; Island Burgers and Shakes does do what they do fairly well. What is most appealing about their burgers is the wide array of burger toppings and types including barbeque, Cajun, blackened and horseradish in addition to their white cheddar, Swiss, Monterey jack, mozzarella, boursin, American, parmesan spread, and blue cheese complete the lineup of the regular burgers cheeses option toppings.

Their specialty burger line is equipped in full force; one of these models is called Sam I Am and has pesto, egg, ham, and American cheese, there's a Julius burger which comes with Caesar salad on a pita, there's the Sans Spud which comes with bacon, cheddar, sour cream, and chives, there's the Charlie's Sweet & Sour burger which comes with relish, honey mustard, and Swiss cheese, and there is the Slick Willie's which has ham, relish, American cheese, bacon, sour cream, barbeque, and onion just to name a few of the more than forty house varieties of hamburgers and churascos that are available.