Take Out Thursday: 5 Burgers We Eat When We Can't Even Grill

Grilling burgers this time of year is great if you’ve got a backyard set up, but do you really want to invite people over for a Phantom of the Opera style masquerade? It’s just not the same. Instead, order take out from one of these five spots, some of which have added burgers to their menu for the first time. If you like them, maybe they’ll even keep them around once summer is over.

Red Paper Clip’s Double Cheeseburger

One silver lining of eating out during a pandemic is that chefs are offering menu items that would never have existed. Since serving a tasting menu via take out is impossible, Chef-owners Kevin Chen and Tashi Gyamtso took the time to create an exclusive take out menu offering baos, a spicy chicken sandwich, and a double cheeseburger served with kewpie mayo on a scallion brioche roll. It’s rich, delicious, and will likely be annihilated the second you get home. If you want to cut it up and portion it out tasting menu style to get the full Red Paper Clip experience, we won’t stop you either. Order one here.

A dry aged cheeseburger is tasty at any age Photo: Red Hook Tavern/Instagram

Red Hook Tavern’s Dry Aged Burger

We could have easily chosen Peter Luger’s burger for this entry but we just didn’t because Red Hook Tavern is the kind of place that crushes you with kindness. You know a burger is worth the wait when you have to line up outside a restaurant before it opens because you can’t get a reservation no matter what you do. This writer did such thing back when lining up close together was socially acceptable. But now you can avoid all that (because you have to) and order one online here.

Bring the good vibes from Pastis back home one bite at a time Photo: Pastis/Instagram

Pastis’ Cheeseburger

While you can’t bring all of the energy Pastis provides into your home, you can take comfort in eating their delicious and underrated cheeseburger. You’re getting two four-ounce patties topped with melted American cheese, special sauce, red onions, and pickles all stacked onto a brioche bun because if you haven’t noticed, brioche is king when it comes to what rolls chefs like to use. If you do want to try and recreate Pastis in your living room, break out your Saturday night best, then locate Avicii on Spotify and turn up the volume to deafening levels.

A game changing veggie burger. Trust us. Photo: Superiority Burger/Instagram

Superiority Burger’s Megamouth Burger

Want a veggie burger that will change your life, or at least perception of meatless burgers? Ordering from Superiority Burger right now is going to require planning, but we absolutely have to call out their megamouth special available on Fridays. You get two megamouth burgers, a pint of vegan gelato, and chips. So basically date night in a bag. Follow their instructions and be ready to click buttons as fast as you can here.

Golden Diner’s Golden Cheeseburger

Supporting new restaurants is crucial right now, so while there are many diner burgers you can order from, it’s Golden Diner’s not-so-secret mushroom gochujang aioli and scallion (yea we’re partial to scallions in this round up) milk bun that makes this particular burger stand out in our hearts. Order one directly from their website here.