5 Napkin Burger
Sunday, March 1, 2009 at 09:03PM 
5 Napkin Burger is part of the same chain that owns a clutch of mediocre casual French restaurants, such as Nice Matin, Cafe d’Alsace, and so forth. Apparently the menu at Nice Matin offers a “5 napkin burger” that was so popular they decided it deserved its own restaurant.
My advice? Don’t bother. My son and I both had the namesake 5 Napkin Burger ($14.95) on Saturday evening. It was over-cooked, too greasy, and overwhelmed by the taste of caramelized onions. It oozed enough grease to make the poor bun wilt under the pressure.
The space is the size of a small barn, but the décor isn’t bad, featuring white tile walls and a collection of antique scales hung along the back of the room. There are over fifty beers on tap, but the rest of the menu is a mash-up of sushi and miscellaneous comfort food.
Service is designed to get customers in and out in a hurry. We waited around 20 minutes for a table at 6:30 p.m. on a Saturday evening. I am not sure why it is so busy. In a neighborhood that has a dozen restaurants on every block, it’s hard to see the point of this place.
5 Napkin Burger (630 Ninth Avenue between 44th & 45th Streets, Hell’s Kitchen)
Reader Comments (3)
Last night (3/7/09) I went to 5 Napkin Burger and had a great burger. I have eaten here with my wife and friends five times in the past 6 months and have always found the food to be terrific. It is a fun place to eat anytime and very convinient before or after theatre.
I have to disagree with the review. I have been several times and the food is outstanding. There is clearly a great deal of care that goes into the preparation of the meal. I had the five napkin burgher and it was amazing. I asked for a side of Tuscan fries and they were also very good. The only thing that they could have used was a little more salt. Nizza next door is also very good and owned by the same group.
I agree with the rest of the comment-ers. My experiences with Five Napkin Burgers was nothing short of pleasant. Great burger each time I've been. What is really great about it is that it's close enough for me to walk it home and enjoy it from my upper east side manhattan real estate In all, I love these burgers and I would recommend anyone to at least give them a shot.