REVIEW: The best burger you haven’t tried yet
Downtown’s new Herbie’s Burgers is hidden in plain sight — here’s the lowdown, from fries to late-night ordering.
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Tucked into the back of the Ice House just off Caroline Street is downtown’s newest grab-and-go, Herbie’s Burgers — a now-essential little joint we didn’t know we needed. Just in time for track season (it literally opened Belmont week), the deceptively simple menu has a lot of seriously tasty grub on offer, plus late-night hours that I volunteered to test out.
Hey, somebody had to do it.
First, the smash burger.
No…first, the fries.
I never thought I would meet a fry I consistently craved more than the classic McDonald’s, which I get maybe every few years (road trip vibes). In-N-Out? Nope. Chi-fil-A? The waffle fry comes close, but it’s not consistent and they’re closed on Sundays anyway, the day I’m always hoofing it back up on the Thruway from NYC.
Herbie’s fries are absolute perfection. And I’ve had this seconded by a whopping seven people — and even tested them late-night, when regular fast food usually fails. Chef’s kiss.
Back to the smash burgers. The Herbie’s menu touts only a double cheeseburger or a single cheeseburger (plus vegan options for both; their magical fries are vegan as well), but I happen to prefer my grass-fed beef sans queso. No problem. Burgers come with easily-removable pickles, a slice of tomato, lettuce and the signature “everything” sauce that has a vegan mayo/ketchup base. If I’m being honest, I could eat just the juicy, tasty patty and bread, it was that good.
In that spirit, there’s a list of add-on options — but you’re on your own for that.
I called in reinforcements to help me try every darn thing on the menu. (Let’s just say that Herbie’s is also a hit with the littles.) The chicken tenders, “nerdy bird” chicken sandwich, and truffle fries all got rave reviews. The thick and creamy shakes come in a rotating cast of specialty flavors, with banana winning our focus group by a landslide.
On our first trip to Herbie’s — on a weekend afternoon — there was plenty of seating to both wait (although the wait was not long) and then eat. Visiting after 11 p.m. was a different beast, but don’t be scared off by the crowds at Ice House. You simply tell the bouncers that you’re just going to eat, and they immediately let you in. When we stopped by, the bar was packed but only one other person was ordering food. And hey, I got to dance to Big Pun while waiting for my (yes) fries.
Plus, most late-night spots can descend into mayhem, but this one won’t. Because: bouncers.
This upstate favorite (Herbie’s got its start in Albany, before expanding to Troy, Schenectady, Guilderland, Latham and now Saratoga) also has an adorable nerdy-slash-hippie vibe. This, of course, is key to attracting a cult following. (That, and its sincerely tasty food.)
Find Herbie’s Burgers at the Ice House, 70 Putnam Street. It is open 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. during the week and until 2 a.m. on weekends.