Backyard Burger at Corner Bistro

At dinner the other night, my friends were talking about their favorite burger spots in NYC, and Corner Bistro came up more than once. My friends swore by their burgers, saying that they “taste like homemade burgers grilled in your backyard,” giving it a distinct taste over the Pat LaFrieda meat and gourmet specialty burgers that are so popular right now. Personally, I’m a fan of the Pat LaFrieda meat served at my favorite, Shake Shack,  but I was interested to see what all the fuss was about so my boyfriend and I headed down to the Village the next afternoon to check it out.

Ever since the health/sanitation grades have become more prevalent in restaurant and bar windows, I’ve taken notice and do choose my eateries more wisely. I try to avoid places that don’t have an A, but seeing as we walked down specifically to try out Corner Bistro we decided to head in even though it was displaying a B in the window.

It’s small, dive-y and cheap looking, all things I like. They don’t invest in things like menus, plates or silverware, but they also have prices that are reflective of this. There are two food menus and two drink menus posted inside, one by the bar upfront and one in the back where there are a few tables. Priced similarly to Shake Shack, the burgers range from $6-$7.25 (the Bistro Burger is just a cheeseburger with bacon), but you’re limited to just 8 menu items plus the option of fries for $2.50. This is a bare minimum kind of place.

I ordered the cheeseburger, Paul had the Bistro Burger, and we split an order of fries. As for drinks, this is where it gets really fun. You can gulp down a mug McSorley’s Ale or Dark for $2.75 (prices and selections are different than what’s posted online) or choose from their other draft and bottle beer selections with nothing over $5. These aren’t even happy hour prices, you can get a pint of beer for less than $3 any time, any day at Corner Bistro.

The burgers, served on appetizer-sized paper plates, were huge, I’m guessing half-pounders. Let’s just say that we ate at 5 pm and all I had the rest of the day was a small snack around 9 pm (plus some Saturday night drinks). It was very filling and I could only have a few fries, but luckily Paul was starving so he happily took on my share. The burgers tasted exactly as they were described to us: homemade. They were definitely tasty and I can see the appeal of the burgers (the table next to us were raving about how they tasted like their parents’ burgers), but for me personally I think I still prefer Shake Shack, even though it’s rather cliche to say that.

Regardless, if you want to try a famed burger, or if you simply want a cheap lunch and beer, head over to Corner Bistro and enjoy the simplicity of burgers and beers, a phenomenal combination.