Royale

157 Ave. C, East Village, NY

8.0

map & more

Neighborhood
East Village

Cuisine
Bar Food
Burgers

212-254-6600

Official Website

By Andrew Steinthal
July 8, 2009

You can walk by this place a thousand times and think “Eh, typical half-ass sports bar I’d never step foot into” and keep walking. Little do you know that tucked away in the back is a tropical burger oasis. That’s right, just like B.I.G. said, “if you don’t know, now you know.” Over the last four years, Royale has built up a cult following amongst lower Manhattan burger biters. You are more than welcome to enjoy your burger in the confines of the dark bar area but the real sell is the oversized outdoor garden. On nice days, the garden is bumpin’ with an eclectic east village crowd of day drinkers enjoying buckets o’ beer, plump burgers, and good tunes. Let’s talk about the burger.

Photo Credit: Graydon Wintour

Food Rundown:

Royale/Royale with Cheese/Bacon Royale
No matter how you take your Royale burger, it is guaranteed that this will be one of the juiciest burgers you’ll ever eat. Royale’s focus is on the well cooked beef. Regardless of how it’s prepared, from rare all the way to well, this thing will be overflowing with juicy meatiness and have you reaching for extra napkins. Overall, the burger is pretty simple and straight forward. It’s served on a soft sesame bun and is big enough to fill you up but not slow you down. The rumors you’ve been hearing about Royale having the best burger in the East Village? Yeah, that’s confirmed.

Veggie Burger
Never had it before but I’ve heard from reliable sources that their Veggie B is on the same level as their burgers.

French Fries/Onion Rings
Both are solid but not exactly memorable. If you’re the type who adds a fried layer of potato or onions atop your burger, you’ll be happy with the stackability that seems to be tailor made for this purpose.