Black Iron Burger Shop 12-01-2012

Location: 540 E. 5th St.
Time: 3pm
People: RB, CK and myself

Feelings: We stumbled upon this burger shop in the guise of an East Village dive bar. Gourmet burgers can easily cost between $15-$18, but at Black Iron Burger, you can indulge on a classic burger at as low as $7.

The menu is absolutely without frills-- just a straightforward greasy burger heaven. Aside from the budget burgers, starters, salads, and sandwiches like lobster bahn mi ($16) can be found here. For vegetarian options, there are grilled cheese ($6) and falafel burger ($7).

Seating is rather uncomfortable with high stools, which is equally deadly to high heels as cobblestone streets. However, their amazing 80's music playlist put us in a good mood while the cook flipped our burgers.

My falafel burger was crispy and flavorful and much better than strange concoction of veggie burgers I have had in the area. It is definitely more on the greasy side, and I enjoyed the falafel patty to sesame seed buns ratio. The buns were fluffy with subtly sweet, and this experience made me want to continuously use buns instead of pita for my falafels. What an American thing to do!

 RB's Iron Horse was filling and tasty, but a bit on the greasy side. Although some may prefer their burgers in this fashion, RB did complain about a slight stomachache on the way home.

The service is prompt but not overly friendly, which fits the mood of this pub like atmosphere. Since Black Iron Burger is located right next to two of my favorite ramen shops (Minca and Kuboya), it would be difficult for me to actually get to this destination. But when I crave greasy, reasonably priced food that is not ramen, this would definitely be on my list.