Louis’ Lunch

Supposedly the home of the first burger ever (a google of «first burger» shows another claimant). The restaurant is a tiny establishment, with very little seating… primarily one large communal table with benches.
For the main dish, you have two options, burger or cheeseburger, with onions and tomatoes as your only toppings choices. To keep up the appearances as the first ever, the meat patty is served between toast.
The burger was not bad, but in the hundred or so years since this guy Louis packed ground meat between bread, better renditions have been created. While the default doneness of the burger is medium rare, mine came out medium well, as did the rest of my groups’. As a result, the meat came out a little dry. While toast is not a bad bearer of the burger patty, it’s not the best.
It’s worth a try if you’re in the area. And if you do swing by, their potato salad was pretty good, and worthy of more distinction than their burger.

Louis’ made a really good impression. While we were visiting the Yale University Art Museum we met a security gentleman who was keen on the food scene and steered us to Louis’. He told us to go inside, and for one of us order and one of us sit at the community table. We biked around for a while, and actually passed it accidentally because it is so quaint. When we found it we were flustered and thought it closed at 2PM. Disappointed, we were going to leave… then the owner came out and let us put our bikes inside the fence around the side so we didn’t have to worry about them. When we went in we both sat at the community table as we tried to regroup, and the owner called us right out for being tourists haha! He welcomed us to the burger bar area where we sat and ordered our food old school style. They have bangin’ potato salad, and the burger was cooked perfectly. We were warned not to ask for ketchup, but the burger was so moist it didn’t need it. The nostalgia here is great. It felt good to be in a place with history, names carved into the tables, and individual table chairs so people grabbing a quick lunch could eat alone comfortably. I appreciate the energy, and would recommend this to anyone visiting New Haven. The first hamburger joint reps the US well.

Who doesn’t love a classic Louis burger? They have the best ground beef you can get. Lines make their way all the way from the counter to the street sometimes on a Saturday around lunch time. The guys working over there are great people. Friendly and funny!

Great experience. I want another burger.

What more can I add to this conversation? Perfect munchie food served in one of the last classic New Haven venues.
History meets myth meets cow meets mouth.
It makes me so happy to see some things stay the same.

The Library of Congress agrees it was Louis Lassen who invented the burger when he put scraps of ground beef between slices of bread for fast, easy eating.
First off, McDonalds & Burger King better put up some fast royalties if it were my great grandfathers invention. Billions served, Pay me clown!
Now lets talk about this place. The great grandson, I think I met him this afternoon. I know there’s a no ketchup rule in effect. Dude, don’t you wanna go a little wild? Your family has been making the same thing, day after day, week after week. How about mixing it up? Go wild and put hot dogs in that meat contraption! Too wild for you? How about adding a pickle to the burger? Go crazy man, life is too short for you to be straight-​laced.
The place opened at noon today, I was on line 11:59. I placed my order at 12:10. I ordered a cheeseburger with the works, a bag of salt & pepper chips and a Birch soda. 12:30 my medium rare burger was ready. Don’t like medium rare? There’s the door. Louis Lassen great grandson looks all pissy and doesn’t like variations.
The burger tasted pretty friggin’ awesome! I’m a first time fan, it was juicy and the meat tasted fresh. Fan!
Now its time to go. There’s no wait staff cleaning tables, its a mad house up in here with the kookie seating since 1895. I’m not some fresh kid from Darien who’ll just leave a dirty mess. I asked the prep guy where’s the garbage? Oh just bring it to the counter. Hmm, a little strange but this place has an off vibe. No smiles, no humor, no nothing!
I liked the bathroom door, very heavy and of good quality. If your into history and are willing to wait for a unique burger then I recommend Louis’ Lunch

After a couple of years of saying, «I need to go to Louis’ Lunch,» I finally did! On a Tuesday at around noon, I was joined by some very lovely ladies for lunch.
This quaint restaurant offers burgers, chips, potato salad, and an assortment of pops. Upon entering I took note of the intimate but charming environment. Fortunately, we had enough foresight to know they were cash-​only, so we ordered our food and took a seat. After about 15 minutes (or so), my order was ready: cheeseburger with a side of potato salad. The potato salad was good; it reminded me of Persian potato salad (salad-​olivier). The burger was quite good as well, albeit a bit greasy. Serving the burger on toast was a fun twist.
All in all, it was a good experience. I had a nice lunch with some wonderful friends – Plus, it’s another thing off my New Haven bucket-​list.
Recommendations:
–Verify their hours before going
–Ensure you have cash. I believe the cheeseburger is around $ 6, while the potato salad was $ 4
–Because of the small restaurant size, I’d recommend going during off-​peak hours. I can’t imagine how they handle seating large crowds
Verdict:
Worth a visit.

Way overrated. I live in this town and never even think of coming here.
Only stop in once a decade hoping it will be an epic burger, but alas, it always disappointing.
It tastes like mom made it, put it on toast and forbids you to put ketchup or mayo, etc on it.
WTF? The burger ain’t worth the wait. really. Not horrible, but not great, indeed.

I almost didn’t go after reading the Unilocal reviews. It made it sound like the wait to order was ridiculous, the wait after ordering was worse, the owner was nasty and the burgers were raw blobs of red meat on soggy white bread.
The wait after ordering is a little long (20 mins), other than that, it’s all lies. The owner was friendly enough, there was almost no line at all 12:30pm on a Friday. The burgers are medium rare, there is no ketchup and it is served on white toast but… they are delicious that way! When I order meat, which is not often, I always order it medium-​well, so it’s really saying something when I tell you these burgers are good medium rare.
Don’t overthink this, just try it, you’ll like it.

My first time here, I think with more nuanced ordering I might bring it up to four stars.
I got a plain cheeseburger, it came medium rare as they suggested it. I like the fact that the burgers themselves are somewhat loosely created, rather then dense hockey puck patties like so many places do. That being said, I agree with a lot of people so my plan, and I think would actually be better if it were more cooked. I will definitely go here again, but next time I think I will try my cheeseburger with two pieces of cheese, some added salt, and medium well.
I had a slice of peach pie was very good, fresh peaches, obviously homemade, with a nice fragrance to it that was almost like a combination of peach and rosewater. I would get it again, but take it home and heated up and serve it with some ice cream.
I didn’t bother with the potato salad, it didn’t look very good to me.
I was there at 12:30 on Wednesday, it was busy but not incredibly so, I took a seat at the counter and they took my order within a couple minutes. I was surprised at how much on the street parking, with meters, was available.

They didn’t like my previous review and had it taken down… This is the alleged home of the burger. This is not a great burger… This is not even a particularly good burger (greasy meat between to slices of toast)… No you cannot put your own toppings on it, and they pride themselves by saying something to the effect of «no you can’t have it your way, this is not burger King»
Small place with random «bankers» hours. Expensive.
Check it off your list if you must. But new haven has better burger options.

This place is an institution! Incredible to be able eat somewhere that has been around since 1900!
When my boyfriend asked for a menu they said: hamburger, cheeseburger, potato salad, chips. And looked at us to order. Toppings for the burger are: cheese, tomato or onion. On toasted white bread. Sounds simple but so amazing! Cocked on vertical grills from 1898. Incredible!
Limited seating but you’re in and out. Gets you back to the basics — where things need to be.
Also, I have to say the hospitality of the owners was great.
Happy to have been able to check out such a classic!

We went with the cheeseburgers and kanoli pie. The cheeseburgers were ok. I gotta admit, it needed ketchup and mustard. It just isn’t good enough to simply hang on its own. Be aware, it is served with a heaping pile of attitude.
The kanoli pie was very good. It saved the meal.

I just had to try this place because it’s the birthplace of burger. So we did a little detour on our road trip and stopped by at Louis’ Lunch. The interior is small with limited seating. You can tell they have been doing things the way since they invented burger by the «steamers» for meats, VERY limited menu written with chalk on blackboard, and the nice guy who takes orders with a pen and paper, and of course, no credit cards. I got the cheeseburger and my husband got the hamburger. I wasn’t sure about the sandwich-​ish burger, but I have to say, it’s better than I expected, the meat was juicy and tender, onions and tomatoes were fresh. It was a very simple «burger» but delicious. Unfortunately mine was overcooked, more of a medium well than medium rare (hence –1 star), but my husband’s burger was perfectly cooked to medium rare. We also got the cannoli pie, which was AMAZING. It tastes like a cannoli but even better cuz it’s bigger and yummier!
If you are in the area, give it a try. Would it worth an hour and half drive from Manhattan, probably not.

I know this is a New Haven institution, but come on. It’s the size of a broom closet, it’s always crowded, it’s expensive… almost anyone can make a meatball and slap it between two slices of weakly toasted white bread. This city thinks they pretty much invented food, and there’s a big debate about who invented the burger. If this is what they claim burgers were like, then they most certainly did not.
The few times I’ve been there, «medium rare» has either been closer to well done, or practically raw in the middle. The whole Soup Nazi feel to it is kind of played out, too. If you haven’t been, I suppose it’s like the other New Haven restaurants where you go just to say you’ve eaten there. For me, personally, if I had the choice, I’d walk across the street to BAR.

Very small but truly authentic piece of history! Seating for probably 20 people. Inside, the restaurant has original furniture fixtures from I don’t know how many years ago. One main item on the menu — burger! The only choice is whether you take it with tomatoes and onion or without. Nothing more nothing less. The burger, in their classic sliced bread, was quite good and juicy. I really liked it. It’s a must have for atleast once. I waited 3 years to try it as i live in Manhattan and new haven is atleast 2 – 3 hours. Well worth it.

Home of the «first hamburger» ever created. Ok.
What to expect: Thick patty on toasted white bread (apparently they didn’t make sesame buns before the days of the hamburger, go figure). They cook burgers to order and you have the option of cheese, onions, and tomatoes. I appreciate the simplicity of the menu and the friendly disposition of the guys behind the counter.
The hamburger is a little bland for my taste, but the meat is cooked well and it’s not bad. Maybe it’s more authentic this way? Something to try out if you’re in the New Haven area, especially if you’re into collecting stamps on your «historical food landmark» passport.
They also serve pie if you’re into that. Remember to bring cash.

Inventors of the HAMBURGER!
Such a small location, you can drive pass it and not even know. Street meter parking.
You can feel the history when you walk inside. The old school cookers were awesome. Service was ok. Limited seating inside. Came in at opening and it was empty, took about 10 – 15 minutes for the burger to come out.
Cheeseburger w/​tomatoes and onions — $ 6 — Patty had no real seasoning but the beef was so juicy and tasty by itself. Cooked medium rare but pretty pink inside. Toppings were basic. Served on white bread. Such a basic burger but for some reason it was so good and beefy.

Look, if everyone drove the first car ever made the world would be amazingly dangerous, and if we all lived in the first house ever made we would all be chilling in mud huts right now. However, that does not mean that these «first» things are not worth preserving.
The first hamburger ever made is a lot like the above inventions. It is not that great by modern burger standards, but it is certainly awesome for what it is: a piece of edible history. Medieval gas burners, cheese whiz, and onions included.
I have been coming here on and off for about 15 years and the burger is about as so-​so tasting as ever. Kind of dry, a bit overcooked, barely perceptible cheese, etc. But it is also a great late-​night burger destination in the middle of New Haven’s downtown as well as a true pioneer in American food.
Without the so-​so burgers here none of the really good burgers on earth would even exist. For that reason alone I would definitely give this place a try.

I got all hyped, ya know, cause it’s the FIRST BURGER IN AMERICA! Well… burgers have come a LONG way since then.
Gonna be blunt: The burger was gross. It was NOT medium rare. It was rare. Chunks of it were straight raw (see pic). The meat was so bloody, the shitty toast soaked up the blood and turned red. Ugh. It makes me gag thinking about it – and I LIKE my beef med-​rare, always.
I gave it two stars instead of one, because the potato salad was decent. It’s cool to visit the Mecca of Burgers, but it definitely makes you appreciate the evolution!

Als einer von mindestens drei Burger-​Schmieden in den USA behauptet man bei Louis’ Lunch den Fleischklops erfunden zu haben, den man heute weltweit kennt und isst. Genug Tradition trifft man beim Bräter in New Haven auf jeden Fall an. Die Pattys werden senkrecht in den alten schmiedeeisernen Grills gebrutzelt und nicht im üblichen Brötchen sondern zwischen zwei Scheiben Toast serviert. Dazu gibt es nur Käse, Tomaten und Zwiebeln. Wer nach Ketchup fragt wird böse Blicke ernten. Denn die rote Sauce ist bei Louis verpönt — darauf wird sogar groß auf Schildern hingewiesen.
Die Burger sind geschmacklich keine wirkliche Offenbarung, aber mit der ganzen Historie drumherum und der urigen Location (winzige, alte Hütte) durchaus einen Abstecher wert, wenn man in New Haven ist oder mit dem Auto den Interstate 95 zwischen New York und dem nördlichen New England befährt.