UPPER EAST SIDE — 5 Napkin Burger opened a new outpost in the neighborhood Wednesday featuring a "butcher shop chic" concept — complete with decorative meat hooks and a butcher rack, a breakfast window and its very own custom lager.
The new burger joint at 1325 Second Ave. is styled after a butcher shop, a tribute to the restaurant's original burger recipe — made up of a 10-ounce chuck patty, gruyere cheese, caramelized onions and rosemary aioli, according to Yana Bushoy, the company's marketing manager.
"Our burger is what got us famous," she said. "We call it the 'hero' of our menu."
The eatery offers all of its regular menu items and 10 varieties of hamburgers — including a Korean barbecue burger with kimchi slaw, sriracha mayo, jalapenos, cilantro and sesame seeds — as well as chicken and waffles, jerk ribs and a burger salad.
But unlike it's other locations, the new 5 Napkin Burger will also feature a breakfast window, where customers can order food to go or sit at the bar, said Bushoy, adding that the menu and hours for morning service are still in the works.
The drink menu will also feature a new craft beer that will only be available at this location — Brooklyn-based Kelso Brewery's toasted amber lager, called 5N Saphire Lager — in addition to it's usual offerings, including 50 varieties of craft bourbon, wine, beer and cocktails, Bushoy said.
5 Napkin Burger also has locations in Hells Kitchen, Union Square and the Upper West Side.
"We've always been planning on opening here, and it's a neighborhood that is a perfect place for us," Bushoy said of the new Upper East Side outpost.
"With the Second Avenue Subway nearing completion, hopefully, the neighborhood here really needs some good restaurants. It's definitely filling a need in this area, which is what we've been hearing from passersby. So we're excited to be a part of the neighborhood," she added.
