Came here with a big group late night on LP's birthday and I really dig the outdoor space. Very low-key, casual hangout in the back and a dive-bar vibe up front. They have an interesting bacon whiskey shot that the group tried (but probably didn't need to....) and they sell buckets of beer too! The burgers, chicken sandwiches, onion rings and fries hit the spot that night, but if I had to sum them up in one word I would say: Greasy!!!!! read more

One of the best burgers in the East Village and reasonably priced. It's set in a pub/bar atmosphere with also outdoor seating the back. A great bun and beef that really tastes like what every great burger should be composed of. The onion rings had a thin, soggy coating, so I would avoid them. Get a can of Porkslap Pale ale, order a beer, and enjoy. read more

No frills, finger-licking place. I haven't been to many NYC burger joints but this has the best local burger in the east village. Perfect size, juicy and ordered to your liking. If you're craving beer + burger + low key night...come here! You won't be disappointed and you will still have tons of money in your wallet. read more

It's a bit out of the way on Ave. C but pretty accessible for Stuy Town folks. Anyway, it's a low key bar that whips up a simple but delicious burger. The menu isn't very expansive. You can get a Royale, w or w/o cheese, or a few other simple sandwiches. The burger, which I got medium rare, was served with a thin layer of lettuce, tomato and raw onion. The bun was airy and didn't detract from the nicely rounded patty which packs a bit of size. Beware, medium rare here means it'll be on the bloodier side--and the meat crumbles apart nicely with each bite. I wouldn't trek all the way out simply for the burger especially if you're near a Shake Shack or Five Guys but it is a great neighborhood spot for those in the area. Extremely nice and friendly waiters here as well. And they have plenty of TVs and booze options for the sports minded. read more

The burgers were good, not great. They tasted like meat and were cooked to the temperature ordered, but nothing spectacular. The service was very friendly and prompt, however, and the outdoor garden was the perfect place to enjoy the sun and cool breeze after a day of walking around lower Manhattan. read more

Cool bar with great music and friendly service. I haven't tried the food so I can't comment on that, but a good place to chill and get the night started. read more

Been coming to Royale for a decade but hadn't been recently- not for any real reason. But after my delicious dinner last night i will be going often again!! My burger was cooked perfectly and the mushrooms and blue cheese on top were perfect! The side salad was super fresh and the service was great. Also when the owner is regularly around a place it's a good sign!! The back yard is great and makes me a bit nostalgic for my old Alphabet City, in the best way possible!!!!! Definitely worth going to Royale!! read more

Oh my god !!!!!!!!! The food was so so so so so so so good. I can't believe I went there the food was excellent the service was unbelievable and the people are so nice I've never been treated so well at a restaurant in New York City. You can't beat the location the people and the food and that's what is important I left the restaurant extremely happy and I would go back in a heartbeat !!!!!!! read more

Definitely one of my favorite burger places. Cooked perfectly and the buns are great! It's not terribly overhyped like some joints or shacks. It can get crowded, but I've never found it to be too terrible. Love the space and especially if you live close by, it's a great neighborhood gem. read more

Ate here awhile back in my search for the best burger in town. While I can't say that I found it, I definitely did not walk away disappointed. I had a bacon burger with some deliciously, crispy fries. Since it was a nice nite, I dined outside in the back. You really get to appreciate the neighborhood, the way Royale has it set up. I enjoyed every bit of it, even the guys who were a little too into the game that was playing on the tv. Other than that, the service was really friendly and the prices were right on. Next time I'm in the area, I'll be stopping by. read more

Hands down the best burger I've sunk my teeth into in NYC. Trumps Shake Shack in taste, quality and menu offerings. I opted for the Royale with Bacon and Bleu Cheese and a side of Onion Rings AND French Fries - omg not a crumb was left (they are uber generous with the cheese and bacon, which is good news for us addicts)! Did I mention they are uber affordable too? For under $15 you can have a burger, fries and a few brewskis. While it is a cash only establishment, the affordable pricing makes it easy to shell out some Washingtons. read more

This is a simple, yet very solid bar that serves good food. The scene is usually pretty chill unless there's a major game going on that day. The space in the back is great and they usually have space for you. The star of the joint is clearly their simple, yet well-executed burgers. I will also say their beers are tap above average. We went here on a Thursday night and were pleasantly surprised by the happy hour special: $1 oysters. Yup, I couldn't resist and was very happy with our half doz. read more

My roommate and I were in the mood for something delicious and meaty so I typed in "best burger nyc" and came across Royale. Thank you google! Hidden in alphabet city, this laid back bar really knows burgers. Juicy , messy, and on a sesame seed bun. I got the royale with cheese and it was delish. Good music too! read more

good things: - chill backyard patio for dining and drinking... so clutch in the summer... with assorted sized tables (outside) that are awesome for group drinking/eating - onion rings are AMAZING - burgers were BIG and juicy and the ingredients were fresh. the bun was toasted and didn't get soggy as I labored through my ginormous burger. overall, it was a good traditional burger, packed with flavor, with no special sauces. - yesssssss magic hat #9 on tap - waitresses were very friendly, happy, and chill - $25 per person for burger, shared onion rings and fries, and 3 drinks. things: - no reservations, which didn't prove to be a huge deal when my friends and i went around 9:30pm on a saturday night - fries were standard this place isn't going to blow your mind, but if you come in with the right expectations for a burger and hole-in-the-wall burger joint, then it's a guaranteed good time read more

The burger is excellent, the patio is a cool place to hang out. Five stars.

* A pretty good bar to enjoy the Royale burger with drafts... They have a good happy hour... and most importantly the tall-ish bartender was really courteous, cheerful, sweet and sexy... read more

The burger is ok, nothing special. Was a little undercooked from the medium I ordered. The onion rings were greasy and didn't have a ton of flavor. The patio area is very nice, a great place to have a beer outdoors if the weathers nice. Service was good. read more

Damn good burger, fries and onion rings. Sort of a limited menu but you don't really need to get anything else here. Love the heated backyard smoking area. read more

This is a great late night eating spot, well not too late! The beers are ok, I'm not much of a beer drinker. The food was not bad and the waitresses were great! This place is good for groups. Even when it was 40 degrees outside and the inside was crowded, we sat out back because there were heated lamps. read more

Royale is the best. They don't charge you to reserve a space in their awesome and spacious backyard (with heaters) for a party, you can just start a tab or have your guests start their own. Also, their burgers and onion rings are really good (and whatever that onion mayo thing is that comes with the chips). And I forgot what it's called, but their alcoholic Arnold Palmer is my new favorite summer drink (that I will drink all through the year). read more

So fresh and so clean... Awesome burgers! The kind that are cooked exactly to order (medium, please), taste super fresh and "clean" like you don't need to go for a lie down afterwards. Pair that with a super chill vibe, laid back crowd, friendly service and you get a firm favorite for beer and a burger without the BS. read more

Be careful here for more reasons than one. Came here on Sunday night for some drinks and burgers in a group of six people. We asked to be seated outside and were told that we could be moved there once a spot opened up. In the whole 2 hours we were there we were not offered to move to the garden area, despite people exiting from the back. The whole group ordered burgers. My wife's came out without the avocado she ordered. I went up to tell the waitress about it. She finally came back once we were all finished with a plate of avocado. I also ordered carmelized onions, which were also missing and never brought out. We ordered multiple orders of french fries and onion rings. These came out 10 minutes after we were all done eating our burgers. I have to believe they forgot about them. How long does it take to make fries? The lack of attention by the waitress was a common theme, having to get up ourselves for silverware, ketchup, etc. This lack of service became apparent when the check came. The tip was already included in the check when it came. The waitress hand wrote in the amount of the tip. Nothing was done about the poor service or missing items. We asked to split the check between two cards for the six people. After waiting for awhile the checks came back, with an extra bonus for the waitress. The two checks added together were noticeably higher than the original check. Seems she took liberties rounding. I corrected the amount on the check that I signed, yet I still see the higher amount on my credit card balance two days later. Considering contacting my credit card company about this, out of principle if nothing else. read more

Came here because someone told me it was the "best burger in New York," so needless to say I was disappointed. But still, I enjoyed the shit out of my food and beers. The highlight here is the year-round patio in the back, and you can always expect down-to-earth, good service. read more

An unassuming little dive bar with some tasty burgers and fries. Staff was friendly service was good. The royals with cheese was juicy and the fries were crispy but could use more truffle flavor if your really going to call them truffle fries. Solid spot to grab some grub in a casual spot. read more

The burger is so good and pretty cheap! Get the chili cheese fries too. Great happy hour specials and they have pitches if you ask for them. Service was attentive and warm. The charming garden in the back is also a huge plus. They should get rid of the TV in that part though--the inside should feel like a sport bar but the outside more mellow and quaint IMO. read more

Nice garden area/ backyard to dine outside... FANTASTIC bacon cheeseburger and onion rings. Reasonable prices and fast service. You might feel like you've gained 5 lbs upon exiting, but it's worth it, I promise! read more

Came here for the "best burger" in town and was pretty disappointed. The burger was so greasy I had to wipe it off with my napkin and it still dripped. Yuck. The fries kinda sucked, too. read more

Landed to this place around 11 pm on a friday night for a burger and a beer.. to my surprise the place wasn't that pack for a friday night.. later saw that they had a heated patio on the back side which was pretty pack... so me and my friend got a seat at the bar.. our orders-- 2 blue moon and 2 Royale Burgers with swiss cheese.. It was probably one of the best burgers i ever had.. the burgers were nice and juicy.. and you can't beat the 7.5 $ price tag for it.. this place is quite far from my place uptown.. but definitely going to come back here when I am in LES.. read more

the burger is so good, seriously the veggie burger is maybe just as good and i'm not even a vegetarian!! does not come with fries, so order a side! or the chips! yum!!!! the bar is also super casual and has a great back patio that's open year round. also, the staff is really nice! i've had the chicken sandwich. it's good, but it does not compare to the burger read more

Royale disappointed me after reading all these reviews here. I came here for a bday so there was a good amount of people (~20 people), but my burger took about an hour to finally arrive. It's not fun having to watch other people eat while i'm starving! After telling a different waiter, she brought the burger out within 10 min so the 2nd star is for her. Otherwise this review would be a 1. I got the Cheese Royale burger and it had uneven seasoning. I would get bites of saltiness and then the other bites were bland. As for the onion rings and fries? A bit too soggy for my taste. read more

So everybody raves about the burger at Royale. It's definitely good, though I don't know if it's the best I've ever had. However, as the previous yelper describes, if you go during weekend brunch hours, you can have the bacon, egg and cheese burger which is insanely good. You will also be full for about 48 hours, but it's totally worth it. The indoor part of the bar is pretty standard, but they have good outdoor space. It gets a little crowded though so get there early if you want prime outdoor seating. Overall usually a pretty good time. read more

Eh. Honestly, the burgers aren't good, I would recommend going elsewhere if you're going here for the burger. If you're going for drinks and cute waitresses hit it up. read more

The burger here is the bomb! Another plus is the awesome outdoor patio in the back with lots of greenery. It made me forget I was in NYC. We were a table of 8 and the service was very good. We all ordered beer and a Royale with cheese. This isn't a place I'd go all the way to Ave. C for, but if I'm nearby I will definitely return. read more

It is a very good burger. That said it is not let me trek to this slightly remote part of the east village good and the prices are slightly expensive. Hence the four stars. read more

Very friendly bartenders and atmosohere and the patio area is a huge plus. Very nice and lively at night. the food was excellent for a burger place and the service equally great. Wil definitely be coming here again. read more

Great burgers. Pretty good beers. Excellent whiskey selection. They have a nice backyard space with a TV.

I'm going to keep it simple this place SUCKS!!! The staff is rude food was bland. We live in New York there is way better places to eat with much tastier food. read more

BEST BURGERS HANDS DOWN! We've been going here for years. The food is always consistently good. The staff is great, and good drinks

My friend and I were craving a good burger and another friend suggested Royale since we were in the neighborhood. What can I say, the burger was excellent -- meat was cooked perfectly and the bun was the perfect mix of doughy-ness without falling apart. Not to mention the nice addition of pickles on the burger. The waitress even took my order while I was waiting in line for the bathroom. I would totally trek back to Avenue C to have another burger here. read more

Had dinner with a friend here Friday night..While the burgers were not the best I've ever had, my Bacon Royale with Chedder was oh so tasty. Now either the burgers were too small or we were just super hungry but my buddy and I inhaled ours and they were gone in less than six minutes. We ordered a side of Onion Rings and quickly agreed that they were excellent, although a bit on the expensive side (3.50 for an order). Tried the Pork Slap beer in a can and thought is was so-so.. read more