“It’s a fucking iconic place and I love the history and the atmosphere and it’s probably my favorite burger on the face of the earth.”
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All 1,542 rated mentions, most helpful first
“It’s a fucking iconic place and I love the history and the atmosphere and it’s probably my favorite burger on the face of the earth.”
H3
“luger is consistently the best meat in the city-are the sides better at keens? yes. is the room prettier at hawksmoor? yes. on steak alone, luger can't be beat.”
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“This burger was soooooooo…. mid. Advertising a burger with dry-aged meat means that at least someone somewhere in the establishment should be smelling something that smells somewhat like dry-aged meat. Absolutely nothing. All I got was an undersalted burger patty which was admittedly cooked very well, topped with cheese on raw onions and a bun of nothing noteworthy”
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“Sides that taste like microwaved citarella stuff and good steak. Clientele includes lots of tourists with kids in iPads. I’d never go back but it’s kind of worth going once.”
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“Their tomato and onion dish is an embarrassment. They aren't even seasoned. The only place such a dish wouldn't be out of place is a "make your own burger" station at a BBQ.”
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“I will take Peter Luger every day and twice on Sundays. Always cooked perfectly, the way it was ordered and consistent. Plus it’s significantly cheaper and the fries are better”
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“It was a joke. Unless you’re refilling the “make your own burger” table of a cookout, you don’t present someone a plate of unseasoned and uncooked tomatoes and white onions. Not with a straight face anyway. Certainly not for $15.”
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“The Burger (with a slab of bacon), free bread, and a Holy Cow Sundae (to split) is less than $40 per person. You really get your money’s worth.”
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“The service there is as bad as any restaurant I've ever been to.”
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“No other restaurant on this subreddit gets more hate than Lugers. Personally, I love it.”
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“still, my best bites of steak have all come from that porterhouse.”
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“I liked the food at a Peter Luger a lot. The ambiance was absolute trash with kids running around and people talking to grandma on FaceTime on speaker at full volume. But it was tasty.”
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“I love Peter Luger.”
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“Peter Lugers is just fine, not mind blowing ( Keens and Porter House are excellent, in my opinion). The PL service is absolutely horrible. You are treated like absolute garbage by the waitstaff.”
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“I went to Peter Luger recently (I know people say its not all that, but I was curious to see for myself). Food was great, but all the tourists on their phones and toddlers screaming along their ipads' music gave such a cafeteria vibe”
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“Avoid Peter Luger at all costs, despite its long history. They're a tourist trap meat factory where their mission is 100% quantity and pushing out as many overpriced steaks as possible, alongside under-seasoned sides and overpriced, watered-down drinks.”
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“I do think it’s worth the trip simply because their cooking method is different from others. Have really good bacon slabs.”
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“Benjamin's infinitely better. Same exact steak (since they are ex luger's employees) with much better atmosphere, service, and convenience (reservations & credit card acceptance).”
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“if the restaurant cooks it to the diner’s specification, it should be very good, and Luger’s is.”
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“I’ve actually been burned by the shrimp before. I always want some surf with my turf but I’ve gotten them multiple times and they taste very iodiney. That’s actually one of the traps on the menu”
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“Honestly never had a bad time here, but I agree you have to know what to order.”
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“Luger lost its status at least 15 years ago. First off, a ton of new steakhouses cropped up where you didn't have to deal with the ornery waiter schtick and served just as good good or better food. Last time I went to Luger the porterhouse for two was also one of the smallest porterhouses I've ever had.”
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“At 200+ bucks for a steak, it shouldn't come out overcooked because I didn't have the foresight to first order it undercooked. If you have to menu-hack the staple item of the establishment, something is wrong.”
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“The food is great. Not just the steak, but the sides and the dessert are pretty good.”
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“Agree, steak for 2 was the best I’ve had in the city so far. Comes piping hot, was buttery tender, good presentation good sides.”
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“I am still partial to Lugers. I can appreciate the criticism, but something about it still strikes right for me. A group of 6 of us have gone there every December for many years now and always have a great night.”
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“I’ve had great Steaks at Lugers and I’ve had borderline inedibly overdone steaks too. Part of the problem is that the hot plates just keep things cooking too, so it’s a race to get it before it goes around the bend.”
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“But they've really turned things around since then. I've been twice. Incredible food, excellent service both times, I was stunned at how much my experience changed. I would go there any day.”
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“The fancier places might have a better variety of cuts and sides and fancier glassware and presentation, but I like the simplicity of Lugers. And I've never had a bad meal there.”
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“I was totally underwhelmed by Luger’s. I’ve been to all the major steakhouses and the meat wasn’t any better, the bacon app feels like a gimmick, and the ambiance isn’t good.”
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“Surprisingly, the steak was fantastic.”
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“The food is horrible though. Unripe tomatoes, bacon is standard, steak is so woefully undersalted it's a chore to eat.”
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“I like peter luger, they have a location in queens/long island that I go to all the time. The outside is def broiled so its kinda burnt sometimes but the meat inside is always juicy.”
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“Warning, Luger's shtick is the waiters being rude and unpleasant and there isn't really anywhere to wait for a table where you're not being shoved around by other patrons or wait staff.”
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“Everything is rich and decadent and delicious. Their signature steak sauce is so good I could drink it, even though the steak doesn’t need it.”
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“I did not like Peter Lugers burger at all, the meat itself is great but the burger is just the meat on a average bun with no sauce or toppings other than American cheese y/n (and maybe raw onions).”
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“I went last week and the porterhouse steaks and sides were bland, their steak sauce does a lot of the heavy lifting.”
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“The porterhouse for two was fine but I’ve honestly had better steak at Ruth’s Chris. Sides and dessert were excellent. Service and ambience left a lot to be desired. There are several other steakhouses that offer a better experience. PL isn’t even a top 5 contender imo.”
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“They have great steaks that appeal to the masses at the table and sometimes come out more rare than you want.”
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“The way Peter Luger prepares their steaks (dry aged, dry brined, sizzling with butter) is the best way to cook a steak. You don’t get the sizzling plate with butter at Keens. Luger has the superior steak.”
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“I’ve had two experiences at Luger’s with bad temperature and overcooked steaks. Both times, Med Rare coming out Med Well. Once, you could also tell they just were lazy with the basting, as the steak didn’t have the glaze and coat you want from a cast-iron style steak.”
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“But the steaks truly were excellent.”
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“Ordered med rare porterhouses they were beyond rare. Had to cook it by putting pieces onto the hot plate. Lame.”
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“I was in love with their burger, but they overcooked it the last two times I went out of lile 10.”
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“luger ages their own beef, even if Wolfgang gets primals from the same place, the aging is the flavor, and Wolfgangs can't replicate it.”
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“A rich beef flavor with a true dry aged funkiness that is simply not duplicatable with a store-bought, cooked at home steak (or that I’ve found in another steakhouse). The butter it bathes in enhances all the flavor.”
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“Somehow, places like Peter Luger always end up disappointing. From the uneven quality to the rude waiters with crappy handwriting who try to add items to the check and expect you not to notice because they think you're a tourist. I'd stay the hell away from that place if I were you.”
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“it was the worst steak I've had in 20+ years in NYC. Got served a steak that was 70% fat”
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“Cook it like a normal human being. For some reason their method is to broil the steak till it's a bit charred but still stone-cold rare in the center, slice it, then put it back under the broiler till done to the desired temp.”
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“the experience is unmatched, the setting, the waiters, Peter’s Lager and a martini at the bar while you wait … the evening will be a blast if you go in with the right “mindset.””
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