JG MelonCHAIN

5.5/10American

AI-generated summary

People split on the . Fans call it a simple, well cooked at a fair price, and critics get charred patties, stale buns and onion cut way too thick. The and a are worth adding. It's cash only, and the line got much worse once TikTok found it.

NYC classic — Jack O'Neill and George Mourges, the J and G of the name, opened the bar in 1972 at Third Avenue and East 74th Street in a 1920s brewery tavern previously called Central Tavern. Its hamburger became the Upper East Side standard, praised by Bobby Flay as the best burger joint in the city. Wikipedia

1291 3rd Ave, New YorkUpper East Side, ManhattanGoogle Maps

What Reddit says560

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  • replying to u/narr4rob: I went to JG Melon the other day and oh my GOD it was so so so bad

    the waiter dropped my kid's burger on the table, picked it up with his hand, put it on his plate, and just smiled at me like, 'he's a kid, it doesn't matter.'

    H3

  • JG Melon is extremely overrated. Last time I went the bun was stale, they way overdo it with the toppings, and the burger is nowhere near flavorful enough to make up for all of that.

    H3

  • replying to u/Empty_Height_8831: JG mellon. Its not a good burger. great neighborhood spot, bad burger

    it’s a very good burger as far as restaurant burgers go. They actually know what medium rare means, always good cheese, and the burger/bun ratio is on point.

    H3

  • replying to u/PracticalLow9506: Idk maybe it’s me, but JG melons is a standard Midwest bar burger.  I have tried about once a year to get with the hype. It’s been a decade of getting kicked in the nuts. I’m sure it’s a me thing. 

    I've been to JG a bunch as I live on the UES and I don't get the hype. It's basically just a hunk of an unseasoned burger.

    H3

  • Dry bun, overcooked patty, lack of taste. It's a no from me. Price is good but I was very disappointed when I went there.

    H3

  • When I went, the service was terrible, the fries were dry, and the burger was charred to a crisp. Would never return.

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  • replying to u/fruxzak: What’s a good burger? I actually really like JG Melon. I live nearby so I go quite often.

    Maybe they've improved or changed the mix, but last few times I was there, thick raw red onions and charred burger not cooked that well, and It seemed like Sysco meat

    H3

  • replying to u/dirtymartinigirl: JG melon

    found the bloody mary to be so lacking here... as was the burger... they served the bloody mary to me in like a cloudy thick gross glass with no garnishings... tasted like mildly spiced v8 and no real hit from liquor... PASS.

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  • replying to u/idrift4wd: Idk if it’s on a list though it’s well known. JG melon.

    Would love the JG Melon burger so much more if it didn't come from a bartender eating behind the bar, licking his fingers, and then scooping ice directly with a glass pint. Fuck that place so hard for not having the most basic of food safe standards.

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