Krug’s Tavern – New Jersey’s Prince of Burgers

I’m using “Prince” instead of “King” as I’m not convinced this is THE best burger in the Garden State. Is it a very good burger? There’s no doubt about it.

After seeing review after review about Krug’s Tavern having the best burger in New Jersey and after my girlfriend Lisa, whose burger palate I completely respect, also raved about the place after a recent visit, I decided to schlep to Newark to check it out for myself.

I’ll make three lists to help evaluate this place and the burger:

Why some might not like Krug/this burger but I’m fine with it:

1. It’s a dive bar – I happen to like and appreciate a place that’s true to its roots, namely an Ironbound tavern that’s been family-owned since 1932. By the way, when I say “family-owned”, I mean by the family of Jake LaMotta, the 1940s – 1950s middleweight champion boxer portrayed by Robert DeNiro in the film Raging Bull.
2. There’s one short-order cook, slightly sweaty handling raw and cooked foods with bare hands – who cares? I never felt like the food wasn’t safe to eat.

The Good:

1. While I may not always finish a big burger, what can I say, size matters. The Krug burger is giant at ¾ pound.
2. No frozen, packed-tight hockey puck patties here. I personally saw the cook grab a huge handful of coarsely-ground beef in the cooler and slap the softball-sized meat ball on the flat top. This isn’t lean meat…thankfully.
3. Bun-to-patty ratio is perfect. No fancy bun, just one that won’t suck the life out of the beef and won’t get mushy after the first juicy squeeze of the burger.
4. Properly cooked bacon, likely finished in the deep-fryer. Not applewood-smoked, not Berkshire/Mangalitsa pork…solid ‘Merican bacon, probably from a food wholesaler.
5. Burger’s served “open-faced” allowing patrons to rearrange or remove or add toppings from the burger side or the condiments side.
6. The meat ball is smashed on the seasoned flat top creating a perfect crisp/fried crust with a juicy interior. I truly dislike a super thick patty, or worse, one that’s stuffed with “stuff”. I ordered medium temp as I wasn’t too sure what food safety, if any, the place observes, but it came out close to rare, which is my typical go-to preferred cook. It was perfect to my liking, but folks who really like a medium temp should order medium-well.
7. While not burger-related, the onion rings are really super. Perfect cooking oil temp creating an uber crunchy shell with no annoying onion sliding out in one ring upon that first bite. Must-order.
8. The cheese is placed directly on the bun, UNDER the patty for a great melt. Completely the right thing to do.

Dislikes:

1. You’ve got to season the meat. Period. I added salt, it helped BUT, meat needs to be seasoned before and perhaps after it’s cooked. It’s a must and why for me this is a ‘prince’ instead of a “king”.
2. It’s not overly beefy. Yes, I got beefy flavors, especially after I gave the burger proper seasoning, but this isn’t Prime or a special blend that bursts with flavor. It’s juicy from what’s likely an 80/20 beef/fat blend, but it’s not an over-the-top beefy mix like is popular at area burger joints.
3. Wimpy napkins. This is a wonderfully-juicy, fatty burger – get some decent napkins that aren’t going to disintegrate as soon as finger touches juices. Raise the price of the burger by $0.50 and gear up!

The staff is friendly and helpful. The place is a real winner and knows what it’s good at and just does it. The best part about Krug’s Tavern is that it also knows what it’s NOT good at and stays away from it.

118 Wilson Ave, Newark, NJ 07105. (973) 465-9795

Cheers,

Veronique