We reported in October that the city’s smashburger craze shows no sign of slowing down, and there’s no better confirmation of that than a new pop-up at Three’s Brewing.
As they await their grand opening on the Lower East Side, Gotham Burger Social Club has set up shop at the bar for the month of December. While their 131 Essex Street location doesn’t have an opening date just yet, the team says they’re “getting closer and closer,” according to an Instagram post from October. This will be the business’s first permanent location, after ten years of pop ups around the city.
Chef and owner Mike Puma spent nearly 30 years working on Wall Street, before deciding to turn his passion for burgers into a full-time gig. The club initially sprung up as a way to taste and rank the best burgers around New York City, and after a while, Puma started to man the grill himself.
The Gotham folks keep the menu short and sweet. The Gotham Smash comes as a single ($8) or double ($11). If you want to triple it, that becomes a Beastie Boy burger ($14). Burgers come with ketchup, mustard, cheese, pickles, and pickled jalapeños. Fries, onion rings, tater tots and complete the meal, or frickles (fried pickles).
Swing by to get a burger from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and noon to 10 p.m. on weekends.