Find out why it didn’t live up to my expectations after the break.

With two crispy onion rings crowning the pre-cut, untoasted brioche bun, this grilled cheeseburger is adorned with shredded iceburg lettuce, sliced tomato, sliced pickles, and “Lure sauce”, which is basically a tasteless Russian dressing.

Fries are included in the $17 price tag and come in a small dish with some ketchup, dijon mustard, and mayo for dipping.

You can order a normal cheeseburger for $16 or you can order it “Lure Style” for a dollar more. All “Lure Style” adds is a spread of this ordinary Russian Dressing:

I admit I had high expectations for Lure’s burger after William Tigertt called it the best burger below 14th Street and compared it to the legendary In-N-Out in a 2006 article on Eater.com.

Here’s where it all fell short:

1) The burger, while cooked to order, was grilled on a flat griddle, not over an open flame

2) The Lure sauce didn’t enhance the overall taste or add much flavor

3) The entire burger was smaller than I had hoped, a big blow considering the price

4) The bun was untoasted and would have benefited greatly from a smear of butter and a little time on the grill

5) The fries were too salty in addition to being too small for optimal dipping

Two good things about the burger:

1) Quality ingredients and careful preparation resulted in a burger that didn’t sit like a lump of grease in my stomach

2) In the end, the burger didn’t floor me but it was pretty tasty. It was not worth the $17 price tag but if you’re in the area on payday, as Adam Kuban remarks, this burger is worth a try.

If pressed to nominate a better burger below 14th Street…

I’d go with Blue Ribbon Brasserie’s Cheeseburger; it’s cheaper ($15), flame broiled, and it comes with better fries. Keep an eye out for my review.

Lure Fishbar

142 Mercer St., New York, NY 10012
at Prince St.

(212) 431-7676