Three NYC burger joints are among the best burgers in America, according to Time Out

New York has plenty of foods it can confidently claim as its own—bagels, dollar slices and bacon-egg-and-cheeses. Burgers, though? That's a national competition. And according to our latest ranking, New York is holding its own.

Time Out's food experts just named the 20 best burgers in America, surveying everything from century-old institutions to barbecue joints that are putting their own spin on the classic. Two New York City restaurants cracked the list: Brooklyn's Red Hook Tavern at No. 4 and Hamburger America in Soho at No. 7.

The higher ranked of the two is Red Hook Tavern, Billy Durney's perpetually packed neighborhood spot. Durney, also behind Hometown Bar-B-Que, worked with butcher Pat LaFrieda for six months to develop the tavern's 8-ounce patty, which blends prime dry-aged New York strip and ground chuck. It's cooked on a hot griddle, rested to preserve its glorious crust and finished with two slices of melted American cheese.

(Pro-tip for anyone who has repeatedly lost the Resy battle: the same dry-aged burger is available without a reservation at Tavern Next Door, Durney's cocktail bar right beside the restaurant.)

Coming in at No. 7 is Hamburger America, burger historian George Motz's Houston Street ode to regional American burger culture. Its entry on the national list is the fried onion burger, modeled after the Depression-era specialty from El Reno, Oklahoma. A mountain of paper-thin onions gets pressed directly into a loose ball of ground beef; after the patty is flipped, the onions cook in the rendered fat until they're caramelized, crispy and essentially fused to the meat. The bun steams right on top of the patty while everything finishes on the griddle.

NYC wasn't far from landing a third spot in the top 10, either. Nolita newcomer Deux Luxe came in at No. 11 with its Big Deux, made with two Wagyu patties, cheddar, lettuce, bread-and-butter pickles and special sauce on a sesame bun.

As for America's No. 1 burger? That honor went to Chicago's Au Cheval and its famed double cheeseburger. Fine, Chicago—you can have this one. Check out the full rankings below. 

Time Out's top 20 best burgers in the U.S.

1. Double Cheeseburger at Au Cheval
2. Big Mec at Petite Trois, Los Angeles
3. Jucy Lucy at Matt's Bar, Minneapolis
4. Red Hook Tavern Burger at Red Hook Tavern, Brooklyn
5. Dyer's Burger at Dyer's Burger, Memphis
6. L&L Burger at LeRoy and Lewis BBQ, Austin
7. Fried Onion Burger at Hamburger America, New York
8. Da Kids Kewpie Burger at Familyfriend, Seattle
9. Neptune Burger at Neptune Oyster, Boston
10. Tostada Burger at Chris Madrid's, San Antonio
11. The Big Deux at Deux Luxe, New York
12. Wolf Burger at Little Bad Wolf, Chicago
13. The Maillards at Maillards Smash Burgers, San Francisco
14. The Cowy Burger at Cowy Burger, Miami
15. OG Tavern Burger at Tuckaway Tavern and Butchery, Raymond, NH
16. Bao Burger at Xiao Bao, Nashville
17. L'Americain at Le Burger 4304, Minneapolis
18. The Classic at NFA Burger, Dunwoody, GA
19. Boo's OG at Boo's Burgers, Houston
20. The Burgerly at The Burgerly, New Hope, PA