5 Boroughs Stones Corner

Expanding on the usual burgers-and-fries shtick, 5 Boroughs draws on NYC’s quintet of neighbourhoods and their respective multicultural ‘food stories’ for its inspration.

Owners Todd and Marisa Clayton cite Mexican and Jamaican flavours as their favourites, while the Asian-inspired influence of consulting chef Kelly Lord is felt most in dishes such as the ginger, pepper and caramel chicken wings; the steamed duck and plum; and vegetable or tofu gyoza. The globetrotting flavours continue through tacos, empanadas and slow-cooked ribs with bourbon sauce (real bourbon, that is).

But it’s the 11 varieties of burgers and sliders that threaten to eclipse its other offerings. At street food prices, the classic beef, cheese and chicken burgers are petite but flavoursome. The grass-fed Angus patties are slow cooked, and preservative-free buns are baked daily according to the restaurant’s own recipe (gluten-free on request).

For something different, try a Cuban pressed sandwich or dive into the ‘drinking menu’ of criss-cross chips and ale-battered onion rings, made to complement glasses of bottomless iced tea or Brooklyn East IPA. Some of NYC’s lesser-known liquid delicacies are also on show in a first-class bourbon and tequila list.