I got in a burger mood and called a friend from my greater hood whom I hadn’t seen in ages to see whether she’d like to meet for one, and where.

We settled on Pete’s Tavern, conveniently forgetting how noisy it could be.

It was.

We landed in one of the back rooms, packed and buzzing, and could barely hear each other. Conversation took some effort, but the Tavern burgers made up for it. Topped with Cheddar, lettuce, tomato, crispy onions and Pete’s signature house-made O. Henry Sauce, and served with fries ($25), they were juicy, satisfying and exactly what I’d been craving.

A bottle of their Malbec ($60) washed it all down nicely, and despite the decibel level, we left happy, well fed and already talking about our next outing.

Pete’s Tavern
Gramercy
129 E 18th St (corner of Irving Place)
New York, NY 10003
petestavern.com/