Ben and I decided to wipe the cobwebs off our MoviePasses and spend Friday night seeing a flick. Naturally it was a ridiculously frustrating situation in terms of planning because as soon as we made it to Union Square to pick up our tickets for ‘Simple Favor,’ MoviePass stopped offering it. HOORAY!

I guess it wasn’t all bad, because we ended up finally seeing ‘Crazy Rich Asians,’ and I was pretty content with that back up plan. It was pretty much THE ONLY back up plan, but this is a post about food, not a rant about MoviePass but I’m happy to go down that road in another post if you guys are interested in reading a tirade about it.

ANYWAY: Houseman.

Ben offered up 3 suggestions for dinner before the movie, one of them being Houseman. Having heard of it before and taking a quick peek at the website to check out the ambiance, I was on board. It’s apparently known for its burger, so naturally that had a lot to do with it too! And if this hasn’t sold you as a curious reader, scroll to the bottom for a treat that might leave you with a change of heart.

Tucked away on Greenwich Street in an area called “Hudson Square” (aka the awkward spot where SoHo meets West Village meets Tribeca), you’ll find this small haven serving up fresh, tasty food in THE COZIEST space. Between the white brick, dim light, and the run-down, unfinished look of the wall behind the bar, it’s bound to be a crowdpleaser. Houseman was inspired by Norwegian culture, and I can totally see the hygge vibes in the atmosphere and the food.

The menu at Houseman changes daily, and to prove it, they post the date and weather on top of every menu. While you can expect to see a staple like the Houseman Burger, some of the other dishes might change on any given day. Some of the menu options last night sounded AMAZING, like the Ricotta and Mushroom toast or the Roasted Baby Eggplant with tahini, and basil pesto. NOMZ. We opted to try the bread and lemon butter to have something easy to pick on without totally filling us up before the burger. As you can see, Houseman offers up a small, simple menu, which I completely appreciate. Even the beer list is small, but the single draft beer was really good and I LOVED the tart wheatbeer I ended up with.

And now… drumroll please… the Houseman Burger. Anyone that knows me knows that I LOVE a good burger. A great burger. They have to be cheesy; they definitely have to be messy; and they have to be jam packed with flavor. I think the Houseman Burger totally stacks up, being that it’s actually stacked with two patties, covered in Swiss cheese, and topped with caramelized onions and mushrooms.

The Swiss cheese was an interesting choice, and made the overall taste of the burger unique. I feel like other than the absolutely horrendous, disgusting, and disappointing Rochefort burger at The Spotted Pig, most burgers come with American or Cheddar cheese. The Swiss added a nice touch and totally complimented the onions and the mushrooms.

The Houseman Burger didn’t rate that high on the messy scale, and I could not have been more grateful for that last night. I typically think that a messy burger is a fresh one that’s literally thrown together in the kitchen and cooked to perfection. Even though the burger wasn’t falling apart, it was still super juicy and full of flavor. I was also in a total mood yesterday so I can’t imagine dealing with grease dripping all over. The fries also deserve some love too, because they were FIRE. So crispy. So heavenly.

After this long ode to the Houseman Burger, here’s my verdict. GREAT BURGER. GREAT LOCATION. GREAT AMBIANCE. GREAT EVERYTHING. I highly recommend Houseman, even if you’re stopping by for a drink because it’s just that cute. This spot is great for a date night, and definitely has the space to accommodate families or groups of friend. Heck, even a double date!

Have you been to Houseman? Where’s your favorite burger spot? Let me know in the comments