Louis' Lunch • 1895

In 1900, Louis Lassen placed his proprietary blend of ground steak trimmings between two slices of toast for a customer in a hurry — and the hamburger sandwich was born. Still operated by the fourth generation of the Lassen family, this New Haven institution serves burgers on the same vertical cast iron broilers from 1898, offering only cheese, tomato, and onion as accompaniments. The Library of Congress recognizes it as the birthplace of the burger, but regulars return for the uncompromising simplicity: no ketchup, no mustard, just the pure flavor of beef cooked the way it was in 1900.