This list wasn't easy to make. There were nights when I woke up screaming because I dreamed that a burger was chasing me along the cliffs and asked why it didn't make the list. I had to eat a lot of burgers to make the decision. And here it is: my list of the best burgers in New York City. Trust me when I say that you'll want to know what each one tastes like.

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West Village, 35 Downing St.

I can't tell you what's actually on Emily's burger and that's because you won't experience the Emmy Burger as ingredients. You experience it as a coherent unity of human feeling: joy, love and fear - that nothing else ever comes close. What if you really need to know about the ingredients? Dry-aged beef, onion, melted cheddar cheese, "Emmy sauce" and a warm pretzel bun. There's no other burger like this in NYC, and if you want to experience it for yourself, be sure to get there early after opening time.

Williamsburg, 178 Broadway, NY 11211

You've probably heard of Peter Luger's famous steak, but you might still be missing out on one of the most important parts of the Peter Luger experience: the burger. Served only for lunch, it's ideal for people who judge a burger 90% by the meat and 10% by everything else. It's more than half a pound of dry-aged beef served with nothing but a slice of raw onion. The meat is good enough to eat with a fork, but you should still add a huge, thick slice of bacon.

Greenwich Village, 113 McDougle St

Yes, this burger is ridiculously expensive, but this isn't a list of the most ethical foods in NYC. The Black Label Burger at Minetta Tavern was one of the city's first super-luxe burgers, and it's still one of the best. Maybe it's the butter-salted meat from dry-aged ribeye or the mound of caramelized onions or the custom Balthazar roll. Or maybe it's all three.

Flatiron, Madison Square Park

Shake Shack is fast food, but for what it is, the ShackBurger is almost perfect. Thin meat with crispy edges, toasted buns, quality lettuce and tomatoes - this is food you'll want to eat in a park or on your couch or in a bathroom at work so no one begs you for a bite. Consider the price and convenience, and you have an invention on par with the T-shirt and rubber tires.

Williamsburg, 364 Grand St

Le Big Matt Burger at Emmy Squared is the double twin of the Emmy Burger at Emily. It has two thinner cuts of meat instead of one large, American cheese instead of cheddar, pickles, and hot sauce - all on that insanely good pretzel roll you'll only find at Emily's establishments, plus a pile of waffle fries. This is supposed to resemble a fast food burger, but if that's the case, I've spent my life eating at the wrong fast food restaurants. It's always sold out. Video about the burger CLICK

Times Square, 253 W 42nd St, New York, NY 10036

Everything you've dreamed of since your first Hollywood film. This burger is probably the number one choice among NYC visitors. You assemble it at the checkout. Rule one in NYC, before you get to the checkout, make sure you know what you want to order, no one here has time for dawdling. Whatever you do, don't leave New York until you try these fries.

SoHo, 142 Mercer St

The Lure Burger is a big, juicy thing with fresh, shredded lettuce and tomatoes, pickles, drippy American cheese and special sauce. There are also onion rings on top because America. The onion and bacon stuffed Bash Burger is also excellent, and since it's important to offer variety to your taste buds, I recommend eating both.

679 Grand St, Brooklyn, NY 11211

When you try the signature burger at this small Pakistani eatery in Bushwick, you'll think back to a time in your life when you were constantly discovering great new things, like sunsets and perfume. Instead of mayo or mustard, the burger has spicy mint chutney, and the large bun is somehow lighter than it appears. I could eat several of these in one sitting, and now that I've come up with this idea, I probably will.

100 W 124th St, New York, NY 10027

Harlem Shake's "Hot Mess" is my pick for the best smash burger (smashburgers are not thick, exquisitely grilled, medium-rare burgers) in NYC. I never thought ground beef could get so crispy until I tried the edges of these patties. And the satisfying caramelization combined with some pickled cherry pepper bacon relish makes for a burger that's far better than Shake Shack. Not to mention, Harlem Shake is exactly the type of company I love supporting. The owners do their best to hire employees from the community and donate a portion of their profits to numerous local charities and initiatives such as the Harlem Business Alliance, Harlem Children's Zone, Harlem EatUp! and many more.

Queens, 3017 30th Ave

If you're craving a really greasy fast food burger, then you've come to the right place. And since you've already decided on all the fat, you might as well go ahead and order the triple cheese - triple the meat, triple the cheese on a lightly toasted bun, topped with lots of special sauce, it tastes like a version of a burger King on steroids.

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