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New Haven, Connecticut: Home of the Hamburger

RoadsideAmerica.com Team Field Report

Louis Lunch

Address:
263 Crown St., New Haven, CT
Directions:
At Louis' (loo-ese) Lunch. I-95 exit 47 onto Hwy 34 toward downtown. From Hwy 34 exit onto Frontage Rd, then a quick right onto York St., then another quick right onto George St., then a quick left onto Crown St.
Hours:
Th-Sa noon-2am, Tu-W 11-3:45, Su-M - closed. (Call to verify) Local health policies may affect hours and access.
Phone:
203-562-5507
Admission:
Free
RA Rates:
Major Fun
Save to My Sights

Louis Lunch.

Home of the Hamburger

Several places claim to be the birthplace of America's favorite meat-on-bread combo, but only here can you actually eat a 19th-century-style burger.

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Cheeseburger.

Home of the Hamburger

Be aware that Louis Lunch is closed for the bulk of each August for the restaurant's Annual Inventory of Spoons. This year is their 111th! Louis is a must-visit for me every time I'm in New Haven, except in 2013 when my memory failed me and I tried to go in August. Curse you, spoons!

[Kurt Deion / kurtshistoricsites.com, 07/22/2018]

Louis Lunch.

Home of the Hamburger

Louis Lunch, where the first hamburger was made, still operates as a restaurant. On the inside is a funny sign: "This is not Burger King. You don't get it your way. You take it my way, or you don't get the damn thing."

[signmanjoe, 06/28/2014]

Sounds right to us. Don't tolerate someone walking into your home and making demands.

Grave of Louis Lassen.

Birthplace of the Hamburger

After having my hamburger at Louis's Lunch I went to Evergreen Cemetery to see Midnight Mary's grave. I stopped at the main office for a map and was pleased to discover that the cemetery's famous graves were marked on the map to make it easier for visitors to find them. Imagine my surprise when I saw that one of the buried celebrities was Louis Lassen, founder of the hamburger restaurant where I had just eaten lunch. I felt it was my duty to pay a visit.

He is north and west of Midnight Mary. From Midnight Mary's grave head north along the road bordering the fence and Winthrop Avenue. When you get to the end of the road turn left (west) and follow that road. Louis is in Section 12, Plot 81, Grave 13.

[Signmanjoe, 04/16/2014]
Home of the Hamburger sandwich

Right around Yale is the home of the Hamburger sandwich, Louis' Lunch. It is currently being run by the third and fourth generations of the Lassen family, and was established in 1895. There is so much history there, that you have to swing in and talk with Ken, the third generation. He has a wall made of bricks and rocks from around the world, including, "Bora Bora, the mother of all South Pacific Colonizations." The burgers are made from fresh ground meat, done daily, and served only on bread (no rolls) with only cheese, tomato, and onion, NO KETCHUP. I suggest everyone gets there, but not in August, they are closed for the annual spoon inventory.

[Pres, 11/28/1999]

New Haven battles Seymour, WI; Hamburg, NY; and Athens, TX for the title "Birthplace of the Hamburger." And let's not even discuss the firefight over cheeseburgers.


Nearby Offbeat Places

New Haven Green: Bodies UnderfootNew Haven Green: Bodies Underfoot, New Haven, CT - < 1 mi.
Knights of Columbus MuseumKnights of Columbus Museum, New Haven, CT - < 1 mi.
Midnight Mary's GraveMidnight Mary's Grave, New Haven, CT - 1 mi.
In the region:
Mr. Millenium - Giant Snowman, Southampton, NY - 39 mi.

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