Hapjeong burger restaurant with a 5-hour smoked steak burger: New York

I was hunting for a truly solid spot for Gamja, who loves burgers, and that's how I found New York Apartment — a Hapjeong burger date spot that's landed on the Blue Ribbon list for a whopping 10 years running.

How to find New York Apartment and where to park

New York Apartment sits on the 2nd floor of Delight Square 2, right out of Exit 8 of Hapjeong Station. It's open from 11:10 AM to 11:00 PM.

If you park at the Prugio 2 parking lot, you get 1.5 hours free, and it can be combined with mall parking, so you can take your time.

Look at all those Blue Ribbon and Red Ribbon badges plastered up like medals. Personally I trust a Blue Ribbon spot without question, and this Hapjeong burger date spot has been chosen 10 years straight? Yeah, this place can't possibly be bad.

Inside: a New York pub in Hapjeong

The moment I walked into New York Apartment I gasped at the strong American local vibe of the interior — true to its name, the hip, exotic atmosphere really caught my eye.

Soft lighting, glittering neon signs, and posters dripping with American flair — all these little details made the local feel come alive even more.

The owner clearly has serious figurine power — they were so cute I lost track of time just looking around, haha.

There were seats extending all the way toward the back, so the place was bigger than it looked from outside! We visited for lunch, but it really felt like a New York pub, perfect for a beer — this could easily double as a Hapjeong chicken date spot in the evening.

New York Apartment menu and the set for two

I thought New York Apartment was just burgers, but the options are surprisingly wide — barbecue, chicken, pasta, and more! And each category has so many choices, you can enjoy all sorts of New York-style Western dishes.

If there are two of you, I'd recommend the New York Special 2-person set. For ₩49,900 you get 1 burger + 1 pasta/risotto + side + 2 drinks, a solid lineup that lets you try all of the restaurant's signature dishes. Drinks can be swapped for beer too, so it's great value.

We debated ordering the New York Special 2-person set, but it felt like a waste not to have a burger at a Hapjeong burger date spot, haha, so we each ordered our own burger set!

Oreo shake and a Stella draft beer at lunchtime

With the burger sets at New York Apartment you get to choose a side and a drink — Gamja went with an Oreo shake, and I went with a Stella draft beer, haha. The interior is so blatantly a New York pub vibe, how could I resist a beer?

Enjoying a leisurely day beer under warm sunlight is pure healing — smooth going down and clean with no heaviness, so good!

The shake looked totally American, haha! But we moved seats and took photos in between, so the ice cream ended up melting a bit, oops haha.

It wasn't overly sweet, just moderately so, which meant it paired well with the heavy burger without getting sickly. And the cup was massive, so there was a ton of it, haha.

Oreo fries from the receipt review event

These Oreo fries came from a receipt review event. Topped with ice cream and sprinkles, they had a colorful, cartoonish look.

It genuinely tasted like Oreos, which surprised me — turns out they actually fry real Oreo cookies! That explains it, haha. The combo of Oreo and fried batter gave a sweet-and-salty twist that felt refreshingly different.

How does the New York Steak Burger taste?

The New York Steak Burger is New York Apartment's signature dish — pork shoulder smoked for 5 hours, grilled over charcoal, and drizzled with barbecue sauce.

I was confused for a second when there was no bun on top of the burger — but it was sitting right beside it, haha. Seeing the thick steak so directly made it look even more appetizing!

I worried a thick cut of pork shoulder might come out dry, but it wasn't tough at all — it had a nice chew, and you could really feel the quality of the meat.

The deep meaty aroma and the rich, heavy flavor unique to steak gave enormous satisfaction. The smoky char soaked all the way through and paired beautifully with the barbecue sauce!

Cutting it with a knife made me feel like I was eating a restaurant steak rather than a burger, haha. This shattered any notion that burgers have to be fast food — such a refined flavor!

The New York Cheeseburger and thick-cut fries

An American-style New York Cheeseburger with beef patty, cheese, and vegetables. The beef patty burst with juice, the bun was fluffy and buttery, and the crisp lettuce and tomato added a fresh brightness.

I hate soggy, thin fries, but New York Apartment's fries were thick and fried crisp, so tasty. A burger really does need good fries, haha.

I was dipping mine in ketchup, but Gamja insisted the real way to eat fries is dipping them in the shake, haha — the resident foodie has his own moves.

The melted cheese in the patty added saltiness, and the vegetables cut through the richness for great overall balance! A textbook case of classic being best.

New York Apartment served up delicious American-style burgers in a hip setting. The exotic interior left a strong impression too, and next time I'd love to come back in the evening as a Hapjeong chicken date spot!