Louis' Lunch

Louis' Lunch Restaurant Review:

You'll have only so many opportunities in your life to ingest history, so if you find yourself near New Haven, you simply have to grab a burger at Louis' Lunch. According to lore, the first hamburger in America was made in 1900 by Louis Lassen, the tiny eatery's original proprietor. When a hurried customer asked for a meal he could consume on the run, Lassen sandwiched a chopped beef patty between two pieces of bread, and the rest is fast-food history. You'll sometimes find hot dogs and steak sandwiches on the late-night menu, but usually, it's just chips, drinks, potato salad if you're lucky and homemade pie, as well as the signature item --- which comes flame-broiled vertically in an antique cast-iron grill, served on toast and, if you order the "cheese works," topped with cheese, tomato and onion. Don't dare ask for ketchup or mustard --- you'll get nothing but an annoyed look for your efforts. And don't hand the cashier your MasterCard: it's cash-only here.