Best sliders for NYC kids

68.eo.68sliders

The Meatball Shop
Photograph: Caroline Voagen Nelson62.ea.meatballshop.06.jpg1529251
Bare Burger
Photograph: Virginia Rollison68.ea.68bareburger07.jpg1529272
Purple Yam Tocino Slider
Photograph: Amy Besa68.ea.68purpleyam01.jpg1529293

The Meatball Shop

Photograph: Caroline Voagen Nelson

All restaurant information is correct as of press time. However, since hours, prices and other details are subject to change, it’s wise to call ahead.

Apartment 138
138 Smith St between Bergen and Dean Sts, Boerum Hill, Brooklyn (718-858-0556, apt138.com). Subway: F, G to Bergen St. High chairs, booster seats, changing table. Slider: $3. Between the foosball and pool tables, not to mention the good-weather garden seating, your kids will find plenty of distractions here. No matter: The vast slider possibilities—a classic cheeseburger, veggie burger, pulled pork or chicken poblano with pepper jack—will have them back in their seats in no time.

Bare Burger
•33-21 31st Ave at 34th St, Astoria, Queens (718-777-7011, bareburger.com). Subway: N, Q to Broadway. High chairs, booster seats, kids’ menu. •535 La Guardia Pl between Bleecker and W 3rd Sts (212-477-8125). Subway: A, C, E, B, D, F, M to W 4th St. High chairs, booster seats, changing table, kids’ menu. •514 Third Ave between 34th and 35th Sts (212-679-2273). Subway: 6 to 33rd St. High chairs, booster seats, kids’ menu. Three sliders: $9–$11. Organic, pasture-raised, grass-fed and hormone-free are the watchwords at this eco-conscious chainlet. The impressively diverse slider menu offers beef or turkey for conventional palates, and bison, elk, lamb or ostrich for more adventurous eaters. Add-ons include everything from pesticide-free avocado to a fried (organic) egg.

Big Daddy’s Diner
•239 Park Ave South between 19th and 20th Sts (212-477-1500, bigdaddysnyc.com). Subway: 6 to 23rd St. High chairs, booster seats, kids’ menu. •1596 Second Ave at 83rd St (212-717-2020). Subway: 4, 5, 6 to 86th St. High chairs, booster seats, changing table, kids’ menu. •2454 Broadway at 91st St (212-677-2004). Subway: 1, 2, 3 to 96th St. High chairs, booster seats, changing table, kids’ menu. Three sliders: $10. Kitschy Daddy specializes in throwback decor and diner-classic dishes, so you’d expect his slider recipe to be as old-school as a root-beer float (which, by the way, makes a perfect accompaniment to your child’s order). And you’d be right: A trio of Junior Burgers comes with cheese, sautéed onions and pickles, plus the intriguingly named Daddy’s special sauce.

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que
700 W 125th St at Twelfth Ave (212-694-1777, dinosaurbarbque.com). Subway: 1 to 125th St. High chairs, booster seats, changing table, kids’ menu. Pulled pork or brisket slider: $4; as part of kids’-menu meal: $6. It’s equal-opportunity eatin’ at the Harlem location of the beloved Western New York honky-tonk transplant. Parents can order “dino sliders”—mini pulled-pork or brisket sandwiches sold singly. The kids’ menu offers tykes the same delicious choice, throwing in the option of a downsized cheeseburger for good measure. Children’s meals come with their pick of two sides, but there’s no need for parental jealousy; grown-ups can order anything, from the Creole potato salad to the barbeque beans with pork, à la carte.

Dublin 6
575 Hudson St between Bank and W 11th Sts (646-638-2900, dublin6nyc.com). Subway: 1 to Christopher St–Sheridan Sq. High chairs, changing tables, kids’ menu. Two sliders: $4–$9. The most kid-friendly pub this side of the River Liffey has four kinds of sliders on the bar menu: pulled pork, mini cheeseburgers, crab cakes with chipotle aioli, and mini lobster BLTs. The minimum order is two of a kind, but if your family prefers variety, the $12 sampler platter will let you try one of each.

Mark
33 St. Marks Pl between Second and Third Aves (212-677-3132, stmarksburger.com). Subway: 6 to Astor Pl. Beef slider: $2.50. Sure, this sliver of a bar sits right amid the hubbub of St. Marks Place. But when the sun’s up and neighborhood rowdies are home nursing hangovers, young diners are welcome to sample from the petite menu. A single slider with cheese and onions makes a satisfying snack (bacon’s available for an additional 45 cents); round out the meal with a side of fries and a milk shake.

The Meatball Shop
84 Stanton St between Allen and Orchard Sts (212-982-8895, themeatballshop.com). Subway: F to Lower East Side–Second Ave. Meatball slider: $3. For such a single-minded spot, this cheeky eatery offers plenty of options. Choose a filling (beef, spicy pork, chicken, vegetable or the daily special) and a sauce (classic tomato, plus five more)—and watch your little one devour each juicy orb in three bites.

Pop Burger
•14 E 58th St between Fifth and Madison Aves (212-991-6644, popburger.com). Subway: N, R to Lexington Ave–59th St; 4, 5, 6 to 59th St. High chairs. •58–60 Ninth Ave between 14th and 15th Sts (212-414-8686). Subway: A, C, E to 14th St; L to Eighth Ave. Two sliders (at the counter): $8; three sliders with fries (in the lounge): $12. The atmosphere’s a bit clubby at night, but during the day, families will feel right at home in either branch of this slick spot—though the midtown location’s proximity to FAO Schwarz could make it a better bet. Complete with cheese, lettuce, tomato and a house sauce, the Pop burger is industry-standard beef, and we’ll bet your kids can guess what’s in a Gobble, Gobble.

PSbklyn
833 Union St between Sixth and Seventh Aves, Park Slope, Brooklyn (718-398-5474, psbklyn.com). Subway: B, Q to Seventh Ave; 2, 3, 4 to Grand Army Plaza. High chairs, booster seats, changing table, kids’ menu. Reuben sliders: $6 each, $10 for two. Beef slider: $9 as part of children’s prix fixe. The ultra-family-friendly resto (hello, basement rec room!) presents two options for sammie lovers. Order a pair of Reubens—corned beef and sauerkraut with Thousand Island dressing—off the small-plates menu; young traditionalists will gravitate to the kids’-menu mini burger, served with a choice of sides and ice cream for dessert.

Purple Yam
1314 Cortelyou Rd between Argyle and Rugby Rds, Ditmas Park, Brooklyn (718-940-8188, purpleyamnyc.com). Subway: Q to Cortelyou Rd. High chairs, booster seats, changing table. Two pork sliders: $6. The homey Filipino restaurant puts its own spin on the slider trend, serving a pair of tocino (grilled sugar-cured pork) sandwiches on small salt rolls, with a green mango slice in summer or pickled persimmon in winter. Seem a bit outré for little gourmands? Call the tocino by its other name—bacon.

Shopsin’s General Store
120 Essex St between Delancey and Rivington Sts (shopsins.com). Subway: F to Delancey St; J, Z, M to Delancey–Essex Sts. Cash only. Three beef sliders: $10. Presiding over an indoor stall at Essex Street Market, owner Kenny Shopsin dishes out what many aficionados consider to be the city’s best mini-burgers—the beef sliders. The culinary mad scientist’s 200-item menu also includes wacky concoctions (fried chicken–mac and cheese sliders) as well as classics (griddle-cooked beef served with crispy onions and American cheese on a glossy bun) that kids will enjoy.

Ted and Honey
264 Clinton St at Verandah Pl, Cobble Hill, Brooklyn (718-852-2212, tedandhoney.com). Subway: F, G to Carroll St. High chairs, booster seats. Three sliders: $10. At dinnertime, the chef at this neighborhood café whips up his sliders du jour. Order a trio for your crew and anything might emerge from the kitchen: pulled pork with barbecue aioli, chicken sausage with fresh mozzarella and marinara sauce, or a meatloaf patty topped with cheese and caramelized onions.—Carolyn Juris