88 Burger opens in West Babylon with $12 burger deal

You'll still see the premium dry-aged steaks hanging inside a refrigerator by the door, but Wagyu Steakhouse is now a lot more accessible. A little more than a year after it opened in a former Red Robin in West Babylon, the Asian-influenced steakhouse has undergone a concept change and is now 88 Burger. 

Here you'll find one of the best burger deals on Long island. Prepared with Angus beef, most of the half-pound burgers on the menu are priced at a mere $12. For an extra $3 you can make it a combo with truffle fries and a drink. Those prices are more on par with McDonald's, but the quality here is a lot higher. Not to mention, the dining room looks like a steakhouse and a robot delivers your food. The restaurant is located inside the Great South Bay Shopping Center, which is currently undergoing construction.

The half-dozen burger choices mostly stick to classics, but there's a smoked short rib burger with barbecue sauce ($13) as well as a Wagyu beef burger ($18). The most unusual is the Superior Choice Burger which, despite the average-sounding name, tastes like a Hawaiian burger with pineapple and bacon ($12). The 80-percent-lean beef patty is fat and generous, cooked to a delightful medium-rare.

Owner Leo Chen, who also owns Luna Asian Bistro in Astoria, switched concepts over the summer after burgers ended up being the restaurant's bestseller. Besides offering premium burgers at fast food prices, steaks are still available for dinner. A daily 3-6 p.m. happy hour brings 50% off alcoholic drinks.

There are also a couple of katsu dishes on the menu, including a pork tonkotsu with Japanese brown curry. Moderately priced at $16.95, the dish gives off Asian diner vibes with its dome of white rice covered in a blanket of lightly scrambled egg. You'll find better fried pork elsewhere, but chances are, you won't be able to get it with an absurdly cheap hamburger. 

88 Burger, 1035 Montauk Hwy., West Babylon, 631-482-1606, 88burgerny.com. Open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.. 

By Andi Berlin

andi.berlin@newsday.comAndiBerlin

Andi Berlin is from Arizona and does not know where she is going. But when she gets there, she’ll find something beautiful and delicious that the world needs to taste.