Black Door Burger opens with secret window behind Long Beach Sandwich Company
The menu at Blackdoor Burger in Long Beach is simple -- griddled burgers and French fries. Credit: Dan Monteforte
Add speakeasy to the latest in Long Island burger ingenuity.
Located behind Long Beach Sandwich Company, Black Door Burger is just that, burgers and French fries sold through a secret window in a black door. The burger stand is designed to be somewhat hard to find and serves the late-night bar set. For now, it’s open Thursday through Saturday, from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m.
The takeout-only — eat it on the street, in a car or carry it home, maybe to a bar — restaurant is the brainchild of Dan Monteforte and his youngest brother, Frankie, who co-own the enjoyable Long Beach Sandwich Company with their father, Frank. (Monteforte, who appears in an episode about the West End of Long Beach in the upcoming Season 4 of the Newsday original series Feed Me TV, is also the pitmaster and co-owner of nearby BBQ spot, Swingbellys.)
The brothers were looking for ways to maximize the space, and Frankie had the idea of opening a burger speakeasy. To Dan, the concept seemed similar to the Burger Joint, the somewhat discretely located burger spot at the Le Parker Meridien Hotel, two blocks south of Central Park in Manhattan.
“There’s never a place to eat late night, and my little brother came up with the idea to sell burgers out of the back door and we just ran with it,” Dan Monteforte said. “It’s a secret, but not a secret.”
The menu is simple: a 5-ounce, ground chuck burger, smashed on a flat top griddle for a crusty edge, served on a Martin’s potato roll with red onions, pickles, tomatoes and red light sauce (Dijon, mayo, chili paste) for $6 and french fries ($4).
The Montefortes officially opened Black Door last weekend with plans to keep the concept open as long as customers express interest.
Note: The only way to identify the space is the restaurant logo on the black door, a stenciled burger with red beams fanning out from behind it. There is also a red light above the door. If it’s on, they’re open. The line may also be a giveaway.
Black Door Burger is located behind Long Beach Sandwich Company, 801 W. Beech St.
