Photo: BanjoZebra / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)

7th Street Burger, the New York-based smash burger chain that has expanded rapidly along the East Coast, opened its first Philadelphia location this week at 1215 Frankford Ave. in Fishtown.

The restaurant is the chain’s 35th location and the first of three planned for the city. Two more are slated to open by the end of the year in University City and Center City.

A bare-bones menu at set prices

The Fishtown shop serves the same stripped-down menu found at every 7th Street Burger: a cheeseburger for $6.50, a double cheeseburger for $9.50 and crispy fries for $4.50. Vegetarian versions using Impossible Meat are available for an additional $1.50 or $2. Beverages are limited to Coca-Cola, Sprite and water.

All burgers come on Martin’s potato rolls with American cheese, grilled onions, pickles and a mayonnaise-based house sauce. Manager Frank Perez declined to share any other ingredients in the sauce. A secret menu of Cajun fries and loaded fries isn’t posted on the wall but is written with a Sharpie on a takeout box near the register. Loaded fries can be made spicy with ghost pepper sauce and jalapeños.

From maxed-out credit cards to 35 locations

Entrepreneurs Kevin Rezvani and Paras Jain opened the original 7th Street Burger on East 7th Street in New York’s East Village in May 2021, reportedly maxing out their credit cards to do it. A second location in Greenwich Village followed within a year. Venture capital firm Left Lane Capital invested in the brand in 2023, and the chain has been on an opening spree up and down the East Coast since.

The Fishtown location took nearly a year to open after the chain first took possession of the previously empty space in October.

Late-night hours could expand

The restaurant is currently open 11 a.m. to midnight daily, but those hours may shift as the chain learns the local market.

“For late night, we’ll probably extend Friday and Saturday to be closer to our New York shops,” said Perez.

In New York, locations stay open until 3 a.m.

Since opening, the Fishtown shop has sold hundreds of burgers, though Perez declined to give a specific count. He noted the location has sold far fewer Impossible Meat burgers than any of the chain’s other markets.

7th Street Burger is at 1215 Frankford Ave. Phone: 877-428-2693. More information is available at 7thstreetburger.com.