Cubby's

Cubby's is a fast casual burger join in Hell's Kitchen, that I never would have discovered if it wasn't for the summer of Paze*, but I'm so glad I did.  It is a unique setting, the quality seems high, and the staff were always friendly.

*If you are unfamiliar, Paze is a digital wallet system (like Paypal or Google Pay) that you can use to check out with some merchants.  In the summer of 2026, when they launched, they had a promotion with most major credit cards and banks to give you back a $10 credit, up to 10 times, per card/account, if you spent $10 and paid with Paze.  One of their launch partners was Clover, the company behind many restaurant POS systems, so if you ordered online through their Clover storefront, and paid with Paze, you got $10 free (over and over, again, 10 times per card/account).  Tax, tip, it all counts towards the $10, so you could get something <$10, and just tip up to the $10 to trigger the credit.  I love a freebie, and I love excuses to check out places that I wouldn't normally stumble into, so I used Clover and Paze to go on little missions every weekend, gettings $100s in free food along the way.

Exterior.

Cubby's is relatively easy to notice, with several signs advertising their offerings, and bright flags decorating the awning.

Counter Seating.

Inside is unique and charming, with games laid out on the counter to play, with everything from Uno to chess to even a mini pacman arcade game.  The stools and bar seating make it great for solo diners too, and they had a few small tables as well.

Ordering Area.

Orders are taken at a register in front, although I ordered online and just picked up from the same area.

The menu is mostly burgers, in many variations, plus close siblings like hot dogs and grilled cheese, along with fried sides, and ice cream/shakes.

Sides

The lineup of sides at Cubby's is great: fries (regular, seasoned 4 different ways, chili cheese'd, or even loaded with a chopped cheeseburger and sauces on top), sweet potato fries (again, 4 different seasoning options), tots (shaped like tetris pieces), or onion rings.

Sweet Potato Fries. $6.25.
(no pepper).

"Medium cut sweet potato fries seasoned with salt and pepper."

I adore sweet potato fries, and since moving to New York have been mourning the loss of my favorite sweet potato fries in San Francisco, so I've been trying them everywhere I go.  These were, hands down, the best I've had in New York.

They were a average size, not big and think like I really prefer, but they were crispy, and very well flavored.  Perfect salt level, not greasy.  You can also get them seasoned with old bay, cajun, or truffle seasoning for $1 more, but I opted for the basic experience this first time, although I asked for no pepper (they include S&P normally).

I really enjoyed these, and plan to get them again soon.  4/5.

Seasoned Sweet Potato Fries.  $7.25.
Cajun, no pepper.

My next visit, I got the sweet potato fries again, no pepper, but also added cajun seasoning for $1 more.

The cajun spice added a bit more flavor to them, but I wouldn't say there was all that much seasoning, and I don't think it necessarily added much.  Probably not worth the $1 extra, but it was fun to try. The fries themselves were just as before, nicely crispy, clearly fresh.  4/5.

Mizz Honey Mustard / Truffle Aioli / Black Pepper Aioli.
$0.90 each with fries / $1.14 separately.

I was really excited by Cubby's lineup of house made sauces, and ordered three to try with my fries.

Mizz Honey Mustard:

A very creamy style of honey mustard. I liked it; it wasn't too sweet or too mustardy, but you definitely have to want a creamy mayo version, not a mustard forward version.  This was very mayo.  Probably best for the burgers, less of what I wanted for my sweet potato fries. 3/5.

Truffle Aioli:

Nicely creamy, pretty good truffle flavor, nice aroma.   Definitely my favorite of the sauces.  4/5.

Black Pepper Aioli:

"Mayonnaise, black pepper, minced garlic."

This was fine, but really just mayo.  I didn't really taste garlic. The black pepper flecks were large, and did give some flavor, but not much beyond what you get with properly seasoned food in the first place.  It was fine mayo, but not something I'd order again unless I really wanted mayo with pepper in it for some reason. 3/5.

Mizz Honey Mustard / Wheely Sauce (BBQ).
$0.90 each with fries / $1.14 separately.

Even though I thought the honey mustard was too mayo-y last time, I still got it my second visit, as in my world, sweet potato fries need honey mustard.  I also tried the Wheely Sauce this time, their version of bbq.

Wheely Sauce (BBQ)

A decent bbq sauce.  A bit tangy, a bit sweet.  Not overly complex, no smokiness, but it was fine.  3/5.