A late-night burger chain that wants to be ‘the In-N-Out of the East Coast’ is opening in Fishtown

Two New York City smashburger shops are planning to set up in Philadelphia.

The fast-growing, no-frills 7th Street Burger has signed a lease for a location in Fishtown, while Harlem Shake has enlisted a Philadelphia franchisee who plans to open in University City.

Kevin Rezvani, who has grown 7th Street Burger to 19 locations in less than four years, said the first Philadelphia shop is expected to open this summer at 1215 Frankford Ave., just north of Girard Avenue and across from Frankford Hall and another New York transplant, Fette Sau.

Rezvani, who previously helped launch the North Jersey burger mini-chain Diesel & Duke and now also owns the upstart Apollo Bagels in New York with business partner Paras Jain, said the key to 7th Street’s success is its simplicity, with a menu of just burgers, fries, and bottled soft drinks. “It’s like an old-school McDonald’s or White Castle kind of burger,” he said. “We do one kind of patty, one kind of cheese — literally American cheese — our house sauce, pickles, grilled onions smashed to the burger, on a Martin’s potato bun.”

A 7th Street location recently opened in Washington, D.C., and — now backed by the private-equity firm Stripes — Rezvani and Jain want to open in Baltimore and Boston, as well. “A lot of people compare us to In-N-Out,” Rezvani said. “I feel like In-N-Out is the burger spot of the West Coast, and we want to be the In-N-Out of the East Coast.”

The price point also is a factor: $6.50 for a single, $9.50 for a double. “You’re all in with burger and fries for $11,” Rezvani said. There’s an Impossible Burger version as well.

Rezvani said 7th Street’s rise in New York and North Jersey has ridden a post-pandemic return to late-night activity. Some locations are open till 3 a.m. daily; he plans for Fishtown to serve that late at least Thursday to Saturday.

Jelena Pasic, a New York City transplant from Croatia, and Harlem resident DarDra Coaxum are behind this old-fashioned burger shop, which opened in 2013 at West 124th Street and Malcolm X Boulevard in central Harlem.

Harlem Shake, its name borrowed from the dance created by Al B. (Albert Boyce), sports an homage-to-Harlem atmosphere and a menu created by chef/food writer J. Kenji López-Alt, including burgers with meat from Pat LaFrieda, all-beef hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, grilled cheese sandwiches and melts, and shakes made with Blue Marble ice cream.

Several years ago, Harlem Shake added a location in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Shakawat and Amrin Hossain signed on to open a franchise in Philadelphia, and Pasic said they are scouting University City for a location.