Louis' Lunch Officially Makes History

NEW HAVEN, CT — Confirming what Connecticut residents have long known, Louis’ Lunch of New Haven, Conn. was officially named by the Library of Congress as the birthplace of the hamburger.

The Library of Congress declared that Louis’ Lunch served up the first hamburger and steak sandwich in U.S. history 100 years ago. U.S. Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-3, pushed for the honor.

If you’re not familiar with the history of Louis’ Lunch, you should know they are the originators of doing it their way. There are no condiments allowed on their burgers, just a choice of onion, tomato, and cheese. That’s it.

After receiving word of the honor on Monday, Louis’ Lunch wrote on Facebook, “Come enjoy the original!!”

CT Gov. Dannel P. Malloy tweeted, “Congrats to@LouisLunchCT on their recognition as being the birthplace of the hamburger!”

The Lassen family has owned the immensely popular burger place since its inception.

According to their website, the burger was born in 1900 after a gentleman told Louis Lassen, who was operating a lunch truck then, that he needed something for lunch quickly.

Lassen cooked up some steak trimmings and placed them between two slices of toast and there you have the birth of the hamburger.

The burgers, which are now cooked at Louis' Lunch's 263 Crown Street location, are still made on cast-iron grills that date back to 1898.

The business was threatened with demolition in the 1970s to make way for a new residential development in New Haven, but the building was transported on a truck to its new location on Crown Street, and the rest is history.

Have you ever been to Louis’ Lunch? Let us know what you think of their burgers in the comment section below.

Photo credit: Louis' Lunch Facebook page