Justin Schwartz is about to become the king of awesome burgers in the Hamptons.
It’s a bit of a “nobody puts baby in a corner” moment. Or, in the case of taco impresario Schwartz, nobody puts a seasoned food industry creative in a taco shell. This Thursday, the former Mattitaco owner will open the much-anticipated Awesome Burger in Amagansett—and the namesake dish is as-advertised.
Located in the South Fork outpost of Sportime‘s Multi-Sport Arena at 385 Abrahams Path, Amagansett, Awesome Burger will now be the official arena commissary fuel-up spot at the “fitness for real life” sports center owned by founder Claude Okin. But you don’t have to be a member to head on in for these juicy bun-tastic beauties.
“I’m so super lucky to be working with Sportime,” says Schwartz. “I’m taking over the food for both sides of the property – the arena and, come summertime, across the street where we’ll have a court-side café, serving breakfast and lunch.”
And what a lunch it will be. Yes, he’s keeping it simple with burgers, hot dogs and fries, but this won’t be just any ol’ plain-Jane patty.
First up: Awesome Burger meat comes from that other Justin—DeMarco the butcher of Chop Shop fame in Westhampton Beach.
“I’m getting to work with Justin’s Chop Shop. He’s doing a butcher’s blend for me of chuck and sirloin, and also all the trimmings from brisket, short ribs and everything else. It’s so fun. Justin’s a maniac and so funny.”
As to what goes on the Awesome Burger, that’s Schwartz’s proprietary secret sauce. “The condiment situation is my Awesome sauce – every burger place be it McDonald’s or In-N-Out all have a special sauce. I will definitely not do ketchup!”
Will he reveal what’s in it? “No, I will not!” he laughs. “But everyone who tastes it says, ‘Shit dude, what’s in this? It’s so good!’”
In addition, Schwartz will have hand-cut fries, which in the near future he plans to source from the sixth-generation Foster Farm in Sagaponack.
He’ll also be doing a chorizo burger blend and hot dogs, which come from the famed Froehlich’s in Naugatuck, CT. For the latter, look for Schwartz’s special Peruvian-Ecuadorian spin on the salchipapa, a Central and South American-style sliced and grilled hot dog topped with aji Amarillo-based ketchup (the only ketchup-adjacent product you’ll find here) and fries.
“I’d always wanted to find a spot on the South Fork. Everyone I knew who liked Mattitaco [in Mattituck, which shuttered February 2023] kept telling me I had to come to the other fork and that I’d kill it over here, but it was about finding the space. When the opportunity with Sportime came up, it seemed like great opportunity,” he says.
Leaving behind the popular, hyper-local sourced Mattitaco in Mattituck last February was, says Schwartz, bittersweet. “I loved doing tacos, but I was like, man, I want to do something different! I had done burgers on the food truck the past two summers when catering, and people were like this is a really good burger!” he says. “And that was it. I have this great burger recipe, the menu is smaller and tighter. And same as Mattitaco, everything is made fresh.”
Awesome Burger will open year-round starting this Thursday, April 13. Spring hours are Thursday 5 to 9 p.m., Friday 5 to 10 p.m., Saturday 4 to 10 p.m. and Sunday 5 to 9 p.m.. Look for expanded morning and afternoon options over the summer at the court-side café.
As for the ketchup—okay, he says, he’ll have some on the counter if you want it. But guaranteed you won’t.
