Internet sensation Salt Bae shuts down New York burger restaurant that infamously sold $99 milkshakes

Nusret Gökçe — AKA Salt Bae — opened Manhattan’s Salt Bae Burger in 2020.
Earlier this month, the Union Square restaurant closed its doors.
The restaurant is known for serving items like a $99 gold-flecked milkshake and a “ladies burger” in a pink bun.

Just three years after opening, Manhattan’s Salt Bae Burger has shut its doors.

Nusret Gökçe captivated the internet in 2017 when an Instagram video of him sprinkling salt onto steaks went wildly viral online. The Turkish butcher, chef, and entertainer quickly rose to fame with the nickname Salt Bae, and has gone on to amass an international chain of Nusr-Et steakhouses. 

Salt Bae Burger opened in February 2020 — mere weeks before COVID-19 would shut down the world — but not before Gothamist dubbed it the “worst restaurant in New York City.” Earlier this month, it closed its doors, Eater reported.

The restaurant was located in Manhattan’s Union Square neighborhood and known for interesting menu items including a free “ladies burger” with pink buns and a $99 gold milkshake, according to The Guardian.

The New York location was the second Salt Bae Burger opened by Gökçe. In 2019, he opened the first one in Dubai, NBC New York reported.

In April, Insider investigated claims of discrimination from former employees of Gökçe’s restaurants, and spoke to nine former staff members who accused the online sensation of being a tyrant guilty of stealing wages and other violations.

Christy Reuter, a lawyer representing Gökçe and his businesses, gave Insider the following statement regarding the matter at the time: “The allegations are really nothing more than a re-hash of old lawsuits where the claims were disputed and have long since been settled.”