Los Angeles Burgers That Will Have You Saying Yum at First Bite
Written By: Sarah Bratman
Photographed By: Jeff Caldeira and Philip Guerette Best Burgers Los Angeles
Sometimes you want a fancy, innovative dining experience. Other times, you want comfort food. For those times when you’re craving beef nestled between bread, turn to this curated list of the best burgers that Los Angeles has to offer. Here are the 11 best burgers in LA.
1 | Plan Your Meal Best Burgers Los Angeles
Must-Have: PCB Burger
According to Chef Sean Yontz, “The PCB is a take on the classic all-American cheeseburger, using modern and creative iterations of familiar ingredients to communicate the DNA of what Plan Check is all about.” Their signature Ketchup Leather is a perfect example of this. Unlike a squirt of regular ketchup, the leather has been described as a tomato Fruit Roll-Up that gradually dissolves on your burger. The unique PCB also comes with a dashi cheese and is served on a crunch bun.
Plan Check Kitchen + Bar
1111 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90017
213.221.7529
2 | Plant-Based to the Max Best Burgers Los Angeles
Must-Have: Double Vegan Cheeseburger
Plant-based burgers are all the rage, but we’ve yet to come across a vegan cheeseburger that stands up to its meaty counterpart…until now. Burgerlords makes their own vegan patty and tops it with Follow Your Heart vegan American cheese. It’s everything you want and expect from a standard double cheeseburger, just vegan.
Burgerlords
943 N Broadway, Ste 102
Los Angeles, CA 90012
323.405.4012
3 | The Works Best Burgers Los Angeles
Must-Have: Gastropub Burger
There are simple burgers, and then there’s the Gastropub Burger. It comes on a sesame brioche bun with double-melted Swiss cheese, a sunny-side-up egg, bacon, caramelized onions, garlic aioli, tomato and mixed greens, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Native Knowledge: The flagship downtown El Segundo location has one of the greatest selections of brews around and is totally dedicated to the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle. Next time you want to rock out with friends or watch a game with a cold one, this is the place to do it.
Rock & Brews
143 Main St
El Segundo, CA 90245
310.627.2137
4 | Smashed to Perfection Best Burgers Los Angeles
Must-Have: Regular
Although it’s called the Regular, this smashburger is anything but. It comes with two patties, pickles, onions and American cheese between a bun, and nobody can figure out how something so simple can taste so good. BNSD owner Shawn Nee says, “We do pride ourselves on the fact that our meat is ground in our shop every day by a dedicated staff of butchers.” Though the wait is long, you know you’re getting a fresh-from-the-griddle burger every time.
Burgers Never Say Die
2388 Glendale Blvd, Ste A
Los Angeles, CA 90039
323.922.6161
5 | Not Your Typical Burger Best Burgers Los Angeles
Must-Have: Grilled Pork Chorizo Burger
It’s not the only burger on the menu, but it’s our favorite. General Manager Emely Cubias explains, “Our pork chorizo burger blends bright and fresh ingredients from our cabbage slaw [and] robust spice notes from our house-made chipotle aioli with our hand-made chorizo patty full of bold and savory flavors, all sandwiched between two hearty egg brioche buns.” You might’ve come for the drinks, but you’ll stick around for this burger.
Everson Royce Bar
1936 E 7th St
Los Angeles, CA 90021
213.335.6166
6 | The Cheeseburger, Upgraded
Must-Have: Big Mec
The Big Mec is essentially a steak dinner served on a bun. Let Chef and Owner Ludo Lefebvre describe it for you. “What really makes the Petit Trois burger are two things: the sauce and the patty. We use Bordelaise, which is a rich and delicious sauce made with veal stock and red wine, along with a special sauce. For the meat, we take two thin homemade patties, ground and made fresh every day—so they are juicier—and smash them, so they are nice and crispy. You might need a fork and knife for this one!”
Petit Trois
718 N Highland Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90038
323.468.8916
7 | Only the Finest Ingredients
Must-Have: HiHo Cheeseburger
The namesake burger is far more sophisticated than it may seem. Co-founder Matt Levin tells us, “Every burger is made with 100 percent grass-fed Wagyu beef from First Light Farms in New Zealand, and we’re really proud of that. These are the burgers we loved as a kid but with elevated, carefully selected clean ingredients.”
HiHo Cheeseburger
1320 2nd St, Ste B
Santa Monica, CA 90401
310.469.7250
8 | Melts-in-your-mouth Good
Must-Have: Patty Melt
It’s slightly untraditional, but the patty melt at Cassell’s is the hidden gem of the menu. House-ground antibiotic- and hormone-free angus beef is sandwiched between two slices of toasted rye bread with melted cheddar or Swiss cheese. All burgers here come with lettuce, tomato, pickle and onion on the side because simplicity is king.
Native knowledge: Momofuku chef and founder David Chang says Cassell’s is worthy of being included in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list because of this dish.
Cassell’s Hamburgers
3600 W 6th St
Los Angeles, CA 90020
213.387.5502
9 | Double-Up
Must-Have: Double Double
Not only is the In-N-Out burger one of the best in LA, but it’s also one of the best of all-time. We highly recommend the classic Double-Double, with onion, lettuce, tomato, special sauce, double American cheese slices and double beef patties.
Native Knowledge: Customize your burger by ordering off the secret menu. Swap out your bun for lettuce when you order any menu item “protein style” or leave the patty behind and order the grilled cheese.
In-N-Out Burger
7009 Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028
800.786.1000
10 | An Office You’ll Want to Eat at
Must-Have: The Office Burger
The strict no substitutions, no ketchup policy is enforced because the Office Burger is perfect as-is. Caramelized onion, bacon, arugula and Gruyere and Maytag Blue cheeses come together to form a rich, funky burger that needs nothing more, nothing less.
Father’s Office
3229 Helms Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90034
310.736.2224
11 | The Giant Among All Burgers
Must-Have: The Napoleon
The deceivingly named Napoleon burger is actually a massive dish. In addition to a half-pound patty, it also comes with bacon, a fried egg, smoked gouda, cheddar and American cheese. All this is piled on top of a bed of truffle Parmesan fries and a braised short rib. So yeah, it’s more than just a burger.
The Standing Room Restaurant
144 N Catalina Ave
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
310.374.7545
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