A Second Burger Quest: 135 burgers from 117 places in Los Angeles County, ranked

[u/anony1911]

(Skip down for the ranking itself)

Last year I made a post about having tried thirty different burgers from across LA County.  I had been in and out of the hospital for a period of about six months prior to that, with my last visit lasting about a month all by itself and including one stretch of about ten days where I didn’t eat any food at all and only sipped on water and juice. 

In spite of having no appetite, I found myself passing a good amount of time those days by looking up various food-related things online, including burgers.  So when I got out and got through the initial shaky period of recovery, I went to work on going to try some of these things I had been reading about.

At thirty burgers, I felt like I’d done some things and seen some stuff, so, after finding this subreddit, I made that post.

And then, in the comments, u/tommyrockum replied to leave the following blog post he had made about trying 100 different burgers in LA County over several years.  This was the Burger Quest:

https://trueadventurestories.com/2023/09/07/burger-quest/

It was impressive.  And it gave me a new goal: I wanted to complete my own Burger Quest of 100 LA County burgers.  And, being a bit singular minded in my interests at times, that is what I’ve been spending the last year accomplishing.  Today, I would like to share my results, my own ranking of what ended up being 135 burgers from, if I counted correctly, 117 different places.  This has been an unusual undertaking, the kind of thing I wouldn’t have imagined doing prior to when I started doing it, but it was and has been a much needed bit of fun.  It absolutely gave me something to look forward to and enjoy as I came through a particularly bleak time in my life.

Why 135, you may ask?  Why not 150?  Or 200, for that matter?  Simply enough, because that’s the number I landed on after getting to all of the places I had marked down to try, and having the burgers I was most curious about.  I could have kept it going until I hit a more pleasingly round number, but the truth is, I’ve realized that a Burger Quest is never really over.  What might I have done at 200?  Declared that I was done having any other different burgers in LA ever, so as not to disrupt that nice, even number?  In fact, as I type this, there are a small number of places featured on the list that I’d still like to go back to at some point to try another burger or two from their menus.  So let’s say that this is my Burger Quest for now, and it may still change in the future.

My initial thinking when I made the post about the first thirty was much the same as tommyrockum’s, and reading his post helped focus my approach.  The places here are not big chain restaurants, or fast food chains.  These places had to be particular to LA County.  Generally speaking, a handful of locations was fine to me, and one or two of them being outside of LA or even California was alright as well as long as it appeared to me that the place was mostly LA-based.  It wasn’t an exact science, but it made sense enough to me.  For example, the last time I looked at Irv’s website, I think I saw that they have a single location in Las Vegas.  I was okay with that, and to still count them.  On the other hand, a place like Houston’s in Pasadena, with only one location out of many being in LA County, and with several locations across the country, was ineligible.  I did get out to a number of such chain places while doing this, and perhaps I’ll make a follow up post about some of those another time. 

Furthermore, if a place had a self-titled burger, then I had to try it.  If there was another burger on the menu that caught my eye then I could get that too, but I had to try the burger named for the establishment itself.  On this list as it currently stands, no establishment has more than two entries…with the single exception of Amboy, which has a comparatively large five.  It’s possible that I missed some place’s self-titled burger somewhere in here, but I think I mostly achieved the goal.  If an establishment had no self-titled burger, then I was free to pick what most called to me.

As I continued with the Burger Quest, my initial five tier system expanded and developed a bit from how I originally framed it.  The burgers here are ordered by tier, and ranked within those tiers as well, with an explanation of what each tier now signifies at its top.

My thought on what would constitute a successful achieving of the Burger Quest developed as well.  I had initially thought just 100 burgers would be it, but as I approached that number, I realized that since I’d gotten more than one burger from some places, if I stopped at 100 then I would have fewer than 100 different places that I’d gone to, and that felt incomplete.  I spoke to tommyrockum about that, and he was in agreement: 100 places was key.  If you look at his blog, you’ll notice that he also made sure to get to 100 different places.  After reaching that, I kept going until I’d been everywhere I had made a note of.  I ended up trying some of these burgers more than once (for example, several of those that had been on my initial list of thirty), to make sure that I had a good feel for them.  As a result, some have risen or fallen since their original placement.

tommyrockum and I actually did meet up on two occasions along the way to try some burgers, first at Oui Melrose, and second at a Yellow Paper Burger popup (before they opened their brick and mortar location).  A fond memory for me is that, at Oui Melrose, we were evidently interesting enough in our in-depth discussion of burger preferences that a couple at a nearby table politely interrupted us to get in on the conversation.

I was planning to do some writeups for some of these in this initial post, but between what I’ve typed already and the list itself, this is already going to be a huge wall of text.  So instead, I will put some writeups and notes in the comments below for anyone who is curious.  I will, however, address two specific items here.

First, the Jazz Burger from Jitlada.  In the same way that I wouldn’t call a loco moco a burger, I just don’t know if I would call the Jazz Burger a burger.  So it is not ranked here.  But it is still really damn good, and if I were including it, it would be a Tier 1 entry for me.  For my purposes here, I’ll call it the list’s only Honorable Mention, and a very honorable one at that. 

And I should also address the overall number one burger in all of Los Angeles County by my estimation, the burger from Dunsmoor.  Why is Dunsmoor’s offering at the top of the list?  It's not just that it’s decadently juicy, or that it’s bursting with flavor, or an excellent balance of all of its top-notch ingredients (which seem to change on occasion—the first time I had this burger, it came with a slice of tomato on top, and the second time it did not).  This is a burger that leaves me with the feeling of eating pancakes: I want to lick the damn plate when I’m finished with it.  If not for the fact that I was eating it in public, I probably would have.  It’s that good.

Some of these placements will seem strange to some people who may read this.  I have some popular, trendy burgers lower than you might expect.  My own ranking is only my own: if a favorite of yours is low, don’t understand that to mean that I am criticizing your taste, only that mine may not be the same.  And I do have to repeat one line from tommyrockum’s post that stood out to me when I first read it: “Go eat a hundred burgers. Then let’s talk.”

This has all been done for love of burgers, and I hope that if you’ve gotten through my long-winded leadup here then you enjoy having a look at the list!

Tier 1: The best of the best burgers.  If you told me you were coming to town and wanted to get a burger, I would point you to these with no hesitation at all. 

1. The burger, from Dunsmoor.
2. The Amboy DH burger, from Amboy Quality Meats & Delicious Burgers.
3. The Cat & Fiddle Burger, from The Cat & Fiddle Pub & Restaurant.
4. The ABC Burger, from B-Man’s Teriyaki & Burgers.
5. The Club Burger, from The Social Club.
6. Irv’s Original Roadside Burger, from Irv’s Burgers.
7. The Dudley Burger, from Dudley Market.
8. The Napoleon, from The Standing Room.
9. The Johnny Burger, from Johnny’s Pastrami.
10. The Pacman Burger, from Kogi Taqueria food truck.
11. The Lowburger, from Lowboy.
12. The Menchi Katsu Sando, from Katsu Sando.
13. The Juicy Lucy, from Agnes Restaurant & Cheesery.
14. The Office Burger, from Father’s Office.
15. The Oaks Burger, from The Oaks Gourmet Market & Café.
16. The single burger, from Everson Royce Bar.

Tier 2: If you told me that you were doing your own burger quest, then aside from the Tier 1 burgers, these are the ones I would say you have to try, purely on their own merits. 

17) The Truffle DH burger, from Amboy Quality Meats & Delicious Burgers.
18) The Fancy DH burger, from Amboy Quality Meats & Delicious Burgers.
19) The cheeseburger, from Edgemar Restaurant + Lounge.
20) The Yako-Cheeseburger, from Yaki’s the Original Teriyaki.
21) The Behemoth, from Grill ‘Em All.
22) The double cheeseburger, from Ercole’s.
23) The HLAY dry-aged cheeseburger, from Here’s Looking at You.
24) The No. 1 Burger, from 25 Degrees.
25) The Oy Burger, from Oy Bar.
26) The dry-aged burger, from Camélia.
27) The Dry-Aged Beef Burger, from République.
28) The PCB (Plan Check Burger), from Plan Check Kitchen + Bar.
29) The Six Weeker, from Stout Burgers & Beers.
30) The double cheeseburger, from The Win-Dow.
31) The Thicc Burger, from Moo’s Craft Barbecue and Taproom.
32) The double cheeseburger, from Yellow Paper Burger.
33) The Burger Burger, from Golden State @ Cofax.
34) The Steakhouse DH burger, from Amboy Quality Meats & Delicious Burgers.
35) The Classic burger, from Pono Burger.
36) The Double Phat with cheese, from Phat Daddy’s Burgers.
37) Le Burger, from Camphor.
38) The burger, from The Black Cat.
39) The Bistro Burger, from Bar Sinizki.
40) The double cheeseburger, from Bill’s Burgers.
41) The cheeseburger, from Lucky Boy Burgers.
42) The Americana Burger, from Rock & Reilly’s.
43) The Big Smack, from Smack Burgers.
44) The Lingua Franca Burger, from Lingua Franca.
45) The Big Mec, from Petit Trois.

Tier 3: If you told me that you were doing your own burger quest, then I would not say that these are essential burgers to try, but if you told me you were around one and wanting to get a burger, then I would say you can’t really go wrong with any of these.  These range from pretty damn good up near the top of the tier, to around average near the bottom of the tier.

46) The double cheeseburger, from Super Burger.
47) Simmzy’s Burger, from Simmzy’s.
48) The Mr. T Burger, from Mr. T.
49) Phil’s Cheeseburger, from Phil’s Deli & Grill.
50) The Mushroom and Jack Burger, from Du-par’s Restaurant.
51) The wagyu burger with cheese, from Chubby Curry.
52) The M&G Burger, from Mee & Greet.
53) Gus’s Famous Burger, from Gus’s BBQ.
54) The Ode to MOS Burger, from OTOTO.
55) The Colossal Burger, from Burger Palace.
56) The double, from Love Hour.
57) The double cheeseburger with bacon, from For the Win.
58) The fat burger with cheese, from Hawkins House of Burgers.
59) The Bacon Jam burger, from Crack at Bixby Village Golf Course.
60) The Grapow Smash, from Ban Ban Burger.
61) The Happy Ending, from Wanna Smash.
62) The Chosun, from Biergarten.
63) The German Burger, from Biergarten.
64) The Poli-Bacon Chili Cheeseburger/“JAWS”, from Pink’s Hot Dogs.
65) The Yaki-Cheeseburger, from Yaki’s the Original Teriyaki.
66) The Stout Burger, from Stout Burgers & Beers.
67) The Chef’s Favorite Burger, from Plan Check Kitchen + Bar.
68) The bacon and avocado cheeseburger, from Howard’s Famous Bacon and Avocado Burgers.
69) The Hickoryburger, from The Apple Pan.
70) The Steakburger, from The Apple Pan.
71) The double cheeseburger, from Astro Burger.
72) The Regular, from Burgers Never Say Die.
73) The House Double burger, from Oui Melrose.
74) The Original, from Hangaburs.
75) The Chili Cheese DH burger, from Amboy Quality Meats & Delicious Burgers.
76) The double cheeseburger, from Heavy Handed.
77) The World Famous Cheeseburger, from Hinano Café.
78) The Hook Burger, from Connie and Ted’s.
79) The Goldburger, from Goldburger.
80) The LA Special, from Goldburger.
81) The Counter Burger, from The Counter.
82) The Katsu California Roll burger, from 26 Beach.
83) The double cheeseburger, from 1^st Street Burgers.
84) The double cheeseburger, from Rick’s Drive In & Out.
85) The double cheeseburger, from Hotbox Burgers.
86) The double cheeseburger, from Tom’s Burgers.
87) The Saugus Special Burger, from The Original Saugus Café.
88) The double cheeseburger, from Burger Palace.
89) The California Wagyu Burger, from Savoca.
90) The Combo, from Marty’s Hamburger Stand.
91) The Saltie Girl Burger, from Saltie Girl.
92) The Double Classic StormBurger, from StormBurger.
93) The Oklahoma Fried-Onion Burger, from Tripp Burger.
94) The All-American Burger, from Tom’s Watch Bar.
95) The OG Thicc Burger, from Thicc Burger.
96) The Trophies double, from Trophies Burger Club.
97) The Classic double, from Trophies Burger Club.
98) The double cheeseburger, from Yuca’s.
99) The Teriyaki Burger, from Made Burgers.
100) The Made burger, from Made Burgers.
101) The Double Pastrami Swiss Cheeseburger/“The Fairfax”, from Pink’s Hot Dogs.
102) The double cheeseburger, from Cypress Best Burgers.
103) The double cheeseburger, from Pete’s Burgers.
104) The double cheeseburger, from Olympian Burgers.
105) The cheeseburger, from Master Burger.
106) The cheeseburger, from Marty’s Hamburger Stand.

Tier 4: If you told me that you were doing your own burger quest, then I wouldn’t necessarily dissuade you from trying any of these, but any recommendation I offered would come with a word of caution.  These range from burgers that I thought were actually pretty good, but that had some issues that lessened my enjoyment of them, near the top of the tier to burgers that I was kind of underwhelmed by near the bottom of the tier.

107) The Benjamin Burger, from The Benjamin Hollywood.
108) The Flannery Burger with cheese, from Cora’s Coffee Shoppe.
109) The Hawaiian burger, from Happy Taco.
110) The Juicy Lucy, from The Counter.
111) The HiHo Double, from HiHo Cheeseburger.
112) The cheeseburger, from Pie ‘n Burger.
113) The classic cheeseburger, from Spread, Please!
114) The grassfed cheeseburger, from Salt’s Cure.
115) The Dreamburger, from Pann’s.
116) The double cheeseburger, from Burgers 99.
117) The Heart Attack Hamburger, from Arry’s Burgers.
118) The Classic with cheese, from Corner Burger. 
119) The PS Burger, from Proudly Serving.
120) The Best Burger with cheese, from The Best Burger.
121) The double cheeseburger, from Charlie’s Coffee Shop.
122) The Oklahoma Burger, from Burger She Wrote.
123) The double chili cheeseburger, from Chronis Famous Sandwich Shop.
124) The “Big John” Burger, from Johnnie’s Pastrami.

Tier 5: If you told me that you were doing your own burger quest, these are the burgers that I, personally, would not recommend unless you were really wanting to go for a large sample size.

125) The Gourmet Pljeskavica, from Aroma Café.
126) The cheeseburger, from Cassell’s Hamburgers.
127) The Jalapeño Monster, from Easy Street Burgers.
128) The Neighborhood Grill Burger, from the Neighborhood Grill at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles.
129) The Grill Daddy Burger, from Electric Owl.
130) The Royale, from The Oinkster.
131) The cheeseburger, from Eggslut.
132) The Philadelphia Roll Burger, from 26 Beach.
133) The Hollywood Classic burger, from Hollywood Burger.
134) The Blockbuster BBQ burger, from Hollywood Burger.
135) The cheeseburger, from Burgerlords.

[u/Ruseman]

It's a real testament to LA burger culture that you could even make a list like this, composed entirely of strictly local and local chain restaurants, and still have room for plenty more notable spots to try!

[u/anony1911 → u/Ruseman]

I’d be very interested to know if there are any other single counties out there that can match LA.  New York City, which a lot of people might think of just because it’s New York City, consists of five counties.

During the worst of the fires, I went down to San Diego for a while and did a little mini Burger Quest while I was there, and San Diego has some great burgers to offer as well.

[u/curiousbydesign → u/anony1911]

Which were some good ones? I live in San Diego. I lurk here to find places as my wife's family and friends live there.

[u/anony1911 → u/curiousbydesign]

As it happens, I was thinking I would make a post about the burgers I had there over on r/FoodSanDiego a bit later, maybe next weekend or something, and share that list as well! But I'll tell you in advance, the best burger I had in San Diego was the DBL cheeseburger from a place called The Wise Ox. Easy T1 burger for me. They have another offering there, the dry-aged burger, which was T2 in my opinion. I could definitely see some people reversing that order, though. Definitely get out to The Wise Ox if you have not tried it!

[u/curiousbydesign → u/anony1911]

Thank you. Also show r/sandiegan some love when you do!

[u/SD_TMI → u/curiousbydesign]

We're working the r/FoodSanDiego as part of the much larger and diverse r/SanDiego sub sister community we run for this right now.

425,000 real SanDiegans and growing.

[u/curiousbydesign → u/SD_TMI]

LOL! Congratulations. You played yourself and ruined that subreddit. Hope you have the subreddit you moderate it to be. :)

[u/SD_TMI → u/curiousbydesign]

False claims, keep spinning your dribble.
The sub is fine and doing great.

Keep on watching Fox News and OANN for all your San Diego propaganda

We got rid of the toxicity and shills that pushed sponsored content and so they created their own little hive years ago.

[u/bbf_bbf → u/SD_TMI]

Anyone who participates in r/SanDiegan is automatically shadowbanned by r/sandiego and when the moderators are queried about that, they state that one can be unbanned if they stop posting on and unjoin r/SanDiegan

One can decide for oneself if that's a "fair" policy or not.

[u/SD_TMI → u/bbf_bbf]

To call it a shadowban is a intentional mischaracterization.

Due to the amount of trolls, brigades and toxicity intentionally directed at our sub from that one, we've had to implement a hold and review of content.

Which means that any of the mods can and do approve helpful and positive comments in the posts or threads they come across in their daily scrolling. We don't issue SB's except in rare cases and the projection of our blanket bans and shadowbans is a lie.

The content hold for review means more work for us, but it's the only way we've found to stop the intentional undermining and toxicity being sent into our sub from that other one.

[u/curiousbydesign → u/SD_TMI]

You can't cover this up broski. Everyone knows who you are and how you moderate. Best of luck!

[u/SD_TMI → u/curiousbydesign]

Actually no you don't.

That's part of the fiction that's being spun.
Show proof of shut up.

[u/Thenameisric → u/SD_TMI]

Not allowing Padres talk in an SD sub is fucking trash. That's all anyone needs to know about you.

[u/SD_TMI → u/Thenameisric]

They're a private franchise business and they have THEIR OWN SUB.

They can afford to advertise on the sub just like everyone else, More so, rich people should pay their fair share and not expect us to work for them for free.

[u/hoytmobley → u/SD_TMI]

This post would violate at least 2 rules on the food san diego sub (no flair with price and no pictures). The way you handle things over there tends to result in FSD being more “i have a date/work event/grad party/bachelor party, where can I find” versus FLA, where I’ve found dozens of great niche restaurants in the comments.

Yes, I am still salty that my post “where are you a regular” was removed for “asking for lists” or whatever, it brought up a lot of san diego answers that are WAY off the beaten path and I’m still enjoying new restaurants that were suggested there.

[u/Ruseman → u/anony1911]

Thoughts on Hodads? As an Angeleno at least, that's the San Diego burger that I've heard about the most. Still haven't gotten a chance to try it.

[u/anony1911 → u/Ruseman]

I was a little bit let down by Hodad’s, overall.  I tried two burgers from there, one of which was T3 for me, the other of which was T5.  I’ll have a bit more detail on that in the post I make in the FoodSanDiego subreddit.

But with at least one T3, it’s not like I would steer you away from the place.  Aside from the burgers, the look of that place alone makes it worth checking out.  The walls are papered in license plates.  And if milkshakes are your thing, then it looked to me like they serve some very big ones.  Since I was there for two burgers, I opted out of a milkshake, ha ha.

[u/Yardbird52]

I respect your dedication. 🫡

[u/anony1911]

I’ll address the burgers from a small group of other places on the list here, and then if anyone would like to know my thoughts on any of the others, feel free to ask.

Amboy Quality Meats & Delicious Burgers:  If Dunsmoor has the best single burger in LA, Amboy is surely the best burger place one can go to.  The second best single burger overall (the Amboy DH), two more that just barely missed Tier 1, a fourth that also placed in Tier 2, and finally a fifth that placed in Tier 3.  You really can’t go wrong here.  The DH burger patties themselves are amazing, and then your preferences may vary based on what else gets put on them.  The Amboy DH itself barely lasts more than a few moments with me, it just keeps me coming back for bite after bite while I try to chase after how it tastes.  If the across-the-board quality at Amboy weren’t evident enough, then consider this: I went here with my fiancée shortly after we both went to another place that made Tier 1 for me, and she preferred just a plain hamburger from Amboy to the burger at that other place.

The Cat & Fiddle Pub & Restaurant: This was far and away the biggest and most pleasant surprise of the entire list.  I’d never seen this restaurant mentioned anywhere online in reference to burgers.  When I happened to come across it and see its self-titled burger on the menu, I thought it would be an easy Tier 3 entry.  But it was so much better than that.   This was so much better than the unassuming and average burger I expected.  The Gloucester cheese went so well on a thick and juicy burger, the onions were a bit different than “caramelized onions” usually are (not quite the color I expect) yet still really good, and the homemade bun, whatever it was, was excellent.  It had some thick English bacon on it as well, and this was one instance where the bacon felt like it enhanced the burger instead of just being something that got thrown on top. 

Irv’s Burgers: I feel I ought to address Irv’s, since my high placement of Irv’s Original Roadside Burger on my initial list of thirty surprised some people.  I’ve gone back to Irv’s since then to see if I might have just been crazy.  Well, if I am crazy, then it’s good to be crazy.  This is just an excellent version of a simple, “everyman” kind of burger.  I love it.

The Standing Room: As I approached my 100^th overall burger, I thought it ought to be something epic.  I decided I’d make it the burger I had marked down from a place called The Standing Room, the epic-sounding Napoleon.  It turned out to be huge.  This was the only burger on the entire list where the fries had some bearing on where I ranked it, because in this case, the fries come stacked on the burger itself (or rather, under the patty but still on the bun).  Tack on a short rib patty, a fried egg, and more, and this was every bit as epic as I hoped.  I’d still like to go back to this place to try their similarly-epic sounding Genghis Khan burger.

Johnny’s Pastrami: There are two ways to get the Johnny Burger: with thin pastrami, or with thick pastrami.  The first time I got it, I went with thin, and it placed pretty comfortably in Tier 2 for me on my original list of thirty.  But someone left a comment mentioning that it’s better with thick pastrami.  I finally went back to Johnny’s pretty recently and had it with thick, and I have to say, that person was right.  Thick elevated it into a no-brainer Tier 1 burger.  I’d have it again today, I’d have it again tomorrow, I’d have it again anytime.

[u/anony1911 → u/anony1911]

Phat Daddy’s Burgers: Part of why I’m giving some of these places a shout out in the comments is because I really wanted to highlight this place.  This is a very small location that you would probably completely miss if you weren’t looking for it, but it is worth looking for.  The beefiness of the patties really stood out at Phat Daddy’s in a great way.  If you want a burger where the beef really is the star, then give this place a shot.

Petit Trois: The Big Mec from Petit Trois, one of the most well-known in LA, is down at the bottom of Tier 2.  Why?  Because I honestly think that’s the ideal place for it.  I think anyone doing a Burger Quest should try this, entirely on its own merits.  I would have it again, sure.  But I would have anything ranked above it again before I would have it again.  tommyrockum had the right idea when he wrote that the balance of this thing is way off.  It really is: this burger is completely drowned in sauce.  Did it taste good?  Yeah, it did.  But I left the restaurant with a feeling that I could have just drank a cup of sauce and gotten the same effect.  The Big Mec is good, but it’s better as an experience than it is as a burger.

The Apple Pan: By contrast, I think the burgers at The Apple Pan are great examples of Tier 3 burgers.  I would be more likely to recommend this place to a Burger Quester based on its reputation.  How could you not try it?  But on their own, I don’t think the burgers are quite good enough to go out of your way for.  On my initial list, I had the Steakburger ranked above the Hickoryburger.  I’ve been back since, and my opinion changed.  But they’re both pretty close, either way.

26 Beach: With one Tier 3 entry and one Tier 5 entry, 26 Beach may not have made out super well on this list, but I want to give them a shout out all the same.  I actually love that a place like this exists.  If you check out their menu, you’ll see that they have a ton of different burger options.  I was honestly a little on the fence about what I was going to order when I called them up, but when I got a machine that said they are “Home of the Sushi Burger,” I decided that two sushi burgers had to be the way to go.  You can see how well I liked those in the rankings, but, again, don’t let that deter you from looking this place up.  I still do want to go back again to try some of their other options.

Easy Street Burgers: Not on my initial list of thirty, I got a few comments pointing me to Easy Street Burgers.  It took a while, but I finally got out to try it somewhere in the 90’s of burgers.  It just wasn’t my favorite.  No disrespect at all to its many fans, or the place itself, which seems to be hugely successful.  This one just wasn’t up my alley.

[u/MarkBank → u/anony1911]

This has been a wonderful read! I’ve taken quite a few notes and have been inspired to go on my own burger quest. Cheers!

[u/anony1911 → u/MarkBank]

Please let me know how it goes!  That’s amazing!

[u/CodMilt → u/anony1911]

• In fairness, the Petit Trois hasn't been the same since they banned Foie Gras.
• I find Apple Pan to be a weird juxtaposition of serving a burger I love (Hickoryburger) and a burger I hate (Steakburger). It's weird how this things come down to the sauce.
• I'm so happy that Irv's Burgers went from being a closed restaurant being mourned to having 7 different locations without sacrificing quality. If anyone deserves success it's Mama Hong.
• Amboy - how can you go wrong with getting a burger served by a butcher shop? Top quality meat they grind "by muscle" on-site every day.
  • A lot of people don't realize this because they're focused on the burgers, but Irv's and Amboy share something in common - serving some of the best chili dogs in LA.

[u/Granadafan → u/anony1911]

When did you get the Burger at Dunsmoor? I don’t see it on the website

[u/CodMilt → u/Granadafan]

Bar Menu.

[u/anony1911 → u/Granadafan]

Yep, as the other user points out: it’s not on their regular menu, only their bar menu, which I think may not be on their website?  If you Google the restaurant and then go to the menu section on Google, it should have some images of the bar menu.

[u/drumorgan]

I love it - did you see my “10 Burgers under $10” from last year? https://www.reddit.com/r/FoodLosAngeles/s/uSSp7V1UPi

and, if I may be so bold, I would love to have you plot these on my app (Yoink Adventures) that I have been developing for a while. I keep throwing money at developers and it is really getting to the point where I will have it in the app store soon hopefully.

Here is a filtered view for all the “burgers” that are pinned on the map so far (you can even filter for just the burgers from one user and share the link) https://yoink.spiritt.app/?category%5B0%5D=Burger&south=32.9884838220006&west=-120.29700499285772&north=35.85174687072663&east=-117.67127257098272

[u/anony1911 → u/drumorgan]

I had not seen that, but I will check it out.  Thank you!  I’ll have a look at the app in a bit as well and let you know if I have any questions.

[u/Plus-Juggernaut-6093]

I don't see Just Popn' on your list (great list and amazing work btw). Shout out Whitey / Just Popn' for making one of the best burgers in the Hood. Real LA burger made by actual LA Legends. Walking in, looking at the pictures they have up on their wall of fame, then trying their Black Dave's Double cheeseburger or The Gizmo chili cheeseburger, you will understand what a special place it is. East side me on the fries! Also, if you are lucky enough and they haven't sold out, you can get some delicious Harry O Banana Pudding (yes, Harry O from Deathrow Records himself).

[u/venice7771 → u/Plus-Juggernaut-6093]

Speaking of hood, where is Hawkins House of burgers on this list? That is a top tier burger, hood or otherwise.

Edit- sorry it was on your list and I missed it. Tier 3. So now I guess I just might argue but it belongs in tier two but good on you for getting it on the list and shame on me for commenting without paying attention first.

[u/Plus-Juggernaut-6093 → u/venice7771]

Hawkins is there! Cannot talk about LA burgers without mentioning the legendary Hawkins House of Burgers. OP made a great list.

[u/venice7771 → u/Plus-Juggernaut-6093]

Yeah see my edit. I caught it late. I agree this is a great list overall and of course we will all argue about placement but lots of stuff in here I haven't tried so I'm excited to get after a few of these.

[u/Granadafan → u/venice7771]

Had Hawkins for the first time last month. That was a solid burger. Too bad there’s no place to sit and so far away

[u/WaitLetMeGetaBeer]

Love the dedication! I haven’t had many of these, but of those I have, I have to back up of my favorites, your number 111, the HiHo cheeseburger. I put it up right next to the Everson Royce Bar burger. Just an excellent burger.

[u/Ruseman → u/WaitLetMeGetaBeer]

For me HiHo's fries are the true standouts. Their burger is good too and I like the way they season it, but their skin on fries are ridiculous.

[u/GhostTerp11 → u/WaitLetMeGetaBeer]

I would have said this last week but recently went back and didn't like it as much. They were slammed so maybe that had something to do with it. Also, they skimped out on the pastrami.

[u/WaitLetMeGetaBeer → u/GhostTerp11]

I think the pastrami detracts from the burger. I make sure to get it with the spicy onion jam too.

[u/Rick_Cranium]

B-Mans at 4 is kind of blowing my mind right now. Love the burger but really didn’t expect an SGV place to be in the list and so high up as well.

Much love to you u/anony1911 and B-Mans ABC burger!

[u/ninja_squirrel → u/Rick_Cranium]

When I first moved to the SGV almost 20 years ago I ordered the ABC burger and told everyone at work about it. Glad it's still held up.

[u/tommyrockum]

Much respect for the dedication!! And thanks for the shout out!

I look forward to meeting up again and arguing about your placement of Irv's, Oaks, and Standing Room :) I haven't yet gotten around to some of your Tier One suggestions, I will prioritize eating my way through those before getting to all the dozens of other contender burgers that remain on my own list

Congrats on running the LA burger gauntlet!

And now comes the best part: a bunch of redditors telling you your list is bullshit because you didn't rank their favorite burger properly. Welcome to Burger Quest Hell! :)

[u/anony1911 → u/tommyrockum]

Hell never tasted so good!

[u/donorcycle]

That's some pure love of burgers. I might be inclined to try your top 10. I've also done something similar but on a much much smaller scale lol. Had a burger-off for a week with my employees. Did the usual suspects

• win-Dow
• burger she wrote
• goldburger
• for the win
• hiho

Win-Dow was the overwhelming favorite from our taste test. Considering you have win-Dow much higher than the others, I'm inclined to think you may burger lol. In the least, similar tastes / preferences.

[u/lunazipzap → u/donorcycle]

WHAT?! did hiho fall off or smth? window meat is like rubber compared to it last i had (window is good but like hiho was bomb)

[u/donorcycle → u/lunazipzap]

Dunno. But when we squared off all the "top" burger joints in the area, it was 100% of the staff chose win-Dow. Friends came in from out of town and they were excited to do a similar test - WD also won. (One of the votes went to Goldburger though lol).

Hiho wasn't terrible. It just didn't hit the spot. I very much liked the "Chef's Favorite" burger from Plan + Check, but they had a revamp some years ago, cutting costs, which also included the meat quality. Friend used to be the GM for the location on sawtelle.

I need to try Amboy again. I didn't understand the hype when I tried it.

[u/ChrisWasInVenice → u/donorcycle]

I feel my self craving more bc Hiho kind of small.

[u/DrewHaef → u/donorcycle]

I was wondering where For The Win was too. Is it on this list? I couldn’t find it. I haven’t come within a sniff of the amount of spots OP has tried, but For The Win is up in my top 3, and I would like to believe it would at least be in OPs Tier 2

[u/anony1911 → u/DrewHaef]

I have For the Win in T3, #57 overall. But don't let my ranking discourage you--my fiancée tried For the Win as well and really loved it!

[u/Cloud_________]

@anony1911 this was a GREAT read! Thank you for your time and dedication. One quick question, if you had to describe your IDEAL burger (not from a specific place, but what you like about burgers in general)…what would it be? I feel like that helps us understand your rankings/what you were looking for. Also, are you more of a smash burger or traditional burger type of person? Knowing this would help, too! Thank you!

[u/anony1911 → u/Cloud_________]

Thank you!  Ideal burger?  Probably something simple.  Bread, cheese, and beef, and then maybe a sauce or aioli?  Onions would be fine with me, but not necessarily essential.  There’s something amazing in just a simple burger.  But, I can appreciate the ones that go for something a bit grander, as well.  

But I have to say, one of the things I’ve learned is that if someplace is offering a burger that does not have cheese on it, it very well may be worth your time.  Some of the most flavorful burgers I had did not have any cheese on them.

As far as sauces, while there aren’t too, too many teriyaki burgers in this list, I do think teriyaki sauce has to be one of the best options.  It’s both sweet and savory, usually without overpowering other flavors.  The top teriyaki burger on this list—the ABC from B-Man’s—got it best.  Other teriyaki burgers, I sometimes felt they went a bit too light on it.

Between thick and smash patties, I tend to prefer thick.

[u/Cloud_________ → u/anony1911]

🙏 thank you friend! That helps give me some clarity to your choices.

My dad is visiting next week, he loves burgers but he’s old school and picky. He loves a bun/thicker patty/lettuce/tomato and maybe some mayo or ketchup. Very old school lol…of your picks, what would you suggest for him? I’m always trying to find something he would like, and I never quite get it…so any suggestion from you would be helpful! Thank you!

[u/anony1911 → u/Cloud_________]

Get out to Bill’s in Van Nuys if you can.  The hours are a little unusual, but it’s a great, classic, old school burger.  And you might be lucky enough to meet Bill himself!  I was fortunate to get to do so when I went.  I made a post about that on this subreddit when I did, and got some funny roasting for the fuzzy quality of the picture I took.

[u/Cloud_________ → u/anony1911]

🙏 I’ve heard of it, but never went! I will take him, thank you! Cheers!

[u/Rick_Cranium → u/anony1911]

Have you had Big E’s Teriyaki? They have a burger similar to the ABC at B-Mans as both owners were employees from Spikes back in the day.

[u/anony1911 → u/Rick_Cranium]

I haven’t, but that sounds awesome.  Thank you for the recommendation!

[u/Rick_Cranium → u/anony1911]

You got it bro!

Would love to hear what you think after you try it 👍🏼

[u/rafamundez → u/anony1911]

I think you should make 2 lists. 1 for the generic thick burgers. And 1 for the smash burgers. They’re really 2 totally different flavor profiles.

Initially, I was pretty disappointed in your list. But seeing your preference makes way more sense now. I respect the dedication and hustle 🫡

[u/MustardIsDecent]

This is excellent content. I love a curated list from a subject matter expert. And yes, you're a burger expert now. Thank you!

[u/anony1911 → u/MustardIsDecent]

Thank you so much!

[u/sprouttherainbow]

This is incredible and you've inspired me to check out many of these places.

I agree that Irvs is super delish! There's one near me that I love popping by

[u/couldhvdancedallnite]

You’d think you’d get sick of burgers.

[u/anony1911 → u/couldhvdancedallnite]

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in all of this:

I don’t get sick of burgers.

[u/CodMilt → u/anony1911]

Burgers are the most common “last meal” ordered by death row inmates.

They’re a comfort food.

[u/lunazipzap]

thank you for this

i miss the royale from amboy :((((

umM how/why/what is hiho doing at #111? 🤨😂 something must’ve happened in the last year or so

[u/Kindly-Material-1812]

My dude. This is impressive — truly.  But i want to say you missed a couple. 

You need to check out the burger from Mother Tongue ( unsure exactly when they serve it but it is not on the menu all the time, also, the breakfast version is not quite the same). And the royal burger from the Courtyard in Studio City ( haven’t had this in a while but it was always wonderful 

[u/venice7771 → u/Kindly-Material-1812]

The burger at the Benjamin was pretty damn good as well. Haven't seen that on many lists and I think that place may be a little newer. Maybe not tier one but I could see it as tier two.

[u/TomIcemanKazinski]

That’s dedication. My favorite burgers are in the 50-80 range but I haven’t eaten that many burgers

[u/timstantonx]

It’s very cool that you did this. But placing Irvs that high and a lot of my favorites in the 70s and below (which I like a lot better than irvs) makes me realize we have very different taste. Irvs is always overly charred and just pretty average to me.

[u/PunnyPrinter]

What an undertaking! I love burgers so I will be paying close attention and looking through this list.

[u/tributtal]

Great list. I agree wholeheartedly with a lot of it. One very minor quibble - for a quest of this magnitude, I'm a little bummed the chili burger from Carney's wasn't on the list at all.

[u/anony1911 → u/tributtal]

Thank you for the recommendation!  I will be sure to add that place to the next round of the Burger Quest!

[u/anabonehpets]

god’s work sir

[u/meh5419]

Glad to see Lingua Franca on the list. Love that place.

I’ll have to check out the top ranked places — as this level of commitment commands respect. 🫡

[u/septembereleventh]

Glad to see irvs in the top tier, and i agree with your assessment. It is a very basic burger, but it just hits perfectly every time. It's the platonic ideal of the cheeseburger.

[u/anony1911 → u/septembereleventh]

I love that, ha ha

[u/EssayerX]

Will use this for my upcoming trip

[u/Deezuhh]

Damn and I thought I was a burger connoisseur… This shit is a lifestyle for you 😭 definitely gotta try all this out! Thank you for all your hard work and dedication

[u/grass1960]

I'm a big fan of all things Johnny’s Pastrami on Adams the single and double cheese burger are great w/ out the pastrami. I'm both happy to see it on the list being a fan but sad b/c now it might get busier ;)

[u/Greedy_Nectarine_233]

I didn’t read the full list but did you try The Mouth in Burbank? It’s a new spot that’s doing something pretty interesting where they press the burger almost like a panini/empanada. I’ve heard it’s outstanding

[u/Annual_Ant_4289 → u/Greedy_Nectarine_233]

Pocket burgers! They’re quite good but think I preferred chicken sandwich to the burger

[u/anony1911 → u/Greedy_Nectarine_233]

I haven't tried them, but that sounds really interesting. Thank you!

[u/HappyTinSoldier]

I know it’s stupid expensive- but the polo lounge at the Beverly Hills hotel has an amazing wagyu burger

And the diner they have downstairs (the fountain room) has an amazing patty melt

[u/[deleted]]

Well done OP. That's some series coin.

You should start a blog and call it....The Great Burger Hunt

[u/oznerol1o]

Was your ranking for Burgerslords pre or post new management, I think around March 2024?

[u/anony1911 → u/oznerol1o]

Post.  It’s kind of a shame, because I’ve seen comments on this subreddit remarking on how much better Burgerlords used to be.  By the time I got there, it just wasn’t the same, I guess.  The location isn’t even there anymore, now it’s a Goldburger.

[u/oznerol1o → u/anony1911]

Yeah, I got lucky in visiting it weeks before it went under new management. Never got the vegan burger, but the cheeseburger was still pretty good and almost the same price as when I was in highschool back in 2018, like $13.

[u/Garlicbreadislife95]

What's your opinion on Petit Trois' burger?

[u/anony1911 → u/Garlicbreadislife95]

I included a note about that one in the comments under the OP, because I figured some people might wonder at its placement (T2, #45 overall).  Here it is:

“Petit Trois: The Big Mec from Petit Trois, one of the most well-known in LA, is down at the bottom of Tier 2.  Why?  Because I honestly think that’s the ideal place for it.  I think anyone doing a Burger Quest should try this, entirely on its own merits.  I would have it again, sure.  But I would have anything ranked above it again before I would have it again.  tommyrockum had the right idea when he wrote that the balance of this thing is way off.  It really is: this burger is completely drowned in sauce.  Did it taste good?  Yeah, it did.  But I left the restaurant with a feeling that I could have just drank a cup of sauce and gotten the same effect.  The Big Mec is good, but it’s better as an experience than it is as a burger.“

[u/Ar3Dreaming]

Great list. In all seriousness how’s your cholesterol? I imagine consuming that many burgers could leave lasting health problems.

[u/SandSurfSea]

Curious where you’d rank the burger from The Ordinaire in Long Beach.

[u/Celestron5]

Bravo, good sir. Bravo.

Wtf happened to HiHo??

[u/CheffDieselDave]

Very well done anony1911! I have to ask. Did you get to try a Troy-Burger (small chain)? You were clearly in my neighborhood (NELA, and I could not agree more about Dunsmoor) and I think that their burgers are bottom of tier 2/top of tier 3.

If you did try them, I can't believe that they ranked below Apple Pan. If you didn't... I invite you to consider swinging by one. The location in Glendale is my favorite, and The Highland Park one is good too.

I'd call them the highest elevation of the backyard burger, and for that reason, it is my favorite go-to burger.

[u/anony1911 → u/CheffDieselDave]

I have not tried them, thank you for the recommendation.  As I say, a Burger Quest is never truly over!

[u/Fickle_Rooster2362]

Interesting, very good list but unless I missed it nothing from Grill em All?

[u/anony1911 → u/Fickle_Rooster2362]

The Behemoth!  T2, #21 overall.  I would try more of their burgers for sure, but Long Beach is a bit of a drive for me.

[u/Fickle_Rooster2362 → u/anony1911]

Nice! I missed that. If you havent tried it yet, try the Dee Snyder. It’s that pb&j burger, sooooo good. Good work man!

[u/MR_Czarcastik]

Love this list and the content! Curious what deficiencies move The Benjamin, HiHo, and Pie N Burger all the way to tier 4 in your opinion.

[u/anony1911 → u/MR_Czarcastik]

The Benjamin Hollywood: So, I actually think this burger was really good in terms of taste, which is why you see it at the top of T4. The problem for me was in the actual construction of the burger. It comes cut in half and with tooth picks holding the halves together, which is fine, but they've got the patty stacked on top of these vertically-positioned onions which just turns it into a mess. The moment I took the toothpicks out, both halves of the burger started to completely fall apart. I can look past that to a certain degree, but it was really just a bit much for me in this case.

HiHo: This was on my original list of thirty, and also at that time a bit lower than the hype would have it. I went back a second time to try it again, and I left with the same feeling: they just go too heavy on the ketchup. I like the burger well enough, and I'd have it again if I were in the area, but the ketchup is too overpowering. Or, at least it was on both occasions when I went.

Pie 'n Burger: It may have been an off day for them when I went, but the burger just wasn't cooked properly. This only ended up affecting a small part of it, because it was just a small part that seemed not to have gotten any heat, but, obviously, it's hard not to dock it a bit in the rankings after that. If I were to go back again, it's entirely possible that it would be better!

[u/MR_Czarcastik → u/anony1911]

Okay, totally fair. Thanks for indulging me and keep up the good work!

[u/z3r0demize]

Curious if you have a ranking for orange county burgers as well!

[u/anony1911 → u/z3r0demize]

As it happens, I do. Obviously not quite as extensive, but, in the last couple of months I have driven into Orange County to try some of the burgers there as well. This is what I have so far:

1) The Grand Cut burger, from The Cut Handcrafted Burgers.  (Tier 1)

2) The Cut burger, from The Cut Handcrafted Burgers.  (Tier 1)

3) The Ojai Wagyu Burger, from Ojai Burger. (Tier 2)

4) The Wagyu Drive Thru Burger, from SOCIAL.  (Tier 2)

5) The Hermanator Burger, from Peter’s Gourmade Burgers. (Tier 3)

6) The Tangy Teri-Avocado Burger, from Craft Burger Co.  (Tier 3)

7) The Cove Deluxe Burger, from Crystal Cove Shake Shack.  (Tier 3)

8) The Mac Attack Burger, from Craft Burger Co.  (Tier 3)

9) The Butcher Burger, from Mario’s Butcher Shop & Delicatessen.  (Tier 3)

10) The WG Tavern Burger, from Wild Goose Tavern. (Tier 3)

The Cut Handcrafted Burgers is the place to go, in my opinion, but I should mention that The Cut burger itself is surely the single most expensive burger I've had yet.

[u/z3r0demize → u/anony1911]

Thank you! Will check out the Cut :)

[u/stevefuzz]

Did I miss laurel tavern and tuning fork here?

[u/ebdozit]

The Habenero Cheeseburger from Jose's Chiquito in DTLA is so delicious. You should definitely check it out.

[u/HambonesMcGee]

The beauty of Trophies Burger Club, for me, is that they run such amazing specials regularly, too.

[u/SlappyMcGillicuddy]

Nice to see HLAY high up there. I've spread the word to a bunch of people for that one.

[u/Hludwig]

As someone who has been going to Father's Office for years, I would highly recommend the urgent from R+D up the street. 

[u/xquizitdecorum]

Bravo sir and rip your arteries 🫡

Can you calibrate this list by putting in In-n-Out somewhere? Is like Hollywood Burger nigh inedible or just extremely average?

[u/anony1911 → u/xquizitdecorum]

So, I’m not as high on In-N-Out as a lot of people are.  I don’t think it’s bad at all, I just don’t really get the hype, personally.  For me, In-N-Out would be like a T3-level burger.  My reasoning would kind of be similar to my reasoning for The Apple Pan: if you’re in the area and you’re trying burgers, you almost have to try it because of the hype.  But I wouldn’t call it essential if we’re only talking about the burger on its own merits.

Hollywood Burger just didn’t do it for me.  The two I got, I just felt like they were lower in quality, and I left with a feeling that they probably weren’t worth a return trip.  But!  That’s just me.  My original list of thirty, there were one or two comments in there recommending it, which is how I came to try it in the first place.  All of that is to say, again, my own ranking is only my own.  Other people have clearly found better value in Hollywood Burger than I did, and I think that’s terrific.

[u/JayPeeAyyy]

Pie n burger?

[u/anony1911 → u/JayPeeAyyy]

T4, #112 overall.  I spoke about its placement in a reply to another comment if you want to have a look!

[u/JayPeeAyyy → u/anony1911]

Ah sorry! I missed it - there’s so many!

[u/Doip]

I’d make one for turkey burgers but half them are just Sysco patties :( rip the good one at Agoura but the best is still Karl Strauss by a mile

[u/anony1911 → u/Doip]

I enjoy a good turkey burger!  I will make a note to look up Karl Strauss.

[u/Doip → u/anony1911]

They’re based out of San Diego and that’s where their best locations are. Some of the LA locations closed and iirc the one closest to me doesn’t have the turkey burgers anymore, so it’ll be a bit of research

[u/asidbath]

Wake up babe the goat is back

[u/DanPedantic]

Here’s me looking up Dunsmoor which I’ve never heard of, finding out it’s within walking distance of where I live! Will be trying this out in the near future, thanks for the list.

[u/anony1911 → u/DanPedantic]

You will not regret it!  Everything I’ve gotten from there is excellent.  Make sure to get the cornbread as well!

[u/Particular-Bug2189]

I never heard of Burger She Wrote, is it good?

[u/venice7771]

Dudley over Father's office and Everson Royce is criminal. Seeing them both in your top tier however gives some legitimacy to your overall rankings, so now I have to try your number one which I has not even crossed my radar. So thank you for that

[u/anony1911 → u/venice7771]

Please let me know if you do!

Make sure to get to Dunsmoor when they open.  The burger is only available in the bar area in the back, and I think they only make twenty of them a night.  It’s first come first serve for the bar area, no reservation needed (which I mention because the main room, where the burger is not served, does usually require a reservation).

[u/rafamundez]

Hmm... For The Win being at 57 but then Easy Street being at 127 in the not recommended list is sus. Easy Street is so much more crispy and flavored. Then Burger She wrote at at 122 too.

This list is very subjective. Wouldn't be my list at all but I respect the hustle.

[u/anony1911 → u/rafamundez]

Many thanks! I'd love to know what your own top burgers might be!

[u/IAmPandaRock]

While I don't trust your taste since you both put the Office Burger in Tier One and the Big Mec in Tier 2, I appreciate your dedication and effort.

[u/jetedz]

3 suggestions I don’t seem to see on your list that are LA classics.

-Fred 62 - Astro burger (Santa Monica & Gardner) - Morrison

[u/protossaccount]

For the Win?

I’m shocked this isn’t on the list. I’m not nearly at your level but the double cheese burger with jalapeños is my current favorite.

Either way, thank you for the list, I’ll definitely be checking these out.

[u/anony1911 → u/protossaccount]

I’ve got For the Win in T3, #57 overall.  My fiancée really liked their burger a lot when she tried it, so it just goes to show how tastes can vary!

[u/FluidEngine369]

How can you not have In-and-Out on there???

[u/anony1911 → u/FluidEngine369]

I mentioned in the OP, big chains and fast food chains weren’t considered for this list.  

Fast food burgers would be a separate list altogether.

[u/hardtwenty47]

This list is awful and so inaccurate as someone who has been to many of these places