Best Burger in LA

[Ali B]

I'm moving to LA and wondering where to get the best burger around.

Thanks!!!

[baloney]

Howdy. If you do a search, you'll find TONS of previous threads, here is one example:

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/338345

But just to toss out there, my favorite burger of the month has to be Arnie Morton's burger which is fantastic!

[David Kahn]

Agree. The burger at Morton's is splendid. (I get mine with cheddar and sauteed mushrooms.) Too bad they only serve it at lunch. (I've actually tried, unsuccessfully, to bribe a server to get one at dinner.)

[revets2]

the minis in the bar in the PM are pretty good too. scratches the itch!

[Burger Boy]

What is the PM?

[hrhboo]

I think she means in the evening, on the dinner menu.

[lil mikey]

I thought the same thing. As in Post Meridian. Like 7:00 p.m.

[snooze button]

I finally, finally, had my burger fix at Morton's today. Ordered their cheddar/sauteed mushrooms burger... med-rare, and my dining companion had the swiss/sauteed onions... medium. We split the burgers to try both.... they were awesome. And the fries weren't too shabby either.

[David Kahn]

Glad you liked it. I usually get them to sub sauteed spinach with mushrooms for the fries, on the theory that it's marginally more healthy. (Also, I really like spinach.)

Btw, here's the link to the downtown LA Morton's. Other locations can be found here: http://www.mortons.com/website/index.... .

[revets2]

this is the tip o' the year! thanks, david! we love the fries, but usually order the spinach on the side, the creamed spinach was is probably marginally more artery clogging. thanks, again!

[calabasas_trafalgar]

My choice would be Cassell's

[iknowfood64]

Where is Cassell's located? I've heard good things about this joint and would love to try it.

[calabasas_trafalgar]

I tried the link for it and it doesnt work. It's near 4th and Vermont, but I don't have the exact address.

[LisaStitch]

I believe the exact address is 3266 6th Street, cross street Vermont. Last I heard it is only open Monday-Saturday 10:30a-4p.

[Servorg]

Cassell's link:

[Woolsey]

I must dissent on Cassell's. I think their burgers are plain and boring in the utmost, just the sort of burgers one would make at home on a weekend. The meat is plain, the buns are the sort of supermarket-white-bread-ten-to-a-pack variety, and the condiments are just the ordinary assortment. They don't even grill the buns. I found the only think remarkable about Cassell's is how truly unremarkable they were.

[maxzook]

In the thirty years I've lived in LA I've never seen a restaurant decline as dramatically as Cassell's.

There was a time when I would have been the first to call this the best hamburger in southern California. Nowadays I find that most people who reflexively throw Cassells' into a best-hamburger discussion haven't been there in years. (I think their limited hours may have helped preserve their reputation.)

You'll just have to trust me that at one time they deserved the rep. That time is long past.

[Mel Gee]

> That time is long past.

Very long past. I haven't been to Cassell's in years, but I wasn't happy with the place (for reasons very much like maxzook's) as long ago as the Eighties, when I discovered Russell's and its deliciously crisp and tender hashbrowns and towering meringue pies. Alas, Russell's is down to a single location and something far less than greatness, so I continue to patronize Pie 'n Burger for the burger, the hashbrowns, the occasional piece of pie (good but usually not great), and that one very cute waitress.

[calabasas_trafalgar]

I disagree completely. I only started going to Cassell's about 2 years ago, and as of now they've got everything I need in a burger, and nothing I don't. I don't need a burger served rare. I don't need Blue Cheese, horsradish, and caramelized onions. And I absolutely don't need some asshole telling me I can't use ketchup on his "creation".

Cassell's, like some of the Fatburger locations, has a giant ketchup pump. "Nuff said.

[sel]

What is rarely mentioned is that Cassell's uses USDA PRIME GRADE BEEF which they will cook rare or however it is ordered. It is served on a bun with cheese if requested and the customer dresses it up at a condiment bar however they choose and you can make a little salad on the side. Mayo, 1000 Island and Potato Salad (included at the condiment bar) are made in house.

[JeetJet]

"I think their limited hours may have helped preserve their reputation." That is an Interesting thought. Your post, and Mel Gee's reply, are both sad to read, but it Sounds like you both write from knowing the current state of things.

Maybe try Bake 'n Broil for a burger, coffee and slice of pie in the traditional fasion and honest price range -- $7. I would upgrade the pie to the Banana Cream for just a little extra. Also, more than one very cute server. Even better yet, they are all nice, real people even thought they can take too long to refill the water gleass some times, but still very real people.

Jongeward's Bake 'n Broil (TTry the burger special -- burger, slice of pie and drink for about $7.Also, Breakfast,Lunch & Dinner. Chicken Fried Steak, Pot pie, IMO, L.A.’s best Banana Cream pie and Red Velvet cupcakes / cakes)
3697 Atlantic Ave (North of 405 – corner of 37th st.)
Long Beach, CA 90807
[phone]

[Hackenbush]

I've been going to Cassell's since Mr. Cassell himself ran the place in the old location. That was back before they had French Fries and instead had little bags of potato chips. (They always had their special kind of potato salad, however.)

I agree the place isn't what it used to be but I still love it. I probably eat there once a month. At its worst, it's still better than any other burger place I can think of for ten miles around. And every so often, it's as good as it ever was.

[maxzook]

DISTANCES FROM CASSELL'S TO:

Tops: 20.6 miles
Father's Office: 15.1 miles
Russell's: 13.4 miles
The Counter: 12.3 miles
The Bucket: 10;5 miles
Apple Pan: 10.3 miles

25 Degrees and Tommy's: too close ;)

[Woolsey]

Cassell's also isn't ten miles away from Lucky Devils, Vert, or The Hungry Cat, either. (I personally can't vouch for Arnie Morton's.) I'd even take the burger at The Standard in Downtown or the Room Service, er, Hellman Burger at Pete's Café over Cassell's.

[Hackenbush]

We disagree. I prefer Cassell's to any of those places.

[Servorg]

With the rec. for Arnie Morton's you have the best "luxo" burger in LA. For the burger stand / dive bar variety I like two places:

B & R's Old Fashion Burgers (burger stand variety)
3512 W Rosecrans Ave
Hawthorne, CA 90250
[phone]

And Hinano's (dive bar variety) on Washington Blvd. in Venice Beach just steps from the water and Venice Pier.

[hrhboo]

Second Hinano. The best thing to happen to me in recent memory was when I discovered that you can now get bacon on your Hinanoburger!

[ElJeffe]

The Hinano burger is indeed, first class. Just don't be surprised by the dive bar atmospher. Great place.

[dwg]

Hinano. Fantastic burgers and Guinness. I mean, come ON.

[ElJeffe]

All this Hinano talk has me hungry. I'm going there right now!!

[gph2os]

Hinano! You just made me hungry, dammit! Best bar burger in LA County since the demise of the Honey Bucket in Long Beach.

[Skunk2Racer]

"Best Burger" on western between jefferson & exposition..... Try the Double King burger 2 pounds of meat..... Don't forget the fried egg & Smokey bacon..... YUM

[maxzook]

If you're talking about restaurant-style mega-burgers, my two favorites are both in Santa Monica.

Father's Office is a small gastropub, almost always overcrowded, with a burger served with Gorgonzola, arugula and caramelized onions and a strict no-ketchup, no-substitutions rule. The burger is well worth the location and its idiosyncrasies.

The Counter, which is about to expand into something of a chain, is the opposite number to Father's Office in that you can get damn near _anything_ on your burger. You get a clipboard with a full lists of cheeses, sauces, veggies, etc. and sizes from 1/3 to a full pound.

And for a fast-food-chain burger, In-N-Out ... That's What A Hamburger's All About. I linked to their well-known Hollywood outlet but they have branches all over. Surprisingly, they also have the only decent fries of any of the places in this post (I haven't had the father's office sweet potato fries).

[PlatypusJ]

As a side note, Father's Office will let you bring in your own catsup.

[katydid13]

hilarious! have any chowhounders actually brought their own catsup?? if so, whY?

[Wolfgang]

I bring it everytime I go to FO. The burger doesn't need ketchup; the fries do as I am a ketchup and potatoes person. The garlic aioli is good but it's rich and it's nice to have the ketchup to dip my fries into.
I had the burger and sweet potato fries on Saturday and both were outstanding. The Racer 5 was great too.

[LisaStitch]

Would you care to be more specific as to what qualities the "best burger" to you would possess? For me it is well-executed, high-quality meat and bun, both with good flavor. To me, great toppings are great toppings and nothing more, they cannot elevate an average patty and bun into an overall great burger.

That said, I've been on a personal hamburger mission this year, and so far the ARNIE MORTON'S lunch-only burger ($14) is by far the best. Second place is FATHER'S OFFICE ($11) - and this is often called the Best Burger in LA/the country by both local and national press, if that's what you're after. I was just there on a Sunday afternoon about 1:30pm and it was not crowded at all - my guess is weekend afternoons might be your best bet. SPAGO ($22) also has a fantastic lunch-only burger.

IN N OUT has its devoted fans, but I have tried it several times now, in several variations, and every time I think it is absolutely awful. The bun is nice but the meat patty is so nothing special, small, and superthin, I want to scream "where's the beef?" The lettuce and tomato are great - I think they should switch to just making salads.

THE COUNTER is also overrated to me as well. It's all about the toppings there, which is indeed fun and it's a cool date place. But in terms of the food quality alone, the bun and beef patty are completely average, the meat occasionally even below average, and it is not worth the wait.

I have yet to get to HINANO, but so far for me the best low-end burgers, which I define as under $10, are COUSIN'S in Santa Clarita albeit quite a drive ($6.50+), BOWERY BAR in Hollywood ($9), and any FATBURGER ($5-6).

[lil mikey]

Ahhhh, memories of Clara Peller. Your comments about INO are classic. I've become kind of bored with INO. When there were very few of them around and the other choices were MacDonalds or Jack in the Box, INO was truly a find.

Now, though, I think the quality of the burgers in the other places has increased dramatically. So INO is no longer better, and in many cases it's worse than the competition. In my book, it's still pretty good. But I don't go there anymore because there is so much that is better.

I rarely order burgers in nice places because there are other things I want to try. I had one at Cut recently. It was WAY overpriced for what you get. The fries were good, though.

I'll have to try Arnie Morton's burger soon.

My current favorite burger is at Yuca's, the new one that used to be Casa Diaz on Hollywood and Vermont. I also like Fatburger and Sean's burgers.

[b0ardkn0t]

INO, has been around for a while(1940s), yet I've never been bored to go back again. It still is my favorite inexpensive fast food burger of choice over any other chain. All the ingredients are fresh and you can taste in the texture.
I frankly prefer INO over Fatburger, I won't justify for the meatlovers(get 3x3, or 4x4 animal style, they exist! but not on menu, employees know though), but INO offers a good meal on the cheap that Fatburger simply doesn't satifsfy. I do have to say that I've eaten at INOs far and wide(north, south California, Nevada, AZ) and I still miss the original first restaurant/drive-thru in Baldwin Park(closed, but building still there), I've never eaten at another INO that tasted just as good(the freshness was at its peak since their distribution center is there, and that old grill made sure the smell of the burgers wafted far and wide.). They do have another (newer) INO across the hwy, but never has an INO burger been recreated as it was done in the original one. Still, as fast food burger of choice INO is preferred over any other chain period. It's the only burger and fries that I hunger for on a regular basis.

[BRIANTHEFOODUDE]

I am also on a mission to find the burger of my life, this year. Is Arnie Mortons the same as Mortons of Chicago restaurants?
Thanks , Brian

[Ogawak]

Yes, Arnie Morton and Mortons is the same fine chain originating in Chicago. The "Arnie" is added when there are two Morton restaurants in the same city, I believe.

[Servorg]

They may have added the Arnie for LA as there was a restaurant owned by Peter Morton on Melrose @ Robertson that was called "Morton's" - but it is gone now.

[treeboy]

Bowey make a fantastic burger -- nice sized patty, charred on the outside, nice and pink in the middle, and goes great with grilled onions and blue cheese. It's served on an English Muffin (or something like it) and comes with tasty cornichons on the side.

[Woolsey]

I'm going to throw in 25 Degrees in the Hollywood Roosevelt. I've had some spotty burgers there in the past, but they've gotten their act together recently, and those fancy-schmancy burgers have been back on target on recent visits. One can build burgers from a list of toppings, cheeses, sauces, etc. - just like at The Counter - or order one of the three house-built burgers. I think the No. 1 with horseradish substituted for the Thousand Island is about as good as it gets. For me, 25 Degrees trumps what The Counter does in quality all around, so I give the gold star to them.

Down the street is Lucky Devils, which also turns out a mean burger. The Bacon Bleu Kobe Burger is fantastic, and they have others on the menu as well. Splitting that hefty burger with a friend is more than enough, along with one of their excellent selection of beers or a toasted pecan shake. I keep meaning to try the Barbecue Kurobata Pork Burger, too.

And I'll admit it, I dig Tommy's every so often - and not just when I'm hungover. Although when I'm hungover, they're pretty damn good, too. Tommy's is the king of the chili burger in L.A., an institution that is derided as much as it is venerated. I'll give this advice for the first-time Tommy's eater: It's best not to eat there unless you are ravenously hungry.

[maxzook]

I will definitely have to try 25° -- I have been looking for a good horseradish-topped burger for years. One of the few things the Counter doesn't have.

[Woolsey]

25 Degrees is by my office, and I've gone with coworkers. They've tried my horseradish and pretty much come to agree it's probably the best sauce to put on the sirloin burgers. It's got a nice horseradish zing, compliments quality beef well, but it doesn't overpower the other components of their burgers as a lot of the other sauces they offer (especially their Thousand Island) can. For my taste, most of the sauces are better used on the excellent fries and onion rings there than the burgers.

[meliss1277]

I have not had a disappointing exerience yet at 25 Degrees...Turkey burger with Gruyere is pretty awesome. My husband loves the sirloin burger with red hawk cheese. Fries are great, and dipping sauces rock. Also, love the fact that they have complimentary corkage.

Father's Office is another favorite! I love their burger!! And it's worth the sardine packed atmosphere....makes it all the more fun!

[maxzook]

Just tried 25 Degrees, and I think I agree with both Woolsey and redandyellow.

The burger was excellent; almost no one knows how to do a medium rate burger any more (and nowadays even some of the more expensive places won't try), and the horseradish sauce was the perfect topping. Definitely in my top three along with Father's Office and the Counter.

I was there at 2 pm on a Friday afternoon and the place was less than half full, yet the service was distracted at best ... tables were left uncleared ... two waiters took turns waiting on me, neither seemed to get things right ... I got my fries several minutes ahead of my burger, but no silverware until asking several times after the burger was delivered.

Definitely worth a second visit for the burger, we'll see about the service.

[Woolsey]

The daytime service is always - ALWAYS - okay at best. Judging from both personal experience and from what I've read on the boards, it seems to take a few customers' complaining to the manager (and her physical presence in the restaurant) to get the daytime staff to buckle down; then she goes away, and it all goes to pieces again. The day staff seems to be there just to earn a paycheck before they head off in the evening to do their small plays or professional studio audience gigs or whatever. The evening waitstaff has always seemed to be much more on the ball; I had an excellent experience on my very first visit with both food and service, which probably makes a big difference in how I perceive the restaurant.

Still, I can't argue with anyone who has a bad experience there. I've had overcooked burgers on more than one occasion. The second time, I brought it to their attention, and the burger was comped, but when the restaurant's name is derived from the difference between a rare burger and a well-done one, this should never be an issue. Recently, I left because there was no place to sit for a party of three except the bar - not an ideal situation for a group lunch - and the group of four tourists who had just walked in couldn't be accommodated anywhere. But what really angered me was that they allowed one person to take up an entire large booth by himself instead of a smaller booth or asking him to sit at the bar during the height of the lunch rush. So I too sort of agree with rednyellow. They do enough to get me to go back, and those burgers and fries are really tasty, but I sympathize with the 25 Degrees horror stories and understand why anyone says they'd never return.

That being said, I've had some really good meals at Lucky Devils this week - and the staff there is nothing less than engaging and eager on every visit - and I've found myself wanting to go there more these days than 25 Degrees.

[rednyellow]

I'm afraid I have to give up on 25 Degrees. Seems they cant make a good burger two times in a row. They have messed up twice as many times now as they have done correctly. I recently oredered a med rare burger and was served well done. When I pointed it out, the cook spent the next five min. glaring at me and the waiter threw an exagerrated fit. Even if the food was perfect, that kind of attitude form a waiter and cook is inexcusable. I wont be back.

[brandygirl]

Nobody has voted for Houston's yet? I haven't tried many of the burgers mentioned on this post so far, but they get my vote for the best I've had. I like Father's Office, but it doesn't fit the bill when I want a classic burger.

i don't know if you like small hole in the wall places, but i swear by this little shack on SANTA MONICA and Hillhurst called SEAN'S BURGER. They have the best chili cheeseburger! It may seem gross to some, but I think you would think likewise after u try it, get the burger with EGG on top.