Author: Angela

Burger Crew Meeting called to order on Saturday, February 17, 2024 at noon (Wayne’s Pick). Despite the meeting being at noon, Trev and I didn’t arrive until closer to 1pm due to a lot of street closures because of some event in Chinatown.

Members in attendance: Angela d. (that’s me!), Trevor Y., Wayne T., Dennis K., and Innie C.
Slider member in attendance: Lucy Y.
Special Guests: Chris Y. and Marissa G.

I. Ordering
There are 3 types of burgers + 1 for the vegans.

Trevor ordered a BBQ Bacon Lowburger, double ($14) – beef patty, bacon, house made bourbon BBQ sauce, american cheese, griddled onions, garlic mayo, toasted potato bun.

I ordered a Fresh burger ($10) – beef chuck patty, american cheese, crisp iceberg, sliced tomato, shaved onion, house-made pickles & garlic mayo on a toasted potato bun. Trev and I also bummed some fries off of everyone else 🤗

Chris and Innie also got a Fresh burger and a BBQ Bacon Lowburger and handcut fries ($8) that come with ketchup and garlic aioli.

Wayne also got stuck in traffic, but not nearly as bad as us. He ordered ahead of UberEats and got a Lowburger, double ($13) – beef chuck patty, 2000 island dressing, american cheese, red pepper jam, griddled onions, served on a toasted potato bun. He turned that into a combo to get fries + a diet coke (+$6).

Lastly, DK and Marissa got a fresh burger ($10) and a lowburger ($9) + fries ($8).

II. The Burgers
This place is known for their smash patties since LA is all about smashburgers. The meat wasn’t all that beefy nor was it seasoned all that well. The patties did have a lot of lace, but that didn’t make up for the lack of umami flavor we all crave in our burgers.

These burgers were well balanced because despite the lack of meatiness and seasoning, the burgers were pretty good. All the ingredients contributed to a good experience. Though I will say that they are heavy handed on the lettuce. I know it’s called a “Fresh burger”, but damn, I didn’t order a salad!

There was some debate over whether the pickles were good. DK didn’t like them, but others did. For the record, I didn’t notice them. Whether that’s a good thing or not, I’ll leave up to your interpretation.

The bacon was cooked inconsistently between burgers. Some had bacon that was easy to bite through and others had the experience of having the entire slice of bacon come out when you try to take a bite. The buns were squishy, toasty, and yummy.

The burgers are definitely on the smaller side so you should definitely get AT LEAST a double. We discussed that the burgers should come as a double by default. A single is just sad.

III. The Sides
The french fries were alright. They had good flavor, but were totally soggy. So if you like your fries a little on the soggier side, you’ll love these! They have a very generous serving size when you order it as a side. The combo serving is noticeably smaller.

IV. Miscellaneous
Service was fast. And the burgers were actually made next door! They have lots of good beer choices. The place was clean (bathroom, too) and they had both indoor and outdoor seating.

Since it’s in Echo Park, parking is nonexistent. And watch out for Chinatown road closures 🤨

V. Value
I ask the members how much they would pay for their burgers. We would pay anywhere from $8 to $11.75. So we thought the prices were slightly higher than we’d like to pay for these burgers (especially given the size of a single).

VI. The Verdict
The burgers have a nice lace and good balance (but don’t get the Fresh burger, unless you really love lettuce). The ratings: 2.8, 3.0, 3.1, 3.4, and 3.7.

Next burger crew meeting: Saturday, March 16th at noon – THICC Burger L.A. – Fairfax

Burger Crew Meeting called to order on Saturday, August 26, 2023 at noon (Wayne’s Pick)

Members in attendance: Angela d. (that’s me!), Trevor Y., Wayne T., Dennis K., and Innie C.
Slider members in attendance: Ellis d.-Y. and Lucy Y.
Special Guests: Chris Y. and Marissa G.

I. Ordering
Their standard burgers are just that: standard. They come with fresh angus beef, American cheese, district sauce, lettuce, tomato, pickles, caramelized onions, seasoning on a sesame gourmet bun. You have the option to do a ground turkey, veggie, or vegan patty as well, and you can do a letuce wrap. Not sure what that is? Maybe a small amount of lettuce (thus the single t)? 🤷🏽‍♀️

They also have some pretty intense looking specialty burgers.

Trevor and I ordered a Double ($10) + bacon (+$2) Combo (+$5 – comes with fries and a drink). And we got a single burger for Ellis that we asked for plain.

Chris and Innie got a Double ($10) with jalapeno spread (+$1) with fries ($5 – fresh cut Kennebec potatoes).

Wayne was Wayne and got a specialty burger called the threefle ($13) – 3 beef patties, American cheese, truffle mushroom, caramelized onion & garlic truffle aioli (not pictured because Wayne is sheisty with his pictures).

Lastly, DK and Marissa got a Double ($10) with jalapeno spread (+$1) and egg (+$1) and cheese fries!

II. The Burgers
In true Wayne fashion, the burgers were unhinge-your-jaw big. I typically like doubles because of the good meat-to-bun ratio, but these were huge! I had originally been eyeing the threefle because of the delicious sounding toppings, but was worried about the triple patty. I’m glad I didn’t go that route because I already had trouble eating the double!

The meat was oooookay. It was a rough grind and cooked more medium well. It was still juicy, but chewy. Seemed like perhaps there were frozen patties being used. It wasn’t overwhelmingly beefy despite the volume of meat.

The burgers came out hot and fresh. The toppings were good! The cheese was cheesy and gooey. The sauce was saucy. I didn’t hate the tomato in my burger (which is saying a lot since I usually think tomatoes completely water down most burgers); even DK forgot to give his tomato to Trev! 😯 The jalapeno spread was jalapeno-y and gave the burger that hit of acid and kick of spice (for those of you who like a little pain with your burger).

I love me a sesame seed bun and these buns held up well to the copious amounts of beef and juice and toppings.

III. The Sides
The french fries were excellent. We had a spirited debate over whether these fries should be considered shoe string. We have submitted a request to the Council of Potato Cutters to review our case. I’ll post an update once I get a reply.

DK said the cheese fries were really good. It tasted more like mac-and-cheese cheese instead of American cheese or nacho cheese.

IV. Miscellaneous
Burger District LA is located in the fashion district so it’s a bit of a cluster F to get there and find parking. The location itself was cozy (read: small) with limited seating and didn’t have air conditioning, which does not bode well for us moving forward in the age of climate change and record-setting heat.

They had very interesting art and loud music. So it was kind of like eating burgers at a rave gallery with no AC.

Service was very friendly. They gave us plenty of napkins for these juicy burgers. And they were pretty quick (despite signs reminding patrons to be patient since good food takes time).

V. Value
I ask the members how much they would pay for their burgers. We would pay anywhere from $11.50 to $15. So we thought there was a good value with these big mouth burgers!

VI. The Verdict
Burgers are good for those looking for a value and for those who appreciate a fine sesame seed bun The ratings: 3.1, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, and 4.3

Next burger crew meeting: Saturday, September 9th at noon – Plaid Sheep Grilled Cheese Bar – Long Beach.

Burger Crew Meeting called to order on Friday, July 7th at 5:30pm (5th location – Burger Crew Does Chicago)

Members in attendance: Angela d. (that’s me!), Sumana, S., Trevor Y., Wayne T., Dennis K., and Innie C.
Slider member in attendance: Lucy Y.
Guests: Will G., Chris Y., and Marissa G.

I. Ordering
They only have 1 burger on the menu: Mott Burger (until 7pm) $18 – sweet potato shoestrings, hoisin aioli, pickled jalapenos, dill pickles, miso butter onions, american cheese. + $2 to add egg

Collectively we ordered 5 burgers. They also have a ton of great looking food there, so we also got 2 orders of the crispy chili cauliflower $19 (sweet & tangy sauce, Szechuan peppercorn, coriander, bean sprout salad), brussels sprouts $15 (lamb pancetta, maple brown butter, peanuts), char siu pork belly $26 (braised & sauteed in chinese style bbq, sweet soy, five spice, kohlrabi greens), and drinks (lychee paloma freeze, beer, listen to your elders, and a salted lime soda + gin).

II. The Burgers
The burgers were a great mix of sweet, salty, and savory. This is truly an umami burger. There were a lot of interesting ingredients, but nothing too overwhelming where it no longer had that burger essence.

The default burger comes with two patties (my kind of burger), and had a good meat-to-bun ratio. The patties had a good sear, but there was a little variance in terms of doneness (Wayne’s was more medium whereas ours was more medium rare).

The burger held together well and had a nice texture to it. The bun was crunchy in a good way. The cheese was properly gooey. The onions were yummy. The hoisin added an interesting note without being too overpowering. The yams added a nice crunch. And the jalapenos added a nice heat while the pickles brought the acid. I love the one-two punch of the pickles AND pickled jalapenos!

III. The Sides
All the other food was also amazing, but not if you’re watching your wallet. Trev thought the brussels sprouts were the winner, but the cauliflower was also excellent! The peanuts on top of the brussels sprouts were kid approved 👍🏽The pork belly was also legit, but hard to split among friends.

IV. Miscellaneous
So this place is fancy (read: expensive). When making reservations, parties of 5+ require a $10 deposit per person. Eek! So with such a large group, we divvyed up the reservations among 3 people. Thankfully, they were gracious and allowed us all to sit together. They give you a 90 minute limit for your reservation and there is a 20% large party gratuity automatically added. Parties of 8 or more usually need to do a prix fixe menu with a deposit so that the kitchen can handle to volume (or so we’ve been told).

They have indoor and outdoor seating. Outdoor had a great patio vibe to it. The burger is only available until 7pm so make sure to come early if you want to enjoy this burger.

They are kid friendly (had a high chair for Lucy and gave her a kiddie cup). And on a separate note, they are also parent friendly with stiff drinks 🥂

*Side note: Trev and I stayed in Chicago a while longer with the family and so we all went back to Mott Street for the Chef Menu ($188) and it was incredible.

V. Value
I ask the members how much they would pay for their burgers. We would pay anywhere from $15 to $17. So we thought they were a smidge overpriced.

VI. The Verdict
Inventive burger. Well balanced. Good meat. Great toppings. The ratings: 3.6, 3.9, 4.1, 4.3, 4.3, and 4.5

Next Burger Crew meeting will be held on Saturday, July 8th at The Region at 11am for some smash burgers!

Burger Crew Meeting called to order on Sunday, February 26, 2023 at 11am (Wayne’s Pick – thankful to my burger friends for keeping it close by)

Members in attendance: Angela d. (that’s me!), Trevor Y., Wayne T., Dennis K., and Innie C.
Slider members in attendance: Marty d.-Y. and Lucy Y.
Guests: Chris Y. and Marissa G.

I. Ordering
I ordered a Deluxe Double burger meal – $19.49 – 1000 Island, Lettuce, Tomato, Pickles, Onions, Two Angus Beef, Cheddar Cheese, Beef Bacon, Avocado Fan – with onion rings and coke. I also asked for no cheese and a baguette (instead of a bun) since a have a little sensitive baby sucking the life force out of me. The baguette does not have soy, whereas the buns did.

Trev got a Black Angus Double meal – $16.99 – 1000 Island, Lettuce, Tomato, Pickles, Onions, two smashed beef patty, and cheddar cheese – with fries and an unsweetened iced tea.

Innie opted to build her own burger – $8.49 (Go her! I never trust myself to create a good burger 🤨) She went with brioche, single patty, white American, all the veggies (lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, jalapeno), and sriracha mayo. She added fries and a drink + $4.99

Wayne got a deluxe double meal with onion rings and coke $19.49

DK got a single black angus meal with jalapeno and bacon (+$1.50) – $13.49. He had a side of fries and jalapeno poppers ($5.49).

II. The Burgers
The burgers were a little dry probably because the patties were well done. As true experts, we asked if we could specify the doneness and we were told that they were smash patties so we couldn’t. So, they aren’t really smash patties. A true smash patty would have the beautiful lace and nice maillard, but it didn’t. What we had were thin patties that were rubbery. We had an extensive conversation about how the patty was too rough for Trev’s mouth.

The brioche buns were good, pillowy, and stayed together nicely throughout the eating experience. The baguette was surprisingly good with the burger. It let me feel like I was actually eating a burger, which is a nice change of pace from my recent history of burger eating.

In terms of toppings, everything was nice and fresh. The cheese was nice and melty. The menu says it’s cheddar, but looked like American to us. I had bacon on mine, but didn’t really notice it. If I’m paying for bacon, I want to notice the bacon. The sauce was really good! I liked how peppery it was, but Trev thought it was too peppery. To each his own. The Koreans appreciated the amount of jalapenos they had on their burgers. Overall, we thought the burgers were well executed, but Trev thought it was a bit on the dry side. Maybe more sauce would have helped? Either way, the copious amounts of free ranch they gave us helped. Trev drizzled it on every bite of his burger.

III. The Sides
The french fries were great. Well fried, appropriate saltiness. Onion rings were solid with good crunch, good flavor, and they held together. The jalapeno poppers were delicious! As were their chicken nuggets. Clearly, they have a fry master in the back handling the fryers.

IV. Miscellaneous
YoYo is located at a strip mall so they had plentiful parking. There’s seating for about 16 folks in the dining area, which was sparsely decorated. They had a random fancy looking fireplace in the wall that was not on. They also had some club music while we ate. Definitely not coherent theming in terms of the dining experience.

What they lacked in ambiance, they made up for in service. The guy was really nice and service was fast. They accidentally made my burger with cheese and when I caught it, they remade it quickly. The guy also was very generous with the sauces. He brought out like 10 containers of the house sauce and when we asked for ranch, he brought out another 10 containers of that! An important note that the online menu does not match the menu at the restaurant. Aaaand, I should have taken a picture of the menu at the restaurant!

V. Value
I ask the members how much they would pay for their burgers. We would pay anywhere from $8 to $11.50. So we thought they were a bit overpriced.

VI. The Verdict
Decent burger. If you can’t have soy, you can still enjoy your burger with a baguette! They say it’s a smash patty, but it’s not. The ratings: 3.2, 3.2, 3.8, 3.8, and 4.0

Next burger crew meeting: Saturday, March 25th at 11:30am – Bored & Hungry – Long Beach.

Burger Crew Meeting called to order on Saturday, September 24, 2022 at 6pm (Wayne’s Pick – but really my pick 😎)

Members in attendance: Angela d. (that’s me!), Sumana S., Trevor Y., Wayne T., Dennis K., and Innie C.

Slider members in attendance: Marty d.-Y. and Ellis d.-Y.

I. Ordering
So here’s the menu:

I am currently dealing with breastfeeding a babe with some sensitivities. Therefore, I had to get my burger sans cheese and supply my own gluten free bun. So I ordered a double hamburger (usually $12).

Trev ordered two doubles (one cheeseburger [usually $12] and one Oklahoma fried-onion cheeseburger [usually $14]).

Innie ordered an Oklahoma fried-onion cheeseburger single (usually $10).

DK ordered a single cheeseburger (usually $8) and a double cheeseburger (usually $12).

Sumana ordered a double Oklahoma fried-onion cheeseburger (usually $14) and a triple cheeseburger (usually $16).

Wayne in pure Wayne fashion ordered a single Oklahoma fried-onion cheeseburger (usually $10), a double cheeseburger (usually $12), a triple cheeseburger (usually $16), and a quad cheeseburger (usually $20).

II. The Burgers
The overwhelming consensus was that the regular cheeseburgers were WAY better than the Oklahoma fried-onion cheeseburgers. The onions on the Oklahoma burgers were thin and not cooked particularly well. They were stringy and not caramelized. There was also an observation that the onion burgers were kept on the grill the same amount of time as the regular cheeseburgers, which doesn’t help it get charred enough.

The cheeseburgers were pretty good smash patties. The doubles had the best meat-to-bun ratio and also won’t kill you with an excess of meat (*cough cough* Wayne *cough cough*). Mark Tripp is a real burger purest and loves his meat blend. As such, you have to dress the burger yourself. He puts out pickles, onions, ketchup, and mustard. I didn’t know that there were pickles!! I’m kicking myself for that mistake!

They used Martin’s potato buns. The burgers were great right off the grill. The cheese was gooey and had a nice sear. DK and I both thought the patties could have used a bit more seasoning, but the meaty flavor was there.

I will have to qualify my opinions by saying that I did not have a representative experience of the burger. Mine sat out for a while because I was preoccupied with my tiny human. I also didn’t know about the pickles. AND I had a gluten free bun, which we all know is NOT the same. In addition, I asked for a hamburger, but I guess I should have been more explicit and asked for no cheese. I failed to notice said cheese and ate it. Cue fussy baby and green 💩

III. The Sides
These were Lay’s potato chips. Nothing to write home about.

IV. Miscellaneous
So we have been trying to try Tripp Burgers for a long time, but because it’s a pop up, it’s hard to find them! So for Trev’s 40th birthday, I decided to throw a big party. And the obvious choice for food was burgers!

I contacted them about 6 months prior to our party date. Exchanged a few emails with Mark and then sent him the money! At that time, there was a $850 minimum and a 20% gratuity and sales tax. They serve for 2 hours. They keep track of how many burgers are ordered and then bill the balance if you go over the minimum.

The arrived with a cute little cart and griddle. Burgers took about 20 to 30 minutes to come out. It was a little confusing where to get your burger once your name was called. Mark is all about the meat and is definitely more a “back of house” guy rather than a “front of house” guy. He was a bit short with everyone and we all kind of felt like we were inconveniencing him with our presence. I didn’t take it personally. I figured that’s just how he is.

Chris and Innie have been to one of their pop ups and service was faster when they went. But as previously mentioned, they’re hard to track down!

V. Value
I ask the members how much they would pay for a double cheeseburger. We would pay anywhere from $8 to $10.50. So we thought they were a bit overpriced.

VI. The Verdict
Fun times at the party! Get the cheeseburger instead of the Oklahoma fried-onion cheeseburger. The ratings: 2.0, 2.9, 3.1, 3.4, 4.2, and 4.3.

Next burger crew meeting: Saturday, October 15th at 12:30pm – Nice Burger 100% Vegan – Long Beach.

Burger Crew Meeting called to order on Saturday, April 20, 2022 at 11am (Wayne’s Pick)

Members in attendance: Angela d. (that’s me!), Wayne T., Dennis K., Innie C. Absent member: Trevor Y. (finally broke that perfect attendance). Thanks for staying home to take care of our sick slider member 🙏

I. Ordering
Burgers come with fresh ground beef (they grind their own meat), grilled onions, American cheese, scratch pickles (they make their own pickles) and mustard.

I ordered a single ($6.50), crinkle cut fries ($3), and a Mexican Coke ($4).

Chris and Innie ordered a single ($6.50) a double ($8), and lightly salted crinkle cut fries ($3).

Wayne and DK each got a double ($8) with banana peppers (25 cents), crinkle cut fries ($3). DK also ordered some ranch ($1.50).

I got Trev a single ($6.50) to go, which got to him about an hour later so I’m sure that colored his opinion. Just keep that in mind.

II. The Burgers
The burgers were pretty good. The patties were loose packed with a good beef flavor. It fell apart a little bit, which meant “bonus meat” (kind of like bonus fries at the bottom of your bag)!

There was a great sear on these patties because they really work that flat top. We asked about this set of timers they had and they smash the first side with 2 spatulas for 3 minutes. Then, they sear the other side for 1.5 minutes. The patties were super juicy. These are traditional Oklahoma style burgers with grilled onions smashed into the patty.

We weren’t really big fans of the onions. they were a bit stringy and we didn’t really notice the flavor of the onions. Maybe they needed to be a bit more caramelized?

The cheese was melty and gooey. They used bread and butter pickles, which DK and I are not big fans of, but Trevor loves! Trevor loved the plentiful pickles on his burger. We also enjoyed the mustard on the burgers.

The buns were Martin’s famous potato rolls. They were nice and gooey. The top buns were nicely toasted on the flat top. They held up to the juiciness of the burger patty. The single was okay, but the double is a better meat to bun ratio.

III. The Fries
They were crispy, but oddly dry on the outside. I wanted just a little bit more salt on the fries. Could have been because we had the batch from Chris and Innie’s “lightly salted” batch.

IV. Miscellaneous
There is limited seating for larger groups. They only have a counter, a couple of tables, and a little bar on the opposite side of the counter. They have an open kitchen so it’s fun to watch them grilling the burgers on the flat top. The staff was super friendly.

They have tubs of ice for the drinks, which is fine for the cans of soda, but my Mexican Coke was warm on the top.

They play the music pretty loud and Wayne said they had “Filipino R&B vibe” music. The bathrooms are fine. It’s located in a strip mall so there is parking in the strip mall.

The workers were wearing these shirts that had a menu on the back of the shirt. Is it a secret menu? There’s some good sounding stuff on that shirt!

They also have chili burgers and fries (which sound good). They also have a grilled cheese, an option for impossible meat patty (+$3) and a gluten free bun (+$3).

V. Value
I ask the members how much they would pay for the burger they ate. We would pay anywhere from $4.50 (that’s an outlier) to $13.50. There is a lot of variance!

VI. The Verdict
Cool vibe at this shop. They clearly care about making quality burgers! And yay kababayan! The ratings: 3.4, 3.5, 3.7, 3.8, and 4.2.

Next burger crew meeting: Saturday, May 28th at 11am – Eat Fantastic – Long Beach

Burger Crew Meeting called to order on Saturday, October 9, 2021 at 11am (Wayne’s Pick)

Members in attendance: Angela d. (that’s me!), Trevor Y., Dennis, K., and Innie C.

Slider member: Marty d.

I. Ordering

Trev and I ordered the Bacon Love #9 and Fries ($10.99) – Applewood smoked bacon, American cheese, pickles, lettuce, tomato & secret sauce #9. And we couldn’t resist ordering mac and cheese with bacon ($5.75)

We got Marty the Kid Burger with fries and applesauce ($5.99)

DK ordered the Wagyu Burger + Onion Rings medium rare ($15.99) – Hand formed Wagyu patty, roasted garlic A1 aioli, marinated grilled tomato, arugula, swiss, french fried onions.

Innie got the Scorpion Pepper ($9.50) – Pepper jack cheese, Trinidad Moruga scorpion sauce, grilled jalapenos, lettuce & tomato. Topped with a grilled jalapeno.

Wayne ordered the Golden Gate Sourdough + onion rings ($13.25) – Avocado, bacon, swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato & housemade thousand island relish on toasted sourdough.

II. The Burgers

There was a lot of variance among the burgers. Trev and I didn’t love the Bacon Love #9. Maybe our expectations were too high with a name like Bacon Love. The balance was way off. It was too bready, super salty, and we could barely taste the meat. It ended up soggy on the bottom because of the pickles and the much loathed shreddece 🤨. Any burger with shreddece ends up messy, slippery, and falling apart.

Marty’s burger was big but didn’t come with anything on it. Thankfully, they were super nice and gave us a slice of cheese and some pickles when our threenager was having a fit because she wanted a cheeseburger.

Wayne said the sourdough on his burger was fine, and it didn’t fall apart like our bun did. He said the meatiness was okay; nothing to write home about, but it was well seasoned. He asked for his burger to be cooked medium rare, but it came out more medium. The avocado gave a nice creaminess to the burger.

Innie’s burger had a decent amount of heat. “Good white people heat”. She could taste the smokiness of the burger because these burgers were cooked on the grill (which if you know me, you know I don’t care for. Griddle all the way, baby). There was a good amount of grilled jalapenos and there were crispy bites until the end. 

DK was the winner of this burger crew meeting. He liked the crunchiness of the burger. The Wagyu patty was nice and salty, peppery, and the beefiness was above and beyond expectations. DK hit the jackpot and got arugula instead of shreddece. It came with A1 sauce that was really good. The bacon was Wayne style (read: chewy). 

III. The Sides

The fries were good, crispy, skinny, well seasoned. There was some debate regarding what constitutes an above average onion ring. Wayne thought the onion rings were standard, but DK argued that they were great! They were crispy, the onion didn’t fall out when you bit into it, and they stayed crispy the whole time. The mac and cheese was like stove top Velveeta. It was kinda plain, kinda mushy. The bacon on mac and cheese was the best part. 

IV. Miscellaneous

Parking is not bad since they have a dedicated parking lot. They have a lot of seating options: indoor seating, outdoor seating with heaters, fans, and TVs, and outdoor seating in the parking lot under a tent. The traffic can be loud when you’re sitting outside. When you get there, you order at the counter and they have self-serve sauces. Wayne commented that the jalapeno ranch does not have any jalapenos in it and there was only a vague taste of jalapenos. They had paper towel rolls, ketchup, and mustard on the tables. They had some cool looking shakes, but none of us ordered any. They had a great playlist!

V. Value

I ask the members how much they would pay for the burger they ate. We would pay anywhere from $7 (that’s an outlier) to $17 (because it was the wagyu burger). So there was a lot of variance in our burger prices. 

VI. The Verdict

Fun place to hang out and I think if you’re going to grab a burger here, splurge for the Wagyu burger. The other burgers were just okay. The ratings: 2.0, 3.1, 3.2, 3.8, and 4.5

Next burger crew meeting, Saturday, November 21, 2021 at noon.

Heavy Handed LA Food Truck

Burger Crew Meeting called to order on Sunday, September 26, 2021, 9am (Stop #7 in Burger Crew Does the Best of LA) at Pier Burger in Santa Monica, CA

Members in attendance: Angela d. (hey, that’s me!), Sumana S., Trevor Y., Wayne T., Dennis K., and Innie C.

Guest: Will G.

I. Ordering

What a better way to start a day than with some burgers! This is one of the few burger places open for breakfast! Sumana and Will ordered a breakfast burger (a Pier burger topped with bacon and a fried egg – $6.96).

DK and Wayne decided to double down with a double breakfast burger ($10.95).

Innie decided to opt for a traditional choice for this location: a double pier burger ($8.95).

Trev and I got the double pier burger ($8.95), but we added bacon ($1) and got a hot dog with chili and bacon for good measure ($8.75). Because, what’s breakfast without a side of a chili bacon dog?

A note for when you’re ordering, the burgers come with lettuce, tomato and a homemade sauce. If you want pickles and onions (which, of course you do), you’ll have to request it. Onions can either be raw or grilled. No one remembered except Trev and I (we pass the “do you actually read the menu” test). Innie requested pickles and onions on the side after she had put her order it. They happily obliged and gave her the toppings in 2 little condiment cups.

II. The Burgers

As we’ve experienced many times over the years, the patties were loose packed with a great char, and were cooked medium rare to medium. The meat to bun ratio was not too good in the single, so as the standard burger crew rule goes “always double”. 

The buns were very top bun forward (burger crew translator: the top bun was too big and the bottom bun was too small). Maybe it was too early in the morning and the person doing the slicing wasn’t quite awake yet. Some of us felt that the bun was drier than usual and used to be denser. This is not the first issue we’ve had with buns on this trip (maybe COVID is to blame). 

Overall, toppings were just ooookay. According to Trevor it was a “standard tomato” (read: no yummy sauce all over the tomato). According to Innie, the lettuce is just for show, but it does make for a pretty burger picture! The cheese is good and melty. The pickles are nice and thick cut! In the breakfast burgers the egg was fried and cooked throughout (no runny yolk). It kind of looked like a giant slice of mozzarella! Though most of burger crew enjoys a runny yolk, this egg was less messy and didn’t have to worry about losing the yolk. The bacon was chewy (very Wayne friendly) and not as flavorful as we wanted it to be.

III. The Sides

Given that it was 9am, we had already eaten at 7 other burger places earlier in the weekend, and we still had 2 more burger places to go for the day, no one got fries. But how could I say no to a bacon chili dog for breakfast? This was our first time getting it and, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it would have been good without the bacon! The chili was really good and the dog came with pickles and onions on top by default. I find it ironic that those are standard for a hot dog, but you have to request it for your burger.

This dog was definitely a knife and fork hot dog, and it came with a little wooden knife and fork. 

IV. Miscellaneous

As the name suggests, Pier burger resides on the famous Santa Monica Pier. They have plentiful outdoor seating with heaters and umbrellas for your comfort. For your whimsy there are some fun murals!

The bathrooms are right across the way, which could be good or bad depending on how you look at it. Pier burger seems to try and be more eco friendly. They had the wooden utensils and paper straws, but their drink cups and condiment cups were still plastic. The strawberry lemonade is good. 

It’s good to note that they open early so you can get your burger fix if you find yourself in Santa Monica jonesing for a breakfast burger. They have other things on their breakfast menu as well. 

If you so happen not to enjoy burgers (which, you’re probably in the wrong place), they have a lot of other delicious sounding things on the menu: hot dogs (which are bomb), chicken sandwich, fish sandwich, and concretes.

V. Value

I ask the members how much they would pay for the burger they ate. We said we’d pay between $10 and $12 for these burgers so they are nicely priced! 

VI. The Verdict

Great, meaty burger with a beautiful view that you can have for breakfast. What more can you ask for? Maybe a side of chili bacon dog 

The ratings: 3.2, 4.1, 4.2, 4.2, 4.5, and 4.6

On to Grill ‘Em All or as we so affectionately call it – Gorilla Mall

Burger Crew meeting called to order on Friday, September 24, 2021 at 1:00pm (1st stop in Burger Crew Does the Best of LA).

Members in attendance: Angela d., Sumana, S., Trevor Y., Wayne T., Dennis K., and Innie C.

I. Ordering

There’s only 1 burger on the menu: Regular. (ground in-house every day) – Cheese, ketchup, mustard, pickle, onion ($7.85). The regular is a double. Everyone got one, but Trev and I split one. We also got fries ($4) and a cheese sauce 4 ounce cup ($2). Everyone also got a variety of beverages; Mexican Coke, root beer, etc. And Sumana got herself a sweet BNSD t-shirt ($18).

II. The burgers

These burgers are the quintessential smash burger. It had some beautiful lacy edges with a crunch we’ve never experienced with any other burger. Since they were so smashed, we felt we needed a little bit more meat. The BNSD double pretty much equated a standard single. So since I always opt for a double, perhaps a quadruple would give me the meat I desired from this burger. And Sumana reminded me not to forget that a quadruple patty would need quadruple cheese to accompany it! 

The toppings on the burger were really good. The cheese was nice and melty. The mustard was very good. It reminded Trevor of a grown up version of a McDonald’s burger. There was a good mix of acid with the pickles and onions. 

The buns were fine. Nothing to write home about. We took them to the Silver Lake Meadow since there wasn’t any seating there so the burgers were a bit cold. But not their fault!

III. Sides

The fries were soggy. They kinda looked like McDonalds fries, but sadly, not as seasoned. They definitely needed a better fry. The cheese sauce was really good though! It was made in-house and stayed nice and gooey.

IV. Miscellaneous

They have an awesome mural outside. They are one of those rare places in this area that has its own parking, but the spots were pretty tight. There is no seating during the pandemic. The seating is only for the adjacent coffee shop. So the result is there were a lot of people eating in their cars or trunks. 

As we’ve been here before, we noticed the change due to COVID. In the pre-COVID times, you went inside to order, but now, they have a little window that you order at. Service was really friendly! They don’t take cash. There is no restroom available. They also sell t-shirts ($18) and buttons. There’s a large variety of different drinks to accompany your burgers. Mexican Coke. Root beer. La croix. 

V. Value

I ask the members how much they would pay for the burger they ate. We would pay any where from $5 (that’s an outlier) to $10. So the burgers are nicely priced!

VI. The Verdict

This burger is undoubtedly the epitome of the smash burger scene in LA. Enjoy those crispy, crunchy edges! The ratings: 3.9, 4.0, 4.1, 4.4, 4.5, 5.0!

See you all at the next location: Everson Royce Bar (my favorite!!!)

We do our burger crew trip every year (with the exception of last year due to a little thing called COVID).

In past years, we’ve done Las Vegas, Austin, San Diego, and San Francisco.

This year, we’re staying on our home turf and revisiting the best places in LA. Sadly, some of our favorites have closed. But here are the one’s that made the list!

Burgers Never Say Die

Everson Royce Bar

The Window

Standing Room

Electric Owl

Plan Check

Pier Burger

Grill ‘Em All

Lock & Key 

Great ready LA! We’re coming for you this weekend!