inhaling burgers in the greater Los Angeles area since 2012
Cheeeeeeeeeeeese! This burger’s star was the cheese. And they did it incredibly well! I think the pro move here is to fold the cheese skirt into itself to cover every bite on the burger with this gooey and crunchy cheese. I don’t know how it’s possible that something could be both gooey and crunchy at the same time, but Pit Stop was able to defy logic.
Several different burgers here, so a lot of variety. The most thought and care has been put into “The One” and it was a damn good burger! The buns were good, but pretty dense so felt a bit bready. The Kaheka (beef/Portugese sausage blend) was good, but could have used more sauce! Overall, if you’re coming, be sure to get The One.
This was a last minute addition to our burger tour. We hit some logistical issues and didn’t get our car and therefore, couldn’t make it out of town for Whiskey Smoke 808 or Seven Brothers. So Betty’s Burgers to the rescue! This place is tucked in what feels like an alley and is easy to miss. They have basic diner style burgers. I ordered the teriyaki burger and enjoyed it since we’re in Hawaii! We hadn’t had a teri burger yet! The pineapple was very nice in this burger!
So Sumana (the MVP) waited in line early early early in the morning at the Kaka’ako Farmer’s Market to secure these highly coveted burgers. We can see why there’s the hype! This is a rich burger! Super truffly in the best way. Messy. Saucy. Delicious! Trev described it as if Boarded up by Chubbies and the Daley had an amazingly high achieving burger baby. The sauce on the side was crucial to add in order to add another flavor to break up the richness. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Sumana!
This was a tale of 4 burgers. The Wayne, Innie, Trev, and Angela table both ordered the Carolina Onion, but both burgers came out differently. Ours had a random tomato (that was not part of the menu description). The Sumana, Will, DK, Marissa table both ordered the O.P. style and again, both burgers were noticeably different! Perhaps an issue of consistency. Regardless, this was also a solid burger. And just as we had at the Daley, excellent crinkle cut fries!
The Daley has a solid burger. They have a nice lace (on one side). Really nice sauce on this one and a nice flavor, but the patty could have used a bit more seasoning. It has a similar flavor profile to Everson Royce Bar and maybe could have used a hit of acid to round it out. Wonderful way to kick off Burger Crew Does Oahu!
So excited that we’re all in Hawaii and hanging out together again! Here’s a look back at our trip last year!
Now, in an effort to reduce friction and also try to remember things about these burgers, I’m going to be posting a quick summary of each burger. Reviewers are welcome to add on or completely write their own review! And here we gooooooooooooo
Burger Crew Meeting called to order on Sunday, May 3, 2026 at noon.
Members in attendance: Angela d. (that’s me!), Trevor Y., Wayne T., Dennis, K. and Innie C.
Guest starring: Marissa G.
Given the name of the establishment, Trev and I had to get All In Combo – locally sourced prime cut beef patty, original recipe farm to table mushroom patty, house sauce, leaf lettuce, beefsteak tomato, diced onions, pickles, bacon, avocado, American cheese, on a fresh brioche bun ($21) that included a drink and fries. Trev also called an audible since they had a limited time offer of a double Poppychee for a low low price of $5.99.
Innie got the double poppychee – Our locally sourced prime cut beef patty, house sauce, pickles, caramelized onions, American cheese, on a fresh golden poppyseed bun ($5.99). After all those singles, she finally learned that double is usually the best way to go. She also got an order of onion rings ($5.25).
In true Wayne fashion, he ordered his food ahead on Door Dash. He got the Double Poppychee Combo witha Jarritos and changed the onions to grilled onions ($13.01) *shout out to Wayne for his excellent book keeping (I kept bugging him as I was writing this the day before our next meeting).
DK got 3 beef sliders – Locally sourced prime cut beef patty, house sauce, pickle, Hawaiian roll; and curly fries. Marissa rounded out their order with a Poppychee as well.
There was a lot of variability in these burgers. Let’s start with the sliders. DK said they were good, but could easily be made at home. They were single patties on Hawaiian rolls. Trev has made better sliders for us! Maybe it’s time for another burger crew home edition. DK said the sliders would have been better had they had more than 1 patty and used the intense amount of poppyseeds/sesame seeds as seen on the Poppychee.
Next up was the All In. As someone who loves mushroom patties on burgers (I’m looking at you, Shake Shack), I was sorely disappointed that a place called Mr. Mushrooms Burger Farm had such a terrible mushroom patty. It didn’t have that deep umami flavor that I was looking for in the mushroom patty. And all the rest of the toppings really worked hard to cancel out all the flavor in the burger. I should have followed my gut and never order a burger that has lettuce. Why would I want to add water to my burger?!?!
And I saved the best for last. Instead of Mr. Mushroom Burger Farm, maybe it should have been called Mr. Poppyseed Burger Farm because the poppyseeds and the sesame seeds on that bun were amazing. The double was the correct meat-to-bun ratio and the caramelized onions were chunky, the cheese was cheesy, and the sauce was very good. The pickles were very sweet bread and butter pickles, but the burger benefitted from that hit of sweetness. I miss when the default bun was a sesame seed bun instead of the glossy brioche buns we’ve gotten used to. This bun brought me back to better bun days.
The fries were described as “long coated fries” and they were in-fact long and coated. They were more like steak fries that had been roughed up. They were crispy on the outside with a nice texture, but fluffy on the inside. The best steak fries we’ve had! To be fair, you don’t see steak fries all that often.
The curly fries were good! Standard, seasoned curly fries executed well. They spurred a spirited discussion on the difference between curly fries and curled fried potatoes.
The onion rings were fried well, but didn’t have much onion flavor to them. It definitely needed a dip. Good if you just want fried dough dipped in ranch, but pretty forgettable.
The drinks are all in a fridge (so no fountain sodas). I love that they had Jarritos as well as Ito En teas (my fave). It’s Pasadena so street parking is limited, but there’s also a structure nearby for $12. Also, be careful on the ramp to the bathroom. Trev claimed it was slippery, but no one else had that issue. Maybe it’s time for new shoes 🤔
I ask the members how much they would pay for their burgers. We would pay anywhere from $10 to $14. So that limited time deal for the Poppychee burger is a steal! Get it while you can!
It was fun getting out to Pasadena (many of us hadn’t been in a while). The poppychee was a winner. I’m going to keep thinking about that bun. But don’t get any other burger on the menu! The ratings (these were only ratings for the Poppychee burger. Trust that you don’t want to see the ratings for the other burgers we ordered): 3.9, 4.2, 4.2, 4.2, and 4.4.
Burger Crew Meeting called to order on Saturday, December 13, 2025 at noon. The last burger crew meeting of 2025!
Members in attendance: Angela d. (that’s me!), Trevor Y., Wayne T., Dennis, K. and Innie C.
Trev and I shared the OG with double beef patties – American cheese, pickles, onions, mustard, ketchup on a toasted Brioche bun ($12) and an order of Parmesan & truffle fries – grated parmesan, truffled garlic salt ($6.50).
Innie got the Korean Banger (I mean, how do you not get a burger named after yourself?) – American cheese, crispy beans, kimchi mayo, crispy onions, pickles, lettuce, Korean sesame jam ($16).
DK got the Fire Starter with double beef patties – white cheddar, fried jalapenos, pickles, haystack onions, American cheese, and honey Chipotle sauce on a toasted brioche bun ($13). He also got the buffalo fries (crispy lemon onions, buffalo sauce, fresh jalapenos, ranch dressing – $7.95) and a side of beef pepperoni chips ($1).
Wayne got the Patty Boy with lamb patties – white cheddar, beef pepperoni chips, tomato, hickory sauce, mustard pickle slaw ($16). Wayne has a thing for ordering a burger named after the restaurant and also lamb. To be fair, I still think about that lamb burger we had at Badmaash 🤔
The consensus on this burger was that the meat was good, but could have been improved greatly by more seasoning and more smash. In a world of smash patties, this one seemed half heartedly pressed. Maybe the chef just needs a little more rage to get the proper lace on these burgers to put them over the top.
These are messy burgers with lots of stuff on them. The key is to never put the burger down so you maintain your grip on the burger.
Everything else on the burger was fine. The bun was fine. The toppings were all fine. Innie did note that her Korean sesame jam was not spicy at all; and with a name like Korean Banger, how do you not have any heat?
The fries were good! They used good potatoes. Our truffle parmesan fries were a little underwhelming. We had quite a spirited discussion about when you name the fries truffle and parmesan, there’s a certain level of expectation that’s often hard to meet. So perhaps, they should just be called fries and when you get some truffle aroma and a dabble of parmesan, you will be happily surprised. The key is to underpromise and over deliver; you know, like when airlines overestimate your flight time.
DK’s buffalo fries were kid of redundant with his burger. He liked the bits with more of the buffalo sauce on it. Also, the beef pepperoni chips were a disappointment. Pepperoni is already so amazing, frying it just looped it around to lame. Let’s just let pepperoni be pepperoni.
They have a paid lot in the back where they validate for an hour, but there is also some limited street parking and meter parking that we all opted for. They have nice bathrooms and a good amount of seating that’s appropriate for a lot of different sized parties. We were able to find a booth to seat us all, which is more rare than you might think.
They have fountain drinks (Coke products because Pepsi is never okay) and the food came out fast. Important to note that it’s in a good neighborhood and we didn’t need to fear for our lives (which may partially explain the lower ratings since danger = better flavor; at least according to Wayne).
There is also a candy shop attached to it, but you need to get someone to let you in.
I ask the members how much they would pay for their burgers. We would pay anywhere from $7.50 to $14. A lot of variance here. Apparently someone (*cough cough* Trev *cough cough*) forgot we live in LA.
Given that Wayne forgot to pick a place and choose this place in a panic, it was aight. I wouldn’t come back. The ratings: 3.1, 3.2, 3.5, 3.5, and 4.0.
Burger Crew Meeting called to order on Friday, June 20, 2025 at whatever time we got there (Burger Crew Does Salt Lake City).
Members in attendance: Angela d. (that’s me!), Sumana S., Trevor Y., Wayne T., Dennis, K. and Innie C.
Fancy burger crew guests: Will G. and Marissa G.
DK and Marissa weren’t feeling too fancy, so they opted for a single Plain Luxury – Hokkaido milk bun, custom beef blend patty with sharp American cheese and kewpie mayo ($6.50) with jalapenos on the side and the Blood Orange Beet salad – Fresh citrus, beets, feta, roasted pistachio, house pickled onions, house blush wine vinaigrette ($14 full). As we get older, we see the importance of having some fiber with our copious amounts of beef.
Trev and I split a double Classic – Hokkaido milk bun, custom beef blend patty, sharp American cheese, kewpie mayo, lettuce, and tomato ($10.90).
Innie, Wayne, Sumana, and Will also split a double Classic (with a side of jalapenos). Yes, you heard it right, 4 people splitting a single burger. To be fair, it was already the 3rd burger of the day and we still had all-you-can-eat at the Salt Lake City Bee’s game coming up.
You know what makes me feel fancy? Lace. And this burger was decked out in a beautiful smash patty lace that’s hard to find consistently at places that claim to have smash burgers. So Fancy delivered in that area. The crunchy edges were my favorite; I found myself eating around the edges, but unfortunately, there was just no pop of flavor from the beef. I really want to know I’m eating a cow instead of just inferring it.
The Hokkaido milk bun definitely sounded fancy. They were good, squishy, and slightly sweet. Our bun was falling apart at the bottom. Pro tip 💡unwrap your burger right away so it doesn’t get steamed and disintegrate your bottom bun.
Toppings? It was on the high end of the mayo spectrum (some liked it while others didn’t care for it). The tomato was cut thin (which I appreciated) and some mixed green salad on top. It didn’t add much to the burger (but Innie appreciated the texture it provided). The jalapenos are house made with capers and onions as well and pack a punch in terms of spice.
The salad was delicious and refreshing. It did feel very fancy with beets, blood oranges, and pistachios.
It looks like they used to have a brick and mortar online, but they are in the process of moving to a bigger location. So we had a privilege to eat from their fancy truck. Props to the chef who was toiling in a hot truck on a hot day to deliver these burgers. We ate under easy ups feeling not-so-fancy, but I’m sure once their new location is done, it will be great. Sumana noted that she didn’t get a receipt and had no opportunity to tip.
Since it was a food truck, there was no bathroom available, but I think the owner came by to check on us and allowed us to use the bathroom in the prom dress place (that they’re transforming into their new location). So he was super nice!
I ask the members how much they would pay for their burgers. We would pay anywhere from $11 to $13. So they are well priced burgers!
Very solid smashburger that had a bad luck of following Mosida Market Butcher Block. Had we not just eaten their burger (which was amazing, by the way), the ratings here would have likely been higher. Despite the heat and very unfancy location, we enjoyed these burgers very much. For those who will enjoy it in their new location, I’m sure you’ll have a great experience. The ratings: 3.7, 3.8, 3.8, 4.0, 4.0, and 4.4.
Next location for Burger Crew Does Salt Lake City: Copper Onion