The best burgers in Los Angeles, ranked: counters, smashburgers, and bar burgers

The best burgers in Los Angeles start at a 26-seat counter on West Pico that has been flipping Hickoryburgers since 1947, and the Apple Pan still beats every smashburger line in town. That’s the take. This ranking comes from eating the plain cheeseburger first at every stop, then the signature, and then arguing about it in the car. Every spot below was checked as open this month. That matters in a city where a pop-up can move twice before your next day off.

LA is the town that helped give the country the fast-food burger, the chili cheeseburger, and (if you believe a plaque in Pasadena) the cheeseburger itself. It’s also the town where a backyard pop-up can turn into a lunch line around the block in about six months. So this list does what the maps don’t: it ranks, it says why #3 beats #4, and it covers the burgers past the Westside, in Watts, North Long Beach, Gardena, and Pasadena.

How we ranked the best burgers in Los Angeles

Two rules. First, the plain cheeseburger test: if a place can’t make its simplest burger great, the truffle version doesn’t count. Second, the signature: the one burger a regular would order for you if you handed them your phone.

After that, we weigh three things:

• Could it only exist here? A burger with an LA backstory, an LA crowd, and an LA quirk beats a very good burger you could find in any city.
• Consistency. One great visit is a rumor. Three is a ranking.
• Worth the trip. Is it worth crossing the 10 at 5 p.m.? Some are. Most aren’t, and we’ll say so.

What we don’t do: rank on price (it changes, and we don’t print it), on decor, or on how good it looks in a reel. We also don’t rank places we can’t confirm are open. A few local legends sit outside the top 10 for exactly that reason, and they’re flagged below.

The 10 best burgers in Los Angeles, ranked

1. The Apple Pan (West LA)

10801 W Pico Blvd. One U-shaped counter, 26 stools, no tables, open since 1947. The Sherman family ran it for three generations and sold it in 2019; the longtime crew stayed, and so did the burger. Order: the Hickoryburger, with its smoky, slightly sweet hickory sauce, or the Steakburger if you’re a purist. Then a slice of pie, because the pie is half the point. Why it’s #1: #2 makes the best version of a style every city now has. The Apple Pan makes a burger that only exists on this corner. Insider: there’s no list and no host. You stand behind the stools and the counter crew keeps track of who’s next. Trust the system.

2. Burgers Never Say Die (Silver Lake)

2388 Glendale Blvd. Shawn Nee’s backyard pop-up turned into a permanent shop in February 2019, and it still makes the smashburger the rest of the city is chasing: thin patties pressed hard so the edges go crisp and lacy, American cheese, onions, pickles, ketchup, mustard. Order: the double. Why it’s #2: it’s the cleanest smash in LA, and it beats Father’s Office because it does more with less. Insider: there’s one location, full stop. Ignore anything online that says otherwise. It shares a patio with Silverlake Coffee, so the wait has a place to sit.

3. Father’s Office (Santa Monica and Culver City)

1018 Montana Ave in Santa Monica, plus the Helms Bakery building in Culver City. Chef Sang Yoon’s Office Burger is dry-aged beef, caramelized onions, Gruyère and Maytag blue, bacon compote, and arugula on a roll. The rules: no substitutions, no ketchup, and both locations are 21+. Why it’s #3: it defined LA’s bar-burger era and still sits at the top of it, but it’s one specific burger. If blue cheese isn’t your thing, there’s no workaround, and Burgers Never Say Die has no rules at all. Insider: Montana Ave is the original and the tighter room. Culver City gives you more space.

4. Hawkins House of Burgers (Watts)

11603 Slater St. The family roots go back to 1939, and the stand has been in its current building since 1982. Cynthia Hawkins, the founder’s youngest daughter, runs it. Order: the Whipper, a double patty stacked with pastrami and a hot link. Bring someone to split it with, or don’t plan on dinner. Why it’s #4: no burger in LA is more generous, and none means more to its neighborhood. It ranks under Father’s Office only because the Office Burger is the more precise piece of cooking. Insider: it’s a short drive from the Watts Towers. Do both.

5. Original Tommy’s (Beverly and Rampart)

The original stand on the northeast corner of Beverly Blvd and Rampart opened on May 15, 1946, and turned 80 this year. Order: the chili cheeseburger, with chili ladled onto the patty right in front of you. Why it’s #5: it’s the most LA burger on the list, and it’s not trying to be pretty. It sits below Hawkins because the burger underneath the chili is a supporting actor. Insider: there are Tommy’s all over Southern California. The original shack is the one to visit, and eating it standing up at the outdoor counter is the tradition.

6. Goldburger (Highland Park and Los Feliz)

5623 York Blvd in Highland Park and 1820 N Vermont Ave in Los Feliz. It started as a Silver Lake pop-up in 2019 and uses grass-fed, grass-finished California beef. Order: the Goldburger, a double smash with American cheese, garlic-mustard aioli, pickles, and grilled onions. In Los Feliz, the thicker Bar Burger is the move if you want a pub-style patty. Why it’s #6: it’s the second-best smash in town, and the garlic-mustard aioli is the best sauce on this list. It loses to Burgers Never Say Die by a hair on texture. Insider: the Chinatown location is closed. Stick to York and Vermont.

7. Hinano Cafe (Venice)

15 Washington Blvd, a block from the Venice Pier. Sawdust on the floor, pool tables, free popcorn, and a 21+ door. Order: the cheeseburger: a charred patty with mayo and yellow mustard on a sesame bun, served with chips and pickled peppers. Why it’s #7: it’s not the best burger on this list. It’s the best burger-and-afternoon on this list. It beats Everson Royce Bar because ERB is a great burger in a nice bar, and Hinano is a good burger in a perfect one. Insider: bring ID even if you look 50, and go after the beach, sandy feet and all.

8. Everson Royce Bar (Arts District)

1936 E 7th St. Chef Matt Molina’s Single Burger is prime chuck, Tillamook cheddar, dijonnaise, and pickles on an egg brioche bun. It’s simple, and it’s tuned like a piano. Why it’s #8: it’s the most balanced bar burger in the city, a little more polished than Hinano’s and a little less thrilling. Insider: the patio is the move on a warm night. The Single is the whole point, so don’t overthink the order.

9. StormBurger (North Long Beach and Inglewood)

5801 Cherry Ave, in a former fast-food chain drive-thru at Cherry and South Street, opened March 10, 2026. The original is at 1500 N La Brea Ave in Inglewood. The beef comes from Rocker Bros., an Inglewood butcher, as a chuck, brisket, and steak-trim blend, and the buns come from Cadoro Bakery. Order: the Double Classic StormBurger and the hand-breaded onion rings. Why it’s #9: it’s the best new burger in LA County this year, and it’s doing something nobody else is: taking over empty drive-thrus and putting a real burger in them. It’s below ERB because it’s still young; ask again next fall. Insider: it’s a drive-thru and walk-up with almost no seating. Eat in the car like it’s 1958.

10. Proudly Serving (Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, and Long Beach)

110 2nd St in Hermosa, Riviera Village in Redondo, and Marina Pacifica in Long Beach (opened March 2026). Matt McIvor started it as a pandemic driveway pop-up that the neighborhood nicknamed “Burger Alley,” and the PS Burger went through 13 versions before he settled on this one. Order: the PS Burger, a double with deconstructed Thousand Island and pickles. Why it’s #10: it’s the best burger in the South Bay, and it makes the top 10 over the honorable mentions because three locations now hold the same standard. Insider: the duck-fat chili cheese fries are the side to fight over.

Not ranked, and why: Horses in Hollywood closed at the end of 2025. It has announced a return on the Sunset Strip, with no date or address yet. Bill’s Burgers in Van Nuys, where Bill Elwell worked the flattop from 1965 until he died in July 2025 at 98, has an uncertain future. Call before you drive.

Old-school burger counters that still hold up

LA’s burger story is mostly written at counters, and several of the originals are still flipping. These didn’t make the top 10, but each one is worth a detour if you’re nearby.

Pie ‘n Burger (Pasadena)

913 E California Blvd, since 1963. It has the original Formica counters and wood paneling, and owner Michael Osborne started as a cook there in 1972. Honest take: the burger, with house Thousand Island, is a solid diner burger. The pie is why you came. Get both and you’ll understand the name.

Connal’s (Pasadena)

1531 E Washington Blvd, since 1958. A sidewalk window, a short menu, and a Classic Double that gets better reviews than Pie ‘n Burger’s these days. If you’re doing a Pasadena burger day, start here and end with pie on California Blvd.

Marty’s Hamburger Stand (Cheviot Hills)

10558 W Pico Blvd, a baby-blue shack between a fire station and a gas station, flipping since the ’50s. Order: the combo, a beef patty topped with a split, griddled Vienna Beef hot dog. It sounds like a dare and eats like a classic. It’s a few blocks from the Apple Pan, if you’re feeling brave.

Cassell’s Hamburgers (Koreatown)

At the Hotel Normandie, at 6th and Normandie. The original Cassell’s dates to the 1940s and closed in 2012. The hotel team brought it back in the mid-2010s using the original recipes. It’s a proper diner patty with a proper diner room.

Irv’s Burgers (West Hollywood, Mid-City, and Malibu)

Irv’s opened in 1946 as Queen’s Burgers on Santa Monica Blvd, which was part of Route 66 on its way to the Santa Monica Pier. Irv Gendis bought it in 1970. You’ll find it today at 7998 Santa Monica Blvd, 1000 S La Brea Ave, and the Malibu Country Mart. It’s a straightforward griddle burger with a lot of history behind it.

The smashburger wave: which lines are worth it

Since about 2019, LA’s burger energy has come from parking lots, backyards, and tents: thin patties smashed on a flat-top until the edges crisp. Burgers Never Say Die and Goldburger lead this wave from the top 10. Here’s how the rest shake out.

Worth the line

• Ban Ban Burger (Sawtelle), 1644 Sawtelle Blvd. The Thai smash from the Tuk Tuk Thai sisters, opened in 2024. Order: the Grapow Smash with a fried egg, plus a Thai tea shake. It’s the most original burger on the Westside right now.
• Yellow Paper Burger (Eagle Rock), 1740 Colorado Blvd. A 2019 pop-up that went brick-and-mortar in January 2025. The smash comes with chopped yellow chiles, iceberg, raw onion, and tomato, wrapped in its namesake yellow paper. The patio is dog-friendly.
• Burger She Wrote (Fairfax, Sherman Oaks, and Brentwood). Pro skater Don “Nuge” Nguyen’s Oklahoma burger, with onions pressed right into the patty, is a nod to his Oklahoma roots. The Brentwood shop at 11686 San Vicente Blvd just opened, and Venice has closed.
• Love Hour (Koreatown), 532 S Western Ave. It went from pop-up to Smorgasburg stand to a Koreatown bar, and the Liu’s Cafe team took it over and renovated it in 2026. The double smash is still the reason to go. It turns 21+ late at night.

Good, but don’t cross town for it

• HiHo Cheeseburger has six locations now, including Pasadena (opened December 2025) and Calabasas. It uses grass-fed New Zealand Wagyu. The Pastrami Heat double is the order. It’s reliable and polished, and the closest thing on this list to a chain.
• Heavy Handed (Santa Monica and Studio City) makes a short-rib smash and fries cooked in beef tallow. It started as a Mar Vista driveway pop-up in 2020. The Silver Lake location has closed.
• Amboy (Chinatown and West Covina). Alvin Cailan’s counter in Far East Plaza, plus a stall inside Haven City Market in West Covina. Get the DH Burger.
• Easy Street Burgers (Studio City), 4143 Lankershim Blvd. It started in 2020 as a tent in an East Hollywood parking lot. It’s good. The line is mostly the internet’s doing.
• The Win~Dow (Venice), the walk-up at 425 Rose Ave, does a classic smash cheeseburger without the wait.

Pop-ups and young smash shops move constantly. Check a spot’s Instagram the day you go.

Beyond the Westside: Long Beach, the South Bay, South LA, and the SGV

Most “best burgers in Los Angeles” lists quit at the 405. LA County doesn’t.

Long Beach

StormBurger on Cherry Ave made the top 10, and Proudly Serving’s Marina Pacifica shop is open too. The burger with the best view in the county is Grill ‘Em All, at 5411 E Ocean Blvd in Belmont Shore, right on the sand. Matt Chernus’s truck won the first season of Food Network’s The Great Food Truck Race in 2010, and the Long Beach Dirtbag chili burger is the order. For something old-school, Dave’s Burgers at 3396 Atlantic Ave tops its Cubby Burger with hot dog slices, and The Win~Dow has a second window at 4600 E 2nd St. If you’re doing a Long Beach burger day, our Long Beach International City Flag T-Shirt puts the city’s gold shell and Pacific blue on a shirt that can handle a little chili.

The South Bay

• Ercole’s, 1101 Manhattan Ave, Manhattan Beach. A dive bar since the late 1920s that serves a char-grilled burger made with beef from Manhattan Meat Market next door.
• Pit Burger, 16602 S Normandie Ave, Gardena. A 1960s stand whose teriyaki burger is char-grilled teriyaki beef rather than a patty. It’s a Gardena original and nothing like anything else on this list.
• Proudly Serving in Hermosa and Redondo (see #10).

South LA

Hawkins in Watts is the anchor (see #4). South LA is also where Lovie Yancey opened Mr. Fatburger on Western Ave in 1947, five years before she bought out her partners and dropped the “Mr.”

Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valley

Connal’s and Pie ‘n Burger are covered above. While you’re there, find the sidewalk marker at 1500 W Colorado Blvd. Pasadena’s plaque credits 16-year-old Lionel Sternberger at the Rite Spot with putting cheese on a hamburger in 1924. Louisville and Denver both dispute it, and the evidence is an undated menu, but it’s Pasadena’s plaque and Pasadena’s story. Out east, Amboy’s West Covina stall is the SGV’s best smash.

Bar burgers and the no-substitutions crowd

Father’s Office and Everson Royce Bar hold this category in the top 10. These are the sit-down burgers that come closest.

• Hermon’s (Hermon), 5800 Monterey Rd. It’s new (it opened in late November 2025 in a former church banquet hall) and already in the conversation. Chef DK Kolender’s Ode to Chez Cheeseburger has soubise fondue, bordelaise onions, and Dijon on a sesame milk bun. He calls it “a burger with three sauces.” Reservations are hard to get, so aim for the 18-seat walk-in bar.
• Petit Trois (Hollywood and Sherman Oaks). Ludovic Lefebvre’s Le Big Mec is a French bistro’s answer to a drive-thru double. It’s rich enough to need a nap. The Valley location on Ventura Blvd is the easier table.
• Hojokban (Arts District), 734 E 3rd St. A Seoul import whose happy-hour-only burger comes as a short-rib patty in a skillet of cheddar mornay with gochujang aioli. Check the happy-hour schedule before you go; the burger isn’t on the regular menu.
• Blair’s (Silver Lake and Eagle Rock). Family-owned since 2003. A cheeseburger with caramelized onions and garlic fries, currently on the happy-hour menu.

The chain question, answered honestly

Visitors always ask, so here’s the straight answer. In-N-Out opened on October 22, 1948, in Baldwin Park, started by Harry and Esther Snyder. It’s the best chain burger in California, and it’s not especially close. A Double-Double at 11 p.m. after LAX is a real California experience, and nobody should be snobby about it.

But it’s not the best burger in Los Angeles, and most locals will tell you the same thing: it’s the burger you eat when every place on this list is closed. Every burger in our top 10 beats it, because each one is doing something the assembly line can’t. Think hickory sauce at the Apple Pan, pastrami and a hot link at Hawkins, or lacy edges at Burgers Never Say Die.

The rest of the chain conversation, quickly:

• Original Tommy’s has many locations, but go to the 1946 original at Beverly and Rampart (#5).
• Fatburger started in South LA in 1947. It’s fine, and the history is better than the burger.
• Fast food itself has Southern California roots. The McDonald brothers’ father opened a food stand on Route 66 in Monrovia in 1937, and the brothers moved it to San Bernardino in 1940. The rest is history, and some of it is in our Route 66 in California guide.

Lines, parking, and when to go

• Go mid-afternoon on a weekday. Lines at the smash shops peak at weekend lunch and after 7 p.m. At 3 p.m. on a Tuesday, most of the top 10 is a walk-up.
• Bring ID. Father’s Office (both locations) and Hinano Cafe are 21+, and Love Hour goes 21+ late. No ID means no burger, even if you’re with your parents.
• Counters have their own etiquette. At the Apple Pan, stand behind the stools and let the crew seat you. At Original Tommy’s, you order at the window and eat at the outdoor counter.
• Drive-thrus are a feature. StormBurger on Cherry Ave is built for the car. Eat in the lot and save the rings for the drive home (they won’t make it).
• Check before you go. We don’t print hours or prices because they change. Smash shops open and close locations often: this year alone, Goldburger closed Chinatown, Burger She Wrote closed Venice, and Heavy Handed closed Silver Lake. Instagram is the fastest way to confirm.
• Plan by neighborhood. Here are some easy pairings. Apple Pan and Marty’s on Pico. Burgers Never Say Die and Goldburger Los Feliz on the Eastside. Hawkins, then the Watts Towers. Grill ‘Em All, then a walk on the Belmont Shore sand. For a taco chaser, our best tacos in Los Angeles ranking maps nicely onto the Eastside half of this list.

Best burgers in Los Angeles: quick answers

What is the best burger in LA?

The Hickoryburger at the Apple Pan on West Pico. For a smashburger, it’s the double at Burgers Never Say Die in Silver Lake. For a sit-down bar burger, it’s the Office Burger at Father’s Office.

Which burger chain in California has the best burger?

In-N-Out, founded in Baldwin Park in 1948. It’s the best chain burger in the state, but every burger in our top 10 beats it.

What is the famous burger place from California?

In-N-Out is the most famous. In LA itself, the famous names are the Apple Pan (1947), Original Tommy’s (1946, the chili cheeseburger), and Fatburger (1947). McDonald’s also traces back to Southern California, to Monrovia and then San Bernardino.

Was the cheeseburger invented in Los Angeles?

Pasadena says so. A plaque at 1500 W Colorado Blvd credits Lionel Sternberger at the Rite Spot in 1924. Louisville and Denver have rival claims.

Where is the best burger in Long Beach?

StormBurger on Cherry Ave for a drive-thru double, Grill ‘Em All in Belmont Shore for a burger on the sand, and Proudly Serving at Marina Pacifica for a smash.

If you only eat one burger in LA

Go to the Apple Pan. Take a stool at the counter and order the Hickoryburger and a slice of pie. Watch the crew work a room that hasn’t needed to change much since 1947. Then, next weekend, go to Burgers Never Say Die and see how far LA has come in the last few years. Both are the best burgers in Los Angeles, in different eras of the same city.

Got a stand we missed? There’s always one. If it’s in Long Beach, the San Fernando Valley, or the SGV, we especially want to hear about it.