It's time to talk about the best, most legendary burgers in Los Angeles. And not necessarily the ones you think.
We're talking about all the 'hood burgers that have nourished generations of families, workers, and students throughout multiple generations, enduring changes in tastes, society (and the occasional societal shutdown) to stand high above the tired arguments about In-N-Out vs. Shake Shack vs. Apple Pan.
What’s a ‘hood burger? All those Jims, Patras, Tom’s, Arry’s, Tommy’s, and any other old-timey names that illuminate famous corners in our respective neighborhoods. It could be greasy and dripping with cheese. It may be huge and barely kissed by the grill overflowing with shredded lettuce. It might be a carefully curated, tenderly treated masterpiece overseen by an ingenious neighborhood entrepreneur of famed repute with a hatred of frozen patties. And the serving of steak fries will always be stupidly generous.
The 'hood burger hits differently, especially in L.A., where there’s something special about driving through streets heavily filled with the aromatic scent of quarter-pound charbroiled cheeseburgers and freshly salted and unapologetically thick-cut steak fries. That primal scent has a way of setting off the most vivid sense of voracious hunger as you drive, walk, skate, or jog by.
If you grew up in Los Angeles, you undoubtedly have a soft spot for these delicious community beacons of salt and fat. Paired with chili cheese fries, a watery fountain drink, or Orange Bang, and greasy empty packets of ketchup that are either virtually never-ending or never enough. If you've recently moved here, you’ve probably walked by to check one out, and hopefully, you've tried a burger that genuinely represents Los Angeles' food culture.
It’s important to remember that these places have fed many inner-city families. When many areas of Los Angeles were classified as “food deserts,” those $19.99 family value packs of burgers and fries were feeding many mouths.