[dropcap size=big]T[/dropcap]here is no shortage of Tom’s, Thomas, and Tommy’s burger joints in Los Angeles that serve L.A.’s classic chili. The messy, filling, and the old-timey dish is emblematic of this city and has survived the test of time and food trends that come and go. But on the westside of L.A., there’s only one Tom whose chili reigns supreme, and that’s Big Tomy’s on the corner of Pico and Sawtelle Boulevards.
From the day it opened in 1982, customers in West L.A. have been staining their nails orange in their futile attempt to eat every glob of that rich brown soupy ambrosia as it spills over their fingers with each bite. The burger specialist fuels gardeners in the morning, desk jockeys on lunch break, kids after school, and bar hoppers needing to quell their alcohol-filled stomachs at 3 AM—alike.
After 35 years of nonstop 24-hour service, it came to a screeching stop on the morning of April 6th, 2018, when the kitchen caught fire. While the foundation survived, the beloved restaurant was forced to close. An “opening soon” sign hung on the boarded-up windows giving the neighborhood hope, but it never came soon, and the neighbors stayed waiting. “This town doesn’t feel the same without Big Tomy’s,” one Redditor posted a year later, “please reopen soon.”
The neighborhood waited two and a half years, but the “opening soon” sign finally came down, and the doors opened on October 15th of 2020. “I actually came here about a month ago,” a loyal customer tells L.A. Taco. “I was excited to see it finally fixed up, but it still wasn’t open yet. I hope it’s still good.” To his satisfaction, the chili burgers are just as indulging and as sloppy as he remembered them. “Man, I missed these,” said another customer on another afternoon.
In a neighborhood stricken by change, the corner burger shack was one of the few remaining landmarks of a wholly changed Sawtelle. With its back against the 405, the luxury apartment developments crept closer as the recently built metro line cut through the neighborhood. Traffic on that stretch of Sawtelle became almost impenetrable, and Little Osaka up the street developed into Japantown. For this neighborhood, the reopening of this burger joint meant more than just having a quick stop to get your lips dirty; it means a part of local culture and history would survive the embers of change.