Smoke choked the foothills. It wasn't night yet, but the sky had gone black.
Christy Lee gripped the steering wheel with both hands as she crept down the familiar road, dodging fallen branches and smoldering debris. Her family’s house was gone—a generation of memories and shelter razed by fire in mere moments. She stared at the scorched frame, the collapsed roof, the ghost of her life in embers.
Christy sat frozen, hands trembling on the steering wheel, ash drifting like snow across the windshield. And then, through the dark, swirling smoke, a shape poked through like daybreak after a long, desperate night. The back house was still standing.
She let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. For the first time since the fire started, something in her chest loosened. Hope.
“It was crazy,” she tells me. “Then I decided to go check on the family business.”
That was January 9, 2025, two days after the unprecedented Eaton Fire swept through Altadena. Christy headed south toward Fair Oaks Avenue, the formerly bustling commercial hub where her family’s decades-old burger joint stood.
At first, she thought there was no way the restaurant could survive. Still, she had to know. Her parents opened Fair Oaks Burger in 1987, and since then, it has transformed from a drive-thru fast food burger stop into an eclectic dinner serving a mix of the San Gabriel Valley’s dominant cuisines like fish tacos and grilled tiger shrimp.
She passed what used to be a clothing shop. A community theater. A pizza shop. Gone.
And then, she saw it. Fair Oaks Burger, still standing.
“I knew right away that we had to reopen,” she says. “There was no way we weren’t coming back.”
It took almost five months after the Eaton Fire to reopen. But now, Fair Oaks Burger isn’t just the Lee family business; it’s quickly become the new town square of Altadena.
“It took us six weeks just to serve lunch,” Christy says, in between taking orders from the drive-thru, over the phone, and the restaurant’s counter service. “Then people kept asking if we could stay open later so they could grab dinner after work. I had to bring in a whole new shift. But we made it happen.”
Despite the relative quiet of Altadena today, there is definitely a lot happening at Fair Oaks Burger. Let’s start with the regular menu. It’s anchored by a delicious hamburger stuffed with avocado, bacon, cheese, and jalapeños. Beyond that signature burger, the menu stretches across American, Mexican, and Chinese fare—a reflection of Altadena’s rich cultural mix.
“We started off as mostly burgers,” Christy says. “But you know, back then it was the 80s, and my parents were Asian, so people were like, ‘Well, can you make chop suey?’ And my parents said, ‘Sure.’ Then it became, ‘Can you make us a burrito?’ and we were like, ‘Alright.’ It just kind of grew to this.”
On the sandwich front, you'll find everything from a club and BLTA, to a Philly cheesesteak or pastrami on a French roll, with options like grilled turkey, tuna melts, and pesto chicken sandwiches rounding out the lineup. The taco and burrito selection is equally varied, with chicken or carne asada tacos, fish or shrimp tacos, veggie potato or zucchini tacos, and saucy burritos, served wet, with red or green sauce.
For fans of Chinese-style bowls, there are options with grilled tiger shrimp, spicy chicken, charbroiled chicken, and beef, plus a vegetarian one, all served over rice or chow mein noodles with a house-made teriyaki sauce, with spice adjustable on request.
Breakfast lovers can roll in early for plates like steak and eggs, omelettes, burritos, pancakes, French toast, or waffles served with sides like grits, toast, and hash browns.
In short, Fair Oaks Burger may have started with a single burger and drive‑thru window in 1987, but today it offers something for nearly every craving and every community member returning to Altadena.
“I hope my neighbors move back, even if it’s just trailers on their property,” she says. “Right now, it’s just me and the coyotes … and all the birds. There’s not a single soul around me.”
“It’s always kind of been a food desert, but now there’s really nothing around here,” Christy says. “So it’s nice to have a wide variety … Mexican, Asian, burgers, grilled cheese for kids—something for everyone.”
There’s also a secret menu inspired by muralist Robert Vargas and a chef special that her sister Janet switches up every week.
“Last week we had ropa vieja, right now we have the Thai chicken curry,” she explains. “My sister likes to try new things. And whatever the people respond to sometimes sticks around and becomes a part of the menu.”
Despite Christy’s cheery attitude, there’s definitely a weariness as she looks around the block where all her neighboring businesses once stood. It’s especially hard when she heads back to the little back house that survived the fire.
“I hope my neighbors move back, even if it’s just trailers on their property,” she says. “Right now, it’s just me and the coyotes … and all the birds. There’s not a single soul around me.”
The fire had left over 9,000 structures damaged or destroyed, including entire blocks surrounding Fair Oaks Avenue. The once-thriving corridor had become a ghost strip: the dry cleaner, gone. The fencing company, gone. The community theater—Public Displays of Altadena—reduced to ash.
Homes. Trees. Churches. All of it scorched.
But somehow, Fair Oaks Burger endured. And now, it’s more than a burger joint. It’s a gathering place. A bulletin board. A staging ground. A comfort station.
“This community is our family,” Christy says. “My parents have known some of our customers since their grandmas used to come here. It’s generational. That’s why Altadena is so special. People stay.”
The people are still coming, even if their homes aren’t ready yet. One recent customer drove from Alhambra just to grab a bag of food and say thank you.
“She told us, ‘I’m just so happy you’re back. So happy you’re still standing,’” Christy recalls.
When the smoke cleared, Fair Oaks Burger quickly turned its parking lot into a hub for free meal distribution and aid. They partnered with World Central Kitchen and local volunteers to serve hot food, organize clothing drives, and support evacuees.
“I think we’ve always wanted to serve the community,” Christy says. “And now we’re kind of the only thing left standing, at least on this block. So it makes sense that people see us as kind of a central hub.”
“We’re not just here to feed people,” Christy says. “We’re here to remind them they still have a place to come back to.”
Longtime customer Manuel Montano, who’s lived in Altadena for 16 years, calls it an “anchor business.”
“When the fires happened,” he tells me, “They were generous. They opened up for donations, charity activities, and food drives. Since they’ve reopened, we’re regulars again. Once or twice a week. It felt like one more piece of our Altadena is back.”
He pauses before adding: “Because they’re not all going to come back. It’s going to be a different Altadena. So we’ve got to hang on to the treasures.”
The view from Fair Oaks Burger is stunning these days—but not in the way you’d want. With the neighboring buildings leveled, the San Gabriel Mountains stretch out in unobstructed clarity.
“It’s beautiful,” Christy says, “But eerie too.”
She gestures across the street.
“That used to be a tattoo shop. A pizza spot. A corner store. All gone now.”
So much is gone. But not everything.
Vargas, the artist who inspired the secret menu here, recently painted a mural of a little girl picking a California poppy. Her shirt is intercut with scenes from Altadena's history. It’s a tribute to the past and the present resilience of the people who refused to leave.
But more than that, it’s a sign: Something is still here.
“We’re not just here to feed people,” Christy says. “We’re here to remind them they still have a place to come back to.”
Fair Oaks Burger ~ 2560 Fair Oaks Ave. Altadena, CA 91001
