West Hollywood’s Most Iconic Burger Restaurant Will Close Forever This Week

It’s a cruel fate for one of LA’s most iconic burger restaurants. Irv’s Burgers, which lived for decades in a tiny West Hollywood stand only to move four years ago to a larger but less interesting space, is closing forever this weekend. Just a few months ago Irv’s started a GoFundMe campaign to save the restaurant only to pull it down and remove any mention of it from their social media. And now the burger joint’s Instagram is filled with ads trying to sell a lot of the kitchen equipment. This Is West Hollywood, a local online publication, is reporting that Saturday will be Irvs’ last day of business, with a rent hike to blame for the closure.

The longtime Route 66 stand first opened in 1946 as a place called Queenie’s until Irv Gendis took over in 1970 to make it his namesake spot. After 30 years, Gendis sold the business to Sonia Hong, who purchased it in 2000. Hong was famous for making adorable doodles onto the paper plates, with each drawing reflecting the customer who made the order and a note of “just for you” That special touch, plus well made roadside burgers, were what endeared Irv’s to the West Hollywood and greatest LA dining community. Co-owner Sean Hong died last year from complications following a stroke.

In 2013, Irv’s was forced to move to its current location, and that stand, which was designated an historical landmark to save it from demolition, is now part of Conservatory.

Anyone who wants a final taste of Irv’s Burgers before it shutters will have this week (minus Thanksgiving Day, most likely) to get to their West Hollywood location. It’s a little slice that LA burger history that this city will never have again.

Irv’s Burgers. 7998 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, CA.

All Irv’s Burgers Coverage [ELA]