The Brothers Behind Badmaash Take LA’s Nostalgia Burger Obsession to La Brea

A throwback burger spot is coming to La Brea’s bustling restaurant row early next year, thanks to the always-busy team behind Badmaash in Downtown and on Fairfax.

The upcoming Burgers 99 lands just doors down from Sycamore Kitchen, and right next door to casual cafe Neighborhood, in the same redone Spanish stucco building that looks out onto the boulevard. The restaurant has quite a ways to go between now and opening, but the Mahendro brothers Nakul and Arjun are already scheming up some rather unique ways to tell their story. Chef Geovanny Delgado, who most recently made waves with his burger at Arts District bar Here & Now, is onboard to oversee the place as both chef and partner.

Burgers 99 is meant to be a classic sort of burger spot, but not from the In-N-Out nostalgia era. Instead, as the name hints, the place will focus on a retro-cool ‘90s appeal, offering burger combos, just the right amount of neon, and a family-friendly appeal, including the possibility of branded toys, coloring mats, and other small details down the line. For the adults there will also be beer and wine, along with a bunch of patio space tucked into the back of the building for lounging on weekends, possibly even with a mellow DJ or other live music. But ultimately, as the restaurant’s new slogan says, Burgers 99 is for the kids.

The upcoming Burgers 99 won’t be the first local burger operator looking to throw it back to a different time. Burgerlords, which started as a fan Tumblr account before coming to life as an actual restaurant, has been paring things back to basics since basically day one, and recent Food & Wine Burger Throwdown winner Goldburger also carries a retro appeal. Expect Burgers 99 to open sometime in 2020.

Burgers 99. 131 S. La Brea, Los Angeles, CA.

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