One of LA’s Most Famous Burgers Expands With New Retro-Cool Stand on La Brea

There’s always room for more cheeseburgers in Los Angeles — especially ones as iconic as Irv’s Burgers, the beloved West Hollywood restaurant that has endured evictions, closures, and renewal over its 76 years. Now co-owner Sonia Hong is in expansion mode, settling into a familiar corner restaurant space right on a busy stretch of La Brea Avenue.

Next month, Irv’s Burgers will take up residence inside the former Top Round at Olympic and La Brea (which closed a few months back), returning that space to its roots as a simple, commuter-friendly burger stand. It’s a small space at just over 1,000 square feet, but has all of the expected details already in place, from the easy outdoor seating and standing counters to a serving window for Hong to work her magic, making customers smile with her beloved paper plate doodles.

The address at 1000 S. La Brea Avenue has been many things over the years, including a previous restaurant called Pop’s Burgers more than half a century ago, so the ability to flip the space to a second Irv’s location just made sense for Hong and partner Lawrence Longo (Off the Menu, Prince St. Pizza). The pair, along with chef Armen Piskoulian (Oui Melrose) is keeping things simple with this new outlet, serving the existing Irv’s menu that includes the signature Just For You burger, a double burger, plus a hot dog, chili cheese fries, and milkshakes. Once up and running, the food will also be available for delivery via Postmates and UberEats.

Hong and Longo have pegged March 3 as the opening date for Irv’s Burgers La Brea. This is the second location in less than a year for the group, after several years of the historic Route 66 brand being dark. Hong formally closed Irv’s back in 2018 after years of working out of a secondary location that was not the original stand, having lost that first space in a fight with landlords over historic landmark designations and redevelopment. Now the future is bright once again for Hong and Irv’s, one of LA’s most beloved burger pairs.