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A cut slice of a juicy burger with a yellow cheese top and toasted bun from Here’s Looking at You in Koreatown, Los Angeles.
The happy hour burger at Here’s Looking at You.
Jessica Torres

9 of the Hottest Burgers in LA Right Now

From a late-night happy hour stunner to a brunch-only French option northeast of Downtown

by Farley Elliott Updated
28 comments / new
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The happy hour burger at Here’s Looking at You.
| Jessica Torres
by Farley Elliott Updated
28 comments / new

Hamburgers may very well be the quintessential food of Southern California. The combination of ground beef (or, more recently, plant-based alternatives) and bun is so deeply entrenched in Los Angeles’s dining culture that there’s always a new creation to taste in and around the city. Upscale spots, takeaway joints, and street pop-ups all love to sell burgers to eager audiences, at all price points, and in all formats.

Here now are nine of the hottest newer burgers to know about around Los Angeles, from a Sunset Strip happy hour steal to what may be (already) one of the best burgers in Los Angeles, thanks in no small part to an au poivre-infused mayonnaise. And remember: All of these spots are relatively new on the scene. Anyone looking for legacy burger picks and longtime staples that have come to shape the region’s burger ecosystem over time can check out Eater’s list of essential LA burgers here.

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Heavy Handed

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From pop-up to truck to permanent location, the Heavy Handed team just keeps on growing. Their latest space right on Main Street in Santa Monica is a colorful funhouse filled with heavily-seared beef and loaded beef tallow fries. This is the Westside burger spot that everyone’s been talking about, and for very good reason.

2912 Main St, Santa Monica, CA 90405
A cheeseburger topped with pickles, sauce, and caramelized onions from Heavy Handed.
Heavy Handed.
Wonho Frank Lee

Also featured in:

Coucou

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The burger Americaine at Venice’s new CouCou is already a hit, thanks to a thick wagyu beef patty and lots of grilled red onion. There’s a cognac-based sauce that makes the whole thing about as decadent as the famous Big Mec from Trois Mec, except here, it’s served in what may be the newest cool-kid hangout on the Westside, complete with afternoon sunlight streaming in through tall front windows.

218 Main St, Venice, CA 90291
A tall pub-style burger with dripping white sauce on a large bun with pickles on top, at a restaurant.
The Burger Americaine.
Nick Walker Studio

Also featured in:

Tiny's Hi-Dive

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The former Arsenal in West LA has been turned into an approachable dive bar called Tiny’s Hi-Dive with plenty of tasty food options, like an Italian beef sandwich, hot dogs, cheesesteaks, and a tasty smashburger. All the prices hover around $10, so it’s clear the place isn’t trying to get in with the hipsters or cool kids chasing social media likes. Tiny’s certainly conjures a lot of the better-than-it-should-be vibes of The Bear, but locals will just appreciate a well-griddled burger with oozy American cheese and a side of crisp fries done Animal-style.

12012 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064
(424) 248-3657
(424) 248-3657
A plaid tray with a burger and sauced fries, at night.
Tiny’s Hi-Dive’s burger.
Matthew Kang

Also featured in:

Charcoal Sunset

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Josiah Citrin is on the move again. The longtime LA chef opened the Sunset Strip outlet of his Westside dinner spot Charcoal in mid-July, meaning West Hollywood and adjacent diners can now score this $12 happy hour option with white American cheese and caramelized onions.

9000 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069
(424) 288-4671
(424) 288-4671
A close up side shot of a cooked burger with melted cheese and toppings at the bottom, against a black background, at restaurant Charcoal.
Charcoal’s burger.
Wonho Frank Lee

Trophies Burger Club

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There’s something about simplicity done right (especially in the ongoing LA burger wars) that just stands out. At Trophies Burger Club on Fairfax, chef Geo Delgado channels a career spent cooking burgers at places like ERB, Here & Now, Burgers 99, and Goldburger to make maximum-flavor, minimum-fuss burgers that just taste like pure LA.

519 N Fairfax Ave, West Hollywood, CA 90048
A hand holds a two-pattied cheeseburger with pickles and cheese at daytime.
Trophies Burger Club.
Farley Elliott

Here's Looking at You

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Who doesn’t love a reverse happy hour? The new late-evening menu at Koreatown’s Here’s Looking at You features what may be the best new burger in the city, thanks to its dry-aged beef and au poivre-infused mayo and crispy little onion strips. It’s a beast of a thing to eat, and a relative steal at $16, given its heft.

3901 W 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90020
(213) 568-3289
(213) 568-3289
A cut slice of a juicy burger with a yellow cheese top and toasted bun from Here’s Looking at You in Koreatown, Los Angeles.
The happy hour burger at Here’s Looking at You.
Jessica Torres

Also featured in:

Lingua Franca

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English muffins make for rare buns on LA burgers, but the combination is not entirely unheard of. At Lingua Franca the unique combo is possible only because the team makes its buns in-house, allowing for a pliability to the bread that would be hard to find with sturdier store-bought stuff. The result is a burger that feels simple in its arrangement but that is deeply complex thanks to black pepper mayo, burnt onions, and a rich black garlic sherry brown butter.

Los Angeles, CA 90039

Burgerlords

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While not new, precisely, there is recently something very intriguing going on at the Highland Park location of longtime LA staple Burgerlords. Just as in Chinatown, this larger location has returned to serving beef burgers in addition to its housemade vegetarian patties. The move means that fans can once again get one of LA’s best beef burgers daily, along with tahini shakes, weekend breakfast burritos, and more.

110 N Ave 56, Los Angeles, CA 90042

Also featured in:

Perle

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Would it really be a French burger without a bit of frisee and pickle? That’s the classic move done for brunch at Perle in Pasadena, where an eight-ounce patty also comes with cantal cheese, tomato compote, and horseradish aioli. Pommes frites included, of course.

43 Union St, Pasadena, CA 91103
(626) 460-8819
(626) 460-8819

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Heavy Handed

2912 Main St, Santa Monica, CA 90405

From pop-up to truck to permanent location, the Heavy Handed team just keeps on growing. Their latest space right on Main Street in Santa Monica is a colorful funhouse filled with heavily-seared beef and loaded beef tallow fries. This is the Westside burger spot that everyone’s been talking about, and for very good reason.

2912 Main St, Santa Monica, CA 90405
A cheeseburger topped with pickles, sauce, and caramelized onions from Heavy Handed.
Heavy Handed.
Wonho Frank Lee

Coucou

218 Main St, Venice, CA 90291

The burger Americaine at Venice’s new CouCou is already a hit, thanks to a thick wagyu beef patty and lots of grilled red onion. There’s a cognac-based sauce that makes the whole thing about as decadent as the famous Big Mec from Trois Mec, except here, it’s served in what may be the newest cool-kid hangout on the Westside, complete with afternoon sunlight streaming in through tall front windows.

218 Main St, Venice, CA 90291
A tall pub-style burger with dripping white sauce on a large bun with pickles on top, at a restaurant.
The Burger Americaine.
Nick Walker Studio

Tiny's Hi-Dive

12012 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064

The former Arsenal in West LA has been turned into an approachable dive bar called Tiny’s Hi-Dive with plenty of tasty food options, like an Italian beef sandwich, hot dogs, cheesesteaks, and a tasty smashburger. All the prices hover around $10, so it’s clear the place isn’t trying to get in with the hipsters or cool kids chasing social media likes. Tiny’s certainly conjures a lot of the better-than-it-should-be vibes of The Bear, but locals will just appreciate a well-griddled burger with oozy American cheese and a side of crisp fries done Animal-style.

12012 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064
(424) 248-3657
(424) 248-3657
A plaid tray with a burger and sauced fries, at night.
Tiny’s Hi-Dive’s burger.
Matthew Kang

Charcoal Sunset

9000 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069

Josiah Citrin is on the move again. The longtime LA chef opened the Sunset Strip outlet of his Westside dinner spot Charcoal in mid-July, meaning West Hollywood and adjacent diners can now score this $12 happy hour option with white American cheese and caramelized onions.

9000 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069
(424) 288-4671
(424) 288-4671
A close up side shot of a cooked burger with melted cheese and toppings at the bottom, against a black background, at restaurant Charcoal.
Charcoal’s burger.
Wonho Frank Lee

Trophies Burger Club

519 N Fairfax Ave, West Hollywood, CA 90048

There’s something about simplicity done right (especially in the ongoing LA burger wars) that just stands out. At Trophies Burger Club on Fairfax, chef Geo Delgado channels a career spent cooking burgers at places like ERB, Here & Now, Burgers 99, and Goldburger to make maximum-flavor, minimum-fuss burgers that just taste like pure LA.

519 N Fairfax Ave, West Hollywood, CA 90048
A hand holds a two-pattied cheeseburger with pickles and cheese at daytime.
Trophies Burger Club.
Farley Elliott

Here's Looking at You

3901 W 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90020

Who doesn’t love a reverse happy hour? The new late-evening menu at Koreatown’s Here’s Looking at You features what may be the best new burger in the city, thanks to its dry-aged beef and au poivre-infused mayo and crispy little onion strips. It’s a beast of a thing to eat, and a relative steal at $16, given its heft.

3901 W 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90020
(213) 568-3289
(213) 568-3289
A cut slice of a juicy burger with a yellow cheese top and toasted bun from Here’s Looking at You in Koreatown, Los Angeles.
The happy hour burger at Here’s Looking at You.
Jessica Torres

Lingua Franca

Los Angeles, CA 90039

English muffins make for rare buns on LA burgers, but the combination is not entirely unheard of. At Lingua Franca the unique combo is possible only because the team makes its buns in-house, allowing for a pliability to the bread that would be hard to find with sturdier store-bought stuff. The result is a burger that feels simple in its arrangement but that is deeply complex thanks to black pepper mayo, burnt onions, and a rich black garlic sherry brown butter.

Los Angeles, CA 90039

Burgerlords

110 N Ave 56, Los Angeles, CA 90042

While not new, precisely, there is recently something very intriguing going on at the Highland Park location of longtime LA staple Burgerlords. Just as in Chinatown, this larger location has returned to serving beef burgers in addition to its housemade vegetarian patties. The move means that fans can once again get one of LA’s best beef burgers daily, along with tahini shakes, weekend breakfast burritos, and more.

110 N Ave 56, Los Angeles, CA 90042

Perle

43 Union St, Pasadena, CA 91103

Would it really be a French burger without a bit of frisee and pickle? That’s the classic move done for brunch at Perle in Pasadena, where an eight-ounce patty also comes with cantal cheese, tomato compote, and horseradish aioli. Pommes frites included, of course.

43 Union St, Pasadena, CA 91103
(626) 460-8819
(626) 460-8819

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