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 long-awaited arrival in Historic Filipinotown to a new all-day player in West Adams.
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9 of the Hottest Burgers in LA Right Now
From bistro burger decadence to smashburger royalty at Grand Central Market

Oy Bar
This mellow Valley bar is hiding one of LA’s best burgers — and the burger may not even be the best thing to get at Oy Bar. Seriously, this cool hangout in Studio City is an incredible mix of dive-bar realness and menu decadence, with a burger that combines a big patty with lots of cheese, plenty of crunch, and just the right amount of bracing pickle-y features.
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Mr. T
Another French bistro-ish burger take has landed in LA, this time at Mr. T on Sycamore Avenue. The Paris burger comes with a puree of charred eggplant atop a wagyu beef patty — and plenty of fries, obviously.
Trophies Burger Club
There’s something about simplicity done right (especially in the ongoing LA burger wars) that just stands out. At the new 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.
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Moo's Craft Barbecue
The beef is smoked (as is all the meat) at Moo’s Craft Barbecue in Lincoln Heights — it’s just that, for their much-loved burger, it’s also ground, formed into a patty, and served thick on a spongey bun with bracing raw onions. This is a pub-style burger for fans sick of the smashed stuff.
Vaka Burger
After years of waiting, Vaka Burger has finally made it official in Historic Filipinotown. This Beverly Boulevard newcomer has only been open for a few weeks but word is already out thanks to the team’s griddled-but-not-smashed burgers and one-of-a-kind flavor combinations.
For the Win at GCM
Celebrated smashburger spot For the Win has become a powerful player on the burger scene in LA, growing from one pandemic-pivot location in Hollywood to a collection of storefronts throughout the region. Next up is the newly-opened Grand Central Market location, where the same lacy burgers can be found daily.
Camphor
The in-the-know burger at Arts District fine-dining spot Camphor is one to watch. Not only is the thick bar and patio bistro table-only option a head-turner in the room, it features dry-aged beef and slowly cooked duck leg meat. The Camphor burger’s bun is even finished off with duck fat, and the burger’s sauce is made with smoked beef fat, making for a seriously rich addition to the LA burger landscape.
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Vicky's All Day
This latest West Adams cafe from chef Danny Elmaleh and the CIM Group is meant to offer a little bit of everything to everyone. That means all-day service (as the name notes) and a robust and very leafy double-patty bistro burger with a pastrami marmalade on top and the lesser-seen gruyere cheese.
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Tiny's Hi-Dive
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, from an Italian beef sandwich, hot dogs, and cheesesteaks to a tasty smashburger. All the prices hover around $10, so it’s clear the place isn’t trying to get in 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.
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