Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
Your top 20 SoCal cheeseburgers are now revealed. Is your favorite on the list?
(
LAist Design
)
Over the last few weeks, you’ve sent in more than 1,000 nominations for your favorite SoCal burger, from all parts of the realm.
It was a wonderfully mixed and eclectic crowd. Thank you for all your entries, from the bottom of our (cheesy and beefy) hearts. You've made your love of burgers loud and clear!
This week we revealed the Top 20 finalists. From these will be chosen the ultimate winner.
Here they are, in alphabetical order
Is your favorite in the Top 20?
(
Matthew Herrera/LAist )
)
Burgers Never Say Die (Silver Lake)
El Brewjo Burgers (Orange County, roving locations)
Father’s Office (multiple locations)
For The Win (multiple locations)
Goldburger (Highland Park, Los Feliz)
Heavy Handed (multiple locations)
HiHo Cheeseburger (multiple locations)
LA Burg (Los Angeles, roving locations)
Moo’s Craft Barbeque (Lincoln Heights)
Proudly Serving (Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach)
The Win-Dow ( multiple locations)
Yellow Paper Burger (Eagle Rock)
Many of you have been asking if we can create a map so you can set out on a tasting tour (may we join you?). So here it is:
We saw some interesting trends in the list. Here's a few of them:
Brick and Mortar vs the Pop-up
It's a healthy mix of establishments. On one side you have the pop-ups, those roaming burger businesses with their mobile flat-top grills setting up shop at breweries, clothing shops, and anywhere hungry people gather throughout Los Angeles and Orange County. On the other are the brick-and-mortar restaurants that provide the quintessential casual sit-down experience. Which type of establishment will prevail? Only you can decide!
All around the map
Like last year’s tournament, we observed a great deal of geographic diversity. The list stretches from Krunch Burger in La Mirada, and A’s BBQ in East L.A., to Terrible Burger in Long Beach, and El Brewjo in the OC. Your love for burgers encompasses the entire SoCal territory.
Old vs. new
One of the most endearing aspects of the Southern California burger scene is the wide age range of establishments. You have the pandemic pop-ups, born when out-of-work chefs and cooks scratched their burger slinging itch by feeding the public on the streets, still just a few years old. And you have others which have impressive longevity, oldie-but-still-goodie establishments such as The Apple Pan, which opened in 1947.
What happens now?
It’s all down to you. You have until midnight on Friday, June 20, to help us whittle down the list and pick your ultimate SoCal cheeseburger establishment. Head to LAist.com/burger to vote on who should be the winner, or enter your vote below:
Also, don’t forget to join us at the Tournament of Cheeseburgers event at Smorgasburg LA at the ROW DTLA on Sunday, July 20. We’ll announce the winners, and you can try top-performing cheeseburgers and participate in family fun!
We hope to see you there!
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Kimmel returned less than a week after ABC suspended his show over comments he made about the assassination of right wing activist Charlie Kirk. -
Southern California might see some light rain tonight into Wednesday morning. After that, cooler weather is on the way, but expect the humidity to remain. -
A gate tax at Disney? It's a possibility. -
UCLA and University of California leaders are fighting Trump’s demands for a $1.2 billion settlement over a litany of accusations, including that the campus permits antisemitism. -
Wasteland Weekend is all about souped-up rust buckets, spikey costumes and an ‘ideal apocalypse.’ -
The Shadow the Scientists initiative at UC Santa Cruz strives to demystify astronomical research.
Best of LAist