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The Tournament of Cheeseburgers is back — now cheesier and juicier than before
It was such a blast last year, we're doing it again.
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Matthew Herrera
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LAist
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It’s that time of year again — the LAist Tournament of Cheeseburgers is back! Remember all the fun we had last year arguing about our fave no-truly-this-beats-out-all-others burger joint?
We had 14,000 submissions, for 300 cheeseburger businesses, from 120 neighborhoods. SoCal, when it comes to grub, you show up!
The ultimate winner was Hangaburs, the El Sereno-based pop-up celebrated for its distinctive smashburgers. Operated by Alicia Lopez and Cecilia Ledezma, the pair’s hard-to-miss yellow tent can be found on the weekends all over L.A. and Orange County.
Now, we’re once again asking for your help selecting SoCal’s favorite cheeseburger in 2025.
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How it works:
Starting today, submit your pick for your fave cheeseburger using the form below.
We’d also love to hear any categories you think should be highlighted. Favorite plant-based burger? Most unusual toppings? Most likely to be eaten by aliens? You suggest it, we’ll consider it.
You have until Friday, May 30, to nominate your favorites, so get going!
Friendly reminder, you can only enter each restaurant once.
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What happens next?
The next voting round starts on June 9, so come back then to help pick the finalists.
The ultimate winner will be crowned on Sunday, July 20, at a special live event and celebration at Smorgasburg LA, the vibrant open-air food market in downtown L.A. You’ll be able to taste offerings from some of the top entrants, try other vendors' food and participate in family-friendly festivities.
[Note: You’ll notice that we’ve streamlined the process this year. We wanted to make it easier for burger establishments, who last year had to encourage their fans to vote in several rounds.]
Who is eligible?
Independently owned restaurants, food trucks, pop-up eateries and other similar non-traditional establishments are included. This also encompasses establishments with multiple locations under a single owner, ownership group, or consortium. So yes, that means In-N-Out is eligible. (If you want to nominate them, be our guest. This is a judgment-free zone.).
Establishments must also primarily operate in Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.
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That’s it! Will your favorite spot be the winner? You’ll have to stay tuned!
Happy voting!
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.
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