Los Angeles, CA - May 16, 2025 - LAist, the award-winning multi-platform local journalism leader, today announced the return of the Tournament of Cheeseburgers. The second-annual event will engage the community to vote for their favorite Southern California cheeseburger establishment, culminating in a grand finale event in July.
Starting today, local chefs, cooks, and community members are encouraged to enter their favorite burger into the competition by visiting LAist.com/burgervote. Nomination round voting begins May 16 and ends May 30, followed by champion round voting from June 9 to June 20. The burger champ will be announced on July 20 at a special live event and celebration at Smorgasburg LA.
"When we launched the Tournament of Cheeseburgers last year, we were overwhelmed by the way the community truly turned out to support their favorite burgers — from the start of the vote through our live event — and we hope to grow participation even more this year," said LAist food editor Gab Chabrán. "Smorgasburg LA is an important space for Angelenos to discover new and independent businesses rising in LA's food scene, making it a natural partner for the live event."
In its inaugural year, marking the 100th anniversary of the cheeseburger and its legacy in the region, LAist received 14,000 submissions and votes for 300 cheeseburger businesses across 120 Southern California neighborhoods. The audience-voted winner crowned at the 2024 Tournament of Cheeseburgers was Hangaburs, a Latina-owned El Sereno smashburger pop-up run by Alicia Lopez and Cecilia Ledezma.
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