Best Burgers in Los Angeles: Chili to Hickory

The best burgers in Los Angeles come from three old schools and one new one. The chili burger was born at Original Tommy’s in Westlake in 1946. The counter burger has been served at the Apple Pan in West LA since 1947. The Double-Double belongs to In-N-Out, founded in Baldwin Park, east of the city, in 1948. A younger wave of smash burgers has spread through Silver Lake, Highland Park and Koreatown.

Los Angeles is a car city, and its burgers grew up around that: drive-ins, walk-up stands and late counters. Tommy’s original shack in Westlake is known for never closing. At In-N-Out, the “secret” menu is common vocabulary, and nobody blinks at an order for “animal style”. Distances are huge, so Angelenos tend to pick a burger in their own part of town rather than cross the basin for one.

Burgers in Los Angeles: key facts

• Neighborhoods to explore: Westlake, West LA, Koreatown, Silver Lake, Echo Park, Highland Park, Santa Monica and Pasadena.
• Local styles: the chili burger, the counter burger with hickory sauce, the In-N-Out Double-Double and the smash burger.
• Animal style: In-N-Out’s off-menu order of a mustard-cooked patty with extra spread, pickles and grilled onions.
• Getting around: plan on a car or a rideshare; Metro Rail reaches Westlake, Koreatown and Pasadena.
• Currency: US dollar (USD); Los Angeles menus list prices before sales tax, and a tip is expected at table service.

Every guide we publish on Los Angeles is dated and lists only venues, addresses, prices and ratings we could verify. For other cities, browse all our burger restaurant guides.