This Van Nuys staple continues to impress with its roadside flair and lovable crank-of-an-owner, Bill Elwell, though recently a For Sale sign has been spotted on the historic stand. Until the place is no more, expect Elwell to turn out freshly griddled burgers himself.

Should a burger ever be eaten with a knife and fork? If anyone is going to challenge the notion of dining simplicity it’s chef Ludo Lefevbre, whose Valley outpost of popular French bistro Petit Trois is as charming as it is unassuming. Yes, there are tablecloths and servers seem a bit more starched and pressed than elsewhere; yes, one may ask for silverware when downing the deliciously drowned and sauced Big Mec burger; but no, that does not mean that anything is lost in translation. This burger speaks to LA as an enduring town for burger innovation, where anything (and any flavor) is possible.

帕薩迪納市自稱是奶酪的誕生地burger, and while the truth of such things are lost to history, there is no denying the enduring prominence of Pie ‘n Burger. A legend since 1963, this diner turned ode to all things burger continues to turn out impeccable California classics, complete with special sauce and lightly melted American cheese.

Whereas some places that do non-meat burgers rely on manufactured corporate products like Beyond and Impossible faux meats, Burgerlords makes its patties (and its vegan chicken nuggets and shakes and everything else) completely in-house. You won’t find a meatless burger like this anywhere else in Southern California, that’s for sure.

Any smashburger conversation in Los Angeles has to start with Burgers Never Say Die, the onetime backyard sensation that has become a Silver Lake stalwart. This is the place for extreme sear, crispy, lacy edges, and the kind of fast, easy eating that makes it possible to put away two or three burgers in a single sitting.

Grill ‘Em All’s timeless burgers recreate a very real chapter in LA’s dining history, when modern food trucks were first roaming the streets selling over-clocked flavor bombs to excited diners. The shop’s Alhambra space still carries on the legacy of big, messy, filling, and delicious burgers like the Molly Hatchet, a staple (available Mondays only, now) that comes with fennel sausage gravy, maple syrup, and bacon.

Though lots of new meatless burger shops have opened around Los Angeles in the past few years, few still draw the kind of attention that Monty’s does. Now with multiple locations across the city, this is still the place that folks flock to for the branding, the meat-free burgers, and the shakes.

It’s hard to overstate the importance of Tommy’s to the greater LA burger scene. The restaurant’s branding alone has spawned dozens (if not more) replicators with tonally-similar names, while the heavy use of spiced chili — served atop burgers, fries, dogs, and more — is as ever-present as tap water on hundreds of restaurant menus around Southern California. This is the place that helped to start it all.

There is nothing in LA so iconic as a burger from Apple Pan, even if diners can’t sit inside at the moment. The thick patties and smoky hickory sauce make for an altogether unique experience, only possible on Pico.

Simplicity reigns at ERB, the do-it-all bar, restaurant, and hangout space in the Arts District. The place is known for its laid-back atmosphere and killer burger, daintily adorned with only cheese and spread; save the heaps of lettuce and tomato for those other spots.

Who knew a burger could be so polarizing? Yet here is the Father’s Office burger, a no-ketchup-allowed option served on a split roll and topped with caramelized onions and lots of arugula. This massive sandwich uses dry-aged beef and Maytag blue cheese for a remarkably different kind of burger.

The beach calls this spring and summer, and that means burgers at legendary Venice area dive Hinano Cafe, where the patties are griddled right behind the bar. Chips on the side, lots of shredded lettuce, and a beer make for a great burger-beach experience.

Watts’s most beloved meal is at Hawkins, where the loosely-formed beef patties arrive thick and impressive from their time on the griddle. Service is perilously slow, but in the end that just builds the hunger — which is exactly what’s needed when tackling these behemoths.