The best smashburgers in L.A., ranked

Often imitated but never duplicated, backyard pop-up gone permanent restaurant Burgers Never Say Die can largely be credited with sparking L.A.’s smashburger frenzy. Over the last six years, these stacks have caused so much commotion that they’ve wrapped three-hour lines around the block and once caused a fan to hire a person to wait in line for them. That success probably has something to do with founder Shawn Nee’s quest for perfection, and it’s paid off. Now, fans line up at this walk-up Silver Lake brick-and-mortar for buttery, paper-thin patties pressed so hard, the crisp edges almost resemble lace. Topped with pickles, raw white onions and a drizzle of ketchup and mustard, it’s like the best fast-food burger you’ve ever tried. Supplement with some CVT soft serve and a styrofoam cup brimming with fries, and it’s hard to imagine a more quintessential smashburger meal in L.A.

This buzzy burger pop-up dates back to the early days of the pandemic, when owners Max Miller and Danny Gordon first began selling short rib smashburgers in the driveway of Gordon’s Mar Vista home. Now, Heavy Handed has gone fully brick-and-mortar on Santa Monica’s Main Street, where lines form daily for the pair’s juicy short rib patties topped with American cheese, beef tallow fries (no breaks for vegetarians here) and brand-new Straus Creamery soft-serve. A newer,  much bigger location in Studio City brings smashburger excellence to the Valley plus more seating and the same craft beers on tap.

The smashburger trend has likely hit its peak, but you wouldn’t know it at Hermosa Beach’s Proudly Serving, home to the South Bay’s best smashburgers. Chef-owner Matt McIvor offers a few customizations: plain, with cheese, “special” (Thousand Island-inspired) sauce and griddled onions, pastrami and Swiss or good ol’ ketchup and mustard, plus raw onions. In our honest opinion, we prefer the Founder (ketchup, mustard and raw onions) over the others. The burger's elements of crisp, sweet and tang complement the double beef patties and melted American cheese. Throw in the fries cooked in rendered duck fat and you’ve got yourself a helluva meal.

Goldburger’s Allen Yelent gives fans the best of both worlds: a still-juicy center but ample crust on the patty; the meat is more pressed around the edges than some of the city's other smashburgers, providing plenty of texture in every bite. The namesake Goldburger comes standard with American cheese, a garlic-mustard aioli, pickles and perfectly charred grilled onions, but everything here is worth a try—especially the L.A. special, which comes topped with pastrami (always add chilies to this one). You can also find Goldburger in Los Feliz, if Highland Park is too far of a trek.

Michael Pak’s Love Hour has taken over the old Beer Belly, transforming the space into a one-stop shop for natural wine, beer and some of the city’s most popular smashburgers. The longtime pop-up is now a fully fledged brick-and-mortar, and the smashburgers are as good as ever, with its most unique feature being the customizable stack. Order singles, doubles, triples or more—someone’s even done a 10-patty burger. They come smashed on the flattop, then crowned with cheese, pickle, onion and the absolute slightest sprinkle of chopped onion. Unlike just about anyone else, Love Hour also offers a range of seasoned fries, tossed to order in flavors like BBQ, garlic parmesan, and sour cream and onion. On Sundays, you can also catch Love Hour at Smorgasburg.

This is a neighborhood bar, through and through—but that doesn’t mean there isn’t great food, too. The handful of cocktails lean classic, but not as classic as our favorite item on the menu: the Lowburger, one of the absolute best smashburgers anywhere in town (and available for under $10). The Lowburger’s patty is pressed so thin it practically disolves with a little crunch, the American cheese runneth over, the red pepper jam adds a hint of sugar and heat, and there’s a rich, salty-sweet pile of grilled onions nestled under the potato bun to diversify it from the onslaught of smashburgers popping up around town. Go wild here by adding an extra patty or opting for some of the newer versions or vegan options.

Extra frilly edges and a tangle of grilled onions set apart the Oklahoma-style smashburgers at this Beverly Grove takeout joint with satellite locations in Venice and Hollywood. You can also order a classic single or double smashburger, which comes with diced raw onions and the classic combination of ketchup, mayo and mustard. While we wouldn’t ranked BSW’s classic smash in our top 5 smashburgers in L.A. by any means, the Oklahoma-style burger is unique enough to merit coming here, at least if you love sweet grilled onions.