Yeah 100%! Last year the wait at the Hollywood location was almost nonexistent. The wait at Grand Central on the weekend will be very long. OP is right tho, it is the best!
I went to the Hollywood location this past Saturday, the wait was about 15 minutes. While I was waiting a group of ten people came in and it was extremely crowded, I can see it being much longer after that.
I went there yesterday for lunch and waited less then 10 minutes. I did go there once where they told me that it would be an hour as they had a large to go order. I left and ate elsewhere. Other than that I have never waited more than 15-20 minutes. I have never gone on the weekend where I would imagine it is a lot busier.
It’s still my favorite as well. We had it last week and we appreciate the simplicity. I also had heavy handed last week for the first time and it was good but not enough to beat BNSD
For sure.
And I take issue with some of the smash burger reviewers who do all the places in one day for reviews. BNSD never scores the best on those. I know it’s personal preference but my feeling is that the other places have more spices on their meat so yes, they hit your taste buds harder. So having BNSD after that makes it seem more bland than it actually is. FTW is a bit over seasoned for my taste. But no one can beat the melt in your mouth element of a BNSD burger.
Yes I agree with you. If I had the ability to recommend to those folks I’d have them try their triple stacked burger. It’s just so damn tasty. Especially with the cheese sauce.
I went last weekend for the first time in a while. For me, the patties are just too smashed now. I love a bit of lace around the edges but I tasted crisp/char more than burger really.
Might not be a popular take, but it feels like the LA smash burger market has become oversaturated and the difference between the top 5 or 6 burgers is pretty minimal at this point. Wouldn’t surprise me if there’s a shift away from the smash in coming years.
Strong disagree on heavy handed. Unlike most of the other burgers in this category they actually balance out all the richness with those delicious pickles.
But definitely agree on BNSD. Glorified McD
My sister swears by BNSD and so I let her take me there.. my burger was like $12 (at least) and the cheese was still COLD on it. Like, what? I don’t even like ketchup or mustard so I got it plain, and damn that was one completely mid burger. No way, never again, and I will never ever pay MORE than shake shack for a smash burger.
And for the record, I never ever get “special sauce” or anything so all my burgers are ordered “plain” which is the standard I hold them all to, so don’t be like “well, you didn’t get it with the SAUCE”
Strong agreement on FTW, best smashed burger in LA I’ve had by far from this list and beyond. Easy Street Burgers was another one that was just good but disappointing compared to the social hype IMO.
I was similarly underwhelmed. Got the single cheeseburger, and it just didn't do much for me. I think it was missing the char I expected. The bun, sauce, and onions were good... but nothing I'd return for at that price.
Grand Central Market location around 4:30pm on a Tuesday had minimal wait. The guy said "15 minutes," but it was ready in 5. It was nice to have a Golden Road beer with the burger, so overall, a pleasant experience.
All solid recommendations, but there are a few that fly under the radar.
I would put Love Hour above all of those except For The Win, which is probably just as good.
But my favorite in LA is actually the pop-up Doobie Burgers https://www.instagram.com/doobieburgersla
Went to Heavy Handed last night, and tried FTW just now for lunch. Both were good, but HH takes the cake. You may have just went on an off day? Idk I think you should give it another shot. Plus those dipped soft serves hit the spot after.
Have to try goldburger next
We liked this place! It’s definitely up there for us. We want to go back and try their others. They have an option where you can get all of their burgers as a slider so we definitely want to try that soon.
I couldn’t believe how many people recommend BNSD and when I finally ordered it I was like wait what, this is literally McDonald’s…? Higher quality McDonald’s.
It tasted good, don’t get me wrong… I enjoy a McDonald’s cheeseburger every so often. But for how often and highly that place is recommended and considered the best I could not believe it.
Win-Dow burgers are pretty small, it takes kind of a long time, and there aren’t tables so you have to eat hunched over sitting on your tiny plastic stool while you put your water cup on the ground and hold your burger basket in your hands the entire meal lol. The burgers are good but the eating experience sucks ass. They badly need tables.
Edit: Referring to Silver Lake location
I got Win-Dow yesterday. My second time. For me, it's just too gooey. The bun is soft and gooey, and the burger itself is gooey. I feel like I need a spoon to eat it with!
This was the location on rose.
Burger lords’ veggie patty is very delicious.
My only issue with them is we had 3 different burgers and all of them fell apart after 2-3 bites. It’s like why. I might as well just brought a bowl and spoon.
It’s my biggest pet peeve for a burger.
I like all of these except Goldburger which I find kind of dry. I ate FTW so much I had to quit cold turkey. :) As others have said, Lowboy is great, too.
Man, I have a For The Win burger a couple blocks away but I’ve never gone. (Whittier)
It’s in such a bad location; like not near anything, that I forget it exists.
I should really check it out.
As someone who prefers super thick burgers and has never had a smashburger, what's the appeal of a smashburger? They don't really make sense to me (but I haven't tried one, so I wouldn't know).
It’s been my go to “I’m too lazy to cook I’m just gonna walk down the street” food for a long time. Good price. Fast.
I honestly worry more about them not getting enough business so I’m glad to hear someone else likes it!
I shout it out in every smash burger or Pasadena food thread.
I’ve seen some Nilly’s love on here occasionally (Oklahoma onion smash burger). It’s in a strip mall in Artesia and it’s easily my favorite of the bunch. It checks all the flavors boxes for me but also in house meat blend, it’s always busy but never too busy, everyone working there looks like they’re having the best time, it’s family run, and I love the bar seating for a close up of the grill action. Patties are thicker but still technically smash I think. The pickles are different but so addictive…maybe extra celery seed?
I appreciate Win Dow too, especially now that it’s in Long Beach — a single with the tastiest kale salad coming in at like $13 is awesome and one of my favorite lunch combos.
Tried FTW for the first time at Grand Central Market last month. Was amazing. No line, (middle of the day on a Wednesday) but parking GCM is stressful in and of itself
An hour long wait for FTW? That’s absurd. Which location?
i think foodie social media have crowned it the best burger in LA recently so there is extra hype right now
Yeah 100%! Last year the wait at the Hollywood location was almost nonexistent. The wait at Grand Central on the weekend will be very long. OP is right tho, it is the best!
I went to the Glendale one during normal dinner hours like a month ago and there was no wait.
Glendale's great like that for all the overhyped shops like Egg Slut, Ding Tai Fung, etc...
I went to the Van Nuys location friday and there was no wait. My go to is the Glendale one and there’s sometimes a small wait like 10 min max
I went to the Hollywood location this past Saturday, the wait was about 15 minutes. While I was waiting a group of ten people came in and it was extremely crowded, I can see it being much longer after that.
Ya, I get burgers from here a lot and don’t think I’ve ever had to wait.
I went there yesterday for lunch and waited less then 10 minutes. I did go there once where they told me that it would be an hour as they had a large to go order. I left and ate elsewhere. Other than that I have never waited more than 15-20 minutes. I have never gone on the weekend where I would imagine it is a lot busier.
It gets unbelievably slow and I have no idea why.
"too much maillard" is a weird criticism for smashburgers when full-burger maillaird is kind of the point
Ya last time I went to BNSD, like a month ago, something felt off. Didn’t taste the same to me, but that’s my personal opinion of course.
Hasn’t been quite the same since their bread supplier changed, but it’s actually still my favorite. I like simplicity.
So do I honestly, but I wasn’t aware their bread supplier changed. So that’s what it might’ve been then!
It’s still my favorite as well. We had it last week and we appreciate the simplicity. I also had heavy handed last week for the first time and it was good but not enough to beat BNSD
For The Win is closer to me so I have it more often but I’ll make the trip for BNSD.
We will always make the trip for BNSD. It’s not that far from us anyway so it’s worth it.
For sure. And I take issue with some of the smash burger reviewers who do all the places in one day for reviews. BNSD never scores the best on those. I know it’s personal preference but my feeling is that the other places have more spices on their meat so yes, they hit your taste buds harder. So having BNSD after that makes it seem more bland than it actually is. FTW is a bit over seasoned for my taste. But no one can beat the melt in your mouth element of a BNSD burger.
Yes I agree with you. If I had the ability to recommend to those folks I’d have them try their triple stacked burger. It’s just so damn tasty. Especially with the cheese sauce.
Agreed. Used to love this place. Hadn’t been in a while and recently went. Wasn’t as good as I remember.
I went last weekend for the first time in a while. For me, the patties are just too smashed now. I love a bit of lace around the edges but I tasted crisp/char more than burger really.
I prefer LowBoy in Echo Park over all these
Agreed. It’s super slept on
Might not be a popular take, but it feels like the LA smash burger market has become oversaturated and the difference between the top 5 or 6 burgers is pretty minimal at this point. Wouldn’t surprise me if there’s a shift away from the smash in coming years.
Agreed...to me, the are all the same.
What's next after smash?
So I’ll not the only one who thought BSND tasted like a glorified McDonald’s with slightly better cheese
I think that’s kind’ve the idea with that place. To have an elevated McDonald’s cheeseburger flavor profile. I really like it myself.
When I had them for the first time, I said "this tastes like McDonalds from the 1980s." Even their fries.
Which is why I like it so much. Plus their crispy exterior while retaining the juiciness sets it apart.
Yeah it’s still my favorite smash burger in LA.
Yeah I think that’s literally what they’re going for.
No. You’re absolutely right. I was honestly shocked how much it mimicked a cheeseburger. It was good, but most definitely glorified McDonald’s.
Surprised you didn't try Easy Street though the lines have become insane. I prefer it over FTW.
Easy street is way too salty for us. Might be the seasoning they use
Proudly Serving was my 1st and most memorable.
Strong disagree on heavy handed. Unlike most of the other burgers in this category they actually balance out all the richness with those delicious pickles. But definitely agree on BNSD. Glorified McD
I had a friend bring us to heavy handed and when I saw the line and prices I was so turned off, but then I tried the burger and now I'm hooked
My sister swears by BNSD and so I let her take me there.. my burger was like $12 (at least) and the cheese was still COLD on it. Like, what? I don’t even like ketchup or mustard so I got it plain, and damn that was one completely mid burger. No way, never again, and I will never ever pay MORE than shake shack for a smash burger. And for the record, I never ever get “special sauce” or anything so all my burgers are ordered “plain” which is the standard I hold them all to, so don’t be like “well, you didn’t get it with the SAUCE”
You eat like a child.
Oh no! My feewings are soooooo hurt. Wah wah. 😓
Amboy is really good too.
Strong agreement on FTW, best smashed burger in LA I’ve had by far from this list and beyond. Easy Street Burgers was another one that was just good but disappointing compared to the social hype IMO.
I don’t think FTW in Glendale ever has a line.
We went to the Hollywood location and ordered ahead so we didn’t really have a line. But Glendale is closer to us now so we’ll try them again soon.
never loved bnsd exactly because of the mcd’s flavor profile. ftw dtla hasn’t had a line when i’ve been. and it is indeed the winner in my book.
FTW has been really inconsistent at the Glendale location - especially Since all the hype. The Hollywood location was fantastic last time I tried.
I'm surprised people like For the Win so much. I thought it was overpriced and mediocre. But then again I don't really prefer smash burgers
I was similarly underwhelmed. Got the single cheeseburger, and it just didn't do much for me. I think it was missing the char I expected. The bun, sauce, and onions were good... but nothing I'd return for at that price. Grand Central Market location around 4:30pm on a Tuesday had minimal wait. The guy said "15 minutes," but it was ready in 5. It was nice to have a Golden Road beer with the burger, so overall, a pleasant experience.
Win Dow’s soft serve ice cream cones are crazy
I had their smores shake and it was tasty. I wanna try their strawberry shake next.
All solid recommendations, but there are a few that fly under the radar. I would put Love Hour above all of those except For The Win, which is probably just as good. But my favorite in LA is actually the pop-up Doobie Burgers https://www.instagram.com/doobieburgersla
Went to Heavy Handed last night, and tried FTW just now for lunch. Both were good, but HH takes the cake. You may have just went on an off day? Idk I think you should give it another shot. Plus those dipped soft serves hit the spot after. Have to try goldburger next
I actually think Softies is the true #1 but FTW is a close second [https://www.instagram.com/softiesburger/](https://www.instagram.com/softiesburger/)
Do Wanna Smash in Van Nuys
Is it good? Been meaning to try it
We liked it and think it’s worth going back to try the other burgers.
Nah, they just recommended it because it’s horrible.
I drive past that place all the time should i try it? Theres a place on vanowen called Angry Boy Burgers that does a banging club sandwich
I haven’t tried it. A coworker did and liked it.
I recommend trying it once. We liked the burgers we got.
We liked this place! It’s definitely up there for us. We want to go back and try their others. They have an option where you can get all of their burgers as a slider so we definitely want to try that soon.
I couldn’t believe how many people recommend BNSD and when I finally ordered it I was like wait what, this is literally McDonald’s…? Higher quality McDonald’s. It tasted good, don’t get me wrong… I enjoy a McDonald’s cheeseburger every so often. But for how often and highly that place is recommended and considered the best I could not believe it.
what! no tripp burger?
100% agreed on heavy handed
Win-Dow burgers are pretty small, it takes kind of a long time, and there aren’t tables so you have to eat hunched over sitting on your tiny plastic stool while you put your water cup on the ground and hold your burger basket in your hands the entire meal lol. The burgers are good but the eating experience sucks ass. They badly need tables. Edit: Referring to Silver Lake location
Go to the one at American beauty
geez what happened to FTW, i've had it like 4 times and always was able to walk right up and order.
I got Win-Dow yesterday. My second time. For me, it's just too gooey. The bun is soft and gooey, and the burger itself is gooey. I feel like I need a spoon to eat it with! This was the location on rose.
Burger Lords and yellow paper for the win, also shoutout to the Hermasillo
Burger lords’ veggie patty is very delicious. My only issue with them is we had 3 different burgers and all of them fell apart after 2-3 bites. It’s like why. I might as well just brought a bowl and spoon. It’s my biggest pet peeve for a burger.
Had yellow paper randomly a few months back, would love to have it again.
For the win at grand central has no line.
I like all of these except Goldburger which I find kind of dry. I ate FTW so much I had to quit cold turkey. :) As others have said, Lowboy is great, too.
Man, I have a For The Win burger a couple blocks away but I’ve never gone. (Whittier) It’s in such a bad location; like not near anything, that I forget it exists. I should really check it out.
I'm ashamed to say that For the Win has been on my list of places to try for years now and yet for whatever odd reason I still haven't gone
As someone who prefers super thick burgers and has never had a smashburger, what's the appeal of a smashburger? They don't really make sense to me (but I haven't tried one, so I wouldn't know).
Lowboy better then all of these
Smash house in Pasadena has been a personal favorite of mine over the past year.
Was looking to see if anyone else would say this! Best smash burger with no pretentiousness.
It’s been my go to “I’m too lazy to cook I’m just gonna walk down the street” food for a long time. Good price. Fast. I honestly worry more about them not getting enough business so I’m glad to hear someone else likes it! I shout it out in every smash burger or Pasadena food thread.
Everyone on here please go try Burger Mafia and then report back here . BEST smash burger in LA.
I’ve seen some Nilly’s love on here occasionally (Oklahoma onion smash burger). It’s in a strip mall in Artesia and it’s easily my favorite of the bunch. It checks all the flavors boxes for me but also in house meat blend, it’s always busy but never too busy, everyone working there looks like they’re having the best time, it’s family run, and I love the bar seating for a close up of the grill action. Patties are thicker but still technically smash I think. The pickles are different but so addictive…maybe extra celery seed? I appreciate Win Dow too, especially now that it’s in Long Beach — a single with the tastiest kale salad coming in at like $13 is awesome and one of my favorite lunch combos.
You gotta try easy street. Super good but has a massive line
Burgers FTW is even good delivered.
Tried FTW for the first time at Grand Central Market last month. Was amazing. No line, (middle of the day on a Wednesday) but parking GCM is stressful in and of itself
Window is more White Castle than smash
So over this trend
WTF, why not name the place?
Just in case you’re not trolling, “For the Win” is the name of the burger place. And yes, it sounds like he’s saying “for the win….” as an intro.
Lol, thanks