Top 3 Burger Joints in Los Angeles Vicinity

These days there are so many variations of a hamburger that it has become boring. Gourmet sandwiches like the mushroom burger, pineapple burger, lobster burger, apple burger, and on and on and on. Is it okay to eat them with your hands or is it more chic to use a knife and fork? A burger should be a handful of joy, like the ones you make at home. When you announce to your young children that it's homemade burger night, don't they jump for joy? Don't they get a bigger and tastier burger than they would at Jack Mac Carl King's? You bet they will.

Here are three (3) burger joints in and near LA that are the next best thing to homemade.

3) Astro Burgers

507 N. La Brea Ave.
Inglewood, California 90302
(½ mile north of Florence Ave.)

Your nose will be delighted with the pleasant aroma from a couple of blocks away. This busy thoroughfare burger joint's menu is loaded with burgers to fit your appetite and your wallet. If you want a smaller burger for the tikes, they've got it, along with chicken strips that kids seem to enjoy. If you feel like you can eat a cow try the "Colossal Burger", along with a bag, yes a bag of steak fries, and all you can drink at the soda fountain for around $7 US. The root beer is great. There is an indoor eating area that is usually clean, as well as tables outdoors. Ample parking is available. While you're eating your burger, your clothes can be washing at Astro Coin Laundry.

2) The Shack

185 Culver Blvd.
Playa Del Rey, California 90293
(near the intersection at Vista Del Mar)

In one of the most remote little sections of town, slightly NW of LAX, The Shack has all the characteristics of a local dive. Inside its dark, wood galore, rustic city, shy of a bucket to catch the raindrops. There is a cool patio with surfing decor to make you feel like a moon doggy. One block from the beach, it's the perfect environment for a Shack Burger, basket of fries, a pitcher of tap beer, and the game(s) on several flat screen TVs. A Shack Burger consists of a whopping beef patty topped with a split smoked sausage and all the trimmings. It's a hangout for locals and families. It can get a little lively in there once the beer starts flowing. Enjoy the vibe. Shack burger, fries, and pitcher is around $12 US. The Chili Size and Onion Rings make a good combo too. Parking in the rear is free.

1) A-1 Burgers

2915 W. Vernon Ave.
Los Angeles, California 90008
(½ mile east of Crenshaw Blvd.)

Greasy-spoon burger joints do still exist. A-1 Burger is the best of the best. For under $5 US you can get your grub on with a homemade tasting burger, thick cut fries and a drink in a Styrofoam cup. This is a little neighborhood walk-up stand that you would drive right past if you didn't see devoted patrons lined up down the sidewalk. Countless times, I have seen limousines double parked waiting for their client's order. The wait is a little long, but well worth it. You just might be entertained by animated loyal local customers and pedestrian traffic. There is only street parking and virtually no place to eat your burger. If you drive west on Vernon about a quarter mile, you'll see Leimert Park, where you can sit out on a park bench to enjoy your meal. Your tummy will feel A-Okay!