Best Burger Places in Long Beach

Hello fellow TOOPers! Today I would like to discuss the best burger places in Long Beach. First I would like to apologize to all of you vegetable eaters out there but there is nothing like a fat juicy cheese burger, a side of fries, and a large coke on a beautiful sunny California day. Don’t get me wrong, I have had tofu burgers, veggie burgers and the like but in the great words of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terell: “There’s nothing like the real thing, Baby!”

I compiled this list from places that I have visited already and from asking some of my friends and family who live in Long Beach. I want to give special thanks to Casey, Amy, Chad, Lyndsea, and Jess for their input. I also had some pre-requisites for the burger places: they had to be local to Long Beach and they couldn’t be found anywhere else but Long Beach. I’m sorry that In‘N’Out and Tommy’s did not make the list even though I believe they have great burgers. I also haven’t visited all the places because I wanted to leave it open to comments and I wanted to visit all of them throughout the year and write about them. So please feel free to comment and add other places that you think should be on the list. I will not be putting these burger joints in any particular order because one of the things I found is that each one I have been to has had different strengths and it all depends on the consumer’s particular taste. So I believe this list will satisfy all the burger connoisseurs out there.

Here is a list of the places I have been to:

• Belmont Burger

• Belmont Brewing Company

• John’s

• MVP’s

Belmont Burger – This is a regular burger joint located on the corner of Ximeno and 4th St. I have visited it a couple of times and got the bacon cheese burger combo and the chili burger. The bacon cheese burger was amazing—everything I would expect a burger to be—MESSY. I have a rating system which is the messier the burger, the better, and this one gets high marks. As for the chili burger, it was ok. I usually rate a chili burger by the amount of fries it takes to mop up the chili and I give it a 5 fry rating which is not that good. As for the décor—this is not the place to bring a first date, but if you want to do laundry and have a great burger at the same time, there is a Laundromat conveniently located across the street.

Belmont Brewing Company – This one is walking distance from my home. It is a nice restaurant/bar located right on the beach at the beginning of Belmont Pier. I have not had the burger here but have been here several times for beer and sports. I am writing about it because I have gotten high praise for one particular burger here which is the “Grand Prix”. Next time I go I am going to try it but I highly recommend this place not only for the burger but just to have a good time.

John’s Burger – I have been here a couple of times for breakfast; they have awesome breakfast burritos. Most recently I have tried one of their burgers, the sourdough bacon cheese burger. If you like the sourdough burger from Jack ‘N’ Box then you are going to love this one, it is 10x’s better. I got the combo and I must say it is really incredible. Thick slices of spongy sourdough bread, toasted on the grill along with a ¼ lb. of succulent beef, fat carvings of bacon, melted swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato and thousand island dressing. It was messy and dripping all over my face. I asked Alicia at John’s what the most popular burger was and it was the Old World which is a 10oz burger. I guess I have to try that one next time I am there.

MVP’s – Last but not least this has to be one of my favorite burger places. Whenever I asked someone where to get a good burger, MVP’s is always the top of the list. It is a cool little place in front of a house with outside seating. My personal favorite is the George Foreman III. It is a bacon cheeseburger with all the fixings and if you top it off with some Cajun fries you have a complete burger feast. I guess I am a bacon cheeseburger connoisseur, because this burger is extraordinary. A giant slab of beef topped off with a heap of crispy bacon, cheddar cheese, lettuce and dressing. The combination of flavors is intense and cannot be justified in words. Just go and try it, right now. It is a must if you are in Long Beach.

Here is the list of places I have heard about:

• Bouchee’s Bistro

• Chuck’s

• Curley’s

• Fantastic Burger

• Fantastic Café

• 49’r Tavern

• Ma ‘N’ Pa Grocery

These are the places that I plan to visit this year. From what I have heard all these places have great burgers and I am looking forward to checking them all out and writing about them. I hope this list helps you out the next time you have a craving for a burger I am looking forward to comments on other locations. I have placed links on all the places I have listed for your convenience if you want to go check these places out yourself. Have FUN and ENJOY your next burger!

DJ TimTim