Deep in the Valley, Boulevard Burgers serves char-grilled patties out of an unassuming roadside restaurant. The interior looks like it hasn’t been touched since the ’70s with a menu that still requires the staff to individually switch out letters to change items. Stick to the classics and try the cheeseburger which is served on a sesame bun with lettuce and tomato, or add on bacon for something a little richer.

The short rib patty differentiates Santa Monica’s Heavy Handed from the rest of the pack. The burger is fatty and rich and only benefits from the addition of American cheese, caramelized onions, bread and butter pickles, and a healthy dosing of “heavy” sauce. Just be warned, the potato bun does its best to hold this burger together, but it is bound to get messy. Heavy Handed also now has a second location in Studio City.

Burgers are griddled right behind the bar at the legendary Venice dive Hinano Cafe. Open since 1962, this beachside watering hole still has the same sawdust-covered floor charm after all these years. Order a cheeseburger with a choice of cheddar or Swiss, and chips on the side.

This enduring 1940s diner still makes one of the best burgers in Los Angeles. Settle into one of the iconic red stools at the bar and order the Hickoryburger, which comes with house sauce, mayonnaise, pickles, and a thick slab of crispy iceberg lettuce.

The quality at HiHo is hard to match. Here grass-fed New Zealand wagyu beef is served as a default double with onion jam, pickles, and plenty of lettuce. The patties are mustard grilled a la In-N-Out, and adding pastrami is always an option.

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. Let the arguments commence.

Irv’s Burgers is back. The legendary Route 66 stand has been reborn (and reconstructed almost identically) by longtime chef-owner Sonia Hong and new partner Lawrence Longo. Expect weekend lines for these classic LA burgers, served with a sear but not too thin. Want to step things up? The Big Irv comes with pastrami, a hot dog, and more on top.

The burgers at Fairfax’s Trophies Burger Club start with a brioche bun, to which a patty made of brisket, ribeye, and NY strip is added. The classic burger comes with American cheese, ketchup, mustard, diced onions, and pickles, while the Trophies burger swaps ketchup and mustard for dijonnaise, and adds in shredded iceberg lettuce.

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.

Watts’s most beloved meal is at Hawkins, where the loosely-formed beef patties arrive thick and impressive from time well spent on the griddle. This restaurant has stood the test of time and can trace its roots back to 1939.

Few burgers justify the knife and fork treatment, but the Ode to Mos at Ototo just might. The happy hour-only special that pays homage to one of Japan’s most popular fast-food burgers is served with a heaping pile of Japanese chili, tomato, and special sauce. The plush sesame bun takes a supporting role to the rest of the bite, doing its best to hold the burger together. It’s a little messy, but worth the extra napkins it’ll take.

Head to the Arts District for a great burger served on what may be Los Angeles’s best patio. The burger at Everson Royce Bar starts with a single patty of prime beef chuck that’s topped with Tillamook cheddar and Dijonnaise sandwiched between an egg brioche bun. In total the burger clocks in at $11 for a single, which leaves room in the budget for a beer or a cocktail off its extensive bar menu.

It’s hard to imagine the burger at Moo’s Craft Barbecue being the most talked-about item at the moment, but it’s true. This thick, peppery, smoked burger is the toast of the town right now, in part because it serves as an antidote to so much smash burger fascination. Served with raw white onions and pickles to cut through the fat, this is undoubtedly the burger of the moment.

Pasadena claims to be the birthplace of the cheeseburger, and while the truth of such things is 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.

Super Burger is a neighborhood spot in Pasadena serving up delightfully cheesy burgers with old-school chargrilled patties. The cheeseburger comes sandwiched between a pillowy bun with a blanket of cheese engulfing the patty. The classic toppings of shredded lettuce and sliced tomatoes are added in before it's finished with a house sauce.