170 Burger — Restaurant in Los Angeles

I usually have pretty good luck with burger joints that are named for nearby highways but this one was thoroughly disappointing.

We'd driven past this place numerous times since it's in the neighborhood and decided to stop in and give it a try. It's in a strip mall but parking wasn't as horrendous as expected at around 2:15 on a weekday afternoon and we got a nice spot right in front. There are apparently two doors but the one most accessible and obvious opened up - but not fully - at a dining table that we had to maneuver around. There was a party of about six or eight boys seated around the table immediately adjacent to the door and the space could hardly be navigated without bumping into them. My dining partner that day uses a cane and has mobility issues so it was a little difficult for her to get to the counter. It would have been helpful to have known there was another entrance that wasn't obstructed by tables and patrons.

No one was at the counter when we approached but there was a bell and a stack of menus. I grabbed a menu that was more of a card that was maybe 5x7 or so listing three burgers that were slightly different in terms of cheese and maybe something else of little consequence. The first one listed was priced at $10.95 and they all came with something called 170 Sauce. We were interested and called out for whoever was in the kitchen. A young adult man came out and greeted us while getting ready to take our order. We told him we wanted burgers and he excused himself and went back into the kitchen. When he came back, he told us that they were out of burgers. We were a little taken aback and not sure we heard correctly but the guy confirmed they didn't have any burgers to make on a Tuesday afternoon. He didn't really offer any kind of explanation - supply issues, lunch to dinner transition, nothing.

So we didn't get a burger and we ended up going to The Habit Burger in NoHo where they had plenty of burgers that were well-made and...

I've never had so much trouble giving someone money in my life. I tried to order the Philly cheesesteak as a combo. The price was almost $30. I asked why it was so high and she said, "You want the Philly cheesesteak and the combo". After much confusing back-and-forth, I realized the "combo" comes with a burger. Then I tried to ask how much it would cost to get the Philly cheese steak with fries on a drink. That was an impossible question to get an answer to. Finally I said forget the fries and drink I just want the sandwich. She said they don't make sandwiches, they only make burgers. I asked if they have the Philly cheesesteak (that she just almost charged me for). She said yes. I said I'd like to order that. She said she can't give that to me to go. I asked why not. She said something about sandwiches versus burgers again and they have to cook the meat because the meat is very different... At this point I am so confused, I'm thinking that one of us must be on acid and I'm pretty sure it's not me. After a little bit more attempting to order, I finally gave up...

The very first red flag was the confusion in whether or not 170 burger existed. While the signage remains, the interior is painted with the logo and company name, “Elite Garden,” and is a poor and lurid attempt at a fine dining establishment.

The second red flag was the cloud of perfume that sucker punched my appetite into remission. The hostess assured us that we were in the right place, and so, in for a penny in for a pound, we took our seats outside.

In light of the precious time of our dear reader, suffice it to say we were served possibly the worst patty of my life, and promptly overcharged. They run a scam where they say on the menu a beverage is included with your meal, ask you what beverage you would like, then charge you for the drink.

Instead of 170 Burger or Elite Garden or whatever alias they choose next, they should call this place: “Over Salted Kabob Burger,” for this is...