Burgerlords — Restaurant in Los Angeles

As someone who has been a loyal fan of Burgerlords since their early days in Chinatown, I was excited to revisit them at their Highland Park location, eager to introduce what I believed was one of the best burgers in the city to a friend. My previous experiences had set high expectations, thanks to their homemade bread, tallow fries, and the simplicity that makes their offerings stand out. This time, I decided to indulge in their Oreo milkshake. The richness of the tahini was pronounced, adding a unique twist that complemented the burger perfectly. It’s a milkshake that not only satisfies a sweet tooth but also feels richer and more digestible, making it a great pairing with their burgers. Speaking of the burgers, they continue to impress. The meat is flavorful, and the cheddar cheese is undoubtedly real, offering that authentic cheesy goodness that’s often missing in fast-casual spots. My recommendation? Go for a double patty but hold off on the onions—they can be a bit overwhelming. Stick to the classics with ketchup and mustard. However, be prepared; the burgers are on the smaller side, so for the price, consider getting two small ones if you’re hungry. There’s also a way to save a few bucks: dropping one patty shaves off $3, and skipping the drink cuts down the cost even more. Now, onto the fries. I’ve had a love-hate relationship with their tallow fries. When delivered, they often arrived soggy and cold, but I had hoped that ordering them fresh at the location would make all the difference. Unfortunately, they were overcooked, which is disappointing given the potential of using tallow, an ingredient that usually promises crispy perfection. It’s a missed opportunity for something great. The Highland Park location was quiet when I visited, just after a family who seemed to leave disappointed after an interaction with the staff. While I’m not sure what that was about, I can say that despite some hiccups, I still like this place. Yes, it may be a bit overpriced for a smash burger, but the quality is there, and that’s what counts for me. Overall, I’ll be back, and I’ll continue to recommend Burgerlords—just with a few caveats...

Man, I'm bummed and pissed. This place used to be so good. It was literally everything I liked. It's always been a bit pricey but that was okay every once and awhile.

But everything I liked about this place went away with new ownership.

First off I have a nut allergy, they used to make their vegan items that had nuts, separately. This last time I was informed the nutty vegan patties share a fryer with the fries. So I ordered the only single food item I could get - a burger.

Burger was honestly not that good. Very small, thin patty, with very few ingredients. Halfway between a slider and a burger.

They only had 3-4 drinks. Water, topo, coke, diet coke(?). No beer. No wine. Each $4.

The place used to have a punky vibe which went well with being right by the lodge room. Merch, hats, posters on the wall etc.

Now it's like a sterile empty dystopian scene with only one sad small not very good Burger on the menu for like $20.

I was the only one in there when I went on a Friday early evening.

There's tons of good food in the area, I don't know who would actually go here anymore. I'd say the burger was on par or worse than McDonald's (plus thousand island 🙄) for 5x the price. And McDonald's is solid when ur lookin' to eat dirty every once and awhile

The type of person who goes here and then wants to come back- is quite a strange person.

Cashier/server was super friendly, this is not their fault.

Only thing I respect is the no tipping policy IF they pay a consistent living wage. At least the emptiness of the place doesn't affect employee wages (until they...

This used to be a great burgershop that happened to be vegan. I'd go here for burgers because they were really fantastic and inventive, I didn't care if they had meat or not. They got bought out recently and the new owners are trying to ride the prestige of the old place, while absolutely ruining it. The new menu is one item, a combo of burger and fries. I went to burgerlords to try their new burger when they were running a "just buy fries get a free burger" opening deal. The fries at $7, which for tallow isn't bad. The burger was good, but for the price they normally charge, $25, it simply would not be worth the money. There's so many smash burgers in the area that the floor for quality is really high and it feels like the ceiling is close. This burger isn't on the floor, unquestionably better than the average, however doubling the price of other smash burgers isn't worth the quality upgrade. It's still just a smash burger without doing anything new or inventive. Goldburger does more at half the price. Amboy does crazy stuff matching this price. I wish they'd do something like Copenhagen's Gasoline Grill, that would stand out in the current burger-ubiquity.

I won't ever come back here, it's an easy decision to make. If, for some reason, I want to pay $25 for a burger, I can go to a sit down spot or try something that's...