Good burgers near LAX?

[bc7ate9]

We land at LAX next week around rush hour. We are thinking about getting something to eat before heading to our hotel in the Disneyland area. Looking for recommendations for places that'd be relatively easy to get to in our rental car so we can enjoy a meal and wait out the worst of the traffic. We like diners and burgers and that kind of thing - nothing fancy, just tasty. Probably not fast food since we'd like to get a drink and relax. Anywhere between LAX and DL is fine, but like I said, we'd like to avoid some traffic if possible. Any recommendations?

 

[wanderlust7]

In-N-Out would be fast food, but it seems like the thing to do if you don't have one where you live. This one is right next to LAX:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/in-n-out-burger-los-angeles-2

 

[bc7ate9]

In-N-Out would be fast food, but it seems like the thing to do if you don't have one where you live. This one is right next to LAX:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/in-n-out-burger-los-angeles-2

In-N-Out is on our list for some point during our trip. We don't have them in MN so it feels like a must do. Honestly, I don't know anything about In-N-Out, beyond that it's what you have to eat when in CA. What are they so famous for?

 

[wanderlust7]

In-N-Out is on our list for some point during our trip. We don't have them in MN so it feels like a must do. Honestly, I don't know anything about In-N-Out, beyond that it's what you have to eat when in CA. What are they so famous for?

They're famous for their burgers. The menu is actually very small - only beef burgers (with/without cheese, one patty or two), fries, drinks, and milk shakes. Everything is very fresh, made to order, but still fast and at a good price. Every location is family owned (no franchises), so they can really keep the quality up. I always order the cheeseburger with grilled onions and fries (you can usually see an employee in the open kitchen cutting the potatoes with one of those press cutter things...not sure what they're called). Or you can get "animal style" (pickles, extra sauce, grilled onions and mustard fried into the patty). You can also get the fries "animal style" (cheese, sauce, grilled onions) or just ask for a packet of sauce if you don't want the calorie bomb.

It's just a really good burger. But if I were to break it down, I guess my favorite parts would be the bread (soft but crunchy on the edges where it's grilled), the sauce (Thousand Island with chopped up pieces of pickles), and the fresh crunchy lettuce. Okay...this is making me hungry. Good thing we have an In-N-Out 5 minutes from our house.

 

[bcla]

Fatburger. There's one in Buena Park, but probably a few closer to LAX.

You're not going to be able to avoid traffic. It's inevitable in LA.

 

[China Expat]

The crowd favorite is IN and Out!!!!!!!! Do not miss it. You can also sit outside on their patio and watch the planes fly in to LAX RIGHT OVER YOUR HEAD! This is my first stop after returning from China, every time!

 

[bc7ate9]

Fatburger. There's one in Buena Park, but probably a few closer to LAX.

You're not going to be able to avoid traffic. It's inevitable in LA.

Yeah, we were just thinking it'd be better to jump in the traffic at 8 pm rather than 5 pm. Is that just the false logic of some silly Minnesotans, though?

 

[bcla]

Yeah, we were just thinking it'd be better to jump in the traffic at 8 pm rather than 5 pm. Is that just the false logic of some silly Minnesotans, though?

That can make a difference, although accidents can make things tricky. Heck - I remember coming down to Anaheim on I-5 on a Saturday night at about 8 PM and traffic was painful due to closed lanes due to an accident.

Try this:

http://trafficpredict.com

It is estimating that most freeways will be averaging over 60 MPH after 7 PM on a Thursday. Of course it's only an estimate based on typical patterns.

So now with a better idea of your plan, it sounds like you want some place near the airport to hang out until traffic gets better. Marina Del Rey should be a decent place to hang for a few hours.

http://www.fatburger.com/locations/marina-del-rey?rq=marina del rey, ca

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Traffic at 7:30 and 8pm is better than traffic at 5pm. In addition to to trafficpredict.com, if you have a smart phone, I recommend adding the app "Waze." I use it to figure out how long my trip will be & what time I'll arrive at my destination all the time. Marina Del Rey is a good choice, and there is also El Segundo, or the restaurants on Rosecrans. You might consider Johnny Rockets. They have good burgers, fries, and yummy malts. http://www.hoursinfo.com/johnny-rockets/manhattan-beach/5095977

 

[China Expat]

Traffic is horrible at 5 pm

 

[bc7ate9]

Traffic is horrible at 5 pm

I think that's true nearly everywhere, at least in the U.S.! We figure that we will be happier people if we avoid starting our vacation in the worst possible traffic. Thanks for the suggestions, everybody!

 

[VandVsmama]

If you do go to In N Out, you are not limited to 1 or 2 patties. You can have as many patties on your burger as you want.

However, if you don't want a fast food burger, you could always try Umami Burger near LAX. https://www.umamiburger.com/locations/lax/

 

[bcla]

If you do go to In N Out, you are not limited to 1 or 2 patties. You can have as many patties on your burger as you want.

However, if you don't want a fast food burger, you could always try Umami Burger near LAX. https://www.umamiburger.com/locations/lax/

I've heard that managers may set a limit on the number of patties and cheese. Some got a little tired of getting requests for 30x30s.

Still, In-N-Out may not be ideal for killing a couple of hours of time since they're more fast food than a slower sit down burger joint. They're also everywhere in Southern California, so I'm not sure it's something to do immediately. There will be plenty of chances for it.

 

[bc7ate9]

We found this place on Yelp - http://26beach.com/

Anybody ever been there? It looks like it's about 6 miles from LAX...that seems manageable, even at the height of rush hour...

 

[bcla]

Speaking of crazy demands, this 100x100 is the largest I've heard of:

 

[bc7ate9]

Speaking of crazy demands, this 100x100 is the largest I've heard of:

That's like a burger log...

 

[SMD]

After the photos of the 100x100 came out they made a policy that the max you can get is 4x4.

There's The Counter, a burger chain with places in El Segundo and Marina del Rey where you customize a burger. But at 5pm it could take you almost an hour to go a few miles on surface streets. Then it'll be an hour at 8pm to get to DLR. You'd probably be better off just getting on the freeway if the traffic estimate is in the 90 minute to 2 hour range once you'd picked up your car.

There are also a lot of famous local places that have spots inside LAX. Depending on what terminal you're flying into, you might want to just grab something there and then leave around 6pm so you're not driving hungry if stuck in traffic.

 

[bcla]

After the photos of the 100x100 came out they made a policy that the max you can get is 4x4.

They might have changed the policy since then. Here's a pair claiming to have done a 20x20 challenge in 2014. At this point it could be dependent on the manager.