Hamburger America
Hamburger America is a luncheonette-style restaurant with counters for eating a burger. It comes from an American chef George Motz, who is offering an homage to the history of the hamburger. It’s received a number of positive reviews from food critics for some reason, and Yelpers and food bloggers alike rave about this place. I came here as a quick stop around 4:30 PM on a Thursday evening, and I could walk in and sit on the stool without any trouble.
Ambiance & Service
The interior has that Johnny Rockets-like feel when it comes to burgers. The counter stools are fixed to the ground, and a lot of people come in to just have a quick burger and leave. The ventilation is pretty poor in the restaurant, as you can smell the grease of the burger all over.
When you arrive into the restaurant, a host is at the front to greet you. If you opt to sit at the counter, they’ll tell you can mostly sit anywhere you like. The exception is they’d prefer you to not split seats, so that they can accommodate parties greater than 1. The same host will take your order, and your payment will also be done via the tablet as well.
The burgers are very much cooked to order, and for some reason, it wasn’t as fast as I hoped. I can only imagine the wait if there was a large line.
Food
The George Motz’s Fried Onion Burger ($12) came with 2 smash burger patties, fried onions, and American cheese on a potato bun. The patties were nicely crispy around the edges and scorching hot in the middle. The fried onions were mushy as if you cooked them in oil and were caramelized. When the burger arrived, my first thought was that this was very greasy. It’s definitely not the cleanest to handle. In addition, it arrived very hot, so it’s a bit of a journey to wrestle with a hot bun and burger.
Flavor wise, I thought this was pretty good, but I can’t help but think about the burger that I had at Revelie Luncheonette just around the corner. This fried onion burger reminded me of a fast food take on burgers, and unfortunately I felt it was just ok.
The Shoestring Fries ($4.50) was crispy and reminded me of a McDonald’s fries. These came out hot and seasoned with salt. I’m probably more of a fan of thicker cut fries, so these were also just ok for me.
Overall Impression
Hamburger American may be an ode to restaurant critics’ expectations for a good smash burger. For me, I felt it was very basic and not worth the wait if there was one. I suppose for the price point, it’s reasonable, but I feel like there are better burgers to try out in the city if you want something with a little more texture and personality to it.
Yelp Jabs
The perfect burger does exist and Hamburger America is where to find it.
This Yelper from Los Angeles is missing some classic LA staples, such as Tommy’s, The Habit, In-n-Out, Father’s Office, Apple Pan, Munch Box, and many more. I think the burgers in Hamburger America pale vs this. It could be that west coast burgers aim for a different taste.
You can tell they care about doing the basics really well, and it shows.
Let’s get past the mirages here. The burgers are smash burger patties, which you can see how they cook it if you sit at the counter. They let the edges crisp up. Then they load it with American cheese on a potato bun. If you prefer a greasy, basic smash burger with just patty(-ies) and cheese, then this would be a match.
Revisions
- Jun 5, 2025 - Initial revision.