ETI list the Top Quality Fast Food Spots in Los Angeles

Burger

Every reason why Los Angeles is fast food heaven

Los Angeles is where fast food really took off, mainly due to cars, a desire for convenience, and inexpensive ingredients. Thankfully, Angelenos are starting to move past the mega chains like McDonald’s and Jack in the Box in favor of smarter quick-service fare. Of course, the original great fast food restaurant was In-N-Out, which prepared quality burgers using real produce, old school flattop grills, and freshly cut french fries.

Now plenty of small and larger concepts have adopted the model, such as Top Round and even the Korean chain Bibigo. Here now, the top high-quality fast food restaurants in Los Angeles, presented from west to east.

Removed: Sack Sandwiches, Everytable, Shophouse

Added: HiHo, Bibibgo, Oinkster, BacoShop, Marugame Udon, Loqui

1 HiHo Cheeseburger

One of the best new burgers on the Westside is HiHo Cheeseburger, the fast-casual burger stand that comes by way of Ojai. Two wagyu beef patties are dressed with cheese and ketchup for one of the most affordable and satisfying quick meals on this side of town.

1320 2nd St B
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 469-7250

2 Bill’s Burgers

Bill Elwell might be one of the crankiest burger men in Los Angeles, but he sure knows how to grill a fantastic SoCal-style burger. Get a double burger loaded up with bacon for something that’ll make you (almost) forget about In-N-Out.

Bills Burgers

14742 Oxnard St
Van Nuys, CA 91411
(818) 785-4086

3 In-N-Out Burger

Dude, it’s In-N-Out.

In n Out Burger
13425 W Washington Blvd
Marina Del Rey, CA 90292
(800) 786-1000

4 Marugame Udon

This fast-casual Japanese chain does one thing, and it does it really well: udon. Order a bowl up front, then add on a bunch of toppings like fried tempura. The equation is deadly simple, and yet there’s so much variation, whether it’s the soup base or the toppings and sides. There are long waits during prime hours, but otherwise it’s a very quick meal.

2029 Sawtelle Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(424) 317-2222

5 Mitsuwa Marketplace

This Westside market has what might be one of the most authentic Japanese food finds in LA: a food court. With four spots that offer reliable and cheap Japanese comfort fare, from ramen and tempura tendon to soba and curry tonkatsu, it’s a veritable heaven of fast food.

3760 S Centinela Ave

Los Angeles, CA 90066
(310) 398-2113

6 The Apple Pan

It’s quality forever at this Westwood burger shack. The hickory and steak burgers are imported from Ohio, but Angelenos have adopted the burgers and pies here like their own.

 
10801 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90064
(310) 475-3585

7 Tito’s Tacos Mexican Restaurant

This Westside taco spot makes tasty crunchy tacos and gut-busting bean burritos. Sure the wait can get long during prime hours, but otherwise, it’s an affordable meal on the go with a heavy dose of nostalgia.

Tito's Tacos

11222 Washington Pl
Culver City, CA 90230
(310) 391-5780

8 Kogi Taqueria

Roy Choi’s Korean-Mexican taco fusion has a permanent spot in Palms, which means locals can finally get a taste without having to chase down a truck. Try the dirt-cheap burritos or some of the more innovative dishes like kimchi quesadillas.

 
3500 Overland Ave #100
Los Angeles, CA 90034
(424) 326-3031

9 BÄCOSHOP

Josef Centeno has unleashed an easy-going fast casual restaurant in Culver City serving his popular foldover sandwiches he calls bäcos. They’re served as burritos or bowls as well, and they’re all priced under $10, which works great for studio lunch crowds and locals looking for a quick, delicious, and relatively healthy lunch or dinner. Don’t skip the soft serve for dessert.

9552 Washington Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232
(424) 258-6301

10 Loqui

Culver City’s high end taqueria tucked into the stylish Platform project continues to serve standout Rosarito-style tacos and plates all under or around $15 per person. While that might not quality for “cheap” these days, it’s still quite affordable and the dishes are served quickly. The mushroom tacos with cheese in flour tortillas are an excellent pick.

8830 Washington Blvd #104
Culver City, CA 90232

11 BERLINS

Doner kebab is on the rise in Los Angeles, and this West Third Street spot now has a location on the Venice Boardwalk. With a traditional Turkish-style doner with a bit more vegetables mixed in to balance it out, Berlin’s serves a notably German take on the specialty.

8474 W 3rd St
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 746-5409

12 The Habit Burger Grill

This burger chain born in 1969 in Santa Barbara got some serious street cred when Consumer Reports ranked its burger as the best tasting burger from a chain in America. Sample the char-grilled burgers for yourself at one of the nearly 50 locations in the greater LA area.

The Habit 
4770 Lankershim Blvd
North Hollywood, CA 91602
(818) 762-1995

13 sweetgreen

Salads are a way of life, at least according to Sweetgreen, which incorporates smartly tossed salads with chic environs in key locations around town. Check for the chef collaborations for something you can Instagram with abandon.

8055 W 3rd St
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 934-3404

14 Prime Pizza

With fantastic lunchtime deals on single slices (usually available with a can of soda), Prime has become a perfect landing spot for kids in the neighborhood. For the adults, it’s also open late — and delivers.

prime pizza 
446 N Fairfax Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 852-1188

15 Top Round Roast Beef

Now with big expansion plans in the works, this original roast beef sandwich shop on La Brea still turns out quick, delicious, and affordable East Coast style favorites — complete with curly fries.

1000 South La Brea Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90019
(323) 549-9445

16 Capitol Burgers

This humble burger stand in Mid City is a community hub, and a place for cheap, well-grilled burgers that are pure L.A.

4301 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90019
(323) 936-0366

17 The Oinkster

With locations in Eagle Rock and Hollywood, Andre Guerrero’s Filipino-leaning menu of burgers and sandwiches has developed a sort of cult-following, largely thanks to the restaurant’s annual Burger Week. The Royale burger, topped with pastrami and chili, is something of a legend in and of itself.

776 Vine St
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 536-9248

18 Shake Shack

New York’s finest fast food burger has arrived in Los Angeles, with a Glendale and West Holllywood location, plus Hollywood opening in mid-October. Using a smashed burger technique, crinkle cut fries, and hand-made shakes, this roadside style shop makes affordable fare in stylish locales.

Shake Shack Money Shot
6201 Hollywood Blvd #104
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 593-7763

19 Zankou Chicken

This Southern California institution has been slinging high quality Mediterranean food sans freezers and microwaves for over 50 years. There are few more reliable spots that offer falafel sandwiches for south of six bucks.

5065 Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 665-7845

20 The Halal Guys

The Halal Guys have landed in a prime location in Koreatown, with expansion plans in other nightlife-heavy spots. The street meat concept blends chopped lamb and chicken over a neon orange base of rice, plus spicy and white sauce for the perfect post-drinking munchie.

3432 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90010
(213) 480-7738

21 Dino’s Chicken & Burgers

Things don’t get much more efficient than at this Pico Blvd. takeaway grilled chicken spot, where styrofoam platters of scorched, marinated birds over thin-cut fries stack up faster than the customers waiting outside can snatch them.

2575 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90006
(213) 380-3554

22 Jim Dandy Fried Chicken

There’s not much else to do but take away your meal at this South LA fried chicken institution, where some of the city’s best bird gets crisped up alongside hushpuppies and other Southern-style favorites.

11328 S Vermont Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90044
(323) 779-5567

23 Bibigo

Not to be confused with Bibibop, the fast-casual chain that absorbed all the former ShopHouse locations in Los Angeles, Bibigo has long been serving up build-your-own hot stone rice bowls to those looking to get their Korean food fix.

1125 Galleria Way
Glendale, CA 91210
(818) 551-0011

24 Ricebar

Fine dining chef Charles Olalia went back to his roots with Ricebar, a Filipino bowl spot that serves sub-$10 options from inside a 275 square foot cabinet-sized storefront Downtown.

419 W 7th St
Los Angeles, CA 90014
(213) 807-5341

25 Chego

Roy Choi’s pan-Asian rice bowl spot Chego has become one of his most enduring legacies, even after moving from the Westside to Chinatown (well before the area blew up). With curbside service and rush orders for Dodgers games, these cheap options keep getting more popular.

727 N Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(323) 380-8680

26 LocoL

Roy Choi and Daniel Patterson have a fast food concept for the future, with affordable but health-forward dishes that’ll be better than anything the large corporations can put out. With a community-focused hiring strategy and placement in neighborhoods like Watts and Oakland, Locol is the burger spot that thinks beyond the standard fast food joint.

1950 E 103rd St
Los Angeles, CA 90002
(323) 642-7704

27 Los Cinco Puntos

An East LA carnitas institution, Los Cinco Puntos has been turning out tacos and meats by the pound for decades. With no indoor seating, you’ll have to perch on the ledge outside, or better yet buy a bag of to-go tortillas and enjoy at home.

3300 East Cesar E Chavez Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90063
(323) 261-4084

ETI promo

You can check out the latest casting calls and Entertainment News by clicking: Click Here

Click the logo below to go to the Home Page of the Website

Enter Button

Click the logo below to follow ETInside on Twitter

Click the logo below to follow ETInside on Facebook

Click the logo below to follow ETInside on Instagram

Click the logo below to follow ETInside on Pinterest

pinterest

Click the logo below to follow ETInside on Medium

Medium