Go Burger Hollywood
Los Angeles has hit a burger saturation point. A new premium burger restaurant isn't exactly news or surprising. It seems nearly every restaurant has a take on the burger these days. It's not a complaint, I'm an admitted burger lover. It just makes it more difficult to differentiate between the riff raff and the real deal. So, of course, news that Go Burger opened in Hollywood a few weeks ago wasn't actually news, but it certainly was exciting. Having been to BLT Steak, my mind couldn't help but imagine how wonderful the new burgers might be.
As a personal policy, I avoid restaurants that have recently opened. More often than not, new places don't tend to have it together, whether they planned poorly and have run out of menu items, or the service is bad because there are still some kinks to work out. I couldn't help but marvel about what a well oiled machine Go Burger was after just a few weeks of opening.
The restaurant is located on the corner of Sunset and Vine. It's not the best area where free parking is concerned. It would be a good restaurant destination if you were going to see a movie at the Arclight because you could park and validate at the structure and walk the 1 block east to the restaurant. I imagine it has the potential to get pretty crowded. It's a decent sized place with many tables, but at the same time it really didn't feel that big. The decor is clean and modern. The booths were comfy - large enough to seat 6 of us. There is a large bar and above it some handwritten notes about that week's specials.
Specials are changed each week. Our waiter explained to us that the chef has a great time using his gourmet knowledge to come up with high end burger concepts you won't find elsewhere. The week we visited, the burger featured a fried macaroni and cheese patty on top of the burger. The week of Valentine's day, the burger had a crab cake. It's clear that they are really open to doing creative things here.
There is enough variety on the regular menu to please just about anybody. There is a good selection of appetizers and salads, none of which we tried. I don't think I'd ever visit for something other than a burger, but there are also a few hot dog options as well as a couple of entrees. There are several varieties of burgers, including non-beef burgers (what's the point?), as well as a few house signature burgers. Of course, there are also gourmet toppings that you can add to your burger for $1 to $1.50 each. To accompany your burgers, there are 8 side options and a bunch of milk shake options, including a few spiked shakes. And if after eating all that you still have room for dessert, that's an option too. They have everything covered here, that's for sure.
Since we were a large group, there was a lot of diversity in what we ordered and we attempted to try a number of things, but since we were spread out amongst 3 different tables it was tough to share so I didn't get to try everything. What I did try was: BLT burger, the special macaroni and cheese burger, the ultimelt, duck fat fries, waffle fries, onion rings, and the Cookie Monster shake.
Given that I write a blog about bacon, I felt obligated to order the BLT burger - double smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, and BLT sauce, plus blue cheese and avocado. The burger was topped with two large slices of very high quality bacon. It was not cooked to a crisp, but rather cooked enough to give it a delicious smokey flavor and also provide a texture contrast with the burger and the rest of the ingredients. This burger was unquestionably decadent, but something I would go back to again and again if the special of the week doesn't capture my heart. The Macaroni and Cheese burger included a fried cheese patty. The burger really focused the flavors to just a few things. The macaroni and cheese patty retained that great crispy texture you get when you bite into something that's been fried. This one was really rich. The Ultimelt was a patty melt that had grilled cheese sandwiches as buns. This was my least favorite of the bunch; beyond the grilled cheese buns, overall it just tasted like a patty melt. It tasted like a delicious patty melt, but the other burgers really exceeded my expectations of what that type of burger should have been.
The Cookie Monster shake was passed around the table a few times. It is cookie dough ice cream blended with Chips Ahoy cookies. It was really sweet, but balanced nicely by the savory flavors of the burgers and sides. It's also worth mentioning that when we got to the bottom of the shake there was that treasure of goodness found in the bottom of things that don't fit up the straw. Yum! Here's what I'll say about the sides. The duck fat fries were not worth the extra money. In fact they were a disappointment. However, our group loved the Waffle Fries so much, we finished them almost immediately and then got a 2nd order. There is no doubt that will be my side of choice when I make it back to Go Burger.
All in all the experience at Go Burger was excellent. I'm lucky enough to live in the neighborhood, but it's worth a trek to, especially if you've made a trek to any of the other burger places in the area. Go Burger can easily rival any of those places.
Go Burger | 6290 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90028
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