Cassell's Hamburgers - Los Angeles, CA

Posted By Michael Stern on December 7, 2010 5:45 AM

The banner out front proclaiming Cassell's hamburger to be the world's best is droopy and could use a cleaning. As retail business in the neighborhood (now Koreatown) has faded, crowds of hungry locals no longer fill the place every day at noon. The place is bare and spare and by comparison to the juicy beef patties that have made In-N-Out and Five Guys leaders in mass meat feeding, the burgers themselves seem Spartan. The house says they are made from daily-ground prime beef. They do taste fresh, but if indeed they are prime, why does the 1/3 pounder, grey through and through, need extra condiments to make up for its dryness?

Even the 2/3 pound hamburger does not spurt juice, but it is unctuous enough to satisfy any craving for basic burger satisfaction. And that is exactly what 21st century Cassell's is all about: basic burgers. They are lunch-counter burgers, as opposed to pillowy and crunch-crusted pub burgers, skinny little sliders, or swanky steak-house chopped beef steaks. While not superlative, a large Cassell's hamburger, cooked in the open kitchen's double broiler, where it sizzles on a griddle but also get broiled from above, is one hale example of American burgertude. If you get cheese (American or Swiss), it is beautifully melted thanks to the broiler's heat; and even though the cook flattens the heck out of the patty by pressing hard with his spatula when he flips it, this hamburger will sop its bun.

What is especially likeable about Cassell's is the do-it-yourself aspect of sandwich construction. You are given the cooked hamburger open face on the bottom of a nice, soft bun that has been lightly toasted on the griddle above the double broiler. Put it on a tray and amble along a cafeteria line where you choose among condiments that include mayonnaise and 1000 Islands dressing plus, of course, mustard, ketchup, tomato slices, and lettuce. Beyond these are short buffet of potato salad with a sharp mustard kick, cottage cheese, and from-a-can pineapple chunks and peach halves. Mostly quaint, but I don't know too many other hamburger joints that bother to make their own mayonnaise and 1000 Islands dressing. (Choosing the buffet adds $1.50 to the cost of a hamburger.)

Forget French fries. They are dry and boring. For those with baroque taste, there is a bacon guacamole burger; dieters can have a turkey burger or a veggie burger.

Cassell's glory days may have come and gone, but it remains a Los Angeles landmark worth a try.

Overall Rating

Condiments

2/3 Pound Cheeseburger

1/3 Pound Hamburger

Buffet

French Fries

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Posted By Philip Culp on May 10, 2012 11:19 AM

Sadly this is not the Cassell's that I knew in the 1960's and '70's when it was owned by the original family and they used to make their own mayonnaise and ketchup (they don't any longer). Back in the day there was a line out the back door on weekdays afternoons but it was worth the wait. They haven't been the same since they were sold to new owners and were forced to give up their original location and move a block east. Back in the day I used to drive many miles to get one of their juicy and delicious burgers. Now I live just a couple blocks from them and I only go once in a blue moon, and only to reminisce. When I do go the place is usually nearly empty and the new owner, who mans the cash register, is dour and unfriendly.

Michael's descriptions of the food (above) as it is served today is spot on. Sadly the once great Cassell's - home to what for many years was one of the best burgers on the west coast - now exists in name only.

Overall Rating

1/3 Pound Hamburger

Condiments

Buffet

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Posted By Jeffrey Massie on December 10, 2010 1:19 PM

Whenever I hear someone rave about Cassell's I ask them how long it's been since they've been there. Michael S.'s write-up is the only opinion I have ever heard from someone who's been there for the last decade or so.

Cassell's has gone way downhill since I first visited in the late 1970s. The service is minimal and I've seen evidence of sanitation issues (we're talking uncleared plates attracting flies). Their rep rests largely on their rotating grill, which as mkucmeroski mentions upthread, requires the cook to flatten the raw patty and overcooks the burgers badly.

This place was most popular when the phrase "gourmet hamburger" was an oxymoron. Cassell's succeeds in coasting on its rep because it's in an area of town to which foodies generally don't travel unless they're in search of Korean BBQ. Not to mention they close at 4 pm and on Sundays. Fact is, there are dozens of places in L.A. with better burgers.

Overall Rating

French Fries

Condiments

Buffet

2/3 Pound Cheeseburger

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Posted By michael kucmeroski on September 30, 2005 9:53 PM

After reading the glowing review of Cassell's, I couldn't wait to try it once I moved to Los Angeles. The burger, cooked on a double broiler, sounded so amazing it was all I could think about for days. Finally I arrived in L.A. and drove there immediately. My mouth was watering before I stepped through the door.

I ordered the 2/3 pound with cheese and just sat back and waited. This is when it all went sour. I saw the cook take my burger from the broiler and press it into oblivion. I thought, hmmm! Why did he do that? Maybe that's how they do it here. So I got my condiments, everything ready and I took my first bite. HORRIBLE! Like a flat dried out McDonald's burger. No juices, no flavor, no nothing. Need I go on? How utterly disappointing.

Overall Rating

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