Burger Lords
949 N Broadway #102
LA, 90012
I like Burger Lords more than In n Out. That’s full transparency. But let me explain. This Chinatown original specializes in all plant-based patties. Choosing to forego the easy route of using impossible or beyond meat, they make their own burger recipe from scratch. That’s what won me over. These delicious burgers are all produced in-house. But aside from appealing to my love of craft food, they also just taste really damn good. Even if you don’t like veggie burgers, I think this place is worth the trip. But let me dive in further and tell you why.
I’d wanted to visit Burger Lords for a while and never got the chance. It was an exciting feeling walking up to the window in Chinatown, wondering if it would live up to the hype. It’s a more compact operation than I expected. Located in the middle of everything, they have a single window with a couple menu options. I went with the “meaty” cheeseburger. Which, in retrospect, may have been the wrong choice for me. But I’ll get into that. It’s quick service. I got my food in about 3 minutes, and there was a decent crowd. The burger arrived looking exactly like an in-n-out cheeseburger and indistinguishable as something plant-based.
While I should have gone with the veggie burger, I wasn’t disappointed by the meaty, to be precise. I don’t like the texture of fake meat, no matter how spot on. But this was about as good as it gets. It kind of tasted like a Boca burger. But I was caught up in how “real” it felt as a copycat of a fast food smash burger. The cheese, sauce, bun, and condiments mimicked that feeling perfect. Was it the best burger I’ve ever eaten? No. But it was leaps and bounds above the most run-of-the-mill cheeseburgers, both plant-based and beef.
Overall, I was thrilled with my experience at Burger Lords. It’s a really cool concept, and it remains chef-driven. I think any plant-based idea that goes above and beyond should be celebrated. Because I genuinely despise all of the heavily marketed meat alternative companies. Burger Lords was refreshing, and it didn’t feel forced. But I will say next time, I’m going for the veggie burger rather than the meaty one.
