Best Long Beach Burgers: No-Frills, Fast, and Cheap Eats Guide

Best Long Beach Burgers: No-Frills, Fast, and Cheap Eats Guide

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Snapshot of Burgers in Long Beach

  • Long Beach, CA has 17 fast, cheap, no-frills burger spots worth knowing: Crack, Sideburns, Dave’s Burgers, StormBurger, The Stand, Bixby Classic Burger, OMG Burgers and More, Grill ‘Em All, The Win-Dow, Proudly Serving, Nice Burger, Hamburgers Nice, Marathon Burger, MVP’s Grill & Patio, Poly Burger, Louis Burgers III, and John’s Hamburgers.
  • Most burgers run $4–$16, with a few premium exceptions.
  • Late-night/near-24-hour options: Louis Burgers III and Marathon Burger.
  • Vegan-friendly: Nice Burger (100% vegan) and Sideburns (three vegan burger options, including a vegan smash burger).
  • Vegetarian/plant-based patty options: The Win-Dow, Grill ‘Em All, The Stand, Marathon Burger, and MVP’s Grill & Patio.
  • This guide includes addresses, hours, prices, and menu details for all 17 spots, plus a personal Long Beach burger story to kick things off.

When I was a little girl, my dad used to walk me over to Russell’s in Naples — this tiny little diner tucked into Naples Plaza, the kind of place where everybody kind of knew everybody. We’d share an order of fries, I’d get my cheeseburger, and he’d get his with Thousand Island dressing, because that’s just how Dick Lineberger liked it. We’d sit, we’d eat, we’d hang out.

Russell’s eventually moved over to 2nd Street before it closed down for good, but I still think about those evenings from my childhood in this city. It wasn’t fancy. It wasn’t Instagrammable. It was just a dad and his daughter and a shared plate of fries at a diner that doesn’t exist anymore. And that’s exactly why I’m so protective of the “cheap, fast, no-frills burger joint” as a category of business. These places aren’t just serving awesome food — they’re where memories get made without anyone even trying to make one. Especially right now, when the world feels like it’s constantly on fire, there’s something almost sacred about a simple burger place where you can just sit with someone you love and not think about anything else for twenty minutes.

So thanks, Russell’s. Thanks, Dad. And now — let’s talk about the burgers currently doing the LBC proud.

MVP’s Grill & Patio

MVP’s used to be our go-to spot back when it was on 4th Street, across from the old Coffee Cup Cafe (now Brother’s Keeper BBQ — which, for the record, I’m not even a little mad about). These days MVP’s has grown into three locations across Long Beach:

Standard price range across locations runs $10–30, dine-in, takeout, and delivery available at most spots. My order hasn’t changed: the George Foreman V, loaded with avocado and bacon. It’s a classic for a reason.

Louis Burgers III

Louis Burgers III is my late-night, I-am-starving-and-need-a-burger-stat spot. Roll through the drive-in with all the other late-nighters and order the fried zucchini and onion rings alongside a double bacon burger. This place has been an LBC institution for decades, with a menu that sprawls way past burgers into pastrami sandwiches, breakfast plates, tacos, and even thin-crust pizza — but the burgers and the drive-thru energy are why it’s on this list. Portions are huge, prices stay under $10 for most items, and it’s exactly the kind of place that exists for 11pm cravings.

  • Address: 555 Atlantic Ave, Long Beach, CA 90802
  • Hours: Essentially round-the-clock — open 6:30am to roughly 1am (2am Fri/Sat) with only a brief overnight gap
  • Price: $ (most burgers and combos under $10)
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/3louisburgers/

John’s Hamburgers — East Long Beach

You can’t talk down-and-dirty LBC burgers without putting John’s Hamburgers on the list. This East Long Beach staple on Spring Street has been charbroiling burgers for the neighborhood for years, and their signature is a full 10 ounces of specially seasoned ground beef with Swiss and American cheese, mayo, pickle, tomato, and onion.

But the one I really want you to try — the full-circle moment for me — is their sourdough burger: cheddar cheese, Thousand Island dressing, lettuce, tomato, and pickles, all stacked on grilled parmesan sourdough. My dad would have ordered that in a heartbeat. It’s basically Russell’s, reincarnated on Spring Street. They also do a mean patty melt on grilled rye, a chili burger with homemade chili, and a “Heart Stopper” burger piled with bacon, sausage, and a fried egg for anyone feeling reckless. You can eat inside or on their patio, or just roll through the drive-thru.

Crack

Crack is a hidden gem tucked right into the Bixby Village Golf Course, and it’s one of the most “you had to know about it” spots on this list. The menu is dead simple — mostly smash burgers, a couple of daily specials, and sides that’ll run you $3 extra (fair warning). The Dirty Burger with bacon jam is the one people rave about, along with the Ortega burger and a genuinely great draft root beer float. Golf course views, chill vibes, and a real neighborhood feel — just don’t show up right at closing, because they clean the grill early.

  • Address: 6180 Bixby Village Dr, Long Beach, CA 90803 (inside Bixby Village Golf Course)
  • Hours: Closed Mon; Tue–Sun 10am–6pm
  • Price: $ (burgers ~$10–20 per person, sides $3 each)
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crackburgers/

Sideburns

Sideburns sits right on 4th Street just outside Downtown, next door to The Stache Bar, and it’s a perennial crowd favorite that shows up on basically every local ranking. Smashburgers, Chicago dogs, poutine, cheese curds, fried chicken sandwiches, and a genuinely excellent lineup of vegan options (the vegan grilled cheese has its own fan club) — this is the “something for everyone” spot on this list. Portions are generous, prices stay reasonable, and it’s open late enough to catch you after a night out.

Dave’s Burgers

Dave’s Burgers is a genuine relic — a tiny cook shack tucked into the corner of a Union gas station lot at Wardlow and Long Beach Blvd, with a couple of picnic tables under umbrellas and nothing fancy about it whatsoever. Every burger and hot dog is cooked to order right in front of you, real grilled onions, and prices that still feel like they’re from another decade — most menu items run under $4. The signature order is the Cubby: a cheeseburger with a sliced hot dog grilled right into it. It’s old-school, it’s nostalgic, and it’s exactly the kind of independent mom-and-pop burger stand that’s getting harder to find.

StormBurger

StormBurger built its name in Inglewood before bringing a Long Beach location to Cherry Avenue (in North Long Beach, on the site of a former Church’s Chicken), and it’s earned a loyal following fast. They lean on local, all-natural meat delivered daily and fresh-baked bread from a family bakery, with handcrafted onion rings and scratch-made sauces. The Classic StormBurger combo and the Jalapeno Lightning Burger both get a lot of love — this is a spot built specifically to bring quality fast food to the neighborhood.

The Stand — American Classics Redefined

The Stand is the kind of place that sneaks up on you — fast-casual, but with a menu ambitious enough to include a seared ahi tuna Standwich alongside classic smashburgers. Established in 2003 and now with locations across California and Texas, the Carson Blvd location in Long Beach features a full bar with craft beer and wine on tap. People consistently walk away shocked at how good it actually is — the marshmallow milkshake gets a shoutout from locals.

Bixby Classic Burger

A little stand sharing a lot with a 99-cent store in Bixby Knolls, Bixby Classic Burger has that classic backyard-burger vibe — pre-formed patties griddled up simple, plus hot dogs, chili cheese fries, and even soft-serve ice cream. Prices are genuinely old-school (cheeseburgers have run under $4, the “Bixby Double” around $5), and it’s earned a loyal go-to following from locals who found it on Yelp and never looked back.

OMG Burgers and More

Tucked into a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it spot on 7th Street across from Wilson High School, OMG Burgers and More specializes in smash burgers and genuinely great Philly cheesesteaks, plus homemade sides like turkey chili, mac and cheese, and baked beans. The water ice (Italian ice) and soft-serve are worth saving room for.

Proudly Serving

Proudly Serving has one of the best origin stories on this list: owner Matt McIvor lost his business during the pandemic, started perfecting a smash burger recipe in his driveway, and turned it into a South Bay phenomenon before finally landing a Long Beach spot on PCH. The signature move is duck-fat fries and tots, piled high with cheese, griddled onions, pickles, and special sauce, plus a genuinely great Texas-style chili cheese situation. The PS Burger is the one to start with.

  • Address: 6332 E Pacific Coast Hwy, Long Beach, CA 90803
  • Hours: Mon–Thu, Sun 11am–10pm; Fri–Sat 11am–11pm
  • Price: $$ (PS Burger $11, The Founder $11, The Juicy James $14)
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/proudlyservingla/

Nice Burger & Hamburgers Nice

Quick clarification because these two get mixed up constantly (I did too) — they’re actually two different operations:

Nice Burger is a 100% vegan brick-and-mortar spot on Long Beach Blvd, serving plant-based versions of classic burgers, breakfast burgers, and a spicy chicken sandwich that regularly gets rave reviews from vegans and omnivores alike.

Hamburgers Nice is Chef Jairo Bogarín’s smash-burger pop-up — no permanent storefront, but a home base at Everywhere LBC (2122 E 4th St, Long Beach, CA 90814), with a schedule that shifts week to week and occasionally pops up at other locations or collaborations around the city. His “Lunch Burger” — two patties, American cheese, sauce, pickles, onions, jalapeños — routinely gets called one of the best burgers in the entire city, and the Thursday breakfast burger (with a dollop of grape jelly that somehow works) has its own following. Because the schedule changes regularly, your best bet is checking their Instagram (@hamburgersnice) for that week’s exact days and hours before heading over.

Marathon Burger — Downtown Pine Ave

Marathon Burger has a story worth knowing: it’s a chain developed by Samiel “Blacc Sam” Asghedom, brother of the late Nipsey Hussle, continuing the Marathon legacy the family built after his passing. Their downtown Long Beach spot on Pine Avenue is their fourth LA County location, and they’re known for wagyu smash burgers with a secret sauce that’s earned a loyal following fast. Two wagyu beef patties, grilled onions, gourmet fresno peppers, house-made pickles, American cheese, and that secret sauce on a toasted brioche bun — combos come with fries and a drink, and there’s a vegan wild rice and potato patty option too.

Poly Burger — Atlantic Ave

Named after Long Beach Polytechnic High School just down the street, Poly Burger has been a true community pillar for years — hefty, made-fresh-daily burgers, generous and affordable fries, and a beloved teriyaki chicken plate that keeps regulars coming back. The avocado burger gets singled out often, and the onion rings and chili cheese fries have their own devoted following. Limited seating but ample parking, and no delivery — this is a walk-up-and-order kind of place. This is old-school LBC through and through.

Grill ‘Em All — Horny Corner

Grill ‘Em All is a beachside delight sitting right at Horny Corner, and every burger on the menu is named after a heavy metal song, which honestly should tell you everything you need to know about the vibe. We’re partial to the Jump in the Fryer — waffle buns, cheddar, fried chicken, bacon, maple, sriracha — because, OMG, what is happening? It’s chaos in the best way. So much flavor coming at you from so many directions at once. Pair that with people-watching, toes in the sand, and you’ve got yourself an afternoon.

The backstory is as good as the burgers: owner Matt Chernus started out slinging patties from a food truck that could barely hit 40 mph, won $50K on Food Network’s “The Great Food Truck Race,” ran a brick-and-mortar in Alhambra for over a decade, and finally brought the whole operation home to Long Beach — literally to the beach — in 2024. The half-pound patties get piled with everything from chimichurri and blue cheese to peanut butter and sriracha, and the bay view doesn’t hurt either.

The Win-Dow

The Win-Dow has become our go-to when we want something fast, good, and cheap — In-N-Out who? It’s a walk-up smash-burger stand right on 2nd Street in Belmont Shore, part of a small California mini-chain (American Beauty’s sister concept), and the whole thing is built around one very good smashburger with American cheese, house sauce, and grilled onions on a potato bun. They’ve also got an Impossible “Beauty Burger” for your veggie friends, hand-spun milkshakes, and a genuinely killer kale salad for the rare occasion I’m not in a burger mood (I know, I know — bear with me). Reliable, quick, and exactly what a “down and dirty” burger spot should be.

Veggie & Vegan Burgers in Long Beach at a Glance

Down-and-dirty doesn’t mean everyone in your circle is stuck watching from the sidelines. Here’s what I found digging through menus for anyone who’s plant-based, vegetarian, or just burger-curious without the beef:

Nice Burger — 100% vegan, full stop. Every burger on the menu (Spicy Chicken, BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger, Grilled Shroom Burger, Big Guy, Mainlander) is plant-based, plus a vegan Breakfast Burger and Breakfast Burrito. If you’re fully plant-based, this is your anchor spot on the list.

Sideburns — An amazing vegan-friendly spot. They offer three vegan burger options, including a vegan smash burger, plus a mushroom burger, vegan chili cheese fries, and a vegan grilled cheese that regulars call the best in the world. This isn’t an afterthought menu — it’s baked into how they operate.

The Win-Dow — Their “Beauty Burger” swaps in an Impossible patty, and it gets its own devoted following separate from the beef version — reviewers specifically call it out as one of the better plant-based fast-food burgers around.

Grill ‘Em All — Offers a veggie patty substitute on any of their metal-named burgers, plus vegan cheese as an add-on, so you can build a plant-based version of most of their menu.

The Stand — American Classics Redefined — Has a dedicated veggie burger: veggie patty, pepper jack, fresh guacamole, pickled red onion, corn salsa, and sweet chili aioli on a wheat bun. Not an afterthought — it’s built with the same care as their beef options.

Marathon Burger — Their vegan patty is made from wild rice and potatoes, topped with house-made pickle, lettuce, tomato, gourmet fresno peppers, and red onion on a toasted brioche bun. A genuinely thoughtful option from a mostly-meat menu.

MVP’s Grill & Patio — Officially lists “gourmet garden burgers” and salads as their vegetarian options across all three locations. They’re also known for accommodating dietary restrictions on request (cooks will clean the grill for you if asked).

OMG Burgers and More — Offers vegan hot dogs alongside their beef and turkey burger options, plus a solid rotation of homemade sides (baked beans, mac and cheese) that are easy to make a meal out of if you’re skipping meat.

Louis Burgers III — Has a mushroom burger on the menu, but does not offer a dedicated veggie or vegan burger patty.

The Last Bite: Where Do You Go for Burgers in Long Beach?

Seventeen burger joints, and I could keep going. That’s the thing about Long Beach — you scratch the surface on any “best of” list and there’s a shack, a stand, a drive-thru, or a Thursday-only pop-up you didn’t even know about, run by someone who’s been doing this for their neighborhood for years, sometimes decades, without ever needing a press release about it.

None of these places are trying to be anything other than what they are. Nobody’s plating a burger like it’s art. Nobody’s charging you $22 for the privilege of feeling fancy. You walk up, you order, you get a burger in your hand in about the time it takes to find a parking spot, and you sit down — at a picnic table, at a gas station, on a golf course patio, on the sand — and you just eat. And somewhere in there, without you even trying, that’s the moment. That’s the memory getting made.

I think about my dad and those evenings at Russell’s. Not because the burger was extraordinary. It wasn’t. It was a diner burger with fries we split and a dad who liked Thousand Island on his, for reasons only he understood. But it was ours, and it was simple, and it was enough.

So next time you’re standing in line at Dave’s or rolling through Louis Burgers III at midnight or splitting a Cowboy from Hell at Grill ‘Em All with someone you love — pay attention. You might just be building the kind of memory that sticks around fifty years from now, long after the place itself is gone. That’s the real secret ingredient in every one of these burgers. Not the sauce. Not the cheese. Just showing up, together, for something simple.

Go eat a burger, LBC. And if you find a new favorite, tell me about it — I’m always looking for the next spot to fall in love with.

FAQ

What are the best cheap burgers in Long Beach, CA? Long Beach has no shortage of fast, cheap, no-frills burger spots — standouts include Crack, Sideburns, Dave’s Burgers, The Win-Dow, MVP’s Grill & Patio, Poly Burger, and John’s Hamburgers, all serving solid burgers for under $15.

Where can I find a fast, cheap burger in Long Beach? For quick, wallet-friendly burgers, hit The Win-Dow in Belmont Shore, Dave’s Burgers on Atlantic Ave, or Bixby Classic Burger in Bixby Knolls — all three keep prices under $10 for a classic cheeseburger.

What’s the best late-night burger spot in Long Beach? Louis Burgers III is the move for late-night cravings — it’s open nearly around the clock (roughly 6:30am to 1-2am) with a drive-thru for when you need a burger and fries stat.

Where can I get a good vegan or vegetarian burger in Long Beach? Nice Burger on Long Beach Blvd is 100% vegan, Sideburns has three vegan burger options including a vegan smash burger, and The Win-Dow, Grill ‘Em All, The Stand, and Marathon Burger all offer plant-based patties.

Is Marathon Burger in Long Beach connected to Nipsey Hussle? Yes — Marathon Burger was developed by Nipsey Hussle’s brother, Samiel Asghedom, to continue the Marathon legacy. Their downtown Long Beach location on Pine Avenue is their fourth in LA County.

What’s a classic, old-school Long Beach burger spot? Poly Burger, named after Long Beach Polytechnic High School, has been a community staple for generations, along with Dave’s Burgers and John’s Hamburgers — both decades-old neighborhood fixtures.

Where do Long Beach locals actually go for burgers? Locals lean toward the fast, cheap, no-pretense spots on this list — Crack, Sideburns, MVP’s, and John’s Hamburgers all come up again and again when talking with locals, not the trendier sit-down spots.

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Kari Jenkins LBC Vibe
Kari Jenkins
Kari is a Long Beach lifer, Wilson High alum, and one of the founders of LBC Vibe, Long Beach’s original local community platform. She’s obsessed with this city, cut her teeth slinging cocktails at Crow’s in the 90s, and has never once gatekept a good restaurant recommendation. Confirmed word nerd. Latte fanatic. Dangerously opinionated. She writes about Long Beach the way locals actually talk about it — which is to say, honestly, enthusiastically, and occasionally with colorful language.

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