Tommy’s Original World Famous Hamburgers

Visited 6÷24÷3016
I have frequented this establishment for many years now. I know there are other Tommy’s locations, but this one is my go to when I am in LA and it’s late night eating.
The calories are horrendous! Love them French fries with cheese and chill but don’t look at the calories! Those burgers and calories did not effect me in my younger days, but now, forget it!
Was extremely busy tonight after 11 pm so we had to park in the farthest lots. Thank goodness for security! It is a little sketchy here.
They no longer had the yellow chilly peppers out. You need to ask the guy behind the counter for some.
Will definitely be back!

what is it about tommy’s original that makes it an icon in the hard core junk food category?
1) no concessions to healthy. get chili.
2) hamburger… no pickles, no tomatos, extra chili.
3) cheesedog… no pickles, no tomatos, extra chili.
4) tamale… got chili?
5) chili cheese fries
6) large root beer.
now if you are sharp, you may see a pattern here…
chili… so greasy, ever so savory, it flows like lava over your burger, dog or fries and engulfs your tastebuds. you may not enjoy this sort of thing or if you are like me, you plan your road trips based on where the shack is!
if you are a health nut, don’t bother, eat your kale, pomegranite, quinoa and fish… and live healthy and miserable.
if you love to indulge, this is the place.

The original, the one that started it all. So many memories at this location. I remember when they sold no fries, you got a can soda and you ate standing up. The burgers here taste better than at any other Tommy’s location. Definitely a part of Los Angeles city history.

Line is to long, the sold me a hot dog, 30 minutes later, when I asked they told me that they don’t have it and with an attitude

Derp!
Didn’t realize it was chili burgers. Got told to get extra chili, not good for an introduction. Nice place, I can feel the historical ambience, but not my thing. (Nothing matters except what you say after But)

I’ve been a huge fan of Tommy’s for years. The original LA location has been my favorite Tommy’s restaurant for years… such a tiny spot with such amazing flavor! The lines get long but, usually, it’s totally worth it!
I do have a bone to pick about my most recent visit, though. I ordered a chili cheeseburger without onions and with extra pickles. Never did I expect for my burger to be filled with 30 pickles! Too much! I always ask for extra pickles and that usually means about 10 pickles max. But fine, I asked for extra pickles and I got extra pickles. Ok.
The bigger problem was the meat patty… the edges were burnt and hard (and I didn’t ask for it to be well done or anything along those lines). Same goes for the bun. The bun was at least tolerable but the patty was unacceptable. I actually had to tear the edges off and just eat the middle of the patty. The same happened with my husband’s burger. If we hadn’t been in such a hurry, we would’ve gone back and asked for new burgers.

So for national hamburger day I was on a mission to not only get a regular burger but a historic LA institution burger. Funny thing is I’ve passed by Tommy’s so much that I never put two and two together. Nonetheless, I brought my need to take my taste buds to the next level to Unilocal.
If you ask any of my friends they will tell you I’m a burger critic. Often, I don’t believe in the $ 12+ dollar burger, it’s a bit too pretentious for me. Recently I’ve been in a making the perfect burger mood on my cast iron and also fiending for cheese fries.
At Tommy’s I found both. As soon as you pull into the lot you’ll notice it’s a tight space. There are two lines on each of the parking lot, my advice is to choose whichever speaks to your heart. I chose the line in the far back L-​shaped side walk.
My order:
After looking at them cooking the food, which looked really good I decided the patties were a bit too thin to just get one. I decided to basically get a triple burger and chili cheese fries. All burgers include toppings including chili. I didn’t get the mega meal because I don’t for soda or fountain beverages. The burger was so good and stayed hot all the way until I got home. I also go pepperoncini’s on the side. On my chili cheese fries I added raw onion per a Unilocalers suggestion
Overall I’m getting my burger ⁴⁄₅ and the chili cheese fries ⁴⁄₅. What would bring this up for me is if I find another way to elevate the taste.
Go to Tommy’s. Also, be prepared it’s loud in the area. You shouldn’t feel unsafe just don’t be ditzy and use your thinking cap. I’ll def be back.

I understand it’s an LA staple and a must get when in town. many from out of town recommended this as much as In-​N-​Out but I wasn’t impressed by the burger.
Not sure if it’s a drunk munchies late night type of burger for people but I got the chili cheeseburger combo and it was meh to me. average and not all it was hyped up to be. I feel like I can make better homemade chili cheese at home.
I may try it again in case that night they weren’t up to their game maybe but it seemed to me like a standard fast food with standard chili. I like spicy and flavor… this was greasy and meh, at least I can say the fries are much better here than In-​N-​Out.

Nothing like an after show Tommy’s run! I have fond memories of taking a break from cramming for finals & getting a chili cheese burger & fries! Now that I live in the OC, this is a real treat! I will sleep soundly now while I digest my 1,000 calorie meal! Burp! Excus Excuse me.

hello tommy
i have not written a Unilocal review in 5 months but for you, tommy, anything is possible
i wanted to accomplish a lot of things in my life but unfortunately life is weird and instead of being a pop star or the ruler of earth, I am drunk at 6am and my face hurts and i want to eat chili. that is not your fault, tommy, that is just the way of the world.
so i left the club at 5am and i thought that i would just go home and go to sleep and be a normal human but instead i decided that i wanted a hamburger so I had my über take me to tommys instead of taking me home. my über driver even asked me if this was really what i wanted to do and I said yes. my über driver should have taken more initiative to keep me safe and healthy but he did not, that’s okay, i will not include my feelings about my über driver in this rating, I will rate him in a separate capacity. anyway, I got to this burger restaurant and decided that I wanted something other than a burger because when you do not love yourself, it is very easy to justify rebellion and deviate from the status quo. therefore, I ordered a breakfast burrito.
this burrito is wrapped in a tortilla and includes many breakfast foods inside and also chili which technically could be a breakfast food because who am I to say what is a breakfast food and what is not, I heard that they eat tomatoes for breakfast in England and even though I do not eat tomatoes for breakfast, it is not my place to say what anyone else should choose to do with their morning meal. everyone should be free to consume a variety of food at any time of day, this is America, the land of the free and the other things too.
anyway burrito was pretty good i honestly do not remember eating it but i definitely did

Angelenos Question: Tommy’s or In ‘N’ Out.
For me hands down Tommy’s. Great Burgers, Hot Dogs, Chili, Yellow Peppers– Can’t be beat. Just prepare your fingers to stink for a couple of days– from the chili. hahaha

Last week I ate at the original Tommy’s for nostalgia. My first experience was here back in the late 1970’s attending Belmont H.S. I think it used to be .95 for a Chili Burger. I thought it was the best tasting thing ever! Now it looks and tastes like an assembly-​line made burger. It’s smaller with less chili. It now costs $ 3.10. The cheese burger I ordered was good, but not what I remembered it to be. They offer French Fry’s now, but didn’t see anybody order them. I Wonder why? Is this a cost and calorie saving tactic?
***They are Celebrating 70 Years in Business on May 15, 2016 with a Special; a burger and drink for .70 — a limit of (five) of this special starting at noon.***

TOMMY’S! I used to go to the Tommy’s in Santa Monica off of Lincoln Blvd and Pico but unfortunately they closed so I resorted to coming all the way to this one. This Tommy’s is the closest to home for me, right on Beverly Blvd with a parking lot just for them right across the street. There are NO seating areas and everything is outdoors. They do have bar-​like tables where you can stand and eat your burger but I prefer sitting in the car. They accept cash and cards by the way. My boyfriend and I came around 8 at night to avoid all the traffic during the day so when we arrived it was cool. We ordered a #2 which is a chili cheeseburger with fries and a medium drink, and a #4 which is their chili cheese dog with fries and a drink. I customized my fries by making them chili cheese fries for about $ 2 more or so. In less than 5 min we got our orders and walked towards their soda machine area, they have Coca Cola products which gives them another star! I honestly REALLY LOVE their chili it’s the best one I’ve had so far and I’ve tried chili from many other places and nothing compares. It may be a messy burger but i do love it. Their chili cheese fries are drowned in chili so if you don’t like soggy chili covered fries you can order the chili on the side. The drive can be a bit far for me but it’s always worth it!

Been coming here for at least 25 years. Had my first Tommy’s after a late night of studying in college. While the prices have certainly gone up over the years, it’s still a great burger at a reasonable price. The fact that it’s still open 24 hrs is amazing.
Tommy’s is definitely not the healthiest place to eat and if feel my arteries clog with every delicious bite of that creamy chili. Since I probably only have it once or twice a year, Tommy’s is my guilty pleasure.

Never wanted to try this place. It seemed so sloppy, and to be honest it reminded me of a bad case of diarrhea (you know you’ve made that correlation too at one point). But the boyfriend is a big fan and finally convinced me to try it. I had two bites of his double chili burger (chili mustard only) and it was good, didn’t eat more than two bites that night because I wasn’t hungry.
Fast forward to a few months ago where I ordered my own burger (single chili cheeseburger) and it was delicious, different for me but different in a good way! Messy and that’s still something that irks me but their endless supply of napkins makes it bearable! You can eat in your car or eat standing up on their stand up walk tables. Theirs parking, the lot on the opposite side is usually the best way to go since their lot gets full quick.
Went here two nights ago around 11pm (you know this place is 24hrs right?) and it satisfied my craving! Check this place out!

Just so good. Know what you are there for. A chili burger. Maybe some chili cheese fries.
Basically, the chili burger.
It’s the creamiest chili I’ve ever had. So it’s a certain style for sure, but it’s comfort food done right.
FYI– it’s a roadside stand style place. Wait in line, order, pickup, eat on a tiny shelf, drive away…

I know this place is not the healthiest, nor is it necessarily the best burger in the world (though I’m inclined to say that it is). You go here because it’s late and you just need to eat some grease. I grew up on these burgers, and if I continue eating them, will very likely die by these burgers.
On a more serious note, I love them because of the mix of pickles, thick cut tomatoes, mustard and onions. And of course, the fact that it’s drowning in chili.

YES
YES
YES
Always here when in Los Angeles for my project in Koreatown !

In my opinion the chili, mustard, and tomato make this burger. My favorite overall burger. I never get bored of eating a Tommy’s all year round and I can’t say that about any other burger.

this food is great if you are drunk, or if you have a drinking problem. i would not bring these burgers to an AA meeting. they will not enjoy them.
do NOT eat sober. You will be more disappointed than your parents divorcing. please find & get alcohol into your mouth before you attempt to eat this burger. NOT GOOD SOBER. must drink.
vodka. tequila. or a lager.
chili is good i guess if your into stains on your pants. i buy mostly black pants to i do it. do NOT WEAR WHITE PANTS here. you will be filled with regret. like when you listened to your parents advice on love.
cheeseburger is safe bet. fries are good, if you are LIQUORED UP.
if you have to drive here please drink & drive, so you don’t have to taste this dogshit sober. the staff is kind, but they are going to hell for serving this food. it is a sin against humanity. they should have their burger license revoked for the kind of sick shit they are trying to pass off as food.
please for your own good, do not come here unless your blood alcohol level is above .08

Best chili burger ever. The chili itself is what seals the deal. I got my husband to eat this and he absolutely only eats his burgers plain with nothing on them. He had CHILI ON HIS BURGER AND LOVED IT. I recommend this spot for sure. Been going here since I was a Lil girl. Had to take some chili to go.

Not for me. Got the classic chili cheese burger with chili cheese fries. Chili has no flavor but grease and salt with a bean paste texture. Props to those who do keep this iconic place alive, but just not for me.

Tommy’s. What the masses do to insult their stomach.
The burger meat is brown. Good start.
Pull out the tomato and pickles, now that part is good. Eat that.
The chili, that painfully acidic sludge lacking in anything but grease and sodium. Sludge in, sludge out. That would occur approximately one hour after eating, I believe.
I don’t get it. I don’t want it. I have no desire to hop on the bandwagon just because it is a «legend». I put it a half a notch above Pinks, that other LA legendary place where you can gluttonize for the best gastointestinal effects. Lady Godiva was legendary too, but you won’t find most people riding around town on a horse, in the buff, just because she did it. Not that certain other folks wouldn’t mind.
Masochists. there are better things for insulting our tummies. Like chocolate. Hey, how about some «Godiva» chocolate?

Tommy’s is an experience and this includes waiting in line, and eating while standing without staining your clothes. Certainly worth the occasional indulgence ;).
Also, I’m a sucker for a burger drenched in chilli and Tommy doesn’t disappoint. In fairness, this is not a high quality hamburger, but the chili makes up for it. Also, the nostalgia of eating at Tommy’s brought back all the great memories of being an undergraduate student in the LA area. I also got the chilli cheese fries. Nothing special except for all the additional calories. I’d skip this aspect of the experience.

What a treat it was to have been able to check this place out today. Lived in LA all my life & I’ve never had the chance to stop by here. My uncle went here when he was younger & he decided to take us today after a trip to the Grove!
I’ve always had the burgers but today I decided to try the hotdog. It was delicious. Just enough chili (maybe a little extra but HEY who doesn’t love extra chili) the buns were toasted — everything just went so well together.
Parking isn’t bad because they added another lot next door. There’s two places to order from and so I mean — it wasn’t that crowded when we went. Only thing that sucks is that there isn’t that much room to stand around & eat. I wish they had some seats/​benches because i think people love to eat there — hot & fresh.

This place is a Los Angeles legend. When we were younger, we clubbed all night and stopping at a Tommy’s was a must. Now that we are older, this place still has good food with great memories attached to it.
Need to double my workouts so I can eat here more and afford all the calories.

OG LOVE.
My go to?
Cheeseburger Ketchup only.
Chili Cheese Fries with onion.
Ice cold coke.
Money.
What more do I need?
Nothing.
Great food at its best.
Simplicity.
Best part?
Late night hours.
Get yo ass here.

This is the kind of food you consume if you’re going through a shitty day and want things to end on an even worse note or if you totally hate yourself. Consuming their greasy chili feels as though your arteries are instantly clogged and have shortened your lifespan by a few years in one sitting alone. Might be a great drunk fix but I’d rather stick to a tinny little cheeseburger happy meal which delivers greasy pleasures in smaller doses.
Tastes better than it looks but is definitely a joint I would revisit once every few years to reminisce the past when we nearly lost our lives during their 50^th anniversary $ 0.50 cent deal while being lined up in queue for burgers and being stuck in the midst of a gang shooting. Good times indeed.

if you looking for late bite it will be work !
A small boots and get long line !!
They have 5−6(?) menu and that was amazing
In fact I don’t like chili fries but if it comes their chili fries — yammy !!! :D

A Los Angeles icon. This placer
Was around 40 Yeats ago when mt dad brought me here as a kid. I had the #2 with cheese. ¼ pounder with all the normal garnish, except at Tommys, they add a late of chili sauce over the cheese which melts the cheese into a nice gooey mix. Yum! The best unique burger I’ve had in a while. Brought back childhood memories. I hope they are here for another 40 years. The building is the same as it was back then, and so are the burgers.

I hadn’t been by here in probably over 20 years since graduating from college. What a sight for sore eyes! My son had an audition in Hollywood that got out in the middle of the afternoon. Should we fight traffic or grab a bite to eat, then fight traffic? The answer… Get your grub on then deal with the wall ‘o cars later with a full tummy!
This is the original location with no seating area and two outdoor cooking areas. My how things have changed over the years. Not for better or worse, just different. I suppose better for some. Only one grill was open, the one closer to the street at this time of day. Surprisingly there was no line, but soon after we arrived, people starting lining up like their arteries would soon after downing this little bite of heaven. We stood looking at the menu deciding what to enjoy. Changes that I could notice immediately were the soda fountain instead of canned soda, didn’t offer fries before and combos listed instead of creating your own. I had a cheeseburger and soda and he had a chili dog, chips and soda. All orders come with mustard, pickles, a slice of tomato, diced onions and that wonderful, radioactive chili oozing all over the place.
Another thing I noticed that changed is that they take credit cards now. I suppose all the things mentioned so far are good for business. They’ve changed with the times, but kept the nostalgia of the original location. One thing that wasn’t so good was the time it took to prepare the gooey goodness. Maybe it was daytime staff vs the late night team, but I recall on previous visits the guys on the grill would literally prepare the burgers when the orders were placed. If you didn’t know what you wanted, move aside or be trampled. Almost like the old Belushi/​Akroyd Saturday Night Live «cheeseburger skit». By the time you had dug out the cash and recieved any change, they had placed a box on the counter with your order, no matter how many burgers were ordered. On my last visit, guests were waiting at the end of the counter for a while, upwards of maybe five or more minutes.
Still, a great, classic burger joint in LA! Keep on Unilocal’n!

The FIRST and the ORIGINAL Tommy’s … and still serving this hot mess (I mean chili cheeseburger) since 1946 (that’s two years before the creation of In-​N-​Out Burger).
Small parking lot, but additional parking lot is available right across from Rampart Blvd.
All hamburgers & hot dogs come with Tommy’s famous chili, chopped onion, tomato, pickles, and mustard, There are two separate windows you can order from and don’t forget about free refills on fountain drinks.
***
Cheeseburger ($ 2.95, 530 calories): I liked both chili and beef patty, but what made this chili cheeseburger a notch below other great burger joints (e.g. in-​N-​Out) was its burger buns — tasted a bit stale.
***
I’ve had bad chili before and I found Tommy’s chili pretty satisfying. Whenever you are craving for chili cheeseburger or chili fries, Tommy’s will always be here for you (cause it’s open 24 hours).

Chili cheese burgers and chili cheese fries with some peppers on the side… I know going in that I am going to regret my decision eating this but oh goodness, is it delicious. It’s the perfect nightcap after a night of drinking.
There is a parking lot in the main area and right across the street (look west!).
Also, there are usually 2 areas where you can order so take a look at the lines and run to the shorter one! No seating to eat but there are tables that you can eat standing up.

Stopped by this evening to grab a burger and relive memories which stretch back 40+ years. I remember when the Original hut was the only point at which you could get their burgers… sigh. So long ago and it feels and smells just like it alway’s been.
So tonight the line has short with barely half a dozen ahead of me when I arrived. The staff were as usual and I dined quickly standing off to the side in the parking lot. Sigh… giant slab of tomato… yummy supremely UNHEALTHY chili oozing with some kind of oil or lard… and those crunchy onion bits. Oh — look there seems to be a tiny slab of hamburger in there too… how charming, eh?
It’s great that some things never change.

What can I say about Tommy’s that has not already been said before? Whether you come during the day or in the middle of the night when I like to arrive, this place is GREAT!!! It is a Los Angleles tradition that I have been going to forever and will continue to go to.
One warning, it can get crowded during peak hours. So, the best bet is to hit Tommy’s when no one is around.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED !!!