Cassell's Hamburgers

About the Business

Specialties

We've added to the original hamburger stand with a classic 50s breakfast menu, coffee bar, house made sodas, and a fully stocked bar. The soul of the restaurant stays true to founder Al Cassell's original principles of being a hamburger shop with a focus on premium beef, ground daily in house. All of our burgers are still cooked on Al Cassell's famous original crossfire broiler, ground with the original grinder, and pattied with the original press.

History

Established in 1948.

Opened in 1948 by a young Alvin Cassell, initially down the block on Wilshire, the burger haunt was for decades synonymous with chef-driven dedication to quality ingredients and techniques. As rumor has it, Cassell the man was an office worker who lamented the fact that a good lunch was so hard to find, so he started making his own. Cured hams, housemade tuna salad, and those broiled burgers, still sizzling underneath a slice of melted American cheese. Los Angeles Magazine's George Christy called it the "best five-star burger at its price in town." Even Calvin Trillin had at one time or another called Cassell's "probably the best one available in Los Angeles," and in 1992, a young writer for the Los Angeles Times named Jonathan Gold was hard-pressed to disagree. Fast forward to 2012, architect and owner of Hotel Normandie revitalized the brand with Chef Christian Page. We're still serving the same incredible food with quality ingredients, now in the beautiful Hotel Normandie.