I made a pretty bold statement this week by declaring the city’s best hamburger is made right in Cheviot Hills/Rancho Park at The Apple Pan. Most people agreed with me while a handful of (less evolved?) individuals protested the selection.  No doubt this next assertion will also make some die-hard foodies roll their eyeballs but I don’t care.  My goal isn’t to please everyone but to instead make friends and strangers aware of some hidden neighborhood gems that deserve our collective attention.

Today I share what I believe to be the best hot dog stand in all of Los Angeles, located right on Pico in Cheviot Hills/Rancho Park: Marty’s Hamburger Stand! Similar to its’ neighbor The Apple Pan, Marty’s Hamburger Stand is an institution in West Los Angeles dating back to the 1950’s, famous for it’s walk-up ordering and pick-up windows, friendly short order grillers, and over-all terrific food. Marty’s Hamburger Stand is best known for offering ‘the Combo,’ perfect for those of us who can’t choose between a hamburger or hotdog for lunch. The Combo includes both all in the same bite!  You read that right: the grilled dog is put right on top of the burger patty with a little chili and cheese shoved in there between the bun.  And at a modest cost (last I checked it was around five dollars), you can’t beat this kind of bargain.  Made right in front of your very eyes, the chefs at Marty’s Hamburger Stand never write anything down yet somehow manage to memorize every hungry customer’s order, rarely if ever getting it wrong. If kids on their tippy toes still can’t watch the guys make their food through the window, they can sit on a spinning stool right alongside and watch from there. Watching them cook is all part of the experience and tipping them afterwards never goes unappreciated.

In addition to burgers, dogs, sandwiches, even breakfast burritos on the menu, you really don’t want to deny yourself the world famous chili cheese fries.  A generous portion of shoe string French fries, hot and glistening from their bubbily oil bath, smothered with a few ladlefulls of rich, meaty chili and topped with a thick slice of American cheese. Take note: it’s big enough to share. You may take your first bite and decide to keep going all on your own but trust: your heart will thank you for not dancing this tango solo.  If you have any chili leftover, it’s always a solid plan to spoon some on top of your burger or dog (or both if you got the combo).

Now, keep in mind, you very well may want to savor your food and eat it slowly. This is not a good plan for one simple reason- all the seating is outdoors and you’re not the only one who loves a good Marty’s burger and dog- Rancho Park pigeons are great fans of them, too. These birds are bold and if you leave your tray unattended for even the length of time to run back for some ketchup, they’ll typically help themselves to a few fries before effectively being shooed away.  This is another good reason to dine at Marty’s Hamburger Stand a deux: one person can be on pigeon patrol while the other grabs the condiments.

A few other housekeeping hints to consider before your first trip to Marty’s Hamburger Stand: only cash is accepted (an ATM machine is conveniently located on the patio) and to quench your thirst, there is an Orange Bang option in addition to the usual soda fare.  Go easy on those refills though, because Marty’s Hamburger Stand does not have a bathroom.  There is, however, a fire station right next door and in my experience, the kind firemen have never turned down a desperate looking father hoping his sons could use the bathroom in an emergency situation.

I hope you’ll try Marty’s Hamburger Stand the next time you’re looking for a delicious post-baseball game or mid-bike ride kind of snack. It’s the quintessential local kind of hamburger stand that we’ve been pretty proud to have in our neighborhood for well over 60 years.

Sometimes on a Saturday or Sunday (provided I’m not working at an open house), my favorite thing to do is gather up my wife and three boys and enjoy a tasty burger. Luckily we live close by to the finest local burger joint in the world. I am not exaggerating. Sure, In & Out is spectacular- no argument there. But when it comes to the best hamburger in Los Angeles, you really need to look no further than the Hickory Burger at the Apple Pan.

Located on Pico Boulevard where Rancho Park meets Cheviot Hills, the Apple Pan has been in the same location since the early 1940’s.  It even held firm and refused to be bought out back in the 1980’s when the Westside Pavillion shopping mall tried to expand and create a bridge to shops on the opposite side of the street. Now, I believe, it has been deemed an historical landmark and will (hopefully) remain firmly placed in that location forever.

The restaurant has a variety of items on the menu including tuna fish sandwiches and absolutely scrumptious pies (the apple is fabulous but you haven’t tasted heaven until your first bite of banana cream. Or boysenberry. (Or peach, when it’s in season). But, all of that is truly secondary to the main event:  the hamburger I like to call the mighty Hickory (and get it with cheese). The burger patty is thick and succulently tasty and the special sweet hickory BBQ sauce is the perfect counterpart to the crisp, cold lettuce. Everything is made to order and you can watch the gentlemen grill your food from your red vinyl stool perch behind the counter. Sodas are served in paper triangular cups in metal holders, contraptions straight out of the soda countered 1950’s.  I typically indulge in a cup of coffee, though, because the secret of a perfect cup of joe? Real freaking cream swirled right in the middle and the Apple Pan does not disappoint here whatsoever.  The fries are so good, they’re probably pretty unhealthy but the portions are grand enough to share with your kids or even the strangers sitting next to you.

Customers know the drill- there is no check-in list or number called. People walk in and kind of wait until a stool vacates before they can sit down.  If diners linger too long, they know they’re going to get in trouble. Only one stool opens up but there are 3 in your party? Sorry kids, you’re going to have to stand. Daddy’s hungry. You may not actually even sit with your entire party and that’s OK. The food is that level of worth it.  Customers also know they’re not going to come and hear about specials or healthy choices or the kale/quinoa/aioli du jour. They know they’re not necessarily going to be treated all that nicely. And that’s OK! They can get ‘nice’ from their parents. They come here to get the best burger in all of Los Angeles and if the customer service isn’t quite up to snuff, they can certainly take their whole pies to go.

The only thing customers really have to remember is to bring cash because the Apple Pan doesn’t take plastic, tip generously because the waiters deserve it and don’t try to come on Mondays because it’s closed.

One of my favorite things to do in Cheviot Hills is to take a walk to and around Rancho Park and the Cheviot Hills Recreation Center. Right in the middle of our enormous city exists an utopian playground that, to me, really has it all. On the weekends, this park is the spinal cord of our family as well as hundreds of families from all over the city. Soccer games, lacrosse, flag football, basketball and baseball games are being played at every corner and upon surface. In the middle of all the athletic activities, there is petanque, archery (slight pause on that until the new court is finished), dog training, dog agility and just dogs being dogs darting in and around all the spectators and Frisbee-throwers.  I particularly like bringing my dog up to Rancho Park to let him play with his other dog friends.  One of my sons took his first steps around the slides and swings and sandy area in which the younger set play. Another of my sons used to like to put on make-shift plays at the stage located at the bottom of the grassy, hilly slope. All three of my boys were taught how to ride bikes at this park as falling on grass is so much preferable to the harsh sidewalk concrete. Now the boys zoom all around the park on their bikes like old pros. There are dozens of tennis courts (one of my boys is taking lessons there), a recreational center that offers a wide array of classes, there is even a popular, co-op preschool nestled within the park that has been there forever. Whenever we hear the bell of the ice cream cart (or twangy tune from the truck), kids start running from every direction begging their parents for a morning or mid-afternoon treat.  Ice cream is always a hit, of course, but our boys are actually bigger fans of the fruit vendors. Their go-to is: less jicama, extra mango, no chili powder but definitely a splash of lime.

In addition to always running into families we know, sometimes the best part of a Saturday at Rancho Park is just hanging out and watching the Little Leaguers play their hearts out on the baseball diamonds. Our family has been part of the Cheviot Hills Pony League for years and it’s really served as the backdrop for watching our boys grow up.

One more special aspect of this fabulous park is likely just important to my family but definitely something I’m proud of: the bench that sits in a sunny spot near the brick Cheviot Hills Recreation Center building.  It commemorates my wife’s grandmother and the 65 years she lived in Cheviot Hills, just a few blocks away from the park on Glenbarr Avenue. It’s nice to spend time at this park and have the chance to think of her, too.

Rancho Park / Cheviot Hills Recreation Center