Hole In The Wall Burger Joint

The Details:

11058 Santa Monica Blvd.
at South Bentley Avenue (behind Winchell’s Donuts)
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Phone: (310) 312-7013
Mon-Fri: 11:00am-8pm
Sat: 11:00am-6pm
Sun: Closed

The Los Angeles Foodie Rating:

3 out of 5

The Summary:

This hip, little burger shack is definitely worth a try if you are in the neighborhood. The pretzel bun is outstanding, and the beef is flavorful and juicy. The house-made ketchup should be avoided. Try the online ordering if you are in a hurry.

The Place:

Hole In The Wall Burger Joint is literally built into the back of Winchell’s Donuts. It can be tricky to find, given that it has a Santa Monica Blvd. address yet its store front isn’t even on Santa Monica Blvd. Regardless, Hole In The Wall Burger is keeping the southern California hamburger stand alive. Inside, you’ll find little else besides the kitchen and a cash register. There is crowded seating for about 10 people along a narrow, u-shaped counter. The comfortable spots are outside on the patio, where you are surrounded by corrugated metal walls, a giant menu in the window, and branded signage. The appeal of the location becomes clear when you sit down with your meal and realize that the noise and bustle of the nearby boulevard seems miles away. Whether it was intentional or not, this burger joint resides in a great location for its diners, though I hope its semi-hidden nature doesn’t hurt their ability to attract new visitors.

The Food:

The Hole In The Wall menu reminds me of The Counter. You choose your protein, and then you move down the list selecting various add-ons. The patties are every bit of the advertised 8 ounces, so once you add on fries and drink, you’ve got a hefty meal on your hands. And at around 14 bucks, I would hope to receive substantial portions. Don’t get me wrong, the food is worth the price, but it’s steep for what you might expect from a burger stand. I tried the beef patty on a pretzel bun adorned with nothing other than cheddar cheese. I am a little biased right from the start because my favorite burgers are of the pressed, flattop variety, and Hole In The Wall serves ‘em up thick and juicy. Regardless, the beef was flavorful, and the burger was cooked to a perfect medium-rare. The pretzel bun is a nice touch, and in addition to being visually pleasing, it was as soft as a pillow and imparted a unique flavor to the whole sandwich. I opted for sweet potato fries on the side, and they were good but not great. I still think Father’s Office has the best in town. I wanted to try the zucchini pickles but not on my burger (I didn’t want anything interfering with the pure flavor of the meat on my first visit), so I got a small order on the side. They were good but, again, not great. I can imagine they taste good on the burgers for those who like a good pickle. Finally, the house-made ketchup had been singing me a siren song from the moment I sat down. I couldn’t wait to dig in with a couple of sweet potato fries and see what they had brewed up. This stuff was just bad. It was a watery, non-homogeneous soup that tasted like flavorless salsa. I was really bummed out. The Oinkster’s ketchup has set my standards so high for homemade ketchup, that most others are doomed to fail in comparison. Despite a few shortcomings, I will definitely return to this burger stand when I am in the mood for a hearty meal.

The Service:

A great feature of Hole In The Wall Burger, touted by many (and disparaged by a few) on sites like Yelp is the online ordering. During busy times, I can imagine this feature’s being a desirable one. I visited mid-day on a Saturday, so there was little demand on the staff. Everyone seemed friendly, but there was nothing truly remarkable about my experience. I should point out that the fact that everything went as smoothly as I could have hoped is a testament to a well-organized operation.