Mixtape

Questlove Opens Chicken Burger Restaurant Mixtape in Los Angeles | Eater LA

"Opened May 19 by multi-hyphenate musician, producer, and DJ Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and located inside Neighborly food hall at 4000 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Westlake Village, the concept channels old-school burger-joint nostalgia—soft-serve “Saturdaes,” double-stacked patties, and chicken tenders—but is built around a clean-ingredient ethos: no beef, gluten, or seed oils, with all burgers made from chicken or veggie patties and served on gluten-free buns. In a statement Thompson recalls his childhood memories at corner joints and late-night restaurant stops after shows and says, “With [the concept], we’ve taken familiar favorites and reimagined them with clean, mindful ingredients that don’t cut corners,” he says. “It’s about delivering the same comfort and flavor you crave, just made better.” The signature chicken sandwich comes with gluten-free crispy chicken, mayo, and dill pickles on a toasted and buttered sesame seed brioche bun; the OGB Royale offers a single or double chicken patty with American cheese, dill pickles, grilled onions, and lettuce; the Backyard Barbecue tops the patty with barbecue glaze, pepper jack cheese, pickles, and ranchy slaw; and the vegetarian Eat Your Greens burger features a shiitake mushroom, chickpea, and brown rice patty with a citrus glaze, avocado, mayo, pickles, arugula, and Champagne vinaigrette. Gluten-free chicken tenders are sold in full or kid-sized box sets (both with waffle fries and a Parker roll; the full-size box adds a black eyed pea slaw), while waffle fries and black eyed pea slaw are also available à la carte. The soft-serve sundaes—branded as Saturdaes—use dairy-free ice cream and gluten-free toppings; the Strawberry Graham Jam Saturdae layers vanilla soft serve with strawberry sauce, oat streusel, graham cracker crumbles, whipped coconut topping, strawberry dust and freeze-dried strawberries, while the Loaded Dark Chocolate Brownie Saturdae includes chocolate cookie crumbles, a crumbled brownie, almond brittle, cocoa nibs, whipped coconut topping, and dark chocolate syrup. Thompson’s previous food ventures (the now-closed fried chicken stand Hybird) and his investment in Impossible Foods are noted as background, and the outpost joins a Neighborly lineup that includes the Cheese Store of Beverly Hills, Glendale’s Mini Kabob, and offerings from cookbook author and chef Gaby Dalkin. The food hall’s hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday–Thursday and 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday–Saturday." - Rebecca Roland