Yellow Paper Burger

Yellow Paper Burger - Review - Eagle Rock - Los Angeles - The Infatuation

"Former roving burger pop-up Yellow Paper amassed more followers than The Grateful Dead over the past few years, and now you’ll find their signature smashburgers sold exclusively from a slightly retro counter-service spot on Colorado Boulevard in Eagle Rock. These are solid, well-built smashies with crisp toasted buns and a nice punch of heat from chopped yellow chiles, plus the usual suite of toppings: American cheese, pickles, shredded iceberg, raw onion, and tomato. The lone pepper-crusted patty in the single burger tends to get lost among all the roughage, so ordering the pricey double is the move. Don’t overlook the rest of the menu, though—we enjoyed the non-burger items even more, including a snappy hot hog, chili-brined pickled eggs, crispy tater tots with “ronch” (a yogurt-based dip somewhere between ranch and tartar sauce), and apple hand pies baked in-house. Once you order, take your haul out to the restaurant's charming brick patio. With lots of picnic tables, string lights, and some Depeche Mode bopping on the speakers, it’s a pleasant spot to spend a lazy afternoon with your crew—including fur babies, too. Several patches of astroturf are available and there’s a “pup patty” on the menu. We haven’t tried it, but the dogs around us appeared to approve. photo credit: Brant Cox Food Rundown Double Burger Yellow Paper offers a single and a double burger, and we'd suggest sticking with the latter—otherwise the heap of shredded lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles overwhelm the seared patty, which is thin but not too thin with crispy edges. The extra-toasted buns and smattering of chopped chiles are nice touches on this solid, straightforward SoCal-style burger, even if the $14 double is on the pricer side for a smashburger. photo credit: Garrett Snyder Tator Tots A perfect tray of tater tots. Crunchy and salty with a liberal dusting of Old Bay. photo credit: Brant Cox Pickled Eggs You don’t see many pickled eggs on menus anymore (we see you though, Joe Jost’s) and for that reason alone, you should order it here. You should also order it because the slightly spicy chile brine goes perfectly with the tray of Lays potato chips. photo credit: Brant Cox Hot Dog This $8 hot dog isn't groundbreaking, but gets the job. There's snappy all-beef dog and smattering of classic toppings: mayo, mustard, raw onion, and relish. The same chopped chiles that come on the burger are also show up here, and provide some nice vinegary heat. photo credit: Brant Cox Hand Pie Don’t be surprised when this apple-filled hand pie is the main topic of conversation on the way home. Each flaky snack is made in-house and comes with a gooey interior of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom. Even if you’re full, still get one. They taste just as great reheated back at home. photo credit: Brant Cox" - Brant Cox