Ban Ban Burger

"From the team behind Tuk Tuk Thai and Chao Krung Thai comes Ban Ban Burger, a Thai-inspired burger restaurant along Sawtelle. The wagyu laab burger comes with three ounces of American wagyu, seasoned with lime, rice powder, and bird’s eye chile flakes, while the grapow smash uses Australian beef, garlic, holy basil, and Thai chiles. The spice levels here pack a punch, but never overwhelm the rich flavors of the burger and its toppings. A panang fried chicken sandwich, laab fries, a Thai tea shake, and more are available to complete the meal." - Rebecca Roland, Eater Staff

"We had the brilliant idea to rank smashburgers in this city and experienced a minor crisis: do these all taste the same? Surely, they don’t. But then we tried Ban Ban Burger, a Thai-influenced spot on Sawtelle from the Tuk Tuk Thai people, and our palate for lacy-crisp beef patties was reinvigorated. We love the punchy wagyu laab burger that zaps the sides of your mouth (in a pleasant way) with minty-garlicky gremolata, but our favorite is the fried-egg-topped grapow burger. The basil chili sauce sizzles on your tongue, cooled down just enough by american cheese and a runny yolk. Just maybe don’t wear white if you order this drippy burger—there’s a lot of sauce for the delicate potato roll.  " - brant cox, sylvio martins, nikko duren, garrett snyder

"Like probably many of you, we also suffer from chronic smashburger fatigue. That’s why we appreciate that this counter-service spot from Tuk Tuk Thai is mixing things up with riffs like garlicky wagyu laab burgers, pale green pandan milkshakes, and spice-dusted fries with curry ketchup. Everything on the short menu grabs your attention, but we say prioritize the peppery grapow burger finished with a runny egg or the fried chicken sando on toasted milk bread with panang mayo." - brant cox, sylvio martins, arden shore

"We’ve eaten many smashburgers (maybe too many) doing this job, and after a while, they start to blend together. But not Ban Ban Burger. This counter-service spot on Sawtelle from the Tuk Tuk Thai people does Thai-influenced smashburgers that are so good they smacked the flat-patty fatigue right out of us. Combo meals here involve crispy wagyu laab burgers kicked up with mint-garlic gremolata, pale green pandan-flavored milkshakes, and spice-dusted fries with curry ketchup. Everything on the short menu grabs your attention, but we say prioritize the peppery grapow burger finished with a runny egg, or the fried chicken sando on toasted milk bread with panang mayo. Apologies if you wanted the smashburger trend to die—this place is breathing life back into it." - nikko duren, brant cox, sylvio martins

"Ban Ban may be Los Angeles’s hottest new burger spot, both in popularity and spice level. The Thai-inspired burgers come from the team behind Tuk Tuk Thai and Chao Krung Thai. The menu features dishes like a wagyu laab smash burger with Thai pickles, a mint and herb sauce, and American cheese, as well as a grapow smash burger with a fried egg, house Thai pickles, American cheese, and wild garlic aioli." - Rebecca Roland