Heavy Handed
Hamburger restaurant · Ocean Park
2912 Main St, Santa Monica, CA 90405, USA
Highlights
Short rib burgers, beef tallow fries, soft serve ice cream
Short rib burgers, beef tallow fries, soft serve ice cream
"Whether you're a smashburger die-hard or you’ve merely heard of them in passing, chances are you know about Heavy Handed. This walk-up spot on Main Street has a devout fanbase, and we get the hype. The burgers are simple and effective: a single, double, or triple stack with cheese, sweet, housemade pickles, and their house sauce on a fluffy potato roll. With a side of their beef tallow fries, it’s an easy option for a quick lunch, but we suggest eating your burger on the spacious front patio." - sylvio martins, jess basser sanders
"Further proof that smashburgers and soft serve go hand-in-hand: Head to Heavy Handed in Santa Monica and Studio City for creamy chocolate or vanilla soft serve made with organic Straus Creamery milk. They also offer optional chocolate, butterscotch, or rainbow sprinkle dips that harden into a crackly shell, though if you're sticking with the classic vanilla, we prefer to add a side of their beef tallow fries for a sweet-salty combo." - brant cox, sylvio martins, cathy park
"The short rib patty differentiates Santa Monica’s Heavy Handed from the rest of the pack. The burger is fatty and rich and only benefits from the addition of American cheese, caramelized onions, bread and butter pickles, and a healthy dosing of “heavy” sauce. Just be warned, the potato bun does its best to hold this burger together, but it is bound to get messy. Heavy Handed also now has a second location in Studio City and a third in Silver Lake. The burger is quite hearty by itself, but don’t skip out on the crispy, salty beef tallow fries. End meals here with a creamy soft serve cone, encapsulated in a sweet chocolate shell. Know before you go: Heavy Handed has locations in Santa Monica, Studio City, and Silver Lake, making it an easy stop on any side of town." - Eater Staff
"Soft serve and burgers just make sense together. In addition to turning out some of Los Angeles’s best smash burgers, Heavy Handed also whips up outstanding soft serve made with organic milk from Straus Family Creamery. The soft serve comes in vanilla, chocolate, or swirl, available in a cup or a cone. If opting for the cone, take it a step further and get it dipped. In addition to the Santa Monica location, Heavy Handed has outposts in Studio City and Silver Lake." - Mona Holmes
"Your Order: Double Short Rib Burger ($11) As the lone smashburger option in Santa Monica, this small yellow walk-up window on Main Street is a destination for touristy types on the Westside, and that’s before you factor in their dipped soft serve cones, beef tallow fries, and a long list of craft beers on tap. The strongest burger traits here are the beef (substantial, flavorful ground short rib) and bun (a buttery toasted potato roll). The rest is divisive: the patties are more seared than smashed, the onions are squishy and caramelized rather than griddled, and the combination of a worcestershire-heavy special sauce and sweet housemade bread-and-butter pickles is a little jarring. Would we still destroy one of their doubles in seconds after an afternoon at the beach? No question." - garrett snyder, sylvio martins, nikko duren
