John's Hamburgers

Elite '08

346

605

Holly T.

Long Beach, CA

I can't talk about John's without first talking about what this building used to be: a McDonald's, but not just any McDonald's, MY McDonald's. I don't know exactly how long it was a McDonald's, but I do know that thirty years ago I went there with my preschool class for a tour. I don't really remember it, by my mom does, because they fed us preschoolers Shamrock shakes, and all the moms got freaked out because the kids all got green poop. Anyway, when I was 16, I got my first job here, so I know the building inside and out. (If you ever need a bomb shelter, check out the basement here!) About 5 years ago or maybe longer, I had been out of town for awhile and when I came back, I noticed that McDonald's had moved about half a block down the street and this was now John's Hamburgers. I was kind of sad, end of an era and all that, but I was never really interested in trying John's, until recently I read something in some Long Beach publication that mentioned that they actually did have pretty good hamburgers here.

It was deja vu when I walked in here the other night, because it still looks exactly like McDonald's on the inside. The bricks are the same, the tiles are the same, the counter is the same, the french fry machine is in the same place, the grill is in the same place - everything is exactly as I remember it for the most part. I had to fight back an urge to go in the back and clock in. Well, not really. But I did really want to mop the floor.

OK now I can actually talk about John's - sorry for the tangent.

As you can imagine, the main draw at John's is their hamburgers. In addition to hamburgers, they also have sandwiches, salads, breakfast served all day (except for chicken fried steak and biscuits and gravy, which are only served until about 11am), and some Mexican food. The burgers are all fairly large, so think restaurant prices, not fast food prices.

Vince and I tried two of their featured burgers - the Old World Burger, which features a giant 10 oz. patty but other than that is pretty much just a standard burger, and the California Mushroom Burger, which included avocado and sauteed mushrooms, with a cilantro ranch sauce. The mushroom burger was actually very delicious, and I really liked the sauce. Both were good sized, and very filling - despite being ravenously hungry at the time, I couldn't finish a whole burger. Unfortunately the 2 burgers alone cost over $11 so I didn't have enough cash on me to try their fries or any sides.

John's is located next to Albertson's (the former Lucky's), across from Millikan high school. There is a small amount of indoor and outdoor seating, but you're probably better off with the drive-through or getting take out. They have a "cash coupon" ATM, which is a bizarre system where the cashier tells you your total, you walk over to the ATM and enter the amount yourself, then you bring the coupon back to the cashier to show you paid - not to mention there is a $1 surcharge - I recommend sticking to cash. The ownership of John's is apparently the same as Heritage Family Pantry (http://www.yelp.com/bi...).

I think I'll still stick with In-n-Out when I have a burger craving, but I might stop by if I'm in the area to try their breakfast or sandwiches.

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