The Win~Dow—the Venice-born smash burger stand that helped ignite L.A.’s burger craze with its no-frills, through-the-window $5 cheeseburgers—has officially taken on breakfast.
Having taken over the former Archibald’s space in Belmont Shore in 2023, the popular concept debuted with a rightful and (still to this day) continual line of patrons. Why? The simplicity of its tight nine-item menu—burgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, and shakes—all brought to a neighborhood hungry for more affordable, quality options.
It’s breakfast menu? It’s no exception.
The Win~Dow’s breakfast? Simple. Minimal. Affordable.
There is nothing frivolous or pretentious about the space’s new breakfast menu—a reflection on their ethos as an operator that quality food can still remain affordable and accessible. Their $4.25—yes: $4.25—breakfast sandwich is beyond simple. Brioche bun. Fried egg. Slice of ham. Cheese. And a wonderful spicy sauce that blends their fermented chile salsita with an aioli. It’s fulfilling and far less rubbery than anything from McDonald’s.
Their $11 breakfast burrito is a hefty mini-log of steak, caramelized peppers and onions, potatoes, and plenty of egg stuffed inside a tortilla. Ask for that fermented chile salsita and you have yourself one of the most fulfilling breakfast burritos on the Shore. Or, in the least, far superior to the vastly overrated Breakfast Republic and much more affordable.
And, in essence, their super-user-friendly menu is just a larger reflection of what The Win~Dow is. And that is a company who doesn’t want to complicate or over-cost what they offer.
A Venice Smash-Burger Finds Its Shore
The Win~Dow, the Venice-born burger stand that helped kick off the smash burger craze in 2019, has officially landed in Long Beach. Taking over the former Archibald’s space in Belmont Shore, it marks another step in the neighborhood’s ongoing renaissance, bringing with it something the Shore has sorely needed: quality food at a price that doesn’t punish your wallet. The concept—born as a casual, pandemic-friendly sidekick to the steakhouse American Beauty—always had Long Beach in its orbit. CEO Jeff Goodman, once COO of King’s Seafood Company, admits the city’s mix of history and hunger for approachable, well-priced dining never left his mind. When a Shore real estate agent showed him the space, he knew it was the perfect fit.
The move reflects what The Win~Dow has been since day one: community-focused, unpretentious, and designed to serve neighbors as much as it serves food. Venice locals Paul Hibler and Bruce Horwitz envisioned it as a counterbalance to the area’s creeping gentrification, a place that still felt like it belonged to the neighborhood. What started as a $3.95 burger with plastic chairs in a parking lot quickly grew into a cultural anchor—first in Venice, then Silver Lake, and now, finally, Long Beach.
The alchemy of a five-dollar burger
Behind The Win~Dow’s nine-item menu is chef Elisha Ben-Haim, whose smash burger recipe has become the stuff of legend: salty, fatty, pickle-cut perfection that remains one of the city’s best burgers—and at just over four bucks, an almost absurd value. But the magic doesn’t stop at the burger. The chicken sandwich is a crunchy steal at $7.25, the grain bowl and kale salad clock in under ten bucks, and even the shakes and desserts stick to the brand’s ethos of accessibility.
It’s this consistency and restraint—an In-N-Out–style refusal to expand beyond a small, honed menu—that makes The Win~Dow work. In an era where diners are pulling back on spending and restaurants are struggling through their worst years in decades, The WinDow offers a rare thing: food that feels both special and attainable. Judging by the steady lines already forming in Belmont Shore, Long Beach has embraced the alchemy.
The Win~Dow is located at 4600 E. 2nd St.
