This guy ate 100 burgers across SoCal. Here are his top Long Beach picks.

Luca Servodio—the guy behind LA Countdown—has spent the past several years eating 100 specific dishes across Los Angeles County. His first was pizza back in 2021. Then tacos in 2022. Then sandwiches in 2023. And then noodles last year.

And for 2025, he opted to do burgers—bringing with him words I full-heartedly agree with: “Los Angeles really is the burger capital of the world,” he said. “Not just because the cheeseburger was created in Pasadena. Many of the nation’s most famous fast food chains have roots here, and we’ve also been innovators in smash burgers and many of the recent burger styles that have swept the nation.”

When it comes to Long Beach—where we invited Luca down to be a part of the judging panel at the inaugural Burger Bash, joining myself, James Tir (aka @LBFoodComa), and Chef Brennan Villareal of Got Your Back—Luca loved the sheer amount of representation. From Cambodian-inspired to Latino-centric, Long Beach’s burger scene reflects the city it reps.

“Long Beach is really interesting because what Long Beach does well is reflect the amazing, diverse communities that make up the city in the burgers,” Luca said. “What really stood out to me was how good the Colombian-influenced burger at Selva was…. The Cambodian-centric burger at Lemongrass... And, of course, even the Korean burger that’s happening over at Terrible. It’s not gimmicky at all. It’s really just a beautiful reflection of what’s happening in Southern California. All of these amazing food communities are coming together and just using foods like burgers as canvases on which to paint.”

So who made Luca’s list?

Luca’s top burger is my favorite burger in the city—and one that continues to fly under the radar because it’s only available through a ghost kitchen, so it might surprise you. Here’s the countdown…

#90. Good Bar: Vegan burger

One of the longest-running bar food programs in the city—and the only one entirely dedicated to vegan grub—Bryce Whytock’s house-made vegan patty burger comes in at #90 on Luca’s list, one of only two vegan burgers to make the 100. A no-frills, community-focused spot with comfort food, its popularity with skaters and veggie lovers alike is what has made Good Bar definitively Long Beach and, well, definitively good.

#74. Liv’s

A wonderfully unexpected entry onto the list, this seafood joint very much has an amazing burger thanks to Chef Rob White. And, much to the news of food lovers, Liv’s—which was facing the end of its lease earlier this year as it looked for a different location—has had its lease extended at its Belmont Shore location. Assuredly one of the most underrated restaurants in Long Beach, Chef Kristine Schneider—under the oversight of owner and chef Rob White, who often appears at the counter shucking oysters—creates a continually revolving menu that goes far beyond being, well, an oyster bar.

For Brian Addison’s latest feature on Liv’s, click here.

#71. The Win~Dow

The Win~Dow, Venice’s smash burger concept birthed in 2019 in a parking lot, officially opened its first Long Beach location in Belmont Shore in the former Archibald’s space well over a year ago, adding to the loved neighborhood’s renaissance and its growing need for more accessible, affordable options. And with it, The Win~Dow has also brought the most valuable burger on this list. Chef Elisha Ben-Haim, culinary overlord for American Gonzo Food Corp which owns The Win~Dow, has created a humble yet hearty creation.

For Brian Addison’s full feature on The Win~Dow, click here.

#64. Selva

Surely, regular patrons can access the burger during happy hour—which, bee-tee-dub, is all day every Wednesday—but the fact that Chef Carlos and the crew offer this burger for $10 to the industry deserves applause. And the burger? One of our finest. Angus patty, fried mustard, white cheddar, caramelized onion and bacon jam, plantain puree, and aji mayo.

For Brian Addison’s most recent feature on Selva, click here.

#59. Marlena

Another space likely not considered for a burger, the brunch burger from Chef Michael Flores at Marlena is a wonder. It’s a salt-bomb that uses an eight-ounce, dry-aged patty as its base. Topped with slightly funky manchego—which is sliced through with a bright piparra chile relish and adobo aioli—and arugula before being stuffed between a sliced brioche bun.

#50. Olive & Rose

While Olive & Rose continues to be relegated to night hours with a (stellar) dinner-only service, it doesn’t mean it is beyond serving burgers. Olive & Rose feels SoCal in every possible way. Comfortable, soft breezes run through the entire space. Hotel patrons sit poolside. Restaurant patrons flank the space’s outdoor seating as well as its interior seats. And their burger? A damn near perfect burger served with what could be the city’s best fries.

#46. StormBurger

StormBurger will open its first Long Beach location inside the former Church’s at Cherry Avenue and South Street on the Northside. And, particularly if you aren’t privy to their spirit and concept, it feels like another chain-like space moving into a neighborhood wrought with corporate food and stereotypes from outsiders. But the Storm Burger family is, well, anything but corporate. Chef John Herndon—partnered with founding Inglewood-based Chef Myron Moore, who acts as the space’s director of operations—headed the once-phenomenal Umami Burger. With it, he brings a sense of ownership about the L.A. landscape, L.A. food, and how everyone in the region—no matter where they’re from—deserves clean, quality food.

For Brian Addison’s full feature on StormBurger, click here.

#45. Terrible Burger

You’ve likely seen them at The Wine Country in Signal Hill. Or Ambitious Ales. Maybe even The Hawk. Or Midnight Oil. But there’s one thing for certain with Terrible Burger, the genre-bending burger popup from Long Beach residents Nicole and Ryan Ramirez. And that is the fact that they not only create some terribly awesome burgers but do so with community, compassion, and collaboration. Some burgers you won’t always be able to get. For example, their most recent collaboration with Ambitious Ales featured “The Pink Cowgirl” in honor of the Pink Boots Society beer release Ambitious held on Wednesday, April 23. (Pink Boots Society focuses on women and non-binary folks in the alcohol industry.) Their classic double or Khuga? Usually always on the menu.

For Brian Addison’s full feature on Terrible Burger, click here.

#38. Hamburgers Nice

What is there to say about Chef Jairo Bogarín’s genuinely stellar smash-burger operation? One of the best burgers in Long Beach? Definitively. The best burger in Long Beach? In terms of quality and cost, could very well be. His “Lunch Burger” is simultaneously stupidly simple—two patties, American cheese, some sauce, pickles, onions, jalapeños—but packs such an astounding flavor punch that there is no disbelief in the fact that the popup perpetually sells out.

#17. Lemongrass Khmer Grill

Ah, a proud child of Long Beach Food Scene Week. Launched in 2024 in honor of my celebratory food week, MealsDotKom owners Chef Rasmey Kom and wife Crystal Millar opted to focus on something outside their meal-prep-centric concept. Hence Lemongrass Khmer Grill. Leaning into Chef Rasmey’s Cambodian roots, their stellar lemongrass burger has become a fan favorite. Layered with papaya salad, cilantro, jalapeño, and cheese, this is one of the best fusion burgers you can have in the city.

And, yes, it’s my favorite burger in the city.