When Valerie Page and her husband Billy opened OMG Burgers & More in Belmont Heights earlier this year, they weren’t just bringing cheesesteaks and water ice to the city—they were building a tribute to their roots, their community, and a shared dream two decades in the making. Honoring her husband’s so-called “old man gang” of friends—which would borrow a warehouse up in Long Beach the couple used for events and convert it into a man-cave of sorts to discuss community and entrepreneurial dreams—the tiny shack is a sonnet to the food of Philly.
OMG Burgers & More is decades in the making.
Long before water ice hit SoCal, Billy had his first taste of the sweet treat in the late 1990s. And with it (including proper cheesesteaks), the pair thought they could capitalize on it when they moved back to Billy’s birthplace, good ol’ SoCal.
“When my husband moved to Philadelphia with me, he didn’t know what water ice was,” Valerie said. “But once he had it, he was hooked. He was like, ‘We could do this in California—no one knows what this is out here.’ And we sat on it. And sat on it. After building up my make-up career, it honestly felt like something in the far rearview because you could have never told me I would be slinging burgers and making kids water ice,” she said, laughing. “But the work is so fulfilling.”
This passion has created what is certainly the city’s best cheesesteak and, if I say, water ice superior to Happy Ice. But OMG Burgers is, well, oh so much more than that as it takes over what used to house Seoulmate, a ghost kitchen, and a seemingly varying revolving door of failed eateries.
The food of OMG Burgers has a deep, heartwarming nostalgia to it—even if you’ve never had food from Philly.
“I’m a momma, first and foremost—so it’s truly fulfilling to see someone take a bite of my food and say, ‘That is so good.'”
These are the words of Valerie, the Philadelphia native whose passion for home-cooked, downright poundable food has garnered her many accolades. She has been bestowed by the family the title of Queen Bee when it comes to Thanksgiving meals and Head Chef at the cookouts. She has encountered endless smiles from happily fulfilled family members who rightfully call her mac’n’cheese—available at OMG—the best. And all this practice has led up to the gem that is OMG Burgers & More.
And make no mistake: this is a Philly spot through and through. Their cheesesteaks use Cooper Sharp cheese and Amoroso-style rolls sourced from BREAD Artisan Bakery in Santa Ana. The result? Long Beach’s best cheesesteak, oozing with such savoriness and creaminess that the chicken version proves to be just as legit.
“That Cooper Sharp is non-negotiable,” Valerie said. “You can’t get that at Ralphs.”
Patty melts, chili’n’rice, mac, water ice… OMG goes beyond the cheesesteaks.
The couple has kept their menu tight and thoughtful, and it’s that nimbleness that’s kept them thriving even through everyday shipping delays and unpredictable rushes. Val’s dedication to keeping it to what she “knows is good” has resulted in people thankfully exploring beyond the cheesesteaks.
There’s an outright wondrous patty melt, eschewing rye for sourdough and melding the meat and onions with yellow Cooper Sharp. There’s some of the best mac in the city, served in a small tub and reheated in a way that took Valerie months to perfect. (“That’s why we don’t have cornbread,” she said. “I couldn’t find a way to make large amounts of it while maintaining its quality—so off the menu it went.”)
The chili’n’rice at OMG Burgers & More. Photos by Brian Addison.
There’s even a chili’n’rice plate—ground turkey, home-stewed pinto beans, plenty of cheddar and sour cream, with a side of hot sauce—that is definitively warming. If anything, it feels like an after-school plate your mom would whip up, echoing the nostalgia that runs through Valerie’s food, whether you’ve had the plates or not.
Their wildly colorful water ice menu—with a play on a gelati dubbed “Jo-lati,” named after Billy’s late mother, Joanne—has become a hit with the neighborhood’s kids and adults alike. And when those kids come up short on lunch money? Valerie takes care of them. “I have kids, too. I can’t let these kids go hungry.”
The story of OMG Burgers & More is one rooted in love and community.
Valerie and Billy first met at Cal State Northridge before reconnecting years later at a wedding. Their love story eventually brought them back to the West Coast after time spent in Philly and New Jersey—and with them came Valerie’s deep food memories and Billy’s entrepreneurial spirit.
Billy, who grew up in a family of Black entrepreneurs, convinced Valerie—then a professional makeup artist—to take her cooking beyond family functions and into the kitchen of a real restaurant. What was once just Thanksgiving dinners and fried turkeys for friends became a full-fledged business where Valerie now preps everything from scratch, from the (underrated) chili’n’rice and mac to the housemade seasoning blends.
And his push for her to showcase her food proves their love and respect for one another is beyond strong. It’s outright deeply rooted.
“She can do pretty much anything,” Billy said, watching her take care of a customer who ordered six patty melts for his coworkers. “As a make-up artist? She’s one of the best—been doing that for some 15 years. She’s really good—but honestly, I think she likes this better… Because, you know, in makeup, it’s all just for scale, right? She’ll go do make-up, she may be there an hour, and makes $50. It’s hyper-transactional. I’m not dismissing the money or the talent required to do it. But this and hospitality are different. When someone says, ‘Thank you, that tasted amazing,’ that’s a different feeling than, ‘Here’s the money for what you did,’ and they leave.”
Can we get an amen?
OMG Burgers & More is located at 4712 E. 7th St.
Do any food delivery services deliver OMG cheesesteak sandwiches in Long Beach? 🏝️