Hamburger Hamlet

One of the best burgers I’ve ever had and excellent wings! Sad this location closed in Dec…

Ordered original cheeseburger add bacon med rare the burger was bigger than I thought yum the cheese was perfectly melted the meat patty was seasoned perfectly cooked no burned spots the bun slightly toasted with some of the yummiest french frys yum sigh they had home made lemonade like lucielles other than that the dinner service was great

On December 19^th, 2011 the Hamburger Hamlet on Sunset Blvd. will be closing it’s doors for the very last time. I was shocked when I found out this past Friday. It will be the end of an era — very, very sad indeed. This neighborhood abounds with sexier, edgier restaurants like BOA and the SoHo House, but Hamburger Hamlet is a very special place, and will be greatly missed. So, in the meantime Unilocalers, take advantage. Hamburger Hamlet has a ridiculous happy hour. Half off all appetizers and bar drinks. And by bar drinks, I mean top shelf liquor included, you can get a Ketel One martini for half off. Ridick.
The Zucchini Zircles, Calamari and Shrimp, and Fire Roasted Artichoke are my favorites. I could drink the aiolis they serve with the artichoke by the gallon full. Gross, I know. As for burgers, my favorite is the Steakhouse Blue Burger, cooked medium rare, and I usually add crispy bacon to it. Damn near perfect.
There is valet parking for $ 6.50, or you can park in the Sunset Medical building parking for a flat fee of $ 5 after 5pm. Or, if you don’t mind hoofing it a bit, there is street parking in down the road past the Beverly Hills border, just make sure to read the signs.

The first thing I have to mention about Hamburger Hamlet would be the service. Setting up the reservation for the private room for our party of 20 was quick & easy and our waitress was on point all night. The ambiance of the Tap Room had a very classy feel and an enjoyable bar. The side dishes like the lobster bisque, zucchini zircles, sweet potato fries and french fries were above average. However, BEU’s main focus isn’t on service, side dishes or ambiance. For us, it’s all about the burger and the ones served at Hamburger Hamlet were disappointing. From the first bite, the people sitting next to me were already complaining about them. Many of us asked for our hamburgers to be cooked medium but the patties we got were well-​done. The cook must have taken a nap and let our burgers sit too long! There was nothing amazing about the selection, nor did the taste of these hamburgers have a wow factor at all. I had the Marilyn Burger, which had avocado, jack cheese, tomato, onion, iceberg, pickle and Dijon mayonnaise. The first few bites were satisfying but after a quarter of the way through, my burger was already falling apart with toppings spilling out of the back-​end like there was no tomorrow. I found myself spending more time reassembling my burger than I did eating it! My expectations were pretty high after seeing the place, but it didn’t fare well after our experience. In fact, Hamburger Hamlet is our new lowest score. I give credit to the manager however. He at least made an effort to check up on us and give us a complimentary desert.
Let’s start with the good comments from the BEU team members:
«The sweet potato fries kicked ass!»
«The Napa burger was lovely with goat cheese and arugula.»
«For the price, I guess if you break down the cost per burger ratio, it’s ok.»
«The veggie toppings were ok, but might have been genetically modified.»
Here are the bad comments:
«The music is bad.»
«Let’s not return.»
«Crabcake burger = yuck! Had to send it back and get a salad. But they were very nice about it!»
«The bottoms of the bun were soggy.»
«The classic would have gotten a higher score, but the other burgers in the sampler weren’t amazeballs.»
Out of 20 total BEU members in attendance, here’s how Hamburger Hamlet fared:
Burger appearance: 6.52 941
Cooked properly: 6.5 882
Overall taste: 5.94 118
Creativity: 5.82 353
Bun: 6.41 176
Toppings: 6
Value: 5.70 588
Service: 7.94 118
Overall Rating: 6.30 147 out of 10

Review is just for the Tap Room. I haven’t eaten here yet. I do know there ARE vegetarian options, but I need to investigate more to determine if there are any vegan offerings.
Regardless, the Hamburger Hamlet bar is my kind of place!!! Dark wood walls, red leather booths, an extremely friendly older gentleman bartender, and a crowd that was skewed to the Over 50 set. We were there on a Friday night, they were doing a decent business, but there was not an overwhelming crowd. It was perfectly populated!
I had a Tanqueray gin martini ($ 10.50) and it was good. The nice bartender was willing to make my husband his new favorite drink, which is a Zombie ($ 10). We enjoyed our drinks but we really enjoyed the atmosphere!
It’s actually amazing that this kind of bar exists on the Sunset Strip. Granted, it’s so far west that 10 more steps and you’re in residential Beverly Hills, but still! I’m so glad we discovered this retro gem right on our neighborhood… we will be back again and again!

It’s been a while since I’ve dined at the Doheny Mothership. The red banquettes and fascinatingly comfortable executive wing-​backed chairs were as charming as ever. Somehow, though, the bloom is off the rose.
A change in ownership has made the old girl self-​conscious. Like any good Hollywood binge-​and-​purger, she’s putting on airs of that healthy California lifestyle you keep reading about in «People» while still drinking Twinkie smoothies off camera.
Whoever cooked up these new menu items failed to change the basic stock ingredients. The Cobb salad with fancy mesculn greens and thick-​sliced deli turkey is a good example of where things go cockeyed. The deli turkey was fine when we weren’t straying past iceberg lettuce or pretending we’d heard of marjoram.
No one dining at the HH, especially THIS location, ever thought the food was healthy or sophisticated. No one. And the unreconstructed, delicious gloopiness of it all made it wonderful. Now we’ve gotta pretend that a well cooked steak with onions was never as good as a turkey burger on a nine grain bun with curry mayo, and it’s all a little absurd.

Good food, not my type of place. Its not for the young and hip. More of somewhere i’d take my grandparents too. Theyre menu i find boring and not my style. Only a few things stand out to me. But at least those items are really good. So props on that. The service is good, very attentive, nothing over the top though. People must love it cause its going strong.

Burgers are good, but that’s about it. Service is terrible, I’ve had several meals that I’ve had to send back (fool me once…). There are too many GOOD places to eat in weho with fun historical context that is WORTH your money– ex Irvs on Santa Monica and Sweetzer, Carneys, The Standard, Basix, Hugos… It’s amazing they are still in business. I will NEVER eat here again. I thought I’d try something new and ordered pasta. It arrived BURNT and tasted like rubber. Don’t waste your time or money.

Cajun turkey burger
Whole grain bun
No mayo
Add mustard
Raw onions
Cajun mayo sauce on the side
Jalapenos
Side of onion rings … I felt like Meg Ryan from ‘When Harry Met Sally’ minus the ‘O’ haha
I asked the waiter if the cajun turkey was spicy. Waiter said yes. He should of said the mayo is spicy, not the burger patty itself!
There were eight of us dining on a Sunday afternoon. Champagne was flat and not sparkly at all. So it was all passed to me *big smirk* you just never know when prohibition will come back haha
I’ve had a better burger at Jolly Boy Burgers in East LA. Aside from the restaurant being completely empty on a rainy Sunday afternoon our food took forever. We had to send one order of onion rings back because they were served cold.
How on earth does a restaurant like this stay in business? Rent control? With all the rain pouring the restaurant was terribly lit and dreary. I honestly wished I had ordered the scallops but thought it polite to order a burger since every else ordered burgers. Didn’t want to seem unsincere having braised scallops and hording all the champagne when everyone else was having burger and fries.
Next time I will pass. Sorry Mr. Hamlet. Your burgers are just not worth the wait.

I love this place. Great comfort food and great ambiance. Kind of an old hollywood feel.
I love everything on the menu, esp the fried zucchinis!!!

years later and stil i love lvoe love this place!
Always greeted by Francis with a big smile and hug.
Teri is an awesome bartender.
I miss living so close to be able and pop in more often.
Lobster Bisque still the bomb!

I have only been to Hamburger Hamlet twice and my dining experience has been so-​so. My friends like to come here so I go just to make them happy.
I do not particularly like the menu selection. I’m not saying that the menu is bad, but I am not the type of person who would order a burger for dinner. To me, a burger is considered either a snack or lunch food, not dinner.
I found the waitstaff to be very attentive and accommodating. They were quick in take our orders and bring out the food. So I will give them a good rating on the service.
The décor of the restaurant is very vintage. The lighting in the restaurant is very dim and dark. It looks like a good place to take a person on a first date.
Last night, I say a lady sitting in the on of the red, plush chairs with a pillow against the back of her head. A pillow! Come on now. Really now? It was sort of funny to see that. I had a difficult time trying to not laugh and choke on my food at the same time as I looked at her. If the restaurant provided the pillow for her then I would rate them higher in customer service as that seems to go above and beyond.
The manager was very friendly as he personally thanked us for dining there. It is the least he could do for a party of 17 and gratuity is included in the check.
Overall, food = so-​so.
Service = yes, very good.
Pillow service = extremely good.

The family and I went here yesterday to celebrate mothers day with the idea that we’d be in for a reminiscent time of the days we used to frequent the Hollywood Blvd location. We were definately surprised! Presented with both the brunch and regular menu we were instantly torn between our staple of the Stella special and the new tasty treats on the brunch menu that we had never seen before.
One word Yum! Although we strayed from our usual (Dad had pancakes and bacon, Mom had catfish, eggs and grits, my brother the French onion soup and salad, and a veggie burger for myself) it was just as delicious as I remembered it being as a child… and it helped that the meal ended with desserts!– must try the apple cobbler – sugar coma…
The waitress we had was also awesome, great personality and attentive. Minus one star for the parking situation and minus another star for how much they have limited the menu

If you enjoy gawking at celebrities, this is the place to go IF you’re over 35. Otherwise, you won’t understand or appreciate the vintage talent that grace this place.
For the best dining experience, ask to be seated in Jim’s area. He’s the best waiter in town, by far. Personable, knowledgeable, and fun.
That is, if you get past Francis who guards the front door like a territorial preening peacock. Unless you bribe her with presents. Then it’s amazing, she’ll remember your name (particularly if you’ve been there a zillion times before), sing to you, and get you a good table. Otherwise, forget it. You’re just another peon not worthy of acknowledgment.
Food is good.
The drinks are generous. They have the best bloody mary’s in the area.

FRENCH ONION SOUP!
Ok I am a big fan of FOS. fery few places serve this. This is one of the only things that happens in vegas stays in vegas…
Came here the other day for lunch and to my surprise it was on the Menu. give it a ⁷⁄₁₀ but given that it was on the menu I give this place a ⁹⁄₁₀.

This place was hilarious because we walked in and they acted like we were at Mr. Chow or something. PLEASE! Hamburger Hamlet is a chain, and i’ve been in Chili’s restaurants nicer than some of the other HH locations in California (for the record, the Pasadena one is nicer than this one).
The first clue should have been the valet warning us there was gonna be a wait, but he said 15 minutes… once you’ve paid $ 6 for a valet, 15 minutes wait is a no brainer. Well, the first braindead hostess upped that estimate to 25 minutes… long story short, we waited about an hour and a half for a table even though half the restaurant was empty. wWe literally saw the table we eventually ended up sitting in sit empty for the entire time we sat in the «Tap Room» trying to get the skittish bartender to pay attention to us. 2 for 2 on the rude waitstaff checklist.
For how exclusive they were acting, there were certainly some unsavory people eating here, and that’s not even including the elderly lady who (like others have mentioned) walks around carrying a Miles Davis LP that she probably stole from Tower (3 for 3).
The food was all right. Under normal circumstances I would even call it good. But after waiting that long you expect to get a plate full of gold.

EXT. SUNSET BLVD. — DUSK
The HAMBURGER HAMLET. The red SIGN mysteriously just reads «HAMLET».
CUT TO:
INT. RED LEATHER BOOTHS and a comfortable looking BAR
The Hollywood elite of yesterday enjoy burgers and drinks in an appropriate setting that befits them perfectly.
A SERIES OF SHOTS:
A welcoming hostess seats patrons.
Beverly Hills housewives past their prime congregate at a large table exchanging plastic surgery tales.
A man at the bar enjoying a cocktail — he looks just like JOHN CARPENTER.
Lobster bisque soup is carefully placed on a table…
An out of work ACTOR takes an order.
ACTOR
«what’ll it be tonight?»
HUNGRY VEGETARIAN
«a veggie burger and a fresh fruit shake»
The out of work ACTOR-​turned waiter smiles.
CUT TO:
The HUNGRY VEGETARIAN’S dinner plate.
A big BURGER fills the screen, making the audience drool with hunger. The french fries are golden brown and that pickle spear disappears quickly off the plate.
In the distance you see and hear a waitress call out:

WAITRESS
«Good night, Mr. Carpenter»
CIRCLE FADE OUT

«Wow, this place looks really fancy for a burger place,» was Michelle’s first reaction. Walking in, you’d think you’re going to a top notch steakhouse, but if anything, Hamburger Hamlet is a super creative burger place. They have other American dishes on their dinner menu, but their name says it all.
Each of them are equally inventive and creatively tempting to taste. You can get your choice of various cheeseburgers such as the nacho burger, french onion burger, or even a cajun burger. They also come in variety of meats such as a salmon burger, turkey burger, and even a vegetarian burger. It is one of those places that you think, «wow, i have to come back and try the other burgers.»
On my particular visit, had the opportunity to sample their Nacho Burger with «melted cheddar cheese, guacamole, sour cream, jalapenos, tortilla strips and black olives.» At first I wasn’t sure how the firecracker tortilla strips would be with the burger, but it gave a pleasantly surprising contrast in textures. The burger was very good in quality not only because of the whats sandwhiched between the meat and buns, but the beef was very good too. You can genuinely taste the flavors of the beef it is not overloaded with salt and spices.
Overall, I highly recommend this place for anyone craving a good burger, hang out at a nice restaurant, and enjoy some good company.
Recommendations:
Try out Hamburger Hamlet’s own Schoener brew! It comes in a huuuuge heavy goblet (quite a trip considering beers usually come in a regular glass) and is surprisingly reallly good! This amber is very akin to one of my favorites from San Francisco, Anchor Steam. I am giving a special high recommendation to it complemented the burger really well. The beer actually seem to help draw out even more flavor and that «beef essence» from the large beef patty.
Tips n’ Hints:
Don’t bother yourself with trying to find street parking or park in a paid lot. Around the Corner of Hollywood & Orange (behind the Coffee Bean) is are validated lot for Hamburger Hamlet.

Ahh… The Hamlet. It is all about the food here. I look at Hamburger Hamlet as a slightly more upscale, distant, quieter cousin of TGI Friday’s. Both establishments have full bars and burgers and an array of other entrees. But Friday’s caters more to the younger, beer-​chugging, frat-​boy crowd; whereas, HH caters more to an older, sophisticated crowd. Don’t get it twisted — HH is NOT a fancy spot, at all! But there’s a certain ambiance in the air as soon as you walk in… like I always feel like I should whisper when I’m conversing.
Anyway, on to the food!
LOVE — any of the entrée salads, fish tacos, sandwiches or burgers (ooh, try the Marilyn or the baby burger sampler w/​firecracker fries!), and anything off the appetizers!
I can’t think of anything I’ve disliked here… maybe the meatloaf? Eh, I’m not too big on meatloaf in general anyway.
Prices are kinda over-​inflated, but it IS upscale burgers and it’s in WeHo. Menu is always changing, it seems but there’s always something on there for everyone. Service is prompt and friendly. Parking stinks…

We had the office appreciation party here. The staff was fabulous and everyone did a bang up job. The management here really hires great employees, everyone was quick and friendly from the front of house to the bussers.
Food was good, especially for the buffet. We did spinach dip (yum), potstickers, salad, teriaki salmon (really well prepared) and one other thing that I can’t remember. The food never ran out either, which is quite a feat. If you know my co-​workers, you know they can tear through a buffet with the fury of a tornado!
I would recommend the Hamlet for lunch or dinner and definitely easy to work with for a small corporate function.