“Established in 1948, Cassell’s Hamburgers now resides in Los Angeles’s historic Hotel Normandie. The soul of the restaurant stays true to founder Al Cassell’s original principles of being a hamburger shop with a focus on premium beef, ground daily in house. All of our burgers are still cooked on Al Cassell’s famous original crossfire broiler, ground with the original grinder, and pattied with the original press. ”

— www.cassellshamburgers.com

while i'm not a burger person, i occasionally crave one. when that craving hits, it's almost always for a simple, classic burger a la in'n'out, or as i recently discovered, cassell's hamburgers! even before we ordered, i was in love with the place. the vintage sign, the rotating pie display, the old-school menu, the leather barstools, etc. it all just felt right, and the food did not disappoint!

we each ordered a 2/3 lb cheeseburger, though james got fancy and added a fried egg AND a milkshake, and a side of fries to share. the burger was HUGE. i will definitely be going with the 1/3 pound next time. it came with all the super fresh fixings on the side, so you can customize. they use mcconnell's ice cream for their shakes, so you know that's going to be really good. the fries were thick (but not too thick!) and nice and crispy.

the 2/3 lb cheeseburger assembled, after two bites.

the 2/3 lb cheeseburger with a fried egg.

despite being really full, i was craving something sweet. since they have a full bar and several beers on tap, i asked if they could make a beer float - they could! so i got a scoop of mcconnell's vanilla ice cream with the draft stout and it was awesome.

beer float! with mother earth's sin tax peanut butter stout and mcconnell's vanilla ice cream.

if you happen to be staying at the hotel or live nearby, they also have a really cute coffee bar serving verve in the corner and a small breakfast menu. i've heard good thing about their breakfast sandwich (and i love a good breakfast sandwich), so i'll definitely have to try and make the trip one morning.