Sideburns Verified listing

Sideburns Long Beach was originally birthed out of its neighboring The Stache Bar, whose food program was birthed out of its short-lived presence with Chef Melissa Ortiz. And since taking on Ortiz’s very minimal bar menu—a stellar Chicago dog here, some even more stellar cheese curds there, a chili cheese fries option—Sideburns Long Beach has expanded into an all-out burger joint that has an array of the classic in many forms and, in many ways, taken a step away from Ortiz through the work of Chef Thomas, the skinny’n’loquacious burger master who you will find masterfully cooking some ten burgers at once.

Through Thomas’s oversight, the burger menu has expanded into a variety of definitively excessive, solidly over-the-top burgers (along with classics like The Tailgate and The Works that should not be dismissed).

Mushrooms? Covered. Arugula and burrata with the aptly named “Italian Stallion” label slapped on it? Solid. The aforementioned “Works”? Damn near perfection. Just your simple smash burger? Done. A take on the Monte Cristo where they deep-fry the whole damn burger? Yes, that actually exists.

Sideburns Long Beach is a little side piece gem for patrons at The Stache—and, in all honesty, a gem for all of Long Beach.

Photos and written by Brian Addison.

For the full feature on Sideburns, click here.