Monty’s Good Burger

America’s Burger City

Los Angeles earned culinary fame as a great hamburger city. Some outposts of that passion remain, including Roadfood favorites Cassell’s and Apple Pan. In a way, Monty’s Good Burger continues the tradition. Except here, the burgers aren’t beef. They are plant-based.

Impossible Burger Variations

Burgers, cheeseburgers, and double burgers, all made of Impossible 2.0 patties, come on nice fluffy buns. Unless you say otherwise, the kitchen decks them out with grilled onions, pickles, tomato, lettuce, and secret sauce. Order a cheeseburger and it comes with a melted layer of Follow Your Heart cheese (a non-dairy product).

Adventurous plant-based food eaters go for an item known as The Farm. That adds an imitation chicken patty to the burger. Those allergic to gluten can get a patty wrapped in lettuce rather than bunned.

Potatoes Are Good For You

Side dishes at Monty’s Good Burger, which don’t have meat anyway, are at least as compelling as the plant-based protein. Choices include French fries and Tater Tots – separately or mixed together. With no frill other than salt, they deliver good potato flavor. Big appetites get them dressed with non-dairy cheese, grilled onions, hot peppers, aioli, BBQ sauce, sriracha, or ranch dressing. Of course, the potato dishes are not only plant-based. They are gluten-free, too.

An item named Dog Pile Fries & Tots heads the list of wild ways to go. On this, you get a mix of fries and Tots topped with two pretend-beef patties plus a full complement of condiments.

Not-So-Secret Menu

In the spirit of In-N-Out, Monty’s Good Burger says that many of its inventive dishes are “secret menu” items. But they post them on the website. So, not so secret!

Oat Milk, Of Course

What goes with a hamburger? A milk shake, naturally. What goes with a Monty’s Good Burger? A milk shake made with oat-based soft-serve. Or a float, which combines Oatley ice cream with organic cane-sugar craft soda.

Los Angeles has four Monty’s. Riverside has one.