Does the 49'rs Tavern make the best BURGER in LB?

My vision quest began Sunday night at 49'rs Tavern. Located in an awkward strip mall containing a boxing club and chimney sweep at the corner of PCH and Bellflower, the 49'r is unique because it has no kitchen.  Yes, that's right, the place that claims to have the best burger in LB has no custom indoor grill, flattop, fryer, oven, or trained burger chef.  So how was the burger? Well, we will get there.  

I entered  49'rs Tavern with Hot Dog Jones, Heatmeiser and Dan the "Felter" Man.  We shuffled past some of the Tavern's regulars who were chain smoking in the parking lot.  These gin-blossomed senior citizens were not what I expected from a burger joint on the edge of Long Beach State.  I kept my eye peeled for some of the young  co-ed "dirtbags" (I think that's what you call them) but didn't see any at the pool tables or bar.  It could have been that the Tavern was devoid of any young female "dirtbags" due to the airing of the Daytona 500. However,  I did notice several violet necked fans with Nascar hats yelling at the T.V.'s.

So, I was ready to take on the Tavern's finest, called "God's Own".  To  be fair, this was not my first, second or third Tavern Burger, but the first since I had begun my burger blog. GO is prepared like all of the 49'rs finest  - on an outdoor grill (like the kind you can buy at Home Depot).  So, I walked to the counter and ordered my burger from the young female working the bar.  The young lady, who looked like she had just gotten off tour with Death Cab for Cutie, kindly took my order.  I also ordered a pickled egg for the Heatmeiser.  I then watched as one of the tattoo covered grill masters lurked out the back door to begin work on my burger.

GO is a 1/3 pound burger served on a sesame seed bun.  The tangy meat has an excellent twang from a Worcestershire sauce bath.  The Burger was cooked well and served with a bag of chips in a red basket, simple in its design.  The lettuce, onion and tomato were very fresh and crunchy.  The bun was slightly grilled and the swiss cheese was perfectly melted.  The Burger was dressed in a secret 1000 island style sauce that went well with the twang of the meat.

After finishing my burger and beers, I coasted into the bathroom and pulled up to the urinal troff.  Next to me was an older gentleman massaging his prostate in an effort to relieve himself.  I took up a quick conversation with the man and he mumbled something about a burger contest at the Tavern.  I guess there is a competition to see who can eat 3 triple bypass burgers the fastest.  I quickly zipped up and returned to my table, a little frightened of what I just witnessed and heard.

 

In sum, an excellent back yard burger served in a tiny beer den on the edge of Long Beach State. Unpretentious and cozy, definitely worth a visit.  

The Best Burger in LB? That remains to be tasted.  But a strong burger for $7.75.