The original location was opened on May 15, 1946, by Tom Koulax[3] (October 26, 1918 - May 28, 1992), the son of Greek immigrants, on the northeast corner of Beverly and Rampart boulevards west of downtown Los Angeles.[4] The stand, which still exists today, sold hamburgers and hot dogs topped with chili. At first business was slow, but it soon started to pick up. During the 1960s, the entire lot at this intersection was purchased. Soon after, the northwest corner was acquired for expanded parking and storage of goods. Not long after that, a second service counter occupying the building at the perimeter of the northeast lot was set up. The food was essentially the same from both locations, except for longer lines at the original shack counter, perhaps for nostalgic reasons.



The Taste: Tommy’s chili burgers come topped with all the regular accouterments, plus their signature chili. I’ll be honest, it’s hard to rate the meat by itself because I can’t remember the last time I had the burger here without chili. They are certainly better than normal fast food patties, however. The patties are a bit thin, so I always get a double burger to compensate. The flavor of the chili is amazing, with just a little heat to it. Combined with the melted cheese and other toppings, the end result is a sinfully good piece of comfort food.

The Verdict: If you live in Southern California, chances are you’ve already sampled Tommy’s at least once. If not, I highly recommend getting down there (or to one of the other locations) for what I think is one of the best chili burgers around. Beware though, it can be quite addictive!

Original Tommy’s is located at 2572 West Beverly Blvd. in Los Angeles, California.

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