Amboy

I loved everything about Amboy....except the price. That was an expensive burger! I mean, it's still fast food and in a fast food-y environment with basic outdoor seating and plasticware. And yet, I'm not sorry I came here or tried it or left so satisfied! The burger was one I loved every...single...bite! Mmmmmm! It was heaven! The service was great. There was a line but I didn't feel rushed. Sat outside. I'd come back just to blow my paycheck on a good burger. Only heard about them because they have a collab with LAFC.

Probably the best burger I've ever had, and I've had a lot.Tiny place, minimal seating, nothing fancy, but who cares? Just go.

Got lucky with paid street parking on N Hill St. Amboy is in the same plaza at the original Howlin' Rays and across from Lasita. Didn't know but the owner of the restaurant also owns Eggslut and has his own cookbook! They do a good amount of take-out orders. Seating inside is about 10 seats. They have more seating outside. We came on a Friday night at 7:30pm. No line. Waited about 10 minutes for our meals. We got our chili cheese fries first. The Chili Cheese fries were excellent! The fries were crispy and on the thinner side. But the flavor and soft texture of the chili is what really made this dish stand out. Ambiance is like an old school dinner. Black baskets. Dodgeball playing on the TV was a nostalgic treat. Also got the double smash burger Amboy. Felt like even when the amount of beef, the sesame bun still kinda overpowered the burger. Meat to bun ratio was off. The meat of the smash burger was still good. I think it would have paired better with a potato bun. Got the DH burger amboy style. I like the amount of meat to bun ratio here. It had the classic American cheese and caramelized onions. I hear the cashier said amboy and fancy are the most popular styles. They offer sprite, Dr. pepper, Coke Zero.

I wanted to like this place more but maybe I just choose the wrong burger or something. I came with a group of friends on a Sunday night. There was some people but they weren't crazy busy. I opted for their fancy burger with a single classic smashed patty along with their chili cheese fries. Our burgers took AWHILE to come out. Our other two fries ordered and by the time they were finished eating our stuff came out. Not too sure why it took that long but at least the fries came out before the burgers. Our friends ordered the truffle fries and it was pretty good. The chili cheese fries were good BUT we agreed that it definitely needed a little bit more chili, there was barely any chili on there. As for my burger I'm not sure what happened but I felt that the patty was just too dry... It also tasted pretty bland to me. Maybe I should have opted for the slim thicc patty but oh wells.

Wow. I have nothing to say but wow. This burger is absolutely amazing. The fries are great. Fresh, hot, crispy. I have nothing to say but great things about Amboy. The cashier was very nice, food came out within 10 minutes. It's a small spot with only 2-3 tables, but I got to go anyway. Really good food.

Just go. Just seriously go. Ask my numerous friends who I dragged here. Kinda disappointed that they now go on their own. Burgers are that good. Especially the smashed one - never forget to order fried and wash it down with soda. Forget water for this meal - have a soda.It is a no frills place. Order at the counter and wait for them to bring you the yumminess that will make you want to do the happy dance - and you will, with every bite.

Decided to do a one two combo and hit up Howlin Rays and Amboy for lunch. First time here at Amboy. I went with a double slim thicc steakhouse classic burger. About $17 bucks after tax etc. How was it?It was pretty tasty. It was a large burger (Two 6 ounce patties) topped with cheese, onions, steak sauce and pickles. Honestly, didn't taste any of the onions. Had a pickle up in the mix, maybe 2? The steakhouse sauce was definitely unique. It almost tasted like a chili sauce as in chili cheese fries/chili cheese dog. I was expecting like an A-1 Steak Sauce flavor or something, but it was totally different. It was good, but it was also overpowering. My buddy really liked it (we split the burger). The patties and cheese were excellent! Next time here, I would probably just got with a double burger with just meat/cheese/onions/ketchup/mustard or something like that. Like a super bomb deluxe QP with cheese, but 100x better.Service was friendly from the guy at the counter. Couple of seats inside, and 4 small tables outside. Would I come back? Yeah. Happy to have checked it off my list.

The DH Burger... Ranked #9 in the world by some food ranking site. When I heard this, I needed to try this thing. Amboy is a burger joint / butcher shop created by Alvin Cailan who is the same chef and owner of Egg Slut and from what I know has dabbled with other notable restaurants. This DH Burger is dry aged burger. Some may notice a little funk from the dry aging with this 10 oz steak patty ($21) which does give it a different flavor than the typical burger. The patty is pretty thick like a steak and prepared like one with the grease poured on the sides and top to give that steak crust. I've tried this burger twice and the first time, it was over cooked and a little dry. The second time was a lot better. You can order this burger 4 different styles: Amboy, Fancy, Steak House, Chili Cheese, or Truffle (+4). I tried the Steak House which has a steak sauce, cheese, onions, pickles. Pretty good classic style burger. I also had the truffle style with a truffle mayo, parmesan crusted patty. Pretty simple but flavorful. I've had the other Amboy burgers from the Topanga location which was on par with other burger joints. This DH Burger is very good and worth trying if you're a burger lover. Service here is helpful and friendly. Located in Far East Plaza, underground parking ins available but fairly tight. There's also street parking and a parking lot along next door and across the street.

TL;DR: A well-executed burger and delicious fries--a spot worth visiting and revisiting.The Details:I had the opportunity to meet Chef Alvin Cailan in person at a Local Kitchens event in Norcal before learning about his restaurants and Amboy. From then it was on my radar to visit the Chinatown Amboy location. It's a small space, though well-designed and well-maintained. The front-of-house person was also friendly and personable.I ordered the Amboy DH and garlic fries and split the portions with my wife and was quite content afterward.- The burger's cook was excellent--a crisp crust on the outside and a tender, juicy medium rare inside. However, the dry-aged aspect of the meat was a bit lost on me. I'm not sure if it was the patty's seasoning, the fact that the meat was dry-aged 35 days rather than longer, the fact that my palate still needs to be trained to distinguish dry-aged flavor, the fact that the Amboy preparation overpowered the dry-aged flavor or some combination of the factors. That being said, it was still a well-executed burger, and I look forward to trying a different preparation on my next visit.- The garlic fries were fantastic--cut as thick as McDonald's, but maintaining their crispiness and freshness throughout the meal. I personally didn't mind that the fries weren't slathered in garlic aioli because I felt it brought a lighter but still very noticeable touch of garlic essence to the fries, especially with the freshly minced garlic sprinkled throughout. I felt full before we could finish the fries, but my wife enjoyed them so much that she thought it would be a waste if we didn't, so down our hatches they went.

You can really taste the quality of the meat. It's seasoned and cooked perfectly. It was very juicy. Overall the burger was well crafted and didn't fall apart as you were eating it and the presentation was great. I came in the middle of lunch time on a Friday and it wasn't very busy so I ordered and got my food in less than 10 minutes...probably closer to 5 min. The restaurant is kinda small so a group larger than 4 may have a hard time finding a table. If you are craving one of the best burgers in LA this is where you find it.