Ercoles Manhattan Beach The Best Burgers In The South Bay

Classic Beach Cities Dive Bar Is Home Of The ’10 Napkin’ Burger

The best burgers in the South Bay Beach Cities – and, indeed, all of Los Angeles – are found not found in some high-end trendy restaurant made by a celebrity chef but in a dive bar in Manhattan Beach.

This downtown dive – it’s the oldest bar in Manhattan Beach, dating back to the 1920s – makes burgers they way burgers should be made, and that is to say with very simply, with fresh meat cooked on an old grill.

It also has a perfectly- sized bun, one that that compliments the burger rather than having it overwhelm the taste of the meat. One of the big problems with all the “gourmet” burgers flooding the market is that they have huge buns and you can’t really taste the meat.

Ercoles also gets its meat from the Manhattan Market next door, an oustanding place for meats. So the quality of the burger is high and when you bit into it, the juice practically runs down your arm.

The burgers will have you constantly reaching for napkins, which is why PubClub.com refers to them as “10 napkin burgers.” We also call them “conversation-stopping burgers” because they are so good, they little stop conversations in mid sentence.

The atmosphere of Erc’s also perfectly fits the burgers. It’s a long-standing bar with picnic tables and small, old wooden booths.

The price is right, too, just $6.25. And on Wednesday, they are 2-for-1 (eat in only and you must get two drinks with it but you’re going to want a cold draft beer with this burger anyway).

The burgers are made one way, with cheese, crispy lettuce and a thick slice of a fresh tomato. A large, juicy dill pickle is served on the side and you get a bag of chips.

Ercoles is located on Manhattan Ave., just south of the Manhattan Beach Pier.

The second-best burgers in town, by the way, are at the Hermosa Beach Yacht Club, at 1st Street and Hermosa Ave. These burgers are made with 1./3-pound, never-frozen Angus beef and, unlike Erc’s, comes in a variety of styles.

PubClub’s favorite is the Commodore burger with sauteed mushrooms. Be sure and get the HBYC chips, something unique to this dive bar that are potatoes cut like really thick than potato chips.

Ercole’s Manhattan Beach Address: 1101 Manhattan Ave, Manhattan Beach, CA
HBYC Address: 66 Hermosa Ave., Hermosa Beach, CA

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