Under $10 – Dino’s Burgers

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If you’re driving through the Pico/Union area and suddenly see the red & blue lights of hell through your rear view mirror, you’d better hope that you have any of the following:

(1) Pink box of assorted donuts

(2) A stack of $100 bills

(3) A fresh new set of implants poking through a tight tanktop and a whiny girl voice.  (More points for you if you’re male.)

But cops nowadays can be pretty picky and less inclined to fall for your bullsh*tting or flirting.  I think there is one solution though… a styrofoam box filled with some tasty, orange-roasted chicken and freshly cut fries from Dino’s Burgers.  Never mind the burgers, this place has been serving some of my favorite chicken in Los Angeles for a long time.  Everytime I’m here, there are cops taking a break.  Dino’s please do not start selling donuts.

Contrary to its name, Dino’s is really known for their fiery charbroiled/grilled chicken.  You order from the window on the left and do a pickup on the right.  Looking through the kitchen, it’s quite obvious there’s a bit of chaos going on in there.   You’ve got one guy frying fresh-cut fries, dumping them into large dishwasher’s tubs.  You’ve got two guys manning the grill – you can barely see their heads because of all that smoke from the stacked chicken breasts/thighs.  You’ve got another guy scooping the special spicy/tangy sauce over the fries and chicken.  And you’ve got one guy packing up all the chicken and fries in a box.  A serious production line with an awesome result for only $5.50 out the door.   I am srsly about to go right now and get some.

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No matter what angle I tried to shoot the chicken at.  It still looked like one thing: roadkill.  But I’m sure it tastes better than that.  There is something magical about stabbing a tiny plastic fork thru some orange-colored chicken and tangy/soggy fries.  I skewer the meat as tightly as possible with the short prongs, bending the fork.  Like the Tortas Ahogadas Guadalajara taco truck, I have to say this is a beautiful disaster.

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Dino’s Burgers
2575 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90006
(213) 380-3554