Just in time for the weekend, Filling Stations is a weekly post that highlights one of Los Angeles’ destinations for craft beer, be it a bottle-shop with a great selection, a restaurant with great food to go with their beer list, or a bar serving excellent beers.

Stout Burgers and Beer

• Neighborhood: Hollywood (View Larger Map)
• Type: Restaurant
• Yelp Page
• Selection: 4/5 Price: 4/5 Food: 4/5

There are no shortage of burger joints that serve craft beer in Hollywood, but they all get judged against the Cahuenga Corridors FIRST gourmet burger spot.

With all the permutation of cheeses, toppings, and condiments few foods let you play with beer pairings the way a serious cheeseburger does, and Stout serves up serious burgers and takes their beer pairings seriously. They use free-range beef, organic chicken, and offer a quinoa-based patty for the vegetarian options. Unlike the build-your-own aesthetic of other popular burger joints, Stout offers a half-dozen burger options with enough variety to satisfy the most fiendish burger craving. The signature Stout Burger is a none-too-subtle pastiche of the Fathers Office burger, but the Stout burger stands up to what could be the most iconic burger in Los Angeles. Other options include “The Morning After” with bacon and an over-easy egg, and the “Island Hopper:” a chicken burger with smoked mozzarella and artichoke. The sides are a tasty as the burgers, and they offer a “secret menu” with truffle fries and a Bavarian pretzel that should not be missed.

The space is small with a relaxed vibe; thought it can easily get packed to beyond capacity especially on weekends. Two sides of the restaurant are open to the street, and if you can snag one of the patio streets you can enjoy some excellent people watching with your burgers and beers. The back half of the space is dominated by the curved bar and barrel-like tap wall. Some thirty beers are usually on tap, and there are always enough great beers available to make ordering a tough choice. The options rotate regularly (more regularly than their website updates); there is always a wide selection of lagers, IPAs, Belgians (both golden and dark), and stouts to pair with your food. They also provide a bottle-list with more options and a few wine varieties.

Service is normally attentive and warm, and local sports are usually playing on the two LCD TVs near the bar. Prices for burgers are around $10 with no sides, though the burgers are a good size and won’t leave you hungry, and beers run from $6 pints to $8 or $9 goblets of the high-ABV stuff. The beer selection is deep, and the burgers are some of the best you can get in the neighborhood. It is no wonder that the place can get crowded; Stout is our #1 choice when we really need a burger and a beer.

Stout is also opening a second location in Studio City any day now. Have you tried Stout? Do you think it is the best burger in Hollywood? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments!