Los Angeles-based “The Win~Dow,” open 7 days a week in The Grove, Hollywood, Long Beach, Silver Lake, and Venice, is a destination for a classic smash-burgers, fried chicken sandwiches and grain bowls. Their next outpost: Santa Barbara, at 701 Chapala Street, the former home of Romanti-Ezer Mexican restaurant which closed in June, 2020. A smash burger is a thin beef patty cooked on a super-hot griddle. The burger is smashed down, usually with a spatula, to increase browning and craggy bits on the surface for extra flavor. The smashing technique has been around for a while but was further popularized by the Smashburger chain founded in Denver in 2007.

The Win~Dow rose to fame for its affordable smashburger, which goes for $4-ish for a single and $7-ish for a double. The burgers come griddled on the flat top with onions, American cheese, pickles, and house sauce. An Impossible patty, called the Beauty Burger, is available for vegetarians or veggie fans. Though the restaurant is best known for its burgers, the rest of the menu features shaved kale salad, Grain Bowl with brown rice and a soft egg, and a fried chicken sandwich. Hand-spun shakes and dipped cones are both on the dessert menu. Thanks to reader Harley H. who read a post about The Win~Dow in Edible SB. Visit thewin-dow.la

Photo by The Restaurant Guy