Many things come into mind when you hear the name Norm.
There is the most famous – the guy on Cheers who always sat at the bar and when he would walk in there was always a chorus of Noorrmm. Norm at the bar was so famous that when Star Trek Deep Space 9 had Quark’s Bar, there was a creature always at the bar named Morn, which the producers said was a tribute to Norm by spelling his name backwards. You gotta love the Burger review for giving some great trivia knowledge.
Let’s also not forget the restaurant chain that is ‘always open’, Norm’s, which I believe there is a location in Van Nuys.
This Norm’s Hamburger location will not remind you of any of this except for the name. Nothing quaint about this place except for the outdated interior. I was sent an email from a reader asking me to give this place a try. I guess the guy did not like me.
You order your burger at the window and the prices are reasonable. I ordered the combo which is the cheeseburger, fries and a drink. I also ordered some avocado for the burger to helpfully help it once I saw other burgers cooking on the grill as I ordered.
When it came, came it the first look over. The buns were toasted and were good size, there was lettuce, pickle, tomato and what tasted like a light spread of thousand island on the bottom with mayonnaise on the top bun, an interesting combination.
Looking at the patty and cheese, I knew my stomach was in for a beating. The patty looked like it would make a Frisbee since it was extremely skinny and flat, not bending much. I was hoping at least it would have the flavor of somewhere like Steve’s, but I was just hoping for too much.
The burger just tasted like it had been well done and there was not enough flavor from the other condiments to save it. The avocado was sliced thin enough so that you could taste it, more or less just seeing it.
What’s funny is that the place is called Norm’s Hamburger but everyone knows it as a breakfast burrito place. I’m not reviewing those but my humble opinion says it is good, just a little too much potato for my liking…maybe add some more bacon?
Side Notes: As always, asked for my fries well done and while they looked brown, they just were not very crispy. Why do cooks have such a hard time making fries well done (crispy). Cooks should be required to go see John at Larry’s Chili Dog for a lesson.
Norm’s Hamburger is located at 1201 W Magnolia Blvd,
Norm’s Hamburger receives: Could Use a Rewrite
myBurbank Ratings:
Tops In Town (Outstanding)
On The Marquee (Really Good)
Could Use A Rewrite (Average or Slightly Below)
Don’t Quit Your Day Job (Poor)
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