Hi-Life Burgers

Every town needs a good mom and pop burger joint; in South Pasadena, that accolade goes to Hi-Life Burgers.

Although I cannot even pretend to be a local, I’ve heard from enough locals to know that Hi-Life is an institution here. It’s located within a couple of blocks of both the junior and senior high schools, so most natives grew up eating here either on the way to school or heading home from school. And, I’ve learned it used to be more of a burger stand than an actual restaurant.

The interior is a mish-mash of styles, so I can’t imagine what the stand looked like. The booths are strictly burger joint, with the yellow and red upholstery, and there’s red and white checkerboard tiles around the counter. But, there’s Olive Garden-like light fixtures, and fake potted plants hanging in baskets from the ceiling. I sat in the pole position by the pick-up counter, which is actually a half booth with a seat on only one side. So, in addition to seeing the trays with the zucchini fries, onion rings and burritos, I saw pink tulips in plexiglass. Totally random!

As for my meal, I got the usual: regular burger and small fries. Delish! I like that the fries come out “naked,” and you get to decide if you want standard salt or the seasoned salt. The little tubes of ketchup are ready for you, so you don’t have to deal with the squirty dispenser. The burger had the shredded lettuce, tomatoes and pickles and Thousand Island dressing. Yum!

What’s your favorite local burger joint?

Hi-Life Burgers does not have a Web site. Street address is 1326 Fair Oaks Avenue in South Pasadena, cross street is Bank. Phone is 626-799-5401.