"Irv's Burgers with Sam Brown" is Episode 445 of Doughboys, hosted by Nick Wiger and Mike Mitchell. "Irv's Burgers with Sam Brown" was released on May 9, 2024.

"Tomorrow… with Sam Brown" - @doughboyspod
Synopsis[]
Sam Brown (@thatsambrown, The Whitest Kids U'Know) joins the 'boys to talk Dune, Sandwich Massachusettes, and stunt eating before a review of Irv's Burgers. Plus, another edition of Chips Inhale: Res-Chew Rangers.
Nick's intro[]
“ | Well, it winds from Chicago to L.A. More than two thousand miles all the way |
” |

King Cole Trio - "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66"
In 1946, The Nat King Cole Trio released their single "Route 66," and the Bobby Troup-composed ditty sped to the top of Billboard’s archaically named Race Records chart. In the years since, the song has been covered by Chuck Berry, Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters, The Rolling Stones, Depeche Mode, and of course, John Mayer, for the end credits of Pixar’s Cars.
Authorized by the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1921, opened in 1926, and fully paved via New Deal infrastructure funding in 1938, the titular highway that connects the Windy City to the City of Angels would shape pre-war interstate commerce, as well as hasten the rise of American car culture, for better or mostly for worse. And back in 1946, near Route 66’s west-coast terminus, as drivers neared the Pacific Ocean along what is now West Hollywood’s Santa Monica Blvd, one might see a sign over a roadside stand advertising, “No Lobster, Just Burgers.”
First opened as Queen’s Burgers, the restaurant has operated for three quarters of a century via a baton pass of ownership: the now titular Irv Gendis bought the business from its founders in 1970; Sonia Hong assumed stewardship in 2000, becoming a local celebrity in the process; and following its closure in 2018, in 2022, LA restaurateur Lawrence Longo purchased a stake to pull the concept out of post-pandemic oblivion. With famed fans like rockers The Clash, Jim Morrison, and Linda Ronstadt — Ronstadt even used a photo of the burger shack as the cover art for her album, Living in the USA — the eatery is as much a part of music history as the Nat King Cole road-trip standard.
Today, with four Southland locations and one outlet in Las Vegas that you can drive to via Route 66, it still offers burgers, pastrami, and fries prepared “just for you,” in the handwritten parlance of owner-operator Sonia Hong. So if you pull up today, nearly eighty years since its founding, you can still get your licks... on Route 66.
This week on Doughboys… Irv’s Burgers.
Fork rating[]

guest / host | ordered | rating |
---|---|---|
Nick Wiger |
|
5 forks |
Mike Mitchell |
|
4 forks |
Sam Brown |
|
4 forks |
shared |
|
Susser joined them and had Irv's Turkey Burger. He texted his review, "4 forks, no more, no less."
Natalie didn't go with the them, but loves the place, and told Nick her score was 5 forks.
With these scores, Irv's Burgers joins the Golden Plate Club!
(They wouldn't have affected it, but Susser and Natalie's scores weren't used in this.)
Chips Inhale: Res-Chew Rangers 🐿️[]
“ |
There's no case too big, no bag too small |
” |
In this segment, there's a bunch of chips, and The Doughboys eat them all.
For this episode, they four Lay's flavors: Crispy Taco, Kettle Cooked Lime and Cracked Pepper, Flamin' Hot, and Sweet and Spicy Honey.
In this segment, they don't typically rate or rank them, but did choose their favorites, and offered Snack or Wack ratings.
guest / host | favorite | Taco | Lime | Flamin' Hot | Honey |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nick Wiger | Sweet and Spicy Honey | Wack | Wack | Snack | Snack |
Mike Mitchell | Flamin' Hot | Wack | Wack | Snack | Wack |
Sam Brown | Sweet and Spicy Honey | Snack | Wack | Wack | Snack |
Roast Spoonman[]

Baldur's Gate 3
“ | Burgers Ate 3 | ” |
–Max |
Quotes[]
“ | Sam: I went to all-you-can-eat, had on a '70s lab coat, and I ate fifteen slices of pizza. Mitch: WOW! That gets a Doughboys Salute. I've never saluted anyone in my life. This is stolen valor. |
” |
–The Doughboys Salute |
“ | I know this seems extreme, but we should just nuke Australia. | ” |
–Mike Mitchell |
“ | Mitch: My grandpa probably had a small ass. Nick: Yea, both my grandpas probably had smaller asses than me, for sure. |
” |
–The Doughgrandpas |
The Feedbag[]
“ | What foods would you indulge in if you knew you were going to have diarrhea anyway? | ” |
–Amelia (HeatSaladSeeker) |
guest / host | food to eat if you were about to be sick |
---|---|
Nick Wiger | Irv's Burgers Birthday Shake (or any really good milkshake) |
Mike Mitchell | something spicy (hot wings or fried chicken) |
Sam Brown | The Hat Pastrami Sandwich and Chili Cheese Fries |
Restaurants[]
restaurant | location | notes |
---|---|---|
Irv's Burgers | Los Angeles, CA | Nick, Mitch, and Sam went together to the location on La Brea |
Drops and Plugs[]
reference | notes |
---|---|
Dune: Part Two | in Mitch's drop (by call.it.mango / Jack) |
|
Sam's plugs |