Tommy’s Original World Famous Hamburgers

Tommy’s is great beakfast is great the chili an yellow peppers are what makes the food awesome, they finally went with a larger burger, the ½ pounders. Smart very smart

Some people call it chili, i call it Meat frosting. Try Tommys Chili Cheese frys at least once in your life.
Chili Cheese Frys + Small Drink = $ 6.24
Why not 5 stars? The chili is tasty, but the price is a little high for the quality of food.

Fast. Friendly. Delicious. Been here a few times and they haven’t disappointed me yet with any of those 3 key points. Their drive-​through could be a few inches wider though, couldn’t hurt. You can see battle wounds where other drivers weren’t so cautious.

Sadly, this Tommy’s no longer cooks your burger fresh.
It’s pre-​made like McDonalds early in the day.
They’ve defaulted back to over-​spicing the Chili at this location so it’s not the same, great chili that made Tommy’s famous. Just burns more and ruins the epic taste.
I knew Tom Koulax. He would have never approved it.
The great juicy, fresh-​cooked Tommy’s burgers are gone.
Really was great at one time.
It’s all over and they don’t care.
Clean premises nice employees but they need to stick to what Tommy’s is all about.

Oh, how I’ve missed you, Tommy’s…
For the last few months I’ve been without vehicular transportation, and haven’t been close enough to a location to get there without a lot more effort than I’m interested in putting out… even for Tommy’s.
Tonight, I was a block away. It was ON!!!
I have to say, walking up to the restaurant was a bit of a turn-​off. 8:30pm, and the chairs are already on the tables in the dining room. I get that you probably do most of your business at the drive-​thru, but really? It’s not very comfortable to feel like you’re interfering with their cleaning efforts when all you want to do is put away an order of chili cheese fries and a double cheeseburger…
Which were perfect, by the way!

Without a doubt the best burgers anywhere. The chili tamale is also great. Doesn’t matter which location. I like the Simi store because it is never loaded with customers which makes no sence to me. Wirh all the burger places in LA, Tommy’s is the best.

Pretty good place to eat don’t come around here to often but the service is great and you can’t go wrong with chilli cheese burgers

*** Pit stop review (Simi Valley) ***
Had the usual Tommy’s chili dog with fries well done. This stuff is consistently good anywhere I get it. This Tommy’s is in a nice part of town. It’s a good place to make a quick stop for lunch.
Food = Great
Seating area = clean
Service = friendly
Restroom = clean

For the money (about $ 2 or so) the basic Tommy’s Chili Burger can’t be beat! Same as In-​N-​Out for a regular $ 2. Burger can’t be beat.
This particular location on Madera is the cleanest Tommy’s we’ve ever been to… we stop by a couple times a month… The manager is very friendly and makes sure the staff really takes care of business. They now have a New Burger I just tried… it’s a Quarter Pounder Cheese Burger with Lettuce & Tomato that’s really great for about $ 3.60 (I added some chili to that) …I was licking the wrapper… we can’t wait to try it again.

delicious!

Please note that this is a review of this specific location. The Tommy’s brand deserves 5+ stars, hands down.
The reason for this two-​star review was the comparatively horrific customer service I received at this Simi Valley location in October 2014. My mother, raised in Southern California and a Tommy’s aficionado, was visiting from out of state and we decided to swing by the local franchise.
We both ordered a cheeseburger with «heavy, HEAVY chili,» i.e. extra chili and do not hold back. At almost any other location we’ve said this, they give us so much chili that you can’t see the burger through it. It’s overflowing out of the wrapper (that is practically a bowl at this point) and threatening to eat YOU if you don’t hurry and dig in. Our experience here, however, was quite to the contrary. We looked at our burgers and noticed that the amount of chili was actually less than a REGULAR amount of chili should be. Very little chili on these burgers.
My mom went inside and politely asked about this. She was told that this was indeed «extra» chili. Insisting that they were being skimpy with their ingredients, the employees looked at her in apathy and showed absolutely no desire to appease her. Mind you, I am sensitive to people in work situations and get easily embarrassed when I am with someone who overly fusses about something or gets too worked up. This was not the case. My mom was very cool-​headed but reasonable: we ordered extra chili and made that very clear, we paid for it, and you gave us even less than what we’ve come to expect on even a REGULAR chili burger at these restaurants.
After a minute of expressing her frustration, they handed us a small paper bowl about a quarter full of chili as recompense. This small amount brought our burgers up to about the load of a regular chili burger. So we still didn’t get what we paid for.
The next night we went to the Northridge location on Roscoe and, sure enough, they heaped on the chili as we’ve come to anticipate from this company.
It will be a while before I give this location my business again. It’s worth it to me, for now, to drive the extra 20 minutes to a location that will treat me right. Will probably try Simi Valley again in one to two years.

The mega combo is so good, I mean you get a triple chili cheeseburger with chili cheese fries and a huge drink for only $ 11 something. The chili cheese hot dogs are also very good. The chili is what puts this place on the map!

Ahhh, Tommy’s… a staple of SoCal heartburn and stomach aches. Soooo good going down. Then the food hangover.
When I first started visiting SoCal years back, I absolutely loved this place. Chili burgers, dogs and fries?! Count me in! Fresh, crisp pickles and I’m in love.
However, as I’ve grown older I find that I still like the taste but wow do I feel like junk afterwards. I guess my body just doesn’t handle the stuff like in days gone by.
This location has a nice facility which is pretty clean with decent service. Plenty of parking because it shares a huge lot with Albertsons.
The one thing I’d warn you about (which is no fault of the actual business) is the type of clientele this location attracts. Apologies if it sounds shallow but quite frankly this restaurant is like the ghetto of the area. I had lunch there yesterday and felt like they should have had a security guard. Nobody was unruly but I just didn’t feel that comfortable. To top it off, when we left someone had smashed into the back of my friend’s car and just taken off. No note, nothing. I just don’t feel comfortable eating at this location. Hard to put words on it exactly, but you’ve been warned.

Tommy’s is a go to for anything chili cheese related, the one in Simi is not nearly as crowded as the original but the quality remains the same. I love the chili cheese fries, oh my, I can eat those weekly! I don’t like the chili on my burger but I do like it on the side so I can put chili with every bite, I guess I just don’t like the soggy bun when the chili is placed on it for me.
They have a decent milk shake as well!

As we sat in the drive-​thru window for 5 min watching them make our burgers I wondered how this place stays in business specially in this neighborhood. Could it be nostalgia?
The only thing freshly cooked was the meat. The fries were cold and you could taste the freezer burn, the chilli was cold and tasted as yesterday’s batch.
Worse part is not having our cravings satisfied.

I’m sorry but I’m one of those weirdos who loves Tommy’s. We have a couple back in LA so I grew eating it which I’m sure is why I still have a love for it.
Staff here is always friendly & I appreciate that they also have a drive thru (even though it’s impossible to eat Tommy’s while driving).
The chili is just so good. I know many will find that disturbing but get over it :). I’ve yet to find something here i didn’t like. My two favs are always going to be the chili cheese breakfast sausage sandwich & their chili cheese fries, eating these items alone will decrease your life expectancy, you have been warned.

Yet another Tommy’s location thoroughly ravaged. I’m trying to hit them all. :) Love the Caliente Burger … get it with extra chili and extra peppers. The fries today were probably the freshest I’ve ever had at any Tommy’s. Don’t forget the napkins. No, seriously, DON’T FORGET THE NAPKINS! 8D

I too was weaned at the «original» Tommy’s location on the corner of Beverly and Rampart; many years spent delivering in and around downtown L.A., makes one desire good chow fast, and also appreciate joints which are just a cut above the average. There is no middle ground when it comes to Tommy’s, you either love it or hate it. I’ve been a fan since I can remember, my first trip to the original Tommy’s was as a young teen back in the early 70’s, and am still a fan and going strong.
This location, store #26 on Madera in Simi Valley, CA., has to be the cleanest store of them all, and trust me, there are only a few I have not been too; Tommy’s is my favorite burger joint of them all.
I’m here to talk about Tommy’s breakfast sandwich. If you have not tried one, you are doing yourself a disservice. Fried egg, sausage patty (or burger patty if you wish), killer chili, a thick tomato slab, onions, pickles, cheese and mayo, all on a very fresh bun. Talk about a handful of culinary heaven, this is it! Oh, and another point, the burgers at all Tommy’s are just as big as the pictures indicate; they do not skimp on the condiments, unless you ask them to. Good coffee too!
I have made countless trips to this place, and never had a bad issue of any sort. So if a craving for chilli burgers, breakfast burritos, hot dogs or breakfast sandwiches ever gets the better of you, pull in here and get yourself a fix em up, pick me up.

Check your food! Check your food! CHECK YOUR FOOD!
Three times in the last 2 months I’ve had bad food. I’ve had a little string in my food with little green dots on it on 2 separate occasions and today I was presented with a MOLDY Bun. When you bring it to their attention, the staff doesn’t really seem that surprised. Their attitude is strange. The cook apologized but the manager didn’t. They don’t ever try and make it up to you or anything.
I love the food. I’ve have been eating Tommy’s for most of my life but this store has some issues with the management or something. I’m going to send and email to the corporation to let them know. I suggest that you do the same if you’ve had an issue with their food or their staff. Hopefully they can make this location better and then we can give it 5 stars instead of 3 or less.

In reviewing, I tend to simply stick to the mundane facts. However, this is not a normal review. This is a review of Tommy’s Original World Famous Hamburgers. This is a review of a legend.
My love affair with Tommy’s finds its roots in the 80’s. This was fueled by late night stop-​offs after evenings of dancing away at «The Palace» «The Paladium», «Florentine Gardens», etc… These Hollywood nights were always topped off with chili, grease, fries, shakes, and the craziness known as Tommy’s Van Nuys.
There were loud arguments. «You shut up. No, you shut up» filled the air. There were fights. There were gun shots. There was even a 3 am 10 car pileup. But mostly, there were amazing chili burgers and chili dogs. While my late night Tommy’s drunken gong shows are long a thing of the past, my love for the chili remains bolted to my culinary soul.
This brings us to present day. Well, not all the way to today. But, at least to just a few days over a year ago.
My lil bro (I will call him Rich. After all, his name is Rich) and I share our passion for Tommy’s. In recent years, we have started a tradition of going on the day after Christmas (or thereabouts) to conquer our longing for all things Tommy’s.
Just a tad over a year ago, on December 26^th, 2011, we made our way to the Tommy’s in Simi Valley. While it may be cleaner and a whole lot calmer than the older and rowdier Tommys’ locations, the chili and all the goodness it comes on is just as delicious.
However, our Christmas joy was soon smashed. Upon arrival, we noticed the power was out. It wasn’t just out at Tommy’s. It was out for a wide stretch. Even though it was day time, a grim darkness stretched for what seemed to be miles. A great sadness swept over us. The five stages of grief and loss stared us down.
1. Denial — Maybe it is just a short blip. Maybe the power will come back on soon. Five minutes, cigarette, ten minutes, cigarette, fifteen minutes, cigarette, the clock ticked on but the power didn’t.
2. Anger — WTF — The world is against us. This can not be. We will storm Tommy’s and make our own d*mn chili dogs.
3. Bargaining — Maybe they have some leftovers. Maybe the grill is still hot enough to cook a burger. Maybe there are some chili-​dogs in the trash. Alas, there was no Tommy’s burgers, dogs, or fries available.
4. Depression — Sad unfed stomachs hanging in the balance, a great sadness filled the parking lot as we (along with others) came to the realization our Tommy’s obsession would not be sated on this fine morning.
5. Acceptance — Well, there is always next year. Let’s go a find a McDonald’s. Off we went!
Now, this brings us truly to present day. Well, it brings us to December 23^rd, 2012. We decide to take a break from our holiday cooking chores. With our fingers crossed, off we go towards Tommy’s. Simi Valley, here we come.
This year, there were no disasters. There were no great barriers raised between our desire and the wonderfully delectable goodness known Tommy’s chili. I chose the chili-​dog. Rich went for the chili-​burger. There were fries and shakes to be had. True moments of chili laden joy.
After some holiday grocery shopping, we even returned and picked up a fully loaded chili-​burger for my pop. There is nothing like the joy on someone’s face as you hand them a Tommy’s bag. Santa can’t even bring forth such a look of sheer happiness.
Ending notes — The staff at this Tommy’s are friendly and helpful. The service is quick and professional. The restaurant is clean and neat. The burgers, dogs, fries, shakes and most importantly, chili are all prepared to Tommy’s exacting standards.