Sternberger, the culinary genius in being the first to put cheese to hamburger and served it at the Rite Spot in Pasadena in 1924. His Aristocratic Burger was an instant culinary hit!

For 2022, we are changing things up somewhat due to the strange and changed world we are living in right now. You can order take-out or (if it's possible) dine in or outdoor dining at your favorite places. You can still take the Cheeseburger Challenge and vote for your favorites.

Check with individual restaurants about outdoor dining availability. During the pandemic, it is also best to reserve a table ahead, even at a burger stand.

Forty of Pasadena's favorite restaurants, lounges and burger joints offered their signature burgers, some special creations and a deals  during Pasadena Cheeseburger Week.

Some, such as The Raymond, El Portal, Yahaira's, The Stand, Kathleen's and others may offer specially created burgers for Cheeseburger Week. The Terrace at the Langham Huntington Hotel actually created a cheeseburger dessert for 2020!)

Still others offer special deals, such as Pie 'n Burger and Dog Haus. 

^{Be sure to check participant website links below for hours and offerings.}

Take the Cheeseburger Challenge (live January 22nd) and vote for your favorites.

Check out all the participants and see what everyone has on the menu for Cheeseburger Week below. (The Restaurant and Menu link is not updated as information is changing daily due to the pandemic.

Again in 2023, you can vote for your favorites in the Cheeseburger Challenge. Who makes your favorite lunch counter burger? Who serves your favorite turkey burger? Who makes your favorite veggie burger? Who serves the best beverage with a burger? You decide during Cheeseburger Week, January 23rd through January 28th. (Cheeseburger Challenge voting is live until 11:59pm on Saturday, January 29.)

Scroll down to take the Cheeseburger Challenge. 

Now, the official song of Cheeseburger Week:

Of course it is!

Let’s all enjoy a cheeseburgers (or lots of cheeseburgers) thruoghout Pasadena and salute Lionel Sternberger for his mastery, insight, pioneering innovation and daring in placing a piece of cheese atop a hamburger for the first time in recorded culinary history at his father's roadside stand, the Rite Spot at 1500 West Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena. Stop by to see the plaque honoring Lionel's culinary achievement.

 

The invention of the cheeseburger at the Rite Spot has been documented by the Los Angeles  Times, Time magazine, cheese-burger.net, Hamburger Heaven:the Illustrated History of the Hamburger and The San Gabriel Valley Tribune. Even CNN is on the story: Click here to see Casey Wian’s CNN story on Cheeseburger Week 2012.

The Pasadena Chamber of Commerce hosts the eighth Cheeseburger Week and Cheeseburger Challenge

(voting in the Cheeseburger Challenge is from January 24th to 29th). Once again, you’ll be able to vote for your favorites in a number of categories, from traditional lunch counter burgers to white table cloth an alternative cheeseburgers. We’ll also have an alternative cheeseburger category or two, as well.

Plan to come to Pasadena for a Cheeseburger Crawl, take the Cheeseburger Challenge and celebrate Lionel Sternberger’s culinary legacy in the city where the cheeseburger was first served.

Here are some special offerings:

Several participants in the 2023 Cheeseburger Week celebration and Cheeseburger Challenge are offering special meals and deals.

Here are the participants (so far);

Here is who we have so far (many are still tentative, sorry. keep checking back for participant info):
 

• Barney’s Beanery
• Bone Kettle
• Brookside Golf Club
• Cabrera’s
• Cindy’s (Eagle Rock)
• Clearman's Galley (The Boat)
• Clearman’s Northwoods Inn
• Colombo’s (Eagle Rock)
• The Counter
• Crave Café
• Dave and Buster’s (Arcadia)
• Der Wolf
• Dog Haus
• Dog Haus Biergarten
• Edwin Mills by Equator
• Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar
• Foothill
• Fox’s (Altadena)
• Granville
• The Great Maple
• Hummus Labs
• Jake’s Trustworthy Burgers and Beer
• Kathleen's
• The Kitchen
• Le Grande Orange
• Lucky Baldwin’s Pub
• Lucky Baldwin’s Delirium Café
• Lucky Baldwin’s Trappiste Pub
• The Luggage Room
• Panini Kekab Grill
• Parkway Grill
• Pasadena Sandwich Company
• Mi Piace
• My Place Cafe
• El Portal
• Raffi’s Catering and Banquet
• Rounds Premium Burgers
• Sage Vegan Bistro
• Slater’s 50/50
• Smitty’s Grill
• The Stand
• Stonefire Grill
• Tardino Brother’s Italian Kitchen
• The Terrace at the Langham Huntington Hotel
• True Food Kitchen
• Twohey’s (South Pasadena)
• Yahaira’s

Want a burger break? How about the Lule Kebab Sandwich at Raffi's in East Pasadena. Or maybe Beef Ribs from Bone Kettle in Old Pasadena. Or at maybe a beef kafta kebab at Hummus Labs on Colorado Boulevard.

Scroll down to take the Cheeseburger Challenge.

For participant address, menu and special offer information click on Restaurant Participants above.

Voting in the 2023 Cheeseburger Challenge opens January 22, 2023, and ends January 28, 2023 at 11:59pm.