Bay Area Favorite Gott's Roadside Opens in LA
Gott's Roadside, a popular Bay Area restaurant known for its burgers and milkshakes, is opening a new location in Los Angeles. The expansion brings the Northern California staple to the competitive Southern California food scene.
Before it was Gott's Roadside, the Napa Valley original was a 50-year-old burger shack called Taylor's Refresher. Brothers Joel and Duncan Gott took over the St. Helena spot in 1999, eventually rebranding to Gott's Roadside in 2010 after a trademark dispute. The restaurant is a James Beard Award winner, an honor it received in 2006 under its original name, designating it as an "America's Classic." This award recognized its modern take on American roadside classics, blending a casual setting with high-quality, locally sourced ingredients. While known for its Niman Ranch beef burgers, a standout menu item is the Ahi Poke Crispy Tacos, made with sushi-grade tuna. The menu also features a variety of sandwiches, salads, and hand-spun organic milkshakes, alongside a California-focused wine and beer list. The new location inside L.A.'s Original Farmers Market is the brand's first step into Southern California, a move years in the making. A second Southern California restaurant is already planned for Santa Monica, scheduled to open in the summer of 2026. Gott's expansion strategy often targets iconic, high-traffic locations. Its other restaurants are situated in community hubs like San Francisco's Ferry Building and Napa's Oxbow Public Market, making the historic Original Farmers Market a deliberate choice for its L.A. debut. Founder Joel Gott comes from a family with deep roots in California's wine industry. His grandfather was the winemaker at the historic Inglenook Winery, and his father founded Montevina Winery. This background influences the curated wine lists at the restaurants.
