If you’re driving through the Pico/Union area and suddenly see the red & blue lights of hell through your rear view mirror, you’d better hope that you have any of the following:
(1) Pink box of assorted donuts
(2) A stack of $100 bills
(3) A fresh new set of implants poking through a tight tanktop and a whiny girl voice. (More points for you if you’re male.)
But cops nowadays can be pretty picky and less inclined to fall for your bullsh*tting or flirting. I think there is one solution though… a styrofoam box filled with some tasty, orange-roasted chicken and freshly cut fries from Dino’s Burgers. Never mind the burgers, this place has been serving some of my favorite chicken in Los Angeles for a long time. Everytime I’m here, there are cops taking a break. Dino’s please do not start selling donuts.
Contrary to its name, Dino’s is really known for their fiery charbroiled/grilled chicken. You order from the window on the left and do a pickup on the right. Looking through the kitchen, it’s quite obvious there’s a bit of chaos going on in there. You’ve got one guy frying fresh-cut fries, dumping them into large dishwasher’s tubs. You’ve got two guys manning the grill – you can barely see their heads because of all that smoke from the stacked chicken breasts/thighs. You’ve got another guy scooping the special spicy/tangy sauce over the fries and chicken. And you’ve got one guy packing up all the chicken and fries in a box. A serious production line with an awesome result for only $5.50 out the door. I am srsly about to go right now and get some.
No matter what angle I tried to shoot the chicken at. It still looked like one thing: roadkill. But I’m sure it tastes better than that. There is something magical about stabbing a tiny plastic fork thru some orange-colored chicken and tangy/soggy fries. I skewer the meat as tightly as possible with the short prongs, bending the fork. Like the Tortas Ahogadas Guadalajara taco truck, I have to say this is a beautiful disaster.
Dino’s Burgers
2575 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90006
(213) 380-3554
