Blog | Pasadena Restaurant Week

Cheeseburger Week triumphantly returns in January, 2021! Look for details soon.

There may be no in-person Rose parade in 2021, but WE WILL CELEBRATE CHEESEBURGER WEEK from January 17th to January 23rd.

Yes, it is true - the cheeseburger was invented in Pasadena.

To celebrate Lionel Sternberger's massive culinary invention (in the early 1920s) the Pasadena Chamber and our restaurant members celebrate Cheeseburger Week each year.

Yes, again in 2021 you can take the Cheeseburger Challenge and vote for your favorites across a number of categories.

Will Dog Haus repeat as Favorite Cheeseburger or will The Stand repeat its victory in 2019? Maybe someplace new will take the trophy.

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 El Portal, Dog Haus, The Luggage Room, The Great Maple and The Langham Huntington Hotel Pasadena (Taproom, Royce Wood-Fired Steakhouse and TheTerrace) offer specially created burgers for Cheeseburger Week. The Terrace actually created a cheeseburger dessert for 2020!)

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

Take the Cheeseburger Challenge here (live January 17th):

Check out all the participants and see what everyone has on the menu for Cheeseburger Week by clicking here.

Again in 2021, 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 17th through January23rd.

Scroll down to take the Cheeseburger Challenge.

For 2021, we are adding several restaurants. Some participants will include special menu items or deals for patrons during Cheeseburger Week.

Now, the official song of Cheeseburger Week:

Of course it is!

Let’s all 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.

Scroll down to take the Cheeseburger Challenge.

Old Shop

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 seventh Cheeseburger Week and Cheeseburger Challenge January 26th to 31st. 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.

Scroll down to take the Cheeseburger Challenge.

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

Voting in the 2020 Cheeseburger Challenge opens January 17, 2021, and ends January 23, 2021.

Here are the participants for 2020 (will be updated for 2020 as information is available):

Check out some more of our media coverage:

Pasadena Sinks Its Teeth into Cheeseburger Week NBC Southern California

Cheeseburger Week is a Pasadena Restaurant Week and California Restaurant Month event presented by the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce. Cheeseburger Week is generously sponsored by Wells Fargo.