MVP’s Grill & Patio

MVP’s Grill & Patio is a burger & sandwich shack on 4th street in Long Beach, CA.  This is my first introduction to the world of restaurants that reside on someone’s entirely-paved front yard, and I am very into it.  You place your order, take a number, and take a seat. They will bring your order out to you  whenever it’s ready and also refill your drinks, so it’s a weird hybrid of fast food/full-service kind of place.  It’s important to note that they are cash-only, but they have an ATM there as well.

The menu is insanely large given the space they have to cook food. Here’s a shot of the first half of their menu, (click to zoom):

The second half is devoted to sandwiches and other items that aren’t related to burgers, but it’s still worth mentioning because there are so many options.

Burgers:  All burgers made with 1/3 lb. patties and served on a sesame seed bun with lettuce, tomato, and cajunaise dressing. Raw or grilled onions are available by request.

I ordered the Combo #1, which is a cheeseburger, fries, and drink for $7.  The wait time is standard, but still very efficient as I visited during the lunch rush and didn’t have to wait too long.  Here is the tray they brought out to me:

Larger-than-anticipated portion of Cajun-seasoned french fries, burger wrapped in wax paper (love this), and pickled carrot slices and yellow peppers as garnish.  The patty looks much smaller in this photo than it actually is.

Here’s a more representative shot of the burger, which didn’t last for much longer after this photo was taken. This burger tastes infinitely better than it looks, and wasn’t nearly as bread-dominated as it seems.

Burger Ratings:

Burger: 9

The cheeseburger at MVP’s is incredible.  The bun was barely toasted and perfect, the cheese was a nice thick-cut slice of Cheddar that I could actually taste, and the 1/3 lb. beef patty was juicy and seemed to be slightly seasoned.  I prefer shredded iceberg lettuce on my burgers, and this one had plenty of it.  The “cajunaise” is essentially thousand island dressing mixed with their house Cajun seasoning. Overall, this burger was a memorable one, and I would love to eat this again.

Side: 9

For your side option, you can either choose from regular french fries or “seasoned” fries, which are tossed in Cajun seasoning. At first glance, I didn’t think I’d even want to eat these fries, but they are really fucking delicious.   I usually have a problem with thick-cut fries, as they tend to be soggy, but every single fry on my tray was crispy and so good I cannot relate my feelings about them in text form.  I ate them until I could no longer physically continue to do so, and there was still some left on the plate – the portion is just that large.

Environment: 6

The “Patio” portion of MVP’s name is located on someone’s front yard -  a front yard that is entirely covered with concrete.  Despite this, it’s very enjoyable to eat here. There are two covered areas to sit at on either side of the counter, both with wide-screen HDTV’s with different sports being shown on each.  Seating was very bit tight during lunch, and many people had to order to-go since they had nowhere to actually sit. The tables were all very clean, and there is also hand sanitizer next to the condiments, which is a nice touch.

Value: 9

$7 for a very tasty & filling 1/3 lb. cheeseburger, giant portion of amazing seasoned fries, and a bottomless Arnold Palmer (or whatever other drink you want, but why bother with anything else if this is an option..?) is probably the best value I have encountered. The biggest drawback is the lack of seating, which isn’t that big of a deal.

MVP's Grill & Patio // 3701 E 4th Street // Long Beach, CA 90803 // (562) 439.0809

Tags: $DEALZ$, CA, cajun everything, cash only, long beach, MVP's

Listed Under: 9 - Fuckin' amazing