Marty’s vs. The Apple Pan
(The Debate Rages On)
West Los Angeles is fortunate to have two family-owned and run hamburger stands/ restaurants that have stood the test of time and have withstood the onslaught of the fast food world in which we live. What I’ve discovered after many years of talking with friends and clients however is that it seems that people eat at Marty’s or the Apple Pan, but rarely both. It seems that not unlike the UCLA-USC rivalry, there appears to be a Marty’s-Apple Pan rivalry as well.
Marty’s was founded by Marty and Francis Bassman in 1953. It is located at 10580 W. Pico Blvd. right next to the fire station. Marty’s serves hamburgers, hot dogs, and pastrami and chicken sandwiches but are famous for their “combos” a hamburger and butter-flied hot dog served together with fix’ns on a hamburger bun.
The Apple Pan was founded in 1947. It is located at 10801 W. Pico Blvd. across from the West Side Pavilion. The Apple Pan serves hamburgers and huge slices of apple and banana cream pie, but The Apple Pan is famous for its hickory burger, a hamburger served with hickory sauce and other fix’ns.
I was raised on both until the age of about eight when one day I came down with the stomach flu after eating a hickory burger from The Apple Pan. I’ve not been back since. I don’t blame the Apple Pan. My stomach has a profound influence over the food I eat and those old associations run deep. Still, when I am visiting the West Side Pavilion or New Look Tailoring I can often smell the aroma of hickory in the air and I have to say, it smells really good.
On several recent occasions I’ve come close to stopping in at the Apple Pan. I’ve even walked by the screen door where the hickory-smoke and muffled chatter beckoned me like the Sirens to Homer but to date I’ve been unable to cross that threshold. I’m not sure if it’s because I feel guilty about taking my business away from Marty’s or, my fear that the staff and patrons at the Apple Pan will recognize me when I walk through the door as a traitor and banish me. Frankly, I think I’ve built this up in my head way beyond proportion but ultimately I suppose my reluctance to try The Apple Pan after all these years stems from my issues over coming to terms with my past and confronting those bad memories.
I am curious about your thoughts. I’d love to know if you have a preference for one or the other or, do you enjoy both The Apple Pan and Marty’s? I’d like to read your explanation and I would also welcome your words of encouragement to help me overcome my fears and finally return to The Apple Pan.
Submitted by Mickey Kessler
