Known for burgers, milkshakes, pastrami and pizza, Irv’s Burgers of Los Angeles and Prince St. Pizza of New York City recently opened their doors together in a brand new, joint concept location in Pacific Beach.
Located at 4505 Mission Blvd., Irv’s and Prince St. officially opened on July 4. Since then, the already well-known spots have drawn in a new crowd of hungry locals looking to get their hands on East and West coast favorites.
“This is a concept that really compliments the town and the beach, we feel like this spot in Pacific Beach is a match made in heaven at the corner off Garnet,” Lawrence Longo, owner and CEO of Irv’s Burgers and Prince St. Pizza, explained. “People that love pizza usually also love burgers.”
Originally debuting as Queen’s Burgers in 1946, Irv’s is the quintessential California burger joint. One of the first burger stands on Route 66 and having collaborated with Searchlight Pictures to create a famous meal from the 2022 thriller film “The Menu,” Irv’s is known and loved.
With classics like double cheeseburgers and hot dogs, and fan favorites like tuna melts and pastrami, Longo is confident that visitors cannot go wrong with anything they order.
Like many notable burger spots, they have a secret sauce that’s drizzled on all five of their burgers. And if burgers aren’t your thing, the menu boasts five sandwiches and several hot dog options. From BLTs to onion rings, Irv’s has all the classics of an American menu, Longo said.
Longo noted that a staff favorite at Irv’s is anything with pastrami.
“The staff is always putting pastrami on everything, burgers and sandwiches,” he said.
As for Prince St., the New York-style menu is decorated with pies featuring East Coast classics like spicy vodka sauce, ricotta and pepperoni. The newer of the two, Prince St. first opened its doors in 2012, sharing generational recipes with a Manhattan flare, like the iconic Sicilian “SoHo” Square slices. In early 2023, Prince St. settled into its first San Diego location, in the Gaslamp, after opening several shops across Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Canada.
A staff favorite at Prince St. is the Oakey Smokey, featuring fresh and smoked mozzarella, marinara and basil. Staff also loves putting pepperoni on all the classic pies, Longo said.
For Longo, the joint establishment is a concept that is not only familiar, per the joint restaurant already open in Las Vegas, but an idea he is eagerly anticipating as what Pacific Beach needs in its food scene.
With expanding restaurant options and abundant nightlife, Longo and his team are thrilled to offer residents and visitors a high-quality meal that’s accessible and quick.
“It has been such a positive merge. This community has been a great place to expand this concept,” Longo said. “Being able to serve great quality foods for great prices really just means making sure everyone in this community loves the food and continues coming back.”
In the past, Irv’s. and Prince St. have thrived in bustling neighborhoods like Nolita in New York City and West Hollywood in Los Angeles, and for Longo, the debut in Pacific Beach felt natural.
“We were originally only looking for a second Prince St. location. A partner of mine was very excited about Pacific Beach, and a lot of other business owners had always told me how great of an area it was for business. We knew we just had to make it work,” Longo said. “The space was so big and Prince St. truly didn’t need that much space, so we just thought pizza and burgers by the beach would be the perfect combo.”
Immediately after deciding on the location, Longo and his team got to work crafting the joint kitchen that hosts just enough space for burgers, pizzas and everything in between to be perfectly crafted side-by-side.
“It’s a little like brother and sister sharing a room. You love each other and support each other, but you have your own lives and your own things to do,” Longo joked.
Looking ahead, Longo said he is hoping to give back to Pacific Beach, with goals of eventually donating to local sports leagues and fellow businesses.
“I am so excited to learn the ins and outs of this community. Being open with full steam ahead is great,” Longo said. “We are sharing with and really want to give back to this amazing area.”
See the recipe for the Irv’s Burgers “Just For You” Cheeseburger below.
Want to visit?
Irv’s Burger and Prince St. Pizza
Address: 4505 Mission Blvd., Pacific Beach
Hours (Irv’s Burger): 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday to Monday; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday
Hours (Prince St. Pizza): 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday and Sunday; 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday; closed Monday
Websites: irvsburgers.com and princestreetpizza.com
Instagram: @irvsburgers and @princestreetpizza
Good to Know: Both menus have gluten free, vegetarian and dairy free options. Also, Longo highly recommends the tuna melt at Irv’s.
Recipe from Irv’s Burgers
“Just For You” Cheeseburger
At Irv’s you will find the standard “Just for You Burger” with 1 patty, 1 slice of cheese and no pickle, but staff recommend adding an extra patty and pickles.
Ingredients
• 2 – 4 oz. patties of freshly ground beef
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• 1 T. softened butter
• 2 thick cut slices of American cheese (optional and recommended)
• 1 or 2 T. Thousand Island dressing
• Dill pickle chips (optional and recommended)
• Any other ingredients to make it “Just for You”
• Sesame seeded burger bun
Directions (for the burgers)
1 – Heat a cast iron skillet to medium-high heat. Butter the buns and toast on the skillet.
2 – Get freshly ground beef that has never been frozen or vacuum packed and form into balls. Press patties into the hot skillet and season with salt and pepper before using a burger spatula to flip once you see caramelization form on the edges.
3 – Place cheese on patties immediately after flipping. Once the cheese melts, the patties are ready to pull off.
Assembly
1 – Stack patties on top of each other on the bottom bun.
2 – Add pickles, sauce, top bun and enjoy. (Toppings are your preference to ensure a proper “Just For You” Burger.)
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