Business & Tech

Umami Burger Taking Over Old Papoos Hot Dog Show Location on Riverside Dr.

The restaurant chain plans to preserve much of the original signage of the iconic building and even "umamifi" some of the menu items.

To the great dismay of many locals, Papoos Hot Dog Show on 4300 W. Riverside Dr. in the Burbank side of the Toluca Lake neighborhood closed in August of 2011. The restaurant had been open since 1949.

Construction began at the site recently, and Thursday the restaurant chain Umami Burger announced that it is taking over the location but will preserve much of the original signage, as well as "umamifi" the hot dog and Show Burger classic menu items.

"The existing building will retain much of its exterior including Papoo’s Hot Dog Show’s iconic signage, declaring a Show Burger and 7 hot dog specialties, which Umami Burbank will reinvent and serve," the restaurant chain announced in a press release.

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There are currently 14 Umami locations open across California, including one nearby in Studio City at 12159 Ventura Blvd.

Patch columnist Joe Goodman, who grew up in the East Valley and had been going to Papoo's since he was a boy, wrote about the place back in February of 2011.

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"I remember, there was one in Studio City, and one in Burbank just over the border from Toluca Lake. There were a few others around L.A., too," Goodman remembered. "These places were fun, relaxed, had a great atmosphere, and we loved the food. Some kids had birthday parties. You would run into neighbors and friends... even the employees would know your name and say 'hello.' At the time, I thought of it as a kid's place, but my mom and dad loved it too."

Some Patch readers mourned the loss of Papoos when it closed, with reader Kathy Cuevas saying, "I'm devastated. My Mom used to bring me there when I was a toddler and I've been going there ever since. It's one of the few places left in the Valley that's completely unpretentious and feels like home."

Other readers welcomed the change when Papoos closed, commenting that the place was out of fashion. It seems Umami may have found a happy medium between old and new.

The new Umami Burger is scheduled to be opened in the first half of 2013. Stay tuned to Patch for updates on the grand opening.


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