We’ve eaten many (maybe too many) smashburgers doing this job, and after a while, they start to blend together. But not Ban Ban Burger. This counter-service spot on Sawtelle—from the people behind Tuk Tuk Thai— smacked the smashburger fatigue right out of us with its clever Thai spins. Thousand Island-ish sauce is swapped out for minty-garlicky gremolata. Snappy pickles are brined in rice vinegar and chilis. We now know that American cheese and spicy grapow seasoning are unexpected soulmates. Collectively, these tweaks are what make Ban Ban a needed jolt to LA’s tired smash patty scene and somewhere we’d send anyone looking for a tasty burger. This burger counter is small and pink, with a front patio, one long communal table, and a few stools against the window. Like the colorful retro space, Ban Ban’s menu is small but not dull. While every item has a general Thai-American twist, nothing is repetitive. If you want your lips to tingle with peppery heat, the grapow burger comes with basil chili oil that’s rounded out with a runny egg. The punchier, garlic-heavy laab burger with sweet onions smashed into the patty is great, too. And though the burgers are the stars here, the crunchy fried chicken sandwich with panag curry sauce is worth ordering—the toasted sando comes sliced in half so you can see the visibly juicy thigh meat and a heap of scallion-chile slaw. Even if a hypnotist trained us to see all smashburgers as feral rodents, we’d probably still end up at Ban Ban—that’s how unique these burgers are compared to what everyone else is doing in town. And it doesn’t hurt that they’re delicious, too.