D-Town Burger Bar opens in downtown L.A.

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Downtown has a new greasy spoon in D-Town Burger Bar, a 1950s-inspired burger joint tucked between Spring Street and Broadway that opened Friday. With its curvy white counter and red vinyl seats situated under a vast portrait of James Dean, D-Town feels like Johnny Rockets-lite, and it has the scaled-down menu to match.

Your only entree options are: a traditional hamburger ($4.95), a veggie burger ($5.50), a hot dog ($3.50) or a grilled cheese sandwich ($3.50). There’s only one side, a hefty mixed basket of regular and sweet potato fries ($1.80 small/$2.45 large). And you can wash it down with a soda or a milkshake ($2.75 small/$3.75 large) while ‘Duke of Earl’ and ‘La Bamba’ play on the digital jukebox. Burger/fries/drink combos will run you $6.75 to $7.50.

The only downside is that D-Town’s easy to miss; its brown sign blends into the building. But that didn’t stop hungry eaters Friday night, when the diner proved so popular it ran out of food. It hasn’t had that problem since. Counter service is quick, and the lunchtime wait has so far been minimal.

D-Town Burger Bar: 216 W. 6th St., L.A. (213) 228-0022. Open daily 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

-- Elina Shatkin

Photo: Elina Shatkin / Los Angeles Times