Questlove Opens Chicken Burger Restaurant Mixtape in Los Angeles

Multi-hyphenate musician, producer, and DJ Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson is opening a burger spot with a twist in Westlake Village food hall, Neighborly. Mixtape, which opens May 19, has all the signs of an old-school burger joint with soft serve “Saturdaes,” double-stacked patties, and chicken tenders — but without any beef, gluten, or seed oils. All the burgers at Mixtape are made with chicken or veggie patties and served on gluten-free buns.

In a statement, Thompson says that Mixtape is inspired by his childhood memories at corner joints and late-night restaurant stops after shows. “With Mixtape, we’ve taken familiar favorites and reimagined them with clean, mindful ingredients that don’t cut corners,” he says. “It’s about delivering the same comfort and flavor you crave, just made better.” This isn’t Thompson’s first foray into food — he previously opened the now-closed fried chicken stand Hybird, and is an investor in (and vocal fan of) Impossible Foods.

OGB Royale Burger.

Mixtape

Crispy chicken sandwich on a bun with pickles — Only the Classics.

At Mixtape, the signature Only the Classics Chicken Sandwich comes with gluten-free crispy chicken, mayo, and dill pickles on a toasted and buttered sesame seed brioche bun. For burgers, the OGB Royale offers a choice between a single or double chicken patty, with American cheese, dill pickles, grilled onions, and lettuce, while the Backyard Barbecue burger tops the patty with barbecue glaze, pepper jack cheese, pickles, and ranchy slaw. The vegetarian Eat Your Greens veggie burger is served with a shiitake mushroom, chickpea, and brown rice patty, plus a citrus glaze, avocado, mayo, pickles, arugula, and Champagne vinaigrette.

Gluten-free chicken tenders are available in a full-sized or kid-sized box set, both served with waffle fries and a Parker roll, while the full-size box adds in a black eyed pea slaw. The waffle fries and a black eyed pea slaw are also both available to order as sides.

Mixtape serves its take on the sundaes called Saturdaes, with dairy-free ice cream and gluten-free toppings. In the Strawberry Graham Jam Saturdae, a swirl of vanilla soft serve is topped with strawberry sauce, oat streusel, graham cracker crumbles, whipped coconut topping, strawberry dust and freeze-dried strawberries. To satisfy a chocolate craving, try the Loaded Dark Chocolate Brownie Saturdae with chocolate cookie crumbles, a crumbled brownie, almond brittle, cocoa nibs, whipped coconut topping, and dark chocolate syrup.

Mixtape joins an already impressive lineup at Neighborly, including pizza from the Cheese Store of Beverly Hills, Glendale’s Mini Kabob, and fare from cookbook author and chef Gaby Dalkin. While food halls may once have been synonymous with nostalgia-driven mall food courts, they’re carving their own place among Los Angeles’s restaurants and gaining more respect as dining destinations. Alongside Neighborly, South LA’s Mercado La Paloma is home to Michelin-starred seafood restaurant Holbox, and soon, a new upscale food hall with restaurants from Japan will open in West Hollywood.

Mixtape is located inside Neighborly at 4000 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard, Westlake Village, CA 91362. The food hall holds hours from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. from Sunday to Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.