The Counter

CLOSED PERMANENTLY
Sorry, to all those fans, I have received an email from the corporate offices, there was hopes of this becoming a corporate location, however due to circumstances, I have been informed that this will not be happening. The Counter (and it’s other two locations) are closed for good.
There is a Counter in the San Diego Airport and there are locations in Orange County.

«You take the blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.»
So many choices here… There are maybe 40 ingredients to choose from to make your burger with. I chose the ¹⁄₃ lb beef burger with lettuce, tomato, and bacon with an onion straw appetizer. This turned out to be a huge dinner. The burger had excellent flavor and was among the best beef burgers with bacon I have ever had. The only thing I didn’t like was the bacon was near jawbreaker hardness. The onion straws also had excellent flavor and were among the best I’ve had.
This place makes a great beef burger. I like it better than the Burger Lounge version and about the same as Hodad’s which is around half the price. The staff here is very friendly and provided very good service. :-)
Update 12/​30/​2013 I called them today and found they are permanently closed. :-(

I was thrilled to see this place open up in Del Mar, since I loved to go to the one in Palo Alto.
Same awesome deal: you design your own burger. The selection of meats, toppings, sauces is fantastic. I often do turkey but they also have bison. So it’s hard to go wrong. Or, if you do, it’s your own damn fault… ;)
Orange sweet potato fries are a favorite part of the experience.
Atmosphere is chill and there is sunny outside seating. Sweet place.
Only problem is competition from Urban Plates. Hope both can live…

My husband raved and raved about this place before my daughter and I joined him in CA. Usually he knows great restaurants but isn’t worth the trip.
You can customize your burger, choose the bun, burger size and whatever toppings which is something kinda different.
I had a wheat bun that was to hard and dry to eat. So I was left to eat was a cheese burger patty with bacon and pickles. The burger was decent, nothing special. Then the toppings. For them charging like $ 1 for each topping, I only got 2 pieces of bacon and 3 pickles slices. Not very impressive.
Then the bill. For my husband, I and my toddler at lunch it was $ 65. For 2 burger meals and a child’s grilled cheese. I guess that would not have been so bad if it was great but it wasn’t. I was very disappointed.

Amazing veggie burgers! When I went pescatarian a few months ago, I thought burgers would just be a fond past memory. All the veggie burgers I’d tried before had really left so much to be desired that I just wasn’t interested. But when my meat loving brother and niece really wanted burgers the other night, we ended up here.
They loved their burgers (her the kids 2 mini burgers with fries, and my brother a big build your own with jalapenos, cheese and roasted peppers and onions on a pretzel bun) and we did a ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ on the fries: parmesan cheese for me and my 17yo vegetarian son and chili cheese for my brother. The parmesan fries are dangerously delicious… as in I wanted to take the ones she didn’t eat off my 4yo niece’s plate.
Now the veggie burgers… my son found the options to be overwhelming and at 17yo isn’t enough of a gourmand to feel confident putting them together, so he went with the Unique Veggie burger (¹⁄₃ lb handmade veggie patty, red onion, organic mixed greens, roasted red pepper, sprouts on a wheat bun with dijon balsamic sauce on the side). He said this was his first veggie burger and he found it to be really good– «No adjusting to the taste; it was just good!» He didn’t really use the sauce as he felt it was too tart (for his taste) with the burger. And he said next time he’d leave off the sprouts, as they didn’t hold up well when he ate his leftovers later. But now he wants veggie burgers to move into our regular meal rotation.
My veggie burger was a custom number. I went with the ¹⁄₃ lb veggie patty, soft ripened brie, mixed greens, tomato, dill pickle chips, scallions, on a wheat bun with roasted garlic aioli on the side. It was perfection. Seriously. Before switching to my non-​meat diet, I loved to mix up my own ground beef with tons of seasonings to grill for a summer meal… and I always got rave reviews from fellow diners. This veggie burger was every bit as good (even eating the leftover half the next day, COLD, it was still delicious) and now I, too, feel a need to add this to the menu more often.
We’re not alcohol drinkers, so we can’t comment on that part of the menu. Our server was informative, attentive and friendly. The food came out in a very reasonable time frame. It was after 8pm on a Saturday night, so crowding was not an issue. We chose to eat outside on the patio near a heater. It was still comfortable on the first weekend in November (yes, San Diego is heaven on earth). Inside I could see 2 big screens above the counter (bar), one tuned to sports and the other to a sitcom, it appeared. As the door was closed I can’t comment on volume. Outside they had a nice playlist covering songs back to the 60s and others up to the last 5 years– the 17yo enjoyed it as much as my brother and I. Over all a nice, comfortable ambiance.
Prices are not for those with light wallets (considering this is burger place), so I imagine I’ll save eating at The Counter for a rare treat, but it has inspired me to find/​create a good home version of their veggie burger to enjoy on a more regular basis. So, vegetarians, feel free to join your carnivorous friends in a night out for burgers… just lead ‘em to The Counter.

This is a customize your burger joint tucked away in the every so popular Del Mar shopping center. The shopping area is busy and bustling with activity, but despite the traffic, there was ample parking.
The place is cute with outdoor patio seating in addition to a full bar inside the joint. There was no wait on a busy Saturday, but we arrived a bit past lunch, so we were seated immediately.
For starters, we ordered the 50 – 50 with sweet potato fries and crispy onion strings. The Onion strings were just that… onion strings, and while you can certainly add these to your burger, they are nearly impossible to eat as an app without a fork. What’s the point? The sweet potato fries were delicious.
On to the burgers. I appreciate the customize your own burger concept, and there are many places out there that do this. What sets most places apart is the meat. Yes, I ordered it medium, and yes, I kept it simple with toppings, and yes, the burger was just OK. I chose the pretzel bun, which was incredibly dry, as was the burger itself. The meat was lacking in flavor as well. Sure, you can add a bunch of sauces to cover up the dry meat, but in the end, it’s just dry.
The best part about our meal? The birthday cake shake! Holy shake Batman! Mix yellow birthday cake and vanilla ice cream, top with sprinkles, and there you have it! YES PLEASE!!!
Our server was great. She was attentive and sweet, but I think she forgot about our shake, and it wasn’t until I asked her about it well into our meal, that it was made. That’s fine. It was better as dessert.

Custom. Made. Burgers.
If you don’t like how your burger came out… it’s your own fault! (unless you were lazy and ordered of the menu, but when you are at a custom place like this, what is the point of that!!!)
You start off by selecting what kind of meat you want. Whether it’s beef, turkey, veggie patty, or chicken breast the weight labeled next to it is *after* cooking. Not a lot of places can boast that. Trust me if you order the ½ burger you can easily split it with someone.
Then you pick five toppings to go on your burger. Don’t want any toppings? That’s cool, move on to the cheese selection. More than a dozen cheeses the choose from! There are also premium toppings that cost extra, for example a fried egg. After you have picked your toppings and cheese, you can select a sauce. Again, there are tons of choices, and really make sure you pick a sauce that will compliment the toppings you picked. Don’t worry it’s served on the side so you don’t have to worry about your burger getting drenched. Lastly you pick your bun, or have the option of having it served in a bowl, if you are watching your carbs or eat gluten free.
My go-​to burger is the ¹⁄₃ lb hamburger patty with cucumbers, carrots, hard-​boiled egg, sprouts, ranch dressing, provolone cheese, on a wheat bun. Yummm… just thinking about this burger makes me drool. Some times I mix it up and get a fried egg instead of hard boiled. Either way, this is good eating.
I also usually order a plate of sweet potato fries to share. This can easily feed four people. Yummy sweet potato fries. There is also an option of doing half sweet potato fries and half regular fries. Everyone wins!
Last time I ate there my friend Brittany wanted to try their birthday cake shake but didn’t want to commit to a whole shake. I joked that we could stick two straws in it and share, and the server told us if we wanted to split it she could get it served in two smaller glasses. Great! (Also, the milkshake was YUMMY)
They have a nice selection of beer on tap, too so you can enjoy a brew with your burger. They have wine and non-​alcoholic beverages too, but I usually enjoy my burger with a beer.

I remember I was a big fan the first couple of visits. However, nowadays, I’ve begun to notice that the burgers have dry buns and they are stingy with the toppings and add-​ins. Perhaps it’s because I’ve gone to better burger places in Boston, but The Counter can’t compare to the burgers at the East coast.
The fries never seem to disappoint, especially the parmesan garlic fries. The regular fries are pretty bomb as well. I love stopping by here at happy hour, since I can get the fries at 50% off. Their take out boxes for fries are pretty cool too.
The burgers aren’t worth the money, but the fries DEFINITELY are. If I’m ever craving fries, I know where to go.

I am so happy that The Counter offers «a burger in a bowl» given I have been lowering my carb intakes for the past 5 weeks. I ordered my salad with the ¹⁄₃ all natural beef patty prepared medium, and the salad consisted of marinated artichokes, roasted red and green peppers, and sliced cucumbers with provolone and a horseradish mayo dressing. (
) At $ 9.95, I was a very happy camper, especially when I dug into the beef patty. (
)
I was very please with the roasted peppers, but the tender artichokes and their tangy marinade really impressed me as well (
). However, what really stole the show was the perfectly prepared 100% sustainable organic beef patty topped with partially melted nutty provolone cheese. (
) The tenderness and juiciness of the meat was outstanding, but what had hooked was the flavor and aroma of the beef. With its strong pleasing scented char, the beef had distinctive beef flavors, that lingered on the palate, which as a result, had me longing for more. The horseradish mayo dressing went very well with the salad, but I quickly realized how well it enhanced the flavor of the beef. (
) Quite the combination I may say.
This salad really hit the spot coming from a dietary standpoint, but also an enjoyable experience as well. They got quite busy as my dining progressed, but the employees were prepared and were busy meeting every ones needs.

Tried this place out with my sister. If you’re in the mood for a pricey but, tastey burger. Loved that you could build your own burger. We also got 3 diff kinds of fries. Have to say the garlic fries won!
The server was friendly and was happy to break it all down for us! ;-)

The quick: Tasty food, bright and crisp looking place, endless selections, super expensive.
I won a $ 10 gift card at the Unilocal Elite Event at the Counters downtown location, so we decided to give The Counter a whirl at the Del Mar Heights location for lunch on a weekday afternoon.
My date and I sat at the bar and we were taken care of right away. Justin, our bartender took our order when we were ready and served us both up a beer.
The Counter seems to have found their niche in the custom burger world. They nickle and dime you for everything, and everything is Ala Carte. Don’t expect a side of fries or onion rings to go along with your meal. Those are an extra $ 2-​$ 6. And so we being with the ad ons.
The menu is a checklist style where you go through five «steps» to make your burger selections.
Step 1: Choose your burger type and size.
Burger prices start out at $ 8.95 for ¹⁄₃ pound burger. Your choice of Beef, Chicken Breast, Turkey or Vegan Veggie. Want to super size your selection? ²⁄₃ pound burgers run you $ 11.50 to start and 1 pound burgers start at $ 14.50 a pound. They have Bison burgers available as a selection, and if that’s your choosing, tack on $ 4 to the price tag.
Want your burger served in a bowl of lettuce instead of on a bun? Add on $ 1 to your tally.
Step 2: Choose a Cheese
Simple enough. The Counter boasts about a dozen cheeses on their menu. If you want extra. It will cost you. $ 1 extra for every cheese selected past the first one.
Step 3: Choose up to four toppings.
Here is where you can get creative, and rack up the bill even more. Choose from over two dozen toppings. The selections vary from the ordinary (lettuce blend, tomatoes, dill pickles) to the unique (Carrot Strings, Dried Cranberries, Hard Boiled Egg). Each extra topping past the first four will run you $.50 each.
It you want any of their premium toppings (Fried Egg, BACON, Avocado, Sauteed Mushrooms, Guac, Chilli, Fried Onion Strings, and a few more). Those will run you $ 1 each.
It would be nice if The Counter would allow you to sub two of your regular toppings for one premium topping, but this isn’t how their business model works.
Step 4: Choose a sauce.
The Counter has about two dozen sauces to choose from. Sauce is served on the side to slather on the burger as you wish. The ordinary sauces range from Mayo, Ranch, and BBQ. Interesting sauces can be found here, like Apricot Sauce, Peanut Sauce, Chipotle Aioli.
So if you want Mayo, that counts as your free sauce… Add on $.50 for each additional sauce.
Step 5: Choose your bun.
The choices here are basic, White, Wheat, and English Muffin (?) are all without an additional charge. IF you want a Onion Bun, Gluten Free Bun, or Pretzel Bun, be prepared to shell out an extra $ 1-​$ 2.
The burger I wanted to build came out to $ 23+tax without a side of fries or a drink. I pared my selections down by dropping a cheese selection, all premium toppings, the extra sauces, and the pretzel bun. The only ad on I kept was the $ 4 extra for my ¹⁄₃ Bison Burger. I love Bison, and The Counter does do a good job of serving it up.
Our check came out to $ 60, before tip. For lunch. Which included two beers, a side of «Fifty Fifty» (half and half of your choice of: Fries, Sweet Potato Fries, and Crispy Onion Strings), two Bison Burgers, and one extra sauce.
Service at the bar was no problemo, but diners on the patio and in the restaurant itself seemed to struggle for help. There was a hostess, two servers a MANAGER, and Justin, the bartender, working that afternoon. The manager kept popping in and out between the kitchen and his office on the side. The servers hung out near the registers gossiping about other coworkers. Justin seemed to be the only person in the front of the house actually working. He made drinks, poured beers, wiped down tables, the bar, restocked ketchup and napkins, and checked on other diners. +1 Star for Justin.

When The Counter first opened at this location, I was ecstatic. There aren’t a lot of quality family-​friendly dinner options in Carmel Valley (which is foolish when you think about the demographics), so this seemed like an answer to our prayers — but lately, I think The Counter has slipped in terms of food quality and service. Now this isn’t tragic, because it’s still a decent burger all things considered and the wait staff are all nice and hard-​working. But for the price? Meh. There are far better burgers a couple exits north in Solana Beach and with the expansion of The Highlands there are better overall food choices and staff quality in the same shopping center. The biggest crime is that it’s overpriced and the novelty has worn off.
So what’s good? The shakes are phenomenal — and you can add a shot of the liquor of your choice for a couple bucks more. The coffee shakes are my personal fave. They also have a decent beer selection. And a Happy Hour. Gotta love a happy hour with drink and food specials. The chili cheese fries are good as well. And kids LOVE this place. They love picking out what’s on their burgers. They love the diner atmosphere. They love the shakes. And parents may love that fact that it’s loud from the get go, so your kid won’t be the one ruining anyone else’s dinner. The burgers are all grass-​fed organic beef which is a plus. They don’t make you feel all yucky after eating them. (Just make sure you order them a little more well-​done than you usually do because this location seems to lean to the rarer side of cooking).
What’s not so good? During dinnertime and on the weekends this location is crazy busy. Be prepared for a 30 – 40 wait on a Friday early evening. They will also cram you in tight. Also don’t be surprised if you are sat at a table and have take-​out patrons standing practically on top of you while they wait for their orders at the counter. Space is not optimal. Parking, also, is not optimal. This lot is insane on the weekends and evenings. The wait staff is hit or miss. The hostesses are, quite frankly, disinterested in you or their job, but when there are 2 or more standing at the booth, they sure like to talk to each other.

I LOVE THIS LOCATION!!! Not enough words to describe the service, food and beautiful people that walk through this place.
I work in the same shopping center and wanted to grab a quick bite. So I ordered the ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ which was skinny onion rings and skinny fries, MUST TRY!:)
You know how in Sponge Bob everyone loves a Krabby Patty, well there fries/​onion rings and them burgers is as close as it gets!
The customer service they provide here is definitely well earned and only wish this location was a bit bigger.
I recommend everyone who ever loves a burger to come specifically to this location and see why I am hyped about this place.
Keep up the excellent service my friends!:)

I feel like this is a hard review to write, because I was just sort of underwhelmed. Nothing was bad but nothing stood out. It was just a decent experience overall, but not at all memorable.
We waited about 20 minutes to get in, and it was cold out. There is no where to wait inside and no heaters available for the folks waiting. Not a big deal, but something to be aware of if you’re coming with a group.
The seating is very casual with bar seating and small tables. The food is build your own burger, with various choices of protein, toppings, buns, and condiments. That part was cool, but ironically it’s hard to make a decision with so many choices. (you get 4 regular toppings included with price, but can add various other’s for $ 1 a piece)
We sat at the bar and the bar tender was helpful at first but then forgot about us. Our beers and water were empty and he never came back to get us refills. Less money spent I guess.
The burgers weren’t memorable by any means, but they weren’t bad. The meat was very dry and didn’t have a lot of flavor. I think Fudruckers had better burgers. (yes I said it)
I wouldn’t go back unless I had a very good coupon.

We’ve been to the Del Mar Highlands The Counter location many times since it opened and while the food has always been good, the service has been spotty. Warning: many of my annoyances listed below may be perceived as nitpicky, but they all happened during one visit (tonight’s), although some I think about every time I’m there.
Let’s start with the food. My burger was delicious. I had, as usual, a beef burger, ²⁄₃ lb, on hamburger bun, with lettuce, tomato, sprouts, mayo, a fried egg and yellow American cheese. My wife also had a burger, but her’s was smaller with different fixins. The kids had the mini cheeseburgers.
So, once again, tonight the burgers were great, but:
1. Delays. We had to wait forever after receiving our drinks before the girl came back to take our order, which was a problem because our little kids were already getting restless
2. Chilly. It was cold outside, we were near the door and the servers kept leaving the door open after they went in or out
3. Fries Size. When my wife and I debated whether to have a large fries or a regular fries, it might have been nice for the server waiting for our (non-)decision to point out that the only two sizes are individual and regular — there is no large
4. Duplicate Order. Duplicate Order. They brought my kids’ order twice. Not a big deal and I know it happens, but it isn’t exactly confidence inspiring that the restaurant has its act together
5. Foil. My wife found a little tiny bit of foil in her burger. Not sure which component it came from, but yikes
That stuff was just tonight. My other beefs with this The Counter, experienced tonight and on prior visits are:
6. Elbow to Elbow. The space planners packed way too many seats inside too small a space. It feels claustraphobic and isn’t comfortable. I prefer to order for takeout and pickup in the dedicated curbside spaces behind the restaurant. Much more enjoyable to eat at home. The Carlsbad location at the Forum Shops is much roomier than the Del Mar Highlands space
7. LOUD. Why does it have to be so loud in there? Makes it tough to have a conversation
8. Price point. I don’t get why The Counter is so expensive. Seems like the price point should be lower.
9. Parking. Tough to park during peak hours.
10. Goldilocks. I should get the ¹⁄₃ lb burger, but I want a ½ lb burger (not available) so I settle on the ²⁄₃ lb burger, and I eat too much, so discomfort results. I’m not that into the patties only being sold by the third of a pound
OK, annoying, but still more than yummy enough to keep my family going back.

What can I say about this place?
I have hard time to rate this place. I think 4-​star is overrated, but 3-​star… it’s not that bad. Anyways, this place is cool. You can design your own burger. Service is great. Fries is pretty good.
If I blame on the burger, I feel like I am saying I don’t know how to design my burger since I made my own burger. But be honest, the burger is not impressive at all.
This is how I design my burger:
¹⁄₃ medium rare cooked beef, mix greens and dry cranberry and sprouts, goat cheese, and some kind of sauce (I forgot the name) with wheat bun.
I feel like I am judging my cooking style here instead of rating a restaurant. FINE. I will click Post on the bottom.

Good but so pricey! The broseph, the BF, the lovely Sela, her main squeeze Spence, and lil’ ol me slid into a tiny booth for a bite before going to a Torrey Pines HS football game (Do we have kids or friends that go there? No. Did we rip the parents and players to shreds cuz we and our future kids will be so much better? Heck yeah. My future son will be 6’10′, 280, and kick your pipsqueaks bootay… Oh, and he won’t be eating no costco cookies, hello! home-​made protein bars!)
ANYWHO: One million dollars later we were full, but really! I feel like the value for what you get is so outta wack.
Location: Bueno! In the Del Mar shopping center on the first floor on the corner and we didn’t have problems getting a seat… although parking is a whole different story, that’s not their fault.
Those seats: Mini Sela and me, okay no problem, but the three boys we were with? All at least 6 feet or more. Usually a waitress takes one look at my BF and swipes the condiments and napkin holders off the biggest table in the house like they’re gonna get busy on it. This server stuck us in a corner like we were a Party of 5 re-​run rather than a party of 5 diners (She knew we existed but didn’t care anymore)
Food: So here is why it’s a 3 star deal. It’s good, the food is like a 4 star situation based solely on taste. Portion size, not so much (except for the chilli bowl, that’s huge) Your burgers don’t come with fries-​beware! Plus’s for the right to customize your burger however you may please. But it adds up and there isn’t any actual gold in there ever, even though based on the bill, there should be.
Decent beers. full bar, maybe I’ll drink next time, that way, the bill won’t hurt so bad.

I decided to go with a signature burger instead of making my own, which was probably my downfall. I opted for the Taco Turkey burger, which was good, but not great. It definitely looked smaller than the burgers my friends ordered and was a little on the dry side. It could have used more sauce for sure! One of my friends got a customized burger, which looked bombbbbbb. We also ordered the Parmesan Garlic Fries to share as an appetizer. They were pretty flavorful but the fries weren’t too hot, temperature wise. Maybe that was just me being picky? Not sure, but they were good enough that I would order them again. Also, I enjoyed the overall atmosphere of the restaurant — clean, open, and inviting!
Sooo, in the end, I want to try The Counter again so I can customize my own burger and get a better taste of what this place can offer!

It was my second visit here with the boyfriend and both times, service has been great. Five stars for mailing coupons for us to use, but I’m not a huge fan of this new burger joint in the neighborhood.
In the two times we’ve been here, we ordered some items off the happy hour menu (which is from 3:00 to 6:00). It’s half off certain appetizers, $ 2 each for cheeseburger sliders and $ 2 off draft beer and wine. Not bad, but I’m simply not gaga over the food.
Their chili cheese fries are not the best I’ve had. The ingredients don’t mix well and it’s just a pile of blah chili over a pile of soggy fries. Not my idea of a good appetizer, so that was the last time we ordered it off the menu.
I had the b.l.t. sandwich with garlic aioli this time around and it was okay. $ 6.95 for a sandwich I probably could have made at home, but oh well, I wanted something other than a burger. We shared the half & half order of onion strings and fries. They serve sweet potato fries, but I don’t like sweet potato fries, anywhere.
The variety of custom burgers you can make at this spot I’m sure will make other diners happy, but it’s probably best to keep it simple. The big fat chocolate milk shake topped with whipped cream that the retired gentleman who dined alone at the bar seemed to have enjoyed it a lot. It’s a good sized serving, but probably too much for me to enjoy on my own.
Overall, we’ll probably go here if we’re in the mood for a burger and don’t want to drive far for it since their burgers are not bad, but not the best. Service has always been great, but if they can add a designated waiting area for those that walk in and place a to go order at the bar, it would be much appreciated. I find it a bit awkward when I’m trying to enjoy my meal while a few folks were lurking less than an arm’s distance away while they waited for their burgers to take home. When we return, I guess we’ll just eat further away from the counter area they order from.
Three star review for the three star restaurant. Ho hum.

My sister, who is a Unilocal lurker (but avid fan), insisted I write this review asap as we just had lunch here. She adamantly wants everyone to know she gives this place a 1.5 star (I’d give it perhaps a 2.5)
We both wanted to try this place out as we received a coupon for free soda w/​burger purchase in the mail.
It’s located in the newly renovated Del Mar Highlands plaza — next to Jimbos (make sure you park on the lower level of the plaza, by Jimbos, and not Ralphs). Renovations are still on going so parking and traffic (inside the lot) is kind of a hassle.
It was about 11:40a by the time w/​got there and the young hostess advised us that the indoor seating was full. The patio looked abysmal b/​c it was windy and chilly but we noticed a few heat lamps.
Kudos to the young waiter/​help/​assistant Matt who noticed we were kinda standing around not knowing what to do. He said w/​the heat lamps it’ll warm up quickly so we took his advice and grabbed a table.
By this time, the place was getting packed. It started to look like chaos.
Took forever for someone to take our order. The young waitress seemed disinterested and flustered as it seemed like she was the only one tending to everyone on the patio.
How to make your custom burger: 1) choose type of meat; 2) weight /​lb of meat, 3) type of cheese, 4) up to 4 toppings, 5) ONE sauce and 6) type of bun
We ordered:
1. ¹⁄₃ lb beef, gruyère, sprouts, red onion, garlic aioli and mayo on hamburger bun. $ 8.50 for ¹⁄₃ lb size
2. ¹⁄₃ lb beef, yellow american cheese, hard boiled egg and jalapeño (on side), garlic aioli on hamburger bun
3. ½ order of parm cheese fries and ½ order of sweet potato fries
(They don’t ask how you want your burger prepared — but they said it comes out really pink (medium rare i suppose). If you ask them to prepare meat differently, they will do so as my sister’s ¹⁄₃ lb beef was med well per her request)
Our observations:
— fries came out first (a very very slow First). Sweet potato fries were ok. Nice and crispy. But the parm cheese fries were greasy, not crispy and didn’t have that ‘umph’ we were looking for. The dipping sauce that came w/​it was spicy (perhaps a chipotle mayo) so be careful if you have kids who don’t like spicy-​anything
— The presentation of the burger is PLAIN. Like ‘omg-​WTF-​is-​this’ plain.
They put all our toppings BELOW the patty so all you see is the cheese on top of the patty. Toppings were scarce IMO.
— the meat is cooked perfectly thou: mine came out a beautiful medium rare (see pic)
— didn’t notice this until AFTER we got our bill but they charged us for the additional ‘sauce’ we ordered. I thought i read on the Unilocal reviews that we can order however many sauces we wanted to try. Well, note to self and to my fellow Unilocalers, NOPE. We got charged an additional .50c per extra tiny container of sauce (so a buck extra total for the sauces)
— garlic aioli sauce tasted like Caesar salad dressing. No taste of garlic really
And why this experience was just really bad: THE SERVICE WAS SLOOOWWWWWW. Painfully slow. Ridiculously slow. Awfully slow.
I get it that you just opened. But hire some more servers who are perhaps more knowledgeable, interested, and experienced. It took us almost 15 min to get our drinks — my sister actually had to walk inside to the bar counter and deliver our waters b/​c we were just so thirsty. It took another 30 min to get our burgers.
Sis made a joke, while eating the burger, that we should get the check now b/​c by the time we get it, we’ll be well beyond done w/​our food.
Overall, the burgers are ok but the service is just terrible/​slow. Would I come back — perhaps, if we received another coupon and the service improved. Sis said probably not and that Smashburger is still her favorite ‘non-​fast food joint’ burger place.
(**Side note: after we packed up our stuff and were walking out the front patio w/​the baby and stroller, MATT, the young help guy, called for us and handed us a dropped baby spoon. We thanked him, started to walk more, and heard him call us again. He smiled and handed us another of our dropped baby utensils. I just thought this was a really KIND thing to do, considering the chaos that was happening around the entire patio. He was also the one that took our stroller and parked it and retrieved it when we were finished eating. So whoever hired Matt, nice job. Seriously **).