The Counter San Diego International Airport

The pictures on the walls are very inviting but the cooks obviously don’t know how to make the real thing come close! The burgers are thicker than they are wide and are about the same circumference as. McDonalds hamburger! The taste was ok but I don’t like the idea of my open bun with toppings sitting and waiting for the burger to catch up while people are moving all around it. They put the fries in my basket right away and then my burger was skipped and had to be requested again so the fries got cold and had to be replaced. The Diet Coke was running clear and no one cared when the cashier kept telling them. I settled for lemonade with my meal and finally after I was done eating they put in a new Diet Coke. For future reference it takes about 20 – 30 minutes to do the big job of replacing a box of soda!
The employees were mostly friendly and one very cheerful. The girl who gave me my food and who I told my fries were cold gave me attitude. She tried to convince me to eat the cold fries as it would take 3 whole minutes to make hot ones. Had she looked behind her she would have seen the guy was just pulling some out of the frier!
The manager walked around with a clipboard and ignored everything including the many times the cashier said the Diet Coke was empty. Obviously she understands at an airport we have limited choices and doesn’t care about the customer!
Not worth the $ 17.01 for a burger with cheddar, fries and a drink!

Bottom Line: In a termainal where there are few choices, this is good enough.
The Counter, once listed on Oprah’s Favorite Things list has had some serious downsizing in recent years but The Counter in San Diego International Airport, Terminal 1, in the epicenter of Southwest Gates 3 through 10, always has a line. Unfortunately, there are only about three or four places to get food in this part of the airport, and debatably only two of those serve «real food.» For that reason alone, I think The Counter always has a line.
The upside to The Counter is that the food is tasty. Also, everything is made to order so you can specify exactly what you want. If a burger is too heavy for you, you can have it turned into a salad.
The downside to The Counter is that its literally just that, a counter where you order your overpriced meal. There isn’t any seating here so you have to eat in your lap assuming you are lucky enough to get a seat at your gate (one of the many downsides of an airport that is too small for the locality it serves). If you are super lucky, you can get one of the few standing spots at the nearby adjacent counter. Another downside to The Counter is that the area where you grab napkins, drinks, condiments, etc. is always super crowded so it makes for a delicate balancing act.

Holy moly, I’ll start by saying that a burger and sweet potato fries cost me nearly $ 17 and that didn’t include a drink. They nickel and dime you to death at this place. If you want mushrooms, caramelized onions, bacon or avocado that’s 1.25 extra for each. If you want more than one sauce or more than three toppings (think lettuce, tomato, pickles etc) those are all extra also.
It was a decent burger and I like that there are several options for toppings. My fries were just alright, they were a little soggy and not very warm. It is the best option for food at this particular terminal but if you are trying to feed a family I don’t think you would get out of there for less than $ 50.

The choices in this terminal are pretty meh all around so I was happy to see something new. Unfortunately, I was not impressed. I ordered a burger but would not do so again. The bun was extremely dry as if it had been sitting in a warmer for a long time. The burger patty, despite having a nice pink center wasn’t at all juicy. The melted cheese was dry as well. The sauce didn’t add any additional juice or flavor to the burger. I added tomatoes and spinach. The tomatoes were out of season so were watery and flavorless, although that’s not really their fault. The spinach hadn’t been rinsed properly and was gritty. I would give them another chance but would try a burrito or breakfast sandwich. The burger was not worth the expense or calories.

I’ll give 2 since it was fresh… but overlooked meat, marginal warmth of fries. Really, charge extra for everything? I realize you have a captive audience, just think it was excessive on pricing.
Not worth it, won’t still there again.

I thought this was a pretty damn tasty burger. Expensive because it’s in an airport but everything will be.
My one suggestion is to add a second patty and pass on fries (or share some). Or if you are with someone get a second patty and split the burger in two. Makes the burger a much more reasonable price and gives it a better beef to other ingredients ratio.

Hey it’s the airport, don’t expect miracles. Ordered the southwest burger, no bun no cheese. Came out with cheese. Second attempt came out without cheese but raw. Third attempt came out as ordered. The server was great, he was polite and apologized each time and ended up comping the burger. Thanks for making things right

I think there should be separate lines if youre only getting fries. i had to wait in line for 20 minutes and once i ordered the fries i was able to skip straight to the other cashier. maybe a different system?

With plenty of time to spare before my flight, I decided to grab a bite at The Counter. I was promptly served by a cheerful employee who took my order before sending me down the burger assembly line.
The assembly line is where you can chose your vegetables (3 choices), sauces (5+ choices), and any additional toppings (onions, tomatoes, grilled onions, mushrooms, bacon, etc). The vegetables on my burger ($ 9.50?) were not fresh and crunchy. I also ordered a side order of ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ fries ($ 3.50). The French fries were good –thin and crispy. The sweet potato fries, on the other hand, were limp and tasteless. With that said, the meal did its job and made me full.

The food is two stars, doesn’t seem as good as The Counter in Walnut Creek so don’t be fooled. Saw a dumb ass chick whip the counter with a napkin then whip the lettuce containers to drop in some lettuce with the same napkin. Disgusting. Not to mention every order they place the receipt underneath the buns so you got fresh ink and BPA from the receipt leaching into your burger. Jesus Christ

***Inside SAN Airport***
If you have the privilege of flying out of San Diego’s Terminal 1 with Southwest or Alaskan Airlines, you are denied the wonders of Stone Brewing’s SAN location and stuck with pre-​made sandwiches, Einstein Bagels, a satellite location of Banker’s Hill, or The Counter. Thanks to The Counter, Terminal 1 smells like hamburgers. Good ones though.
There is a long line, but it moves quickly. Burgers are made fresh to order and follow a Five Guys routine in almost every way. The end result is a near clone of a Five Guys burger, which is a good thing. Caramelized onion, mushroom, roasted pepper, raw jalapeño, Tillamook cheese, and fresh bun made this thing look and taste legit. We went for half and half fries (regular and sweet potato), and they were done perfectly. Overall, solid choice.

Vegan veggie patty and incredibly endless bar of toppings you just can’t go wrong here if you don’t eat meat. The patty is made in house and was juicy and perfect and cured my air sickness.
They have sweet potato fries! They also do espresso drinks and they are fast moving unlike their other food stand counterparts. We only had 20 minutes to get food and get back on the plane and we got back on the plane with 15 minutes to spare. Yes. It took 5 minutes to get two fresh made-​to-​order burgers and fries.
Thumbs up!

Food is worth alright, not great. I’ve had the turkey and garden burgers here, both as burgers and as salads. I appreciate the large selection of vegetables and sauces. What this place has in toppings, it generally lacks in service. Smiles in short supply. Food wise they are the best in this terminal for something quick. I can’t recommend anything because it’s all fine, nothing great. Bankers hill has better. Sadly, terminal two has better food.

After eating at airports for decades, I can say that this is in my top three airport eateries, and my absolute favorite at Lindbergh Field. And I rarely am impressed with hamburgers!
First, they use only «responsibly raised» beef, good grade. BIG plus for me. Second, they will actually make your burger «to order» — and it is thick enough that they can actually do it, and do it well (or, in my case, medium rare.) Third, their portions are generous. Next, their staff is patient, friendly, and still efficient.
You choose all the toppings (numerous choices.) You choose the sauce (several choices.) You choose the cheese (if you want cheese.) And you choose bun or bowl and sides (numerous choices.)
They have vegetarian, and even Vegan, choices for both breakfast and burgers.
Breakfast is similar (served until 10 am) — breakfast sandwiches or bowls, with choice of proteins, sides, breads, etc.
Only downside is no place to sit nearby, and counter spaces where you can stand are not cleaned often enough.
Great concept; great execution!

This is definitely not your average The Counter. I have to say the food is probably much worse than a regular The Counter … but for something you can get at the airport for marginally more than at the actual Counter (maybe $ 2 – 3 more) it really isn’t too bad as a freaking cookie at the airport costs like $ 5.
The thing that really differentiates this place is that they really are nice people. The folks are just sooooo friendly. They really try to ask about your day and give you a break from the rush and craziness of traveling.
Also, I didn’t hate my turkey bowl. So I recommend this as a stop!

NOTE: this is a review of the Counter at San Diego airport!
If you’re like me, i always try to eat something light before getting on the plane — enough to get you to the next meal but not enough to make you keep visiting the bathroom (I f_​_​_​g hate airplane toilets!). So unfortunately due to a mild hangover and a late mornin wake up, I traveled to SD airport on an empty stomach. So after going through the TSA Pre check line (I highly recommend going through the effort to get it), I ended up at my gate and went on a food hunt.
So as they say, go where the locals go. So This is how i determine where to eat: I look for stewardesses and pilots. Seeing three pilots and a steward at The Counter, I saw it as a good sign that this might be a safe place to eat.
The Counter is like a Chipotle style of ordering. Get your choice of meat (beef, turkey, or veggie), bun (wheat or brioche – brioche hummpf!), cheese (American, cheddar and I forget the rest), and then everything is a la carte after that. I just got a beef n American cheese on wheat. As I was sent down the line, you get three toppings for free and then there are premium toppings like bacon, avocado, etc. I kept it simple and got shredded lettuce, red onions, and tomatoes. They have some unique sauces too which are free so I got horseradish aioli.
The burger was surprisingly good for an airport burger. Maybe it’s because I was hungry but the veggies were really fresh, the bun was nice and soft, and the meat quality was decent. It appeared to be somewhat hand formed. I could barely taste the aioli but nothing ketchup couldn’t take care of.
I’d give the burger a solid 4. 1 star down for value as the soda was $ 2.75.

Not very good. A dry beef burger. It tasted like a overcooked Costco burger. The brioche bun was cold. Nice looking bun, just not that good after hours in the fridge. I had a burger and fries for $ 13.72. You could spend $ 20+ for add ons.
You pick a turkey veggie or beef burger. Swiss, Cheddar, Pepper Jack, or American ceese choice. Whole wheat or brioche bun.
Extra slice of cheese add $ 1. 3 toppings (pickles tomatoes, lettuce, jalapeño, cucumber, olives, etc) More than 3? Add $ 1. Avocado $ 1. Bacon $ 1. Sautéed onions $ 1. Sautéed mushrooms. $ 1. It was be funny to see how expensive you could make a poor burger.
I forgot condiments. 1 condiment included. Ok, mustard. Add more for .50. Ketchup, mayonnaise, ranch, salsa… more $$$.
Funny because condiments of mustard, mayo and ketchup are free at the napkin counter for your fries. I feel bad for those that order with ketchup and mustard and got charged more.

Alas this is one of the few places to eat at the San Diego airport. However, I was impressed by how good the burger was. The services was good too. The workers were nice and speedy even though the line was a bit backed up.
I had the turkey burger in a bowl with mixed greens, peppers, jalapenos, carrots and sauteed mushrooms (which will cost you extra). As far as sides, I wish they had more options for the regular price. Most of the good sides will cost you additional money (bacon, avocado, mushrooms). I also ordered a side of sweet potato fries which weren’t very good. They weren’t crispy, a little too soft. I wish I would have saved my money. You are served Subway style here, so you will see your burger being made in front of your face. The patties are quick to come out as well as the fries. I didn’t experience unreasonale delay at any station. My burger was good, so I would probably come back for a burger if I am ever at this terminal again. I would give this place 3.5 stars.

One burger (with bacon), a side of fries and a drink. Served up Chipotle style, picking your toppings or whatever as you go down the line. Served in a cardboard box for the ridiculous price of $ 17.75.
I was already cranky about eating a burger due to the lack of appetizing healthy options anywhere in the terminal, but I figured at least I could splurge on a cheat meal and really loaded it up on the bad stuff. Then, the burger wasn’t even good! Tough, overcooked and dry. The fries were legit, I’ll give them that. But to spend $ 17.75 and the calories on a subpar burger, highly disappointing.
It’s not like there are any better options in this overpacked, chaotic nightmare of a terminal. But dropping almost $ 20 on a crummy fast food meal just doesn’t sit well with me. They’ve got a monopoly, and they know it.

New Slogan: How many ways can you make an overpriced average burger?
For those that get the luxury to fly out on SAN Terminal 2: Be lucky. The GOOD eateries are at Terminal 2. For those like me who usually fly domestic on Southwest, well, the choices are… quite limited. I don’t have the time or luxury to use any of the airlines on Terminal 2 so this is what I’m stuck with.
It’s a shame that when The Counter still had a storefront in SD there was a bigger selection of burgers including options for premade burger options and the adult shakes (A YEE was held here last year, see
). At least what you’re paying isn’t too overpriced as you’re only paying $ 1-​$ 2 more than what you’re paying at the restaurant but taking away the boozy shakes takes away the charm of The Counters.
Steps to creating The Overpriced Average Burger™ — minimum $ 8.95
1. Choose your protein: beef, turkey or go veggie for additional
2. Choose your cheese: american, cheddar or others for additional
3. Choose your bun or go bunless for additional
4. Choose your toppings — up to 3, extra $ 0.50
5. Choose your sauce, any extra $ 0.50
6a. Choose any premium toppings (i.e. avocado, bacon), $ 1 for EACH topping
6b. Choose your side ($ 3.75) and drink ($ 2.75) (optional)
You can easily go for more than $ 10 for a standard burger/​fries and drink combo. For my combo I easily paid ~$ 14 and this is already foregoing my drink. I’m a sucker for avocado and fries, what can I say?
It’s so average that how to order took up much more space to review than what I thought about it. I think I would be more satisfied with an In-​N-​Out Burger #1 combo for about half the price or for $ 1-​$ 2 more get a burger and share fries and shake at Burger Lounge or Stacked.
Shoestring fries are on the thin side. Nothing much more I can say about that.
Didn’t help that the table space is minimal and was so dirty that I ate at the gate where my flight was to board.