hodad's

better than in-n-out? no.. me: the service was so bad.
you: how bad was it?
me: they asked us if we were ready to order before they gave us the menus, they got our orders wrong, they didn't refill our drinks, forgot our condiments, and the fries were cold. it was agoodburger, but not a great one.
you like the surfer hippiness of ob? go to newbreak or tower two. i can't understand why this place is so popular.

last stop before we hit the airport!

drove by and saw the line waiting for it to open (sign of a great place!) so we had to stop. perfect decor and skilled staff. double burgers are gigantic but awesome and milkshakes are old school. guido burger and onion rings..can’t go wrong! they keep it simple..definitely check it out..everyone in the restaurant was smiling and laughing!goodvibe!

always have agoodmeal here and it's a great value for our family of three. staff is friendly and they work so hard during the rush hours to get tables cleaned and people seated.

interesting place. storied history of time and television.
we arrived around 11:30 am and stood in line. there seems to always be a line but that line goes down quickly.
i got the guido burger and people got the vegan burger.  i also ordered the fries.
it was agoodburger. a tad heavy on the ketchup for me but i never use that, so.
fries were done up nicely as well.

i was determined to visit hodad's while in san diego and am glad my friend and i made the effort. going in, my expectations were sky high. after all, guy fieri had declared hodad's the best burger in america and he has eaten a fewgoodburgers here and there.

i am happy to report that, yes, hodad's is really that good. we walked up and got the last table without having to wait (it was a tuesday at about 6:30). i loved the funky california vibe within: rock music playing, walls covered in license plates, and the open front windows.

my friend sam and i each ordered the bacon cheeseburger, i with fries and she with onion rings. sam had the mini cheeseburger which he declared the best burger he ever had.

where to begin to describe a hodad's burger? sonnets could easily be written in honor of it and even the most skilled poet might fall short. it is a culinary delight, an overpowering of succulent enjoyment. everything was perfect and we were left overjoyed with greasy hands and full bellies. it was everything i hoped it would be!

second time coming here in two years and it was just asgoodas the first time. had the guido and blue jay burgers...off the hook good! elyse was on point with everything and was super friendly! come here if you're in sd!

i haven’t been to hodad’s in forever. the last time i went was when alyssa (mygoodfriend and long ago writer for this blog) actually lived here, and it’s been many moons since she moved away. i remember we sat in the “van” seat and felt like we were in our own bubble away from the rest of the crowd. i’ve been wanting to revisit it lately and already had a failed attempt at going to the downtown location. after some suggestions from fellow bloggers, jake, t and i visited late on a tuesday evening and found easy parking, no line and quick seating. success! [ license plates and dollar bills adorn the walls ] hodad’s walls are lined with old license plates and signed dollar bills. we spent a few amusing moments trying to figure out what some of the license plates meant while we waited for our food to arrive. [ full order of frings / onion rings & french fries - $5.75 ] when this arrived to the table i immediately thought, “whoa. that is a lot of frings.” this is the full order – in the f

good lord. i'm some time removed from tasting the sweet nectar of this monumental burg and i still salivate upon uttering a single syllable of their name... "hodads". it just resonates through my very being... as i am writing this, i realize that i really do not know of a word that could aptly describe just howgoodthis burger is. all i can say is, i would spend the airfare just for another bite, and if you happened to be down in california and missed out on this burger, it may be your greatest regret in life. anyone down for a road trip?

big tasty burger. the place was busy with locals which is agoodsign. part of it is probably location but our burgers were good. i agree they get a bit carried away with the toppings but the patty was tasty and there was just the right amount of sauce to keep it tasty and moist. it is a character place withgoodburgers. the fries i really didnt like.

downtown location - meh. we lived in ob for years and ate at hodad's several times over the years, the last time being about 8 years ago. we always ordered the bacon cheeseburger and it was always massive. the bacon was thick and squished together and cooked in a sort of patty shape. it was crispy and delicious. i don't remember for sure if we were given a choice or not but the cheese was always cheddar. two days ago we decided to check out the new downtown location. we again ordered the bacon cheeseburger and what a disappointment! the cheese was american and the bacon was two strips of ordinary bacon laid atop the cheese. there was a big glob of mustard and mayo (no ketchup) that made the bottom bun wet and floppy and it was layered with what amounted to a 2 inch stack of pickles when piled up. it also had shredded lettuce that became wilted yuck from the hot burger. in the past it was topped with a big chunk of fresh crispy lettuce. the fries weregoodbut notgoodenough to make the burger more than average. the $6 value burger (add cheese and bacon) at denny's is just asgoodif not better. huge disappointment. :(

tourist trap!! still go. yes it is a tourist trap, but it is one that everyone who enjoys agoodburger should go to! there will be a wait for you, but it goes kinda quick. we got there at lunch time and were seated in about 20 minutes. food came pretty quick and the beers were cold.

great. as expected,goodatmosphere, great location. rings and milk shakes killer. burger very good. fries no, steak fries, not my style. i would go back for sure.

anti-climax at hodad's!!!!. i visited hodad's on my quest to find san diego's best burger. i searched online and hodad's was one of the highest rated, reviews raving about their burgers and onion rings. needless to say i was excited to try it out. i arrived outside the restaurant on a sunny sunday afternoon and was even more excited waiting the 20 minutes or so it took to get seated. i am informed that this is normal at hodad's. i went with my better half and we eventually got seated in a booth. the server was friendly and attentive and brought us water straight away. we read over the menu and decided to order a portion of "frings" (a mixture of onion rings and fries, which are actually wedges) to kick things off. i then decided to opt for the guido burger (burger, pastrami, fried onions, pickles, ketchup and hot mustard all in a bun). my girlfriend ordered the cheese burger (cheese, onion, ketchup and mustard). the "frings" arrived and i was impressed by both the quantity and the flavour on both the onion rings and the wedges, deep fried and crispy, yet spicy and warming..... excellent. although i was still full of excitement awaiting the burger. the burgers arrived and i was immediatly disappointed to see, what i can only describe, as a mcdonalds style patty in my bun. the bun wasgoodand you could have choked a horse with the sheer quantity of pastrami on top of my patty, in fact i had to remove some. the fried onions were good, however, the, allegedly, hot mustard had very little heat or flavour. in saying that the patty was still the most disappointing ingredient within my bun. thin, greyish brown meat which was oozing grease, so much so my bun was beginning to fall apart. the meat had very little flavour, the cheeseburger had the same type of patty within and a whole slice of onion, the majority of which had to be removed. this was comparative to a fast food burger, yet nearly double the price. my advice.... go to "in-n-out" for this type of fast food; its as fresh, less greasy and cheaper. so.... in short, ladies and gentlemen the search for san diegos best burger continues.......

our burgers were definitely “worth the trip” on my three tier scale of “worth the trip”, “worth a stop” and “drive on by”. check 'em out, it's agoodtime, and i can't imagine anyone being disappointed.

definitely one of my top 5 favorite restaurant. it was love at first bite for me. its one of those "treat yourself" place. once a month for me that it :d they have agoodvariety of beer and their shakes are over the top for all the sweet tooths out there. fresh cut fries, gigantic juicy onion rings or if u plan on gaining weight, get the frings and pair it with their mouth watering double bacon cheese burger.

ps. expect to have a line outside even on slow days

: )
chill