Thursday, August 27, 2009

Hodad's Burgers - Ocean Beach

Finally tried Hodad's for the first time a few nights ago. Overall, I have to say that I enjoyed it. The long line outside is bittersweet since it's annoying to stand in but is also indicative of the quality of the food and experience being offered.

Ambiance/Service
The dining room is pretty small and is composed of rows of benches, small tables and a few unique seating arrangement, such as an old VW bug. Since it's so small, the wait can be a pain. Going with a larger group will most certainly aggravate this aspect. The dining room theme is a bit gimmicky and obnoxious, but it's also fun and interesting, providing plenty to look at. Once seated, things move along pretty smoothly. The service matches the ambiance and is extremely casual, yet very friendly. The wait staff is open and shared, so there doesn't seem to be assigned sections. Everyone helps anyone. The food doesn't come quick, but doesn't take too long either. For just a burger, it seems a tad bit lengthy, but then again, good burgers usually do take a little while.

Food/Drinks/Menu
This place has been mentioned as the 'Best Burgers in San Diego' several times so I had pretty high expectations. After tasting it, I can't really say it's the best burger in town, but I can definitely say that it's a really good burger for a really good price. There's really not much wrong with the food at all. The burger was tasty, well constructed and used high quality ingredients. The only complaint I really have is that I ordered mine medium-rare and it came medium to medium-well. This isn't a particularly big deal though, since I'm not ordering a steak. As long as it isn't over cooked, I'm fine with it. The menu is fairly simple, sticking with basic burgers, chicken burgers, a tuna sandwich and variants thereof (i.e. double cheeseburgers, bacon burgers, etc.). The selection also includes traditional sides like fries and onion rings. The fries were also good, coming in the seasoned wedge fashion. I didn't try the onion rings, but the family next to me ordered them and they looked fantastic. The prices hit the spot, with most burgers costing a good amount less than $10. The best deal, IMO, is the daily special, which includes a burger, fries and a drink for $8. Damn good. They also serve beer at Hodad's but the selection isn't particularly impressive. For such a small, specialized local joint, I was a bit disappointed with their beer selection. Oh well, go for the burgers, stay for the burgers.

So in the end, I can very easily suggest Hodad's. It's fun, it's cheap and it's delicious. Be ready to wait in a line outside, but the wait is definitely worth it.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 4.0

2 comments:

Michael Scarpelli said...

I dig Hodad's, but mostly because I love me a big messy burger and a thick shake alongside it.

Last time I went, me and a buddy threw down with the double bacon cheeseburgers and if nothing else, the scope is epic. The bacon is almost fried ham it's so thick.

I agree that you're not going to get sort of precise quality, but I think you will get casual, cheap and tasty with a bit of "My god, I just ate that" thrown in for good measure.

Eating The Road said...

Hodad's has a great freakin' burger:
http://www.eatingtheroad.wordpress.com

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