Hodad’s

The food was great honestly. I don’t think it was the best burger place but it was pretty good.
The prices are decent for a one person meal. The service well it’s ok not then best but it’s better than most places.

This isn’t my first rodeo with Hodads. Usually one of my favorite burger joints in SD. This experience, however, was incredibly disappointing.
We live right down the street from the Hodads downtown, so we called in our order for two bacon cheeseburgers, one with no mustard and onion, the other with no lettuce or tomato, both with fries. Came in, picked it up, walked home. Open up our food, and these burgers were SO overcooked they were like little dry hockey pucks. Never seen this from a place where their burgers are normally super juicy!
The boyfriend was upset and said to call them back and get our food remade or get a refund. She was very good about helping me with that, apologized and said our food would be ready by the time we got back there. Cool.
We walk BACK over there, and I hand her my whole bag of food. She apologized again and said I could keep the old food, but there was no point. It was literally not edible. So she took the food and knew I gave her back both burgers, along with both sets of fries (the fries would have been ice cold by the time our burgers were ready, so I figured they were remaking the whole order.) Food comes back out about 5 mins later… no fries. I explain to her the situation, so she puts an order for fries in at the time… Cut to 15 mins later, finally getting our fries, and now the burgers are cold. Ugh.
Meanwhile, while I’m waiting for our food, I watch one other lady ask for a refund because their order was entirely wrong, and another guy paying at the register get shorted on his change… so I knew I wasn’t the only one getting screwed at this point.
Basically, I appreciated the fact that she tried to make it right; that was good customer service. But upon arriving back home for the second time, both burgers had no onion or mustard, and both had tomato and lettuce. wrong again. We give up. Just seems like something has changed around there recently, and not in a good way.
From now on I’d suggest going to the Hodads in OB… Cuz the downtown location seems to be going downhill.

Was recommended this place by a hotel employee during my stay in Downtown San Diego. I have to say it surely lived up to the hype. Our server was really polite and took care of us very well. I ended up going with the blue jay, pretty much a blue cheese cheese burger… Even if you don’t like blue cheese you’d probably like this burger just to give an idea of how good it was. The portions are really generous too, you can get onion rings or their fries which are like thick cut, seasoned potato wedges. Everything they put in the burger just tasted so good they’ve really mastered their technique. Seriously need to try this place if you’re a fan of burgers.

My favorite burger place of all time!!!
I’ve been here many times and it never gets old! The veggie burger is amazing and absolutely hit the spot the same way a beef burger would. My partner gets the bacon cheeseburger and says it’s phenomenal! The only reason for loss of a star is due to spotty service. Some of the employees seem to have an emo kind of I-don’t-care attitude, but some are very friendly as well. If this place renovated a bit and had consistently great service, I can’t even imagine the level it’d reach. Keep up with the awesome product!

We stopped in to eat before heading over to Copley, which was perfect since it was only a few blocks away. The place is decorated with cool signs, license plates, stickers, etc similar to the OB location. We ordered a double bacon hamburger, a single bacon cheeseburger, and onion rings. Bacon was supper crispy and burger was perfectly stacked to keep the fresh, crispy veggies below the patty. Servers were very friendly, attentive and quick. Excellent food and service!

Service: Great service! Our particular server was absolutely fantastic. He truly made the experience great.
Timing/​Wait: Came around 8 on a Friday night. Unsurprisingly, the restaurant was very busy. Even with a party of 11, the hostess was pretty accommodating and we were seated within 10 minutes.
Food: As a vegetarian, there are only two options on the menu: the Unburger & the veggie burger. I went with the veggie burger and I was pleased with my choice! I got my burger without onions and added Swiss cheese. Overall, the burger was pretty good. They put a bit too much cheese, so I would recommend ditching the cheese altogether.

My boyfriend said this place was a must.
He wasn’t kidding. The menu is pretty simple.
Burgers, fries or onion rings –the tough decision is how hungry are you? A mini, single or double?
I opted for a single cheese burger with onion rings and he opted for the double with fries. He also ordered a strawberry milk shake which he had split so we could share.
One oF the best burgers I’ve had in a LONG time.
Definitely worth adding to your list when visiting.

It’s funny, I almost forgot that I went here and ate their burger. Thank goodness for Unilocal check-​ins.
After hitting up 3 breweries and consuming massive amounts of beer, I wanted a greasy burger to satisfy my hunger. Sadly, Hodad’s burger and their onion rings wasn’t that: greasiness drunk, «I’ll hate myself later», kind of meal I was looking for. Instead, what I got was a perfectly cooked juicy bacon cheese burger. And, onion rings that were so crispy and well put together that when you bit into it, the entire onion refused to follow. OH DARN! Totally not what I wanted, but I think I’ll live.

Let me say I came all the way from Austin Texas to try their burgers. They did not disappoint, it was an incredible burger and I’m glad I went. The burger lives up to its hype.

The BEST burger in town hands down. Get the onion rings and fries half and half. Cheese and bacon is a must do and the chocolate malt shake will finish you off. Cold beer and you are set for the afternoon ready for that nap time. This location is small and perfect, but there will be a line if you wait too late.

Since I live in Chula Vista and don’t get up to SD much, I always have a handful of places that I either want to try or revisit; and Hodad’s is at the top of that list. This was my first time at this location and I was pleased to finally become acquainted. I was promptly greeted and then I made my way to the bar area. I had somewhere to be so I ordered a coffee and burger right away. The coffee was fairly good, but nonetheless gave me the charge I needed. The burger was amazing and very juicy. Since I was still hungry I ordered a basket of onion rings. These are a must-​have when dining at Hodad’s.
The décor and atmosphere was unique and represented San Diego and So Cal well.
And with that I will happily go ahead and order for you: Burger (beef of course), onion rings, beer and milk shake. You’re welcome.
I am already wanting to return!

It’s just not the same since the Boss Man, Mike Hardin, passed away in February 2015.
He was awesome… cool, on top of his business and as down-​to-​earth as you could ask for.
Had only been to the location in OB, and was pleasantly rewarded with a quick walk in, and seat at the counter in about 5 minutes after arriving.
Did not need a menu, I get one of two things ONLY when eating at Hodad’s, a bacon cheeseburger with either one patty or two and fries, light works, no pickle (if you don’t ask for «light works», you will wind up with a burger you cannot get in your mouth, due to excessive lettuce, onion and tomato). Ordered the single patty, because I needed to function in the afternoon.
I let the super friendly fella (Mike would have been proud) who took my order know that I was in a hurry (had to get back to jury duty at the Hall of Justice) and wouldn’t ya know that my food was on the table in 10 minutes, which for ANY restaurant is pretty close to perfect.
Here’s my breakdown:
Ambiance/Cleanliness-Hodad’s sort of has to be judged by a different standard, as it is the prototypical funky American greasy spoon… on that level, it is…4 stars.
Service-​Could not have been better. Jake took great care of me, couldn’t ask for anything else…5 stars
Food…there is something different about Hodad’s patty now, from what is was about 15 years ago… Seems thinner and less beefy. While Hodad’s is STILL one of the better burgers in San Diego, it is no longer… THE BEST!!! The Bacon Puck was crunchier, rather than balancing between chew and crunch. Sadly, while my lunch was tasty and satisfying, I’ve personally had better burgers in the last year…3 stars.

Always on the look out for a great new burger joint, I have been wanting to try Hodad’s for quite some time after hearing about them both on Unilocal and other sources. Passed by once after closing. Passed by again, but the line was a mile long to get in. Third time was a charm as it was a totally random, non-​meal time. Even though it wasn’t a traditional meal time, the place was still swarming with activity. I sat down at the counter and was greeted almost as my bum hit the stool. The server gave me a menu and asked about a drink.
I ordered the Guido Burger (aka pastrami). A layer of pastrami over the beef patty served with swiss cheese, ketchup, dill pickles, grilled onions and spicy brown mustard. I was in heaven after the first bite. Got it with a basket of fries ($ 10.50). Music is loud to help with a festive atmosphere. Very low key and casual but excellent food and service!
Keep on Unilocal’n!

I am a big fan of the television show Diner’s Drive-In’s And Dive’s. Almost anytime my wife and I take a vacation out of town we check out a place «as seen on television.»
Due to Guy Fieri’s love for this place we went to Hodad’s in San Diego. We’ve been to about a half dozen of the places from the television show and this did not disapoint one bit. The hamburgers were great, they reminded me a lot of a burger place called Five Guys, and in my book, that’s NOT a bad thing.
I will say, of all the places we’ve been to from the show, Hodad’s is NOT my favorite, but look at the star ratings. Still a great place to go and eat.
After eating, my kids were given some stickers of the Hodad’s logo. Kids and Stickers = a great combination!

Service– great. Nicest guy you could meet.
Timing & wait: Thurs. evening, around 7pm. The place was full, but no wait. The line didn’t really start until around 8. Even then, it moved pretty quickly.
Vegetarian review:
Veggie burger: much better than I anticipated. It’s not so much the patty that was good, but the combination of patty, sauce, & everything else– tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, grilled onions. *** The cook forgot to put grilled onions on the burger, but the server got me a tray full. It usually comes w/​sliced onions. Grilled upon request.
½ order of frings– totally enough for 2ppl. Probably enough for 3. Fries were seasoned well, & onion rings weren’t overly battered. Onions stayed in place instead of sliding out like other places. Served w/​ranch.
The sliced pickles alone were great. If you like them– get a side.
Chocolate shake– outrageously large. There’s the shake itself, & 2 slabs (like, 2×3″ rectangular slabs) sitting on top of the shake w/​drizzles of chocolate syrup. Over the top… Literally. Nothing wrong here.
Parking can be difficult, so start looking ASAP.

In town visiting for the first time and hungry for a burger, I sought out the best place in town. And you, my fellow Unilocalers, pointed me here. And you did not let me down.
Stopped in for lunch on a Thursday around 11:15 and by the time I left about 30 minutes later, there was already a line outside.
A total dive that sells great burgers (and milkshakes too supposedly but I can’t speak for those). They offer three different size burgers. I went with the ¹⁄₃ lb Guido (topped with pastrami and spicy brown mustard). Amazing. The wedge fries were the only thing that didn’t blow me away. Good, but not too fresh tasting. They offered me sides of ranch and BBQ for dipping, but neither seemed to help.
Fortunately, the burger stole the show and that’s all I needed.

Probably one of the best burgers I’ve had.
Came here with my fiancée and her family and when we arrived, there was a long line out the door at 3:45PM. Don’t let that line scare you away as it moves QUICK.
I ordered the Guido Burger with onion rings and I must say, that burger was JUICY and full of flavor. The pastrami in the Guido Burger was the cherry on top. Who doesn’t love meat on meat on meat?
The onion rings were super crispy and did not fall apart after you took a bite. You know at those cheap crappy burger joints where the entire onion comes out after you take the first bite? Yeah, that’s not gonna happen here. Because they fry the onion rings just long enough so that the onion isn’t fully cooked.
My fiancée and her sister ordered the Blue Jay Burger (to share) and they both loved it.
Service here was also excellent. The server was extremely attentive and fulfilled all our requests. Heck, my fiancée and her sister asked to cut their burger in half and it basically came with 2 servings of fries!
A+ food, A+ service, A+ all around. Would definitely be back!

My family and I have been eating at Hodads for years. We started of course, at the location in Ocean Beach but now live closer to the one Downtown.
The burgers here are seriously awesome and HUGE. I always always always get the Guido Burger and I usually finish it. But man, sometimes its a struggle. The onion rings are also fantastic. I wish they served actually fries instead of just the potatoes wedges that they call fries. I hate potatoes wedges.
Its a casual environment. A little loud. But definitely a fun place to hang out for lunch. You have to get a shake too! They’re honestly heaven and have actual scoops of ice cream on too.
The service is normally average (not amazing) but the last couple times has been sub par (no refills, no checking in, etc)
Definitely a must eat in San Diego though!

I have nothing but pleasant experiences at this downtown location. Hodad’s captures «the heart and soul» fresh off the grill along with great customer service. The décor inside strikes similar with the licensed plates. Urban outdoor lifestyle with memorabilia such as their incorporated original dual surfboard «H» that was stolen years ago from their first spot.
My favorite burger is their Guido Burger. I love pastrami burgers, which are a rare find here in all of San Diego. It’s the best thing to a Greek style restaurant’s version of a pastrami burger. Just the perfect balance of beef, brown mustard, Swiss cheese along with pastrami. Oh my, I’m having a wet dream just thinking of one with my tongue dripping to the left.
You cannot go wrong with the decent portions of Onion Rings and/​or French Fries. The Ranch Dressing is a perfect condiment alongside, the juicy and delicious bites of the fried onion rings. Oh my. My napkins are already getting greased up this thought alone!
I’ll say it once and will continue saying it. San Diego is well known for their Mexican food, but when it comes to Hodad’s– their burgers stand out among the best in town. I savor each moment coming here, whether it’s for a birthday, family gathering and grabbing a burger and beer with pop’s before a Padre home game.
The fat: No one really orders the $ 100 challenge– better yet they’ll just charge you on the foot you eat!
The skinny: Everything here but the ocean breeze is available on their original menu.

This is one of the few places that I’d say are worth the hype. I’d heard about Hodad’s early on in college and it took me 5 years before I actually tried it out.
Food: on point. I got the Guido and it was fantastic. Juicy and tender meat with a nicely toasted bun and the mustard adds a strong, but tasty kick to the burger. Personally went with the onion rings, but if you want potatoes their fries definitely do not disappoint.
Service: great. They were friendly beginning from the line all the way until we paid for our meal. The waiter we got was very responsive and quick to our needs.
Other: parking is a bit of a hassle in DT but there’s a lot on the same street more east that’s $ 10. The wait was not long at all. We probably waiting 20 mins max on a Saturday afternoon.