50 Best Burger Restaurants near La Jolla

“I’m really grateful the melt is open so late because where else can you get a quality burger at 1 in the morning? Now that I graduated UCSD, I’m seriously gonna miss my beloved late night snickerdoodle milkshakes as well as being greeted by the melt’s friendly staff! Claire really stood out to me as someone who was consistently cheerful and helpful. I also really love that they’ve been showing the World Cup! I highly recommend stopping by for a bite to eat as it’s never failed to be yummy and a good vibe!“

“Friendly staff and good food and shake. Will be back on my next visit to SD.“

“The food here is amazing, I come here every day and I try something new constantly and it’s always delicious. The chicken caesar brussel salad and the chicken deluxe sandwich are great.

The best spot on campus, and I love the team here! Kathy, Sayra, Alejandra are the best.“

“SOOOO GOOD, in n out could never (respectfully). They have impossible burgers and their crazy fries are SO delicious. 100000000/10 highly recommend. I haven’t tried their shakes yet but they look great! I’m addicted now. Prepare to be sick of me! 😂🙏“

“Chef Felix and family put together an excellent meal. Every. Single. Day.I've been going here for 4+ years and am still going back. Everytime Chef curates, weekly, a menu and will even still make you almost anything you can cook on a skillet. From flatbreads, to home made soups, and a Cubano I would fight you for, they make a bit of everything.¡Provecho!“

“I would not normally take time to leave a review (let alone a positive one) for a hospital cafe, but this place was a little oasis in the middle of a tough day of appointments. Great coffee, solid breakfast fare and the staff were very nice.“

“This is the original Burger Lounge and I highly recommend it for an amazing, healthy hamburger. I have been fortunate to have them walking distance to my office from day one! They have great salads and shakes, too. Great to eat there or take out!!!“

“Super stoked they finally opened up a boba place in this center. The place is located in a shared unit (same owner I think) as Crispy Burger. Nothing better than a double smashed burger, some salty fries and power that down with an Ice cold boba!“

“Good food and music. Friendly ambiance. Very enjoyable experience!“

“Great burgers!! Always fresh!“

“Great Food! Great Price!Always fresh.“

“The food was fantastic here! So filling and delicious 🍔 Service was great. Allasha was our server. She helped us get familar with the menu and answered all of our questions. She brought our food out promptly and checked in on us later to see if we needed anything else, and all while helping her fellow servers. She was giving shift lead energy 👏“

“todo super rico !! fresco y un sabor esquisito“

“It looks like we have a new burger favorite in Southern California after enjoying Hammy's Smash Burgers in L.A.... our friend and client Marcela recommended us to check out Hodad's as they are an icon in San Diego. I chose the Guido (Fieri) burger with all the fixings, my better half chose the Bacon Cheeseburger, ditto, and our guest the cheeseburger without the lettuce and tomatoes. All of them delicious, juicy and well seasoned patties, small enough buns, fresh greens and CRISPY bacon. My Surf Punk brew was a good match for the food. Oh yes, forgot to mention the rings and fries! Both great as I my system does normally not respond well to onion rings... these were all good to go. Location is fantastic, 100 steps from the beach. Parking is a chore but me calling on the parking angels worked out well. Pro Tip? Eat before 11:30am or after 1:30pm. Lastly, ambiance is what you'd expect from a SoCal burger joint - VW bus stuff as a booth, lots of license plates on the walls, noise, music, the works. You.have.to.go.here.and.check.it.out.“

“We stayed at an Air BnB down the street and I ordered take-out from this place. we got 2 orders of sliders, one with just ketchup and cheese for the kids, and my wife and I shared an order. I dont remember what burger I got but it was the best burger I've had in years! we will definitely be going here again nextvrine we are in town. Also, the young lady running the restaurant that night was truly amazing at her job. I watched her zip all over the place multitasking. It was quite impressive.“

“so good so clean and the service is a super service !! totally 2 tums up!!!“

“👌😋🍔🍟👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌🍔🍟🍔🍟👌👌👌😋😋😋😋“

“Anytime I’m in San Diego, Hodad’s is a must! The food is always fantastic, the staff is friendly, and the atmosphere is one of a kind while completely channeling that California vibe. Everyone I bring here absolutely loves it!

The burgers are juicy and exactly what you want a burger to be. The onion rings are some of the best I’ve ever had, and the ranch is fantastic. Portions are perfect, and I don’t feel like I’m overpaying for my meal, so the value is definitely there.

This will always be a stop whenever I’m in town!“

“One of the best burgers I've ever had. Will absolutely be back. The deck is nicely laid out, we came around 8pm on a Saturday and it was pretty slow so we had the choice of seating and our food came out pretty quickly.

I had mine on a gluten free bun which was huge and so fluffy. They get them from Rubicon deli downstairs.

The truffle fries were perfection.“

“Came here for lunch around noon on a Tuesday (8/11/26) on a coworker's recommendation, and it did not disappoint. It’s an unpretentious little spot right by the bay with fantastic views.

Service was friendly and fast. I ordered the All-American Burger, which comes with a side of pickles. The portion was huge, the patty was juicy, and the bun was perfectly toasted. While nearly $15 for a burger is a bit steep, the taste and the setting make it worth it. Highly recommend!“

“Number 1 burger in the world 🌎“

“Im gonna start with great service, delicious drinks and the food was on point. I enjoyed the lamb it was amazing. Oh please if you are over 21 please order the cold brew martini!!! The best dessert for me!“

“Rad staff! Felt very San Diegan. Great patio with heat lamps that really work. Extensive burger menu!“

“I am visiting from Washington state and read about The Friendly in an article. I saw that it was close. and thought it would be great to check out. I am so thankful I did. It was absolutely amazing. 10000000/10 would recommend!!“

“I haven't been to rudfords in years, do to moving south. I was so hungry for the outstanding split pea soup on Saturday, still the best ever. So glad jordan is still working there, he is so delightful and and friendly, he is definitely a keeper. So glad exmanager jose is gone,. What a scan. K sorry about Diane's passing, I really liked her. Keep up the good work. Spinach omelette for awesome, wow.“

“My Garlic Burger was perfection! I added the seasoned fries and I could not be happier. I literally drove here just for their burgers for 40 mins. — They are that good! Worth every penny, but very reasonably priced. I gave my compliments to the chef.“

“Deliciosas nos encantan !“

“tenders are great ❤️ milkshake too“

“We attended the 20th annual Celebrate the Craft. It was fantastic and we thoroughly enjoyed the event. The waitstaff at the bar was friendly and provided excellent service.“

“One of the best onion rings I've had. Perfectly crunchy!“

“We stayed at an Air BnB down the street and I ordered take-out from this place. we got 2 orders of sliders, one with just ketchup and cheese for the kids, and my wife and I shared an order. I dont remember what burger I got but it was the best burger I've had in years! we will definitely be going here again nextvrine we are in town. Also, the young lady running the restaurant that night was truly amazing at her job. I watched her zip all over the place multitasking. It was quite impressive.“

“This place is just great. Come here every once in a while for lunch on the weekdays, but today, they had Chilaquiles with Carnitas. Totopos were really good, salsa was AMAZING & the Carnitas... Anyway, I really hope they have them more often!!!“

“Enjoyed my birthday dinner here. Mint sangria was an absolute must have again drink- kind of DRINK!!“

“Great Brunch and John is an amazing bartender.“

“First visit, I had the Chimichurri Tri-Tip plate ($20.95).
The tri-tip was very good, nicely done. Good flavor and good serving size. Chimicurri sauce was also very good. The fries were served hot and crisp, mixed grilled veg serving was very small, focaccia bread (not shown) was fresh.
The counter service was slow, we were ignored for too long, with no acknowledgement.
We sat on outside patio area, staff was slow to clean tables (there were crows feeding off the leftover plates).“

“Went there at 830a on a Saturday. No wait. So glad they have mimosas! Bonus! Got our drinks quick. Our food delivery was fast also. Our dishes were really good also. Our first time there and had good food for bfast. Will come back for lunch and dinner to taste those menus“

“Yes, if you say no, you’re wrong.“

“This food is amazing. As a long time vegan it's nice to have a place to go and feel like everyone else. Drive thru, order and eat. 💕 The quality is unparalleled, and the service is stellar.“

“juicy burgers and great shakes“

“I took my daughters for a 1st time this Saturday to celebrate my twins birthdays and they were very nice to save are table even that we had rsvp but traffic was bad service was very nice waiter answered all are questions give suggestions lovely place and every dish was delicious thank you for helping us out“

“Carne asada tacos were fire and the margaritas were really good.“

“FANTASTIC LUNCH AND SUPER FRIENDLY SERVICE ! We usually hit our local location in La Jolla but we were over here shopping on Saturday and decided to give this one a shot. Our lunch was very delicious and cost just $16 after I used REWARD POINTS on my app worth $20. Special thanks to Kristy the cashier and the kitchen crew !“

“My family and I were in search of a great burger and shake to honor my Dad on the anniversary of his passing. We considered In-N-Out, but are SO glad we changed our mind!
Everything was delicious!

My son actually didn’t “love” the crispness of the single patty, and wouldn’t eat it. As we walked out, the owner came after us with a delicious hot dog dressed in ketchup just for him ❣ incredible food and service. Can’t wait to go back!“

“After Gustave had catered an event at our preschool for the second time, he invited my colleagues and I to come by his new location in downtown, and we did! He served us personally and recommended just the right menu items for our preferences (vegetarian, spicy, mild,...), ordered them and served them. We thoroughly enjoyed the tasty hotdogs, corn and fries. Let's not forget about the drinks from the Abbey and the sweet desert: churro with ice cream! The atmosphere was casual, festive with the strings of lights and the very recently installed inflatable penguin on the roof, that conveyed Holiday cheer! Thank you Gus for a delightful evening!“

“JTB. EXELENTE. DEL MAR A SUMESA“

“Char burger and chocolate malt ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️“

“Absolutely loved the spicy mission burger it was worth the price Motr greeted us with a warm smile and was very helpful explaining what comes on the burgers 12/10 experience we will definitely be coming back and hopefully see Motr and everyone else’s cheerful attitudes❤“

“Best Fish and Chips in Diego!“

“Visiting my son before his deployment. The owner went out of his way to take care of us. I would highly recommend any military family to visit here. Food was very good too.“

“Exactly what you want from your neighborhood bar/tavern: no frills good food, good drinks, friendly and quick service, and good vibes. My kid enjoyed playing on the gravel (wish we had brought his trucks though!). All was well 😄“