Yes it seems a bit pricey but worth the spthe burgers are delicious! Amazing unique flavors & quality, not huge but very filling, service was great, atmosphere chill & relaxing, we took our time and really enjoyed it. :)
Dan A.
Right on the main strip in Pacific Beach, you've got quite a bit of choices to eat, but this is definitely the burger spot to choose. The price point is a little high, but the food is absolutely worth it. They greet you with a warm welcome, and it's a nice cozy little location, they also have a few seats on the patio out front. They have some massive burgers that hit the spot! My two personal favorites are the Billy Cheeseburger! It's a double smashburger. And if you're feeling like a big massive monster burger I highly recommend the Spurgeon Infit Burger... It has chicharron on it!! They also have incredible milkshakes. Highly recommend the mazepan milkshake! They also have some really tasty chicken tenders with some good dipping sauces. Parking is a little bit of a pain, and Pacific Beach recently added parking meters which makes it even more annoying.. but if you don't mind parking a few blocks away it's a nice short walk and it feels good before you go into grab a bite! Side note, they also have a restroom you can use if you ask for the code.
ann elders
Well... Facebook knows I'm a foodie. I got sent a discount for The Food Box. My boyfriend and I never had been there before so why not. It puts a Mexican twist on hamburgers. The combination comes out delicious.I got the Spurgeon Infit Burger (100% natural Angus ground brisket beef, marinated with Pequin pepper and olive oil, guacamole with cilantro and lemon, grilled regional panela cheese, spinach, tomato, chipotle mayo sriracha mayo, and chicharron in green sauce from Carniceria la Ramos, a local butcher shop in Monterrey, Mexico) with a side of fries. My boyfriend got the Billy Cheese (double smashed patties with 2 slices of Cheddar gratinated cheese, tfb secret dressing, pickles and crunchy bacon) with a side of fries. For dessert we got the Churro bowl (Deep-fried dough sprinkled with sugar and topped with ice cream, caramel sauce, and nuts). Yummmmmmmmmmmmmm
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Home Made Chipotle Dressing, Churro, Spurgeon Infit
Alexander Chacona
Super bomb burgers, the chicken sandwich is also killer. The buns are legit toasty brioche they don't get soggy quickly they are perfect, Soggy buns are a definite burger destroyer you don't have to worry about that here. Plus they have a 9.99$ burger deal Monday and Thursday. It wasn't crowded when i was there but who knows I imagine it will grow in popularity glad to get a great burger place in PB.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mi W.
Really not sure what has happened to this place, I have been there like 7 times total. The last two times were so disappointing. First the woman that started working there is awful, ignorant and makes comments to customers, a woman was trying to order and she did not speak English well and the worker was mocking her and when the worker left to go to the kitchen I head more mocking. When I ordered I asked her what the daily special was she said it was chicken sandwiches for Wednesday. I said that is the same thing as yesterday Tuesday. She said I know my job and you do not need to tell me my job. I really was ready to walk out but I was wanting a burger. The next time I ordered chicken tenders and fries meal and the chicken was dark brown and over cooked. not particularly juicy. the fries were decent. The last time I went I ordered the King James burger and fries. It was one of the worst burgers I have ever had anywhere and not just thefoodbox. Their burgers and chicken sandwiches used to be just amazing. I have attached pics here. The burger I got fell apart and when I would eat it, the burger pieces would fall out of the bun. It is not burger it was in pieces. The price is $16.99 to be served this slop. The taste was truly awful. I am so disappointed in what has happened excellent burgers and chicken sandwiches to slop.
Rayna B.
The food was excellent, the service was friendly. Place was slow on an early Saturday evening. We're unlikely to go back only because of accessibility, but would if in the area. Traffic in and out of PB was just so time consuming, and the restaurant is closed on Sundays, which is the day we're most likely to visit the beach area and grab a burger (I work Saturdays). Overall, a great experience, worth the cost (we spent $100 for 2 adults, 3 kids), without drinks or dessert.
Ryan M.
Seriously one of the best burgers in San Diego. Got the Lewis ($14.99) Angus smashed beef patty marinated pork, smoked bacon, chihuahua and cheddar cheese, onion rings, ketchup, chipotle mayo, sriracha mayo, spinach and tomato. The smashed Angus patty had a nice char but was still juicy. The brioche bun had a nice char on it so it was crispy on the inside but soft and fluffy outside, the bacon gave it a nice salty smokiness and the onion rings gave a nice crunch. Overall a very juicy gourmet burger. I got an order of onion rings they were cooked fresh and were crispy and were made with real onions, not the processed type that you might get at fast food places. I've had the Churro bowl before too, that was awesome! Freshly made churro formed into a bowl, filled with soft serve, and topped with caramel sauce.. Get it, you won't be disappointed! Basically a churro sundae! The burgers are a little on the pricy side but they are very gourmet. Juicy, flavorful, good texture; My favoirte burger at this time. They are located closer to the beach end of Garnet ave. The name doesn't really let you know that they serve, I wish they'd change the name to "The Food Box Burgers" or "The Burger Box" The Food Box started in Mexico, this is its first US location. Its a mix of American burgers, with a little Mexican and Japanese influence. Very unique and gourmet burgers!
Ailen Diaz
The King James, the Spurgeon and truffle fries are delicious! Highly recommended, if you like a delicious burger that does NOT make you feel bloated after.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: King James, Spurgeon Infit, Parmesan & Truffle French Fries
Keith Watts
Yom burgers and fried chicken sandwiches. We went for the Spurgeon & Whitefield! Will try the other ones soon :)
Fries 2/5 Burger 5/5 Customer service 2/5 Excellent burgers, skippable fries, and customer service that could use some work. We decided to do a little food crawl through PB, and decided that TFB would be our first stop. I had previously attended a Yelp event here, and received a little red envelope that could have possibly netted me a free iPhone 15. The catch was that I had to make a return visit during a specific time frame, and only open the envelope at the time of purchase. Since we were on a food crawl, my girlfriend and I planned on splitting a burger. My previous visit with Yelp only granted us sliders, so I curious to know whether we should order a single or a double patty on the King James. The associate was pounding away at the keys before we even ordered, appearing busy with some other task, so we slowly waited for them to acknowledge us. I originally asked the associate if the burgers were a half pound or 1/3 of a pound, and they replied that they could not tell me as the patties were in grams. Hmmmm... I wanted to quickly retort, however I continued to gaze at the menu as to let my question marinate for a second. I then explained to the employee that I was trying to figure out if I wanted to get a single or a double burger, so I asked if they could find out how many grams. Unfortunately, the associate became visibly peturbed, rolling their eyes as they stomped off to the kitchen staff. Ultimately, the weight of the burger patty varies depending on the burger. The King James was allegedly 175 grams, approximately 6oz., but either way, we were put-off by the employees gesture, so we just ordered the burger as is. The envelope revealed a free order of truffle fries so we added those to our order. The burger was messy and incredibly delicious, so even at around $16 it was most definitely worth the trip for the potential free phone. Although the 175 grams would put this burger under the 1/2lb mark, it was lookin' thicker than a Snicker, which was greatly welcomed. Honestly, I loved nearly everything about this burger, except the price, but especially the apples and the spiciness. The truffle fries on the other hand, were downright bad fast food quality. There was absolutely nothing truffle about them, maybe Parmesan and parsley fries would be a better name. Not only were they absolutely lacking one iota of truffle flavor, the fries were just bad, luke-warm, flavorless sticks. These fries in no way do any justice next to these well-thought-out and delicious burgers. The associate must have felt bad about our previous encounter, as they were over-the-top polite after that first instance. I totally understand that sometimes you're just having a moment, which can lead to a bad first impression, so hopefully they can grow from that experience. I do wish they had told us about the Thursday special which includes a sandwich or burger and a fountain drink for $9.99. Burgers a hit, fries a miss, and everything else is a crap shoot. The interior has a beautiful, beautiful mural, but the cabinets in the dining room could definitely use some freshening up. Thanks TFB, maybe we'll see you for the next round of red envelopes.
As a born-again Christian, what first stood out to me were the names of the menu items! Each item seems to be named after a notable Protestant theologian/preacher, which is really interesting since this is a chain from predominantly Catholic Mexico. Names like Spurgeon and Whitefield stood out. And even more recent figures like MacArthur and Sproul were on the menu! Upon coming in, we were greeted and checked in on kindly, which is not what you typically see at order-at-the-counter restaurants. The service is really what helped push the rating higher. On Mondays, there is a $10 Calvin Burger deal and a drink. For the price, this was probably the best option on the menu! Got it with a side of fries for a few more dollars to make it a full meal. Overall, the burger was fine; it was very juicy with lots of meat flavor. However, I was not a fan of the buns, as they felt a bit plasticy at times. For the price, it was well worth it, but if I had to pay normal prices (~ $15), I would be more disappointed. Still a fine burger, but nothing amazing
Blossom V.
My family of 4 came in for dinner using the Synergy Gift Card that we received. No issues using it either. The place is clean and has nice vibe. Overall the food was good. My kids love Hodads and made the comparison with Hodad's being the baseline. Burgers were filling and made to order. We probably waited 10-15 minutes. The burgers had really good flavor and were juicy. I personally like it better than Hodads and I got the kids meal which definitely fit my appetite perfectly. It seems expensive, but I feel the norm nowadays is $20/meal for something similar. Onion rings were nice and crispy and didn't come apart when eating. The fries were good, as well, not too oily. If we lived closer to this location, I could see coming here more often. But would definitely come again when in the area looking for a good burger. The only negative that night was the temperature in the shop. It was a cool night and they had the fan running and seemed like a cool breeze was coming through. We had to keep jackets on as did other customers.
Ashley G.
This place was really good! Both my husband and I decided on the same burger the "Billy cheese" and our toddler got chicken tenders and fries. All were really good. The ranch was delicious and their chipotle sauce was equally as good! We got the ice cream dessert and it was good as well. We will be back!!
Jeff F.
Very Good Burger, had the Calvin. Thick juicy burger w grilled onions, Bacon, 2 kinds of cheese, Dijon mustard and spinach. Flavor Bomb. Onion Rings were so-so, a bit too much much batter to onion ratio. Buffalo and Bleu Cheese sauces for dipping were good. Need to grab a milkshake come summertime. I'm a Rocky's loyalist, but this is a real good "fancy" burger! Chicken sandwiches look equally tasty. Friendly service, indoor/outdoor seating. Not fast food, cooked to order so expect a 10-15 minute wait, but worth it.
J N.
Delicious food. Homemade rings and ranch. Can't go wrong and David is a great employee. Great vibes here!
Yes it seems a bit pricey but worth the spthe burgers are delicious! Amazing unique flavors & quality, not huge but very filling, service was great, atmosphere chill & relaxing, we took our time and really enjoyed it. :)
Right on the main strip in Pacific Beach, you've got quite a bit of choices to eat, but this is definitely the burger spot to choose. The price point is a little high, but the food is absolutely worth it. They greet you with a warm welcome, and it's a nice cozy little location, they also have a few seats on the patio out front. They have some massive burgers that hit the spot! My two personal favorites are the Billy Cheeseburger! It's a double smashburger. And if you're feeling like a big massive monster burger I highly recommend the Spurgeon Infit Burger... It has chicharron on it!! They also have incredible milkshakes. Highly recommend the mazepan milkshake! They also have some really tasty chicken tenders with some good dipping sauces. Parking is a little bit of a pain, and Pacific Beach recently added parking meters which makes it even more annoying.. but if you don't mind parking a few blocks away it's a nice short walk and it feels good before you go into grab a bite! Side note, they also have a restroom you can use if you ask for the code.
Well... Facebook knows I'm a foodie. I got sent a discount for The Food Box. My boyfriend and I never had been there before so why not. It puts a Mexican twist on hamburgers. The combination comes out delicious.I got the Spurgeon Infit Burger (100% natural Angus ground brisket beef, marinated with Pequin pepper and olive oil, guacamole with cilantro and lemon, grilled regional panela cheese, spinach, tomato, chipotle mayo sriracha mayo, and chicharron in green sauce from Carniceria la Ramos, a local butcher shop in Monterrey, Mexico) with a side of fries. My boyfriend got the Billy Cheese (double smashed patties with 2 slices of Cheddar gratinated cheese, tfb secret dressing, pickles and crunchy bacon) with a side of fries. For dessert we got the Churro bowl (Deep-fried dough sprinkled with sugar and topped with ice cream, caramel sauce, and nuts). Yummmmmmmmmmmmmm
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Home Made Chipotle Dressing, Churro, Spurgeon Infit
Super bomb burgers, the chicken sandwich is also killer. The buns are legit toasty brioche they don't get soggy quickly they are perfect, Soggy buns are a definite burger destroyer you don't have to worry about that here. Plus they have a 9.99$ burger deal Monday and Thursday. It wasn't crowded when i was there but who knows I imagine it will grow in popularity glad to get a great burger place in PB.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Really not sure what has happened to this place, I have been there like 7 times total. The last two times were so disappointing. First the woman that started working there is awful, ignorant and makes comments to customers, a woman was trying to order and she did not speak English well and the worker was mocking her and when the worker left to go to the kitchen I head more mocking. When I ordered I asked her what the daily special was she said it was chicken sandwiches for Wednesday. I said that is the same thing as yesterday Tuesday. She said I know my job and you do not need to tell me my job. I really was ready to walk out but I was wanting a burger. The next time I ordered chicken tenders and fries meal and the chicken was dark brown and over cooked. not particularly juicy. the fries were decent. The last time I went I ordered the King James burger and fries. It was one of the worst burgers I have ever had anywhere and not just thefoodbox. Their burgers and chicken sandwiches used to be just amazing. I have attached pics here. The burger I got fell apart and when I would eat it, the burger pieces would fall out of the bun. It is not burger it was in pieces. The price is $16.99 to be served this slop. The taste was truly awful. I am so disappointed in what has happened excellent burgers and chicken sandwiches to slop.
The food was excellent, the service was friendly. Place was slow on an early Saturday evening. We're unlikely to go back only because of accessibility, but would if in the area. Traffic in and out of PB was just so time consuming, and the restaurant is closed on Sundays, which is the day we're most likely to visit the beach area and grab a burger (I work Saturdays). Overall, a great experience, worth the cost (we spent $100 for 2 adults, 3 kids), without drinks or dessert.
Seriously one of the best burgers in San Diego. Got the Lewis ($14.99) Angus smashed beef patty marinated pork, smoked bacon, chihuahua and cheddar cheese, onion rings, ketchup, chipotle mayo, sriracha mayo, spinach and tomato. The smashed Angus patty had a nice char but was still juicy. The brioche bun had a nice char on it so it was crispy on the inside but soft and fluffy outside, the bacon gave it a nice salty smokiness and the onion rings gave a nice crunch. Overall a very juicy gourmet burger. I got an order of onion rings they were cooked fresh and were crispy and were made with real onions, not the processed type that you might get at fast food places. I've had the Churro bowl before too, that was awesome! Freshly made churro formed into a bowl, filled with soft serve, and topped with caramel sauce.. Get it, you won't be disappointed! Basically a churro sundae! The burgers are a little on the pricy side but they are very gourmet. Juicy, flavorful, good texture; My favoirte burger at this time. They are located closer to the beach end of Garnet ave. The name doesn't really let you know that they serve, I wish they'd change the name to "The Food Box Burgers" or "The Burger Box" The Food Box started in Mexico, this is its first US location. Its a mix of American burgers, with a little Mexican and Japanese influence. Very unique and gourmet burgers!
The King James, the Spurgeon and truffle fries are delicious! Highly recommended, if you like a delicious burger that does NOT make you feel bloated after.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: King James, Spurgeon Infit, Parmesan & Truffle French Fries
Yom burgers and fried chicken sandwiches. We went for the Spurgeon & Whitefield! Will try the other ones soon :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spurgeon, Beef, French Fries, Chicken Sandwiches, Fried Chicken Sandwich
Fries 2/5 Burger 5/5 Customer service 2/5 Excellent burgers, skippable fries, and customer service that could use some work. We decided to do a little food crawl through PB, and decided that TFB would be our first stop. I had previously attended a Yelp event here, and received a little red envelope that could have possibly netted me a free iPhone 15. The catch was that I had to make a return visit during a specific time frame, and only open the envelope at the time of purchase. Since we were on a food crawl, my girlfriend and I planned on splitting a burger. My previous visit with Yelp only granted us sliders, so I curious to know whether we should order a single or a double patty on the King James. The associate was pounding away at the keys before we even ordered, appearing busy with some other task, so we slowly waited for them to acknowledge us. I originally asked the associate if the burgers were a half pound or 1/3 of a pound, and they replied that they could not tell me as the patties were in grams. Hmmmm... I wanted to quickly retort, however I continued to gaze at the menu as to let my question marinate for a second. I then explained to the employee that I was trying to figure out if I wanted to get a single or a double burger, so I asked if they could find out how many grams. Unfortunately, the associate became visibly peturbed, rolling their eyes as they stomped off to the kitchen staff. Ultimately, the weight of the burger patty varies depending on the burger. The King James was allegedly 175 grams, approximately 6oz., but either way, we were put-off by the employees gesture, so we just ordered the burger as is. The envelope revealed a free order of truffle fries so we added those to our order. The burger was messy and incredibly delicious, so even at around $16 it was most definitely worth the trip for the potential free phone. Although the 175 grams would put this burger under the 1/2lb mark, it was lookin' thicker than a Snicker, which was greatly welcomed. Honestly, I loved nearly everything about this burger, except the price, but especially the apples and the spiciness. The truffle fries on the other hand, were downright bad fast food quality. There was absolutely nothing truffle about them, maybe Parmesan and parsley fries would be a better name. Not only were they absolutely lacking one iota of truffle flavor, the fries were just bad, luke-warm, flavorless sticks. These fries in no way do any justice next to these well-thought-out and delicious burgers. The associate must have felt bad about our previous encounter, as they were over-the-top polite after that first instance. I totally understand that sometimes you're just having a moment, which can lead to a bad first impression, so hopefully they can grow from that experience. I do wish they had told us about the Thursday special which includes a sandwich or burger and a fountain drink for $9.99. Burgers a hit, fries a miss, and everything else is a crap shoot. The interior has a beautiful, beautiful mural, but the cabinets in the dining room could definitely use some freshening up. Thanks TFB, maybe we'll see you for the next round of red envelopes.
Restaurantji Recommends
As a born-again Christian, what first stood out to me were the names of the menu items! Each item seems to be named after a notable Protestant theologian/preacher, which is really interesting since this is a chain from predominantly Catholic Mexico. Names like Spurgeon and Whitefield stood out. And even more recent figures like MacArthur and Sproul were on the menu! Upon coming in, we were greeted and checked in on kindly, which is not what you typically see at order-at-the-counter restaurants. The service is really what helped push the rating higher. On Mondays, there is a $10 Calvin Burger deal and a drink. For the price, this was probably the best option on the menu! Got it with a side of fries for a few more dollars to make it a full meal. Overall, the burger was fine; it was very juicy with lots of meat flavor. However, I was not a fan of the buns, as they felt a bit plasticy at times. For the price, it was well worth it, but if I had to pay normal prices (~ $15), I would be more disappointed. Still a fine burger, but nothing amazing
My family of 4 came in for dinner using the Synergy Gift Card that we received. No issues using it either. The place is clean and has nice vibe. Overall the food was good. My kids love Hodads and made the comparison with Hodad's being the baseline. Burgers were filling and made to order. We probably waited 10-15 minutes. The burgers had really good flavor and were juicy. I personally like it better than Hodads and I got the kids meal which definitely fit my appetite perfectly. It seems expensive, but I feel the norm nowadays is $20/meal for something similar. Onion rings were nice and crispy and didn't come apart when eating. The fries were good, as well, not too oily. If we lived closer to this location, I could see coming here more often. But would definitely come again when in the area looking for a good burger. The only negative that night was the temperature in the shop. It was a cool night and they had the fan running and seemed like a cool breeze was coming through. We had to keep jackets on as did other customers.
This place was really good! Both my husband and I decided on the same burger the "Billy cheese" and our toddler got chicken tenders and fries. All were really good. The ranch was delicious and their chipotle sauce was equally as good! We got the ice cream dessert and it was good as well. We will be back!!
Very Good Burger, had the Calvin. Thick juicy burger w grilled onions, Bacon, 2 kinds of cheese, Dijon mustard and spinach. Flavor Bomb. Onion Rings were so-so, a bit too much much batter to onion ratio. Buffalo and Bleu Cheese sauces for dipping were good. Need to grab a milkshake come summertime. I'm a Rocky's loyalist, but this is a real good "fancy" burger! Chicken sandwiches look equally tasty. Friendly service, indoor/outdoor seating. Not fast food, cooked to order so expect a 10-15 minute wait, but worth it.
Delicious food. Homemade rings and ranch. Can't go wrong and David is a great employee. Great vibes here!