Review: Hodad's - Single Bacon Cheeseburger Basket

Hodad's is a popular (there was a line when we left) burger joint out near Ocean Beach in San Diego. I've been wanting to try it for several years running now, but it wasn't until recently when I finally made the 2-hour trip. My brother recommended the Bacon Cheeseburger so that's what I went with.

It's $6.50 for the burger alone or $8.25 in a basket with fries. Fries sounded good so, basket it was! I split the burger and they gave us two baskets of fries for no extra charge!

Hodad's Bacon Cheeseburger is pretty traditional. It comes standard with a thick, coarsely ground beef patty, mayo, mustard, onion, ketchup, pickle, tomato, American cheese, lettuce, and of course, bacon.

The burger was a towering mass of deliciousness that I couldn't quite fit in my mouth. I tried squishing it down, but that just forced the ketchup and other condiments to make their escape.

The onion looked like it might be overwhelming, but actually fit in quite nicely. The tomato was cut thick and was fresh and juicy. The lettuce was used sparingly, but I didn't miss it.

Saucing was just a tad heavy, but otherwise the coverage was good and, particularly, I could taste the mustard.

The bacon was super crunchy and thick, but was not equally flavorful. It was a bit bland for bacon or maybe the taste just got lost in all the other ingredients. The crunch though... oh so nice! It was audibly crunchy, but not burnt at all.

The beefy patty was thick, juicy, and beefy with a nice bit of fresh off the grill charring.

The fries are thick-cut wedges which are great if you like a fair amount of moist potato meat to your fries. The battered crust contained just the right amount seasoning and a superb crispness. You get plenty of fries in the basket.

Bottom line: Hodad's makes an excellent, classic burger with quality ingredients. The potato wedged fries are top notch and a great complement for the burger. If you want drinks, besides the fountain sodas, wine, and beer, they also have shakes...