Ben and I have been watching a lot of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. It’s our new obsession. We were going to hit up a local dive, but it turns out they are only open for breakfast. Boo.
So, we went with Plan B – finding a super awesome local burger place. We decided to hit up The Counter for “custom built burgers”.
I’ve known about The Counter for a while, but I’m not a big burger person so I brushed it under the rug. Until today. My friend Terence has urged me to take Ben here for over a year. But most of the time when we go out to eat I am craving something specific. Today I was “go with the flow” so we finally hit it up!
The great thing about The Counter is it is a “build your own burger” place. They have great toppings – 12 different kinds of cheese, about 74 different sauces and the topping choices include Fried Egg,Guacamole, Hardboiled Egg and Spicy Pepperchinis
I decided to get a Veggie burger in a bowl. Their veggie burgers are house made and full of rice, beans and mushrooms. It was good!
Ben got a vanilla shake. The other day when we went out I learned that vanilla is his favorite shake flavor – didn’t know that! I think it’s fun when I learn something new about that guy I live with married.
We got the “Combo Plate of Happiness” to share. I don’t think that’s the official name, just my personal opinion. It has Sweet Potato Fries, Onion Straws, Shoe string Fries and Fried Pickle chips. 
And it comes with four sauces on the side – some fancy garlic Ranch, BBQ, Sweet Asian called kecap manis and a Horseradish Mayo. 
I asked for the Blue Cheese on the side and they totally hooked me up. My dressing choice was the Chipotle Aoli. One of the things I have to say is ALL of the sauces at The Counter are really good. We tried 6 different kinds between the fries, dressing and Ben’s sauce. I liked them all.
The veggie burger was really good too! I am all about veggie burgers when you can see what’s in them. Tasty town.
This Burger place is all over SoCal so if you want to visit you can find a location near you here. They’re also in Ireland – random.
I would definitely recommend it, if nothing else – for the onion straws alone. Yes, they were better than the sweet potato fries!
This post couldn’t be more correct!
That was a frankly joy of a blog post.
I read somewhere that the people who run The Counter had their roots at In n’ Out. Definitely more upscale!
Theres a Counter in San Diego and it is really good as well. It’s actually a nice burger place to go for a vegetarian because they have alternatives and other options as well.
I work at the gym right next to the Counter you went to and I’ve never been! I’ve only heard great things about it, and now that I have glimpsed the beauty that is the Combo Plate of Happiness, I think I need to go!
i wanna go there! im gonna go google it and see where in the oc it is. we have a new place called deemers in aliso that is really, really good burger place. not make your own though. bummer.
That looks sooooooo good!! My boyfriend and I are hooked on D D & D!! We’ve talked about taking a road trip to some of the ones we’ve seen!!
i used to eat at the counter a lot, but since umami came into my life i rarely go anymore. if you ever wanna check out some DDD places in la lemme know – my husband can’t eat at most of them b/c of the meat.
Oh.My.Gosh. That food looks so good! Too bad my stomach would be on FIRE if I ate that. Ugh, drooling still… 🙂
I’ve been to The Counter once but it was years ago. Before I had a blog so at least 3 years. I really want to go and try the combo plate of happiness. (love that name!)
Girl, you are a stronger woman than me being able to watch your man drink a milkshake during your no-sugar period.
That burger looks amazing – I wished I lived in California – that looks like a restaurant that my husband and I would agree to visit.
Wow, that burger bowl looks amazing. Need to figure out a way to re-create it. Om nom nom.
That veggie burger looks so good! I love a good veggie burger , which can be hard to find dining out ; )
We have one of these in Northern CA too! My fav is the veggie burger (high five!) and the sweet potato fries – nom nom nom!
This place looks great! I love a place that lets you basically build your own meal. That veggie burger looks awesome too!
I’m with ya on the “see whats in your veggieburg.” kinda meal. Looks great! But, did Ben like it too?
That combo plate of happiness loooks afreakingmazing. I’m shocked you hadn’t been there sooner with all those condiments.
Yum, The Counter looks like a tasty place to eat.
I watch triple D all the time. I love seeing all the quirky places, but I am just a wee bit concerned about Guy Fieri’s cholesterol level. One of the hazards of the job, I suppose.
i used to go to the counter all the time in chicago! the veggie burgers are pretty darn good. i like how you can make your own burger…good place!
That salad looks excellent. I like when restaurants make homemade veggie burgers!