Burger Lounge
1101 Wall St
(between Herschel Ave & Ivanhoe Ave)
La Jolla, CA 92037 (858) 456-0196
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Dinner, Lunch
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
35 reviews
San Diego, CA
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33 Reviews for Burger Lounge
Pretty good burger and shake. The fries were not super but the service was good.
Food- 7.5
Atmosphere- 7.5
Service- 8.5
Overall exp- 7.8
Drawbacks- fries were egh
On our way to get some burgers at Jack's, my friends and I decided to grab some food here instead.
Burger lounge is basically a trendy fast food burger joint. The small interior with the indoor/outdoor seating is pretty fresh and new. Totally screams "trendy restaurant here". They have pretty good burgers and sides here. The chicken sticks on a stick were very good as well. Everything on the menu is "self-conscious" here (just look at their ingredients on the tables).
This place is OVERPRICED though. About $13 for a burger, fries, and a coke? That's a bit too much if you ask me. The food is good, but it isn't THAT good. But hey, what do you expect in La Jolla? Oh yea, fries and onion rings aren't included with your burger.
I'd say this place is great if you happen to be in La Jolla and want a good lunch or if you are showing friends around town.
The food is pretty standard fast food fare with a twist. The inside is clean and fun and the service is good. They also have beers!!! The music was fun and energetic and they clean up your mess for you if you leave it. Long lines at lunch time, so go early.
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I will start with a confession: I eat burgers once in a blue moon, and I didn't try neither burgers nor fries in the Burger Lounge. :( I went in because my boyfriend was in the mood for a good burger, and this place was a compromise since it had salads on the menu. So, I ended up ordering a chicken caesar, which was decent (nothing to die for). My boyfriend a kind of liked the burger - but was not excited either. We liked the ambiance, though: it's a nice place with an interesting interior design ideas, a bit overpriced for a burger place, but what do you want: it's La Jolla after all.
Most probably, we will be back only if we are extremely hungry, and there is nothing else open around.
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The burger lounge is one of those trendy "health conscious" better ingredient burger joints that you'll find in more affluent parts of this country. In other words, it's expensive.
I thought the meat and the bun on the lounge burger were impressive. It was juicy and you can taste the all around high quality. But worth it? Probably not. I still get the feeling I'm taking in the same amount of fat and other unhealthy goodies as I would at other places. That might be a good thing if I'm not actually consuming what I'm tasting. But for two people I paid over 20 dollars which isn't usual for burgers, even for ones with this much energy put into them.
I did love how despite all the modern decor, they still played classic 50s diner tunes. However, the female cashier that was there that day... total bitch.
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The turkey burger was one of the best I've evAR had.
However, the menu seemed simple for me. I expected a little more variety, but as a means to grow the store - yes - this shop has much potential.
My critique is that I didn't enjoy the fries so much, but I did enjoy the hefty onion rings. It seemed too nice to enjoy frankly. Also, I think the burgers are bit overpriced, but what do you expect from La Jolla.
You get what you pay for.
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I would eat here for every meal if I could! :) They have the best salads and burgers ever. I love that the ingredients are fresh and of high quality, it really shows that they care about what they serve. When I first had a salad, I was skeptical that it would be your typical burger joint salad... boy was I surprised! The lettuce and veggies were so fresh and crisp, I thought it might have come from some one's backyard! They have great dressings and everything is very well packaged! A definite must go, if you love burgers or salad!
The turkey burger was DELICIOUS. But I think this place is a little greasy. Put it to you this way, if you're in La Jolla and want a decent meal under $10 then wake up because you're dreaming fool! Just kidding, you can actually come here for under 10 bucks and be full. However, if you have burgers on your mind, then take my recommendation. Get back in your car, take the 5-South to Garnet, second left, and a double-double animal style awaits your taste buds...
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There are several directions I can go with a Burger Lounge review.
They year was 1948 and on a street corner in Baldwin Park, CA (just outside of LA), Harry and Esther Snyder opened a burger stand, made with quality meat and a basic menu. The price was affordable, the service was quick and it was convenient. They have since expanded to over 200 stores.
Less then fifty years later, a different family decided to open a burger joint on a street corner in La Jolla. The service was equally friendly, quite a bit slower and was less affordable. However, they are a fairly eco-friendly place using only grass fed cows and recyclable to-go cartons. Regardless, I still prefer In N Out to the Burger Lounge. It's a nice place and all, but isn't worth it in my opinion.
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If you are on a diet, then don't come here. If you are ready to eat fried food, then come here and have a good meal. For about $30 for lunch, we shared a cheeseburger, fried onion rings and fries, a chocolate shake, and a salad. The salad was really good. The burger was also really good. The fried stuff I could have done without and the shake was alright. There were these 3 seagulls that were really annoying outside which ruined the meal but if you are shopping in this part of town. go check it out.
They make a terrific burger with plenty of flavor and a nice sauce. I recommend the cheddar. It's great to know that your hamburger isn't made of a downer "spent" dairy cow (unlike In 'n Out, sadly).
Interesting fact: the guy who raises the beef cattle for Burger Lounge is none other than Bill Kurtis (of A&E's Cold Case Files and American Justice).
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http://clayfood.blogsp...
There was barely any sauce in the burger, so you're really tasting alot of the bun, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. Notice how I didn't mention the flavor of the patty??
You can't mention the flavor if there is no flavor. you'd think that when you pick up a burger and the juices are dripping out of it , there'd be some reminiscence of juicy flavors.
Oh no, not in this case. The meat patty is way too thin to hold any flavor in. It tastes like really lean ground beef which is great and healthy but apart from there there was nothing.
I'm not quite sure about my experience here. From the tone of my post you probably think I don't like it, but i'm still very much up in the air. I didn't think the patty itself had enough flavor, but I really liked the onions, the bun, and the fries. I devoured the thing so it probably can't be half bad.
Matt really liked his burger, so it could have just been me.
Please read the link and the 3 anonymous comments. The workers/owners at this place are pretty rude don't you think? I especially like how they pretend to be three different people.
A fairly expensive Grilled Lounge Burger goes for $6.95. They have all the right concepts here with free ranging grass fed organic cows from Kansas providing the meat, fresh wheat and white grain buns, choice of cheese (American or cheddar), tomato, lettuce, grilled or fresh onion and House made 1000 island sauce...trendy atmosphere but the burgers are LACKING in taste. not sure what it is. the whole is not always the sum of its parts.
Also offered non-beef options
Grilled Turkey Burger w/Fresh Basil
or
Burger Lounge Vegetarian "Quinoa" Burger
You can get your salad tossed as well...I mean they have Cool Tossed Salads, tossed lightly with dressing.
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Wow. Surprised people are so down on the Burger Lounge. I've eaten there three times now, and have had good food each time. Yeah, service can be spotty, but I feel compelled to address some of the complaints.
First, the price. The Burger Lounge's standard cheeseburger is $6.95. That's not cheap, but it's not that bad either. My kids LOVE going to Islands for burgers, and the Big Wave with cheese costs $8.29. Burgers at the Burger Lounge are definitely a step up in taste and quality. If you want Wendy's prices (and Wendy's mystery meat) then eat at Wendy's.
Second, the flavor. Okay, maybe angels won't fall out of heaven when you bite into your Burger Lounge burger, but they are damn good -- better than most. A little added salt, and I'm good to go. Also, the fresh-made fries and onion rings are really good.
Third, the source. As many have already mentioned, the beef comes from open-range, grass-fed, organic cows. This is reason enough to eat here for anyone who has even one iota of a social conscience. This is beef grown the way it's supposed to be -- not crammed into nasty, shit-strewn feedlots and stuffed full of corn, hormones, and antibiotics. If you want that crap, then eat at McDonalds or most any other fast food place.
So, good food, reasonable price, and great social conscience. Are there downsides? Sure.
First, big orders get the service staff all screwed up. Heaven forbid you order five burgers with five different combinations of ingredients (cheddar vs. american cheese, grilled onion vs. raw, secret sauce vs. no secret sauce, etc.) like I do when I have my wife and three kids in tow. They're almost guaranteed to mess up one or more of the burgers. Second, don't walk in to just buy a milkshake. The order takers also are in charge of making the shakes. When they're busy taking orders (like they were when I was there with my family yesterday at 1:30pm), they forget about making the shakes. Took us 15 minutes to get the two shakes we ordered after we finished our lunch.
Long story short, Burger Lounge is worth a try. For me, it's earned a permanent spot as my #1 burger go-to place.
Pretty pricey for a hamburger joint and the woman working there was a bit snippy. I was starving, though, so I was willing to pay $20 for a turkey burger, onion rings and a drink. My burger was very tasty.
nothing special!!! just go to in n out burger and get your money's worth!!
cute little place, you can sit outside and people watch. but the burger isn't worth the 7 bucks you're gonna spend. yeah, it's healthier, supposedly, so that's why it's a bit more dollar.
but you'd think you get more bang, nope.
and how much healthier can it be?!?! meat is meat, no matter what the cow eats. and how do you really know that you are getting grass fed cow meat, are they there watching these cows and every bite they take?? doubtful.
if you get fries and a milkshake to go with it, then you're getting the healthiest meal ever!!!
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I was surprised at how Juicy, Fresh, and Tasty the burgers were at Burger Lounge. The clean, modern, swanky decor raised my suspicions. I was expecting some modern take on a foo foo mini burger. How glad I was when the friendly server brought over our large burgers on the most perfectly toasted ciabatta style buns. The bun was my favorite part. Hot Crispy Real Potato fries? Check. Friendly, caring stafff - Check. Delicious Beer & Wine - Check!
I have to give the lounge 4 stars though... despite the deliciousness & the wonderful customer service. In the end, it wasn't The Best burger I've ever had, and the prices were a bit steep to boot... almost 30 bucks for 2 burgers, 2 beers & 1 fry. However, despite the prices, I would probably return every now & then for a burger & beer while in downtown La Jolla.
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Good meat -- grass fed cows,
would like tastier buns, fries;
excellent milkshake.
-------------------------------------
Take 2:
Fries are tastier.
Milkshake came out a milkdrink
Buns and meat got worse.
-------------------------------------
Quality control please! Moved down a star.
I LOVE THIS PLACE!!!!!!!!!!
Went there for the first time, on a whim, with my boyfriend last Friday (day after V-day)...we were trying to go to Viggiluci's LJ, but realized how busy it was and tried to come up with Plan B while driving up and down Prospect...
Came upon Burger Lounge, and just decided we were too hungry to continue our search. We walked in and it looked as though they were getting ready to close - one guy was waiting on a to-go order and there was no one else inside except for the manager (Kasey?)...After perusing the menu, we were kind of asking the manager for her thoughts/recommendations when the to-go guy said "You're gonna LOVE whatever you order - you guys will be hooked!"
As my BF and I are very health conscious, he decided to order the turkey burger, and I chose the Quinoa burger with grilled onions(we were both very impressed that Burger Lounge is 'up' on 'super foods' and offering them on the menu! He's been eating the Quinoa grain for years and got me onto it, but this was the first restaurant we've ever seen it offered in)... food was gorgeously plated, and tasted as good as it looked!! He said it was by far the best turkey burger he had EVER eaten (he eats one almost every other day!!) and I LOVED the Quinoa...had a bit of jalepeno in it (I think) which gave it the most amazing flavor!! Oh and we also shared the ceasar salad to start - loved the taro root on top - nice alternative to the predictable crouton. Absolutley LOVED the quality romaine lettuce they used - lots of the bright yellow hearts - my favorite part! (I told the manager that and she said that people have acutally returned the salad before claiming the lettuce was 'yellow' - it's supposed to be!! Are these the same folks who think the burgers here are too expensive?? Go to Carl's then! Oh wait - aren't they famous for the $6 burger now? Guess you gotta stick with Mickey D's ;)
As we were eating, a last minute rush of folks made their way in - with many of them ordering thier "usual" - and the manager knew exactly what they wanted - I love that type of personal attention in a little restaurant like that...also means that folks keep comin' back - always a good sign!
During our meal, our server/the manager was very attentive (even through the last minute rush and no other help on duty). She was telling us about some of the ways she liked to modify the menu for her own meals - ie ordering the ceasar salad with the Quinoa patty on top for a low carb option...um yup, went to the Kensington location the very next night and got that little option to go! So yummy!
I HIGHLY recommend this place...yes, it's quaint which may make you think the prices are high - but the food and overall experience is totally worth it...and the Kensington location is closer to home for us, but we'll be back to La Jolla to visit Kasey - she was so great and helpful! (She told us a BL will be opening in Downtown in the next couple of months...can't wait!)
I was born and raised in SD - and never had a 'favorite' restaurant...till now! The food is worth every penny of what it costs - they burgers are huge and the ingredients and toppings are of fantastic quality. Love the atmosphere and the choices of locations...can't rave enough about this place!
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I used to drool over some of the cool food pictures in Wallpaper magazine, but if this is what they really tasted like I wasn't missing that much.
The burger was ok. Imo, the photogenic foods here doesn't quite live up. For example the parsley on the fries and onion rings didn't add anything but instead make me expect something more than what they were. Quite ordinary.
If they bother with the small plant vases on each table they should also have salt & pepper shakers. My burger needed it but I was too lazy to walk back in the store and get the the paper packets.
Although not bad, to me the burger was a little heavy on the bread and the sliced raw onion I had asked for was overpowering. They should either slice it thinner or let it sit in an ice bath for a few seconds.
Friends tell me the veggie burgers and the shakes are good if you're into that.
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Good tasting burger! I am not a big onion ring fan but i love their onion rings! Kinda pricey for a lunch meal though if you want the fries, burger and drink your looking at over $10.
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I've noted to self to try Burger Lounge based on the font of the signage alone. Good call.
The simple menu behind the register does not try to overwhelm with a myriad of vaguely dissimilar choices (as say, Starbucks), but as far as I could tell they had almost everything you would want on a burger.
Burger: Superb, flavorful and juicy
Chicken tenders: OK-- could benefit from a sweet marmalade-type dipping sauce; the combination of very fried chicken and ranch/barbeque sauce is heavy
Fry & Onion-ring combo: SUPER! I like to taste the natural sweetness of cooked onion. Enjoyed the presentation of a Chinese take-out container brimming with fried goodness, too.
The minimal decor was pleasant. The carbonated mineral water came in neo-nastalgic bottles.
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Nice spot for lunch. The beef is grass fed, and while this sounds nice and tree huggy and mother earth and all that, but i think it leads to a burger which has less taste. The quality is top notch, but the burgers themselves just aren't as tasty as, say Rocky's or Crazy Burger.
The fries are really good. They seem to be double fried in peanut oil. At least that is what my expert palate was telling me.
3 stars.
-1 star for trying to find a parking space in downtown La Jolla at lunchtime.
+1 star for watching all of the ridiculous La Jollans who have way more money than taste. And for all the fake boobs.
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Long lines mean that something is up; that you should maybe check it out. So we did. $13 (mind you, that's for one person) and a full stomach later, I could see why this place was buzzing. A burger with cheese (come on, have some class, don't call it a cheeseburger), onion rings, and a fountain drink was a little over $13. Definitely worth it.
Burgers come on white ceramic minimalist rectangular plates. Chicken tenders, fries and onion rings come in Chinese take-out boxes. A little tacky but has a sprinkle of creativity. A folded napkin was placed next to my burger in which I was very impressed. This was used (by me) to place underneath the burger to absorb the juices avoiding a soggy buns.
Awesome burgers. It's grass-fed which is humane since cattle are usually fed corn and grains which cause bloating and indigestion in cattle; the humane part is the most important. But don't give me that "if you eat humanely raised meat, why eat it at all, it's still cruel" guilty trip. Anyways, most people probably can't tell a difference between grass-fed and grain-fed (and grass-finished) but overall, it provides for a darn good burger.
Why 3 stars? Well, they will get 4 or even 5 stars soon. The 3 stars is for the immaturity as this place is not fully developed and still in infancy. I don't mean that in a bad way or anything but they just need some time to mature. E.g. my friend's burger was not just rare but seared (the cow's blood was still pumping practically) while my burger was cooked medium well. They don't ask you how you want your burger cooked but you can give them a preference. However, if they don't ask, they shouldn't give you a burger that is still red. I like rare burgers but not everyone does and they don't realize this - or they just simply overlooked it and forgot to cook it completely. My friend asked them to re-cook it and we were shocked to find out that they cooked the uneaten portion rather than give him a new burger.
The $7 burger is priced fairly. But the $4 onion rings and $3 fountain drinks were outrageous. But the onion rings are definitely worth it (big hearty cuts of sweet onion with panko crusting that doesn't give you a headache when chewing it).They have patio seating great for people (aka cougar and silver fox) watching.
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I loved the turkey burger. My wife loved the beef burger. Great fast food. Limited seating, but there is a long bar to stand up and eat on the run. I am not sure if this is the "healthy" version of In N Out, but it is definitely tastier. It was definitely better than the B. Good burger from Boston, so they can stay the two thousand miles away. We don't need them anymore.
I liked burger lounge just fine.
Here we go again with another average review I guess, it's not my fault, it's theirs.
The decor here is pretty cool. It's very different for a burger place.
The service was good and attentive.
Now onto the reason it only gets three stars. The food. At first bite of the burger I was amazed at how juicy everything was. Not too fatty or anything like that, just juicy...in a very good way. But after several bites I noticed that they were lacking in taste. I realize that this will not taste like your normal burger. These are free of hormones and are grass fed. However, other grass fed beef I've had was delicious, and this didn't taste like, well anything really.
The fries were very bland but the rings were very good. I had never tried panko crusted rings before....they were very nice.
Lastly, I wanted to mention that this place serves food that is free range and organic. I love that idea and try to frequent all the places that serve food like that in San Diego. However, if the food isn't great, it's not great.....and Burger Lounger is good, but not great.
Healthier burger, fun service people. Left me wanting more on the taste side.
This is my first review as a YELPER! Yip! Yip!
So I went to Burger Lounge on Friday night with a friend--kinda like a girl's outing. Like me, she is also from the East coast so we got a kick out of the people requesting heaters for the outside tables. I was thrilled to show up and find out they serve wine. We took a seat at the counter right by the cash registers so we were in on all the action. I was once a vegetarian for a very long while, so I am picky about the meat I will eat. This was good tasting meat. I got a cheeseburger and a side caesar salad and a glass of the tempranillo. I chatted wine with one of the girls that works there---super friendly staff---though they did manage to always ask how the meal was right when i took a fat bite outta my burger!!! I left fully and happy.
Parking was a little rough considering it was prime dinner time on Friday, but we got lucky!
I'd go back, anyone wanna go---you let me know!
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The place is good.
A little on the expensive side. I have to say that paying 7 bucks a burger plus 3 for fries, and 3 for a small drink it's a little over priced. But then again, it's La Jolla. I would much rather take the 5 dollar meal value at In-N- Out, but that's just me.
The place certainly has a Lounge atmosphere. My Hamburger was not that tasty, but I'm guessing that it's because it's new. Maybe?
Anyway, paying 25 buck (tips included) for my girlfriend and I and sitting outside, seemed over-rated.
I think that if they brought their prices down they would be packed, but then, it is a really small location.
All in all. The place is nice and the burgers are very good.
Came back, and man, their burgers are awsome - moved from 4 to 5 stars in my list.
I loved the Burger Lounge's modern take on an old-fashioned favorite. I thoroughly enjoyed the cheddar cheeseburger, fries, rings, and chocolate malt. The house-made 1000 island dressing was definitely a plus. Customer service was great, too.
I was a bit concerned by the lack of seating inside, but found the outdoor heat lamps more than sufficient on a cooler-than-usual December evening.
This doesn't replace In-N-Out or Island's in my book, but is definitely a great ADDITION to my list of burger addictions!
Checked this place out on a Saturday night with Mike, and was it crowded! There were maybe 15 people sitting inside and maybe 5 more in line to order, and we were like sardines in a can- ok, I;m exaggerating, but you get the gist.
Anywho, you order and they give you a number. It was pretty pricey, but it's downtown La Jolla- we ordered one burger, one veggie burger, a fry, and 2 sodas. a seat opened while we were waiting for our food so we sat at the counter and the food came out pretty quickly. I love theplates- it makes you feel like you're in an upscale restaurant, but not quite. My veggie burger, which was made with quinua (spelled this wrong) and other veggies was surprisingly good. The burger didn't stay together too well. I could tell by the way Mike wolfed his food down that he enjoyed his burger and fries with parsley sprinkled on them. I think next time I will try the turkey burger. Oh, and their old fashioned shakes looked good too.
I
I've been yelping for 2 minuntes, i love this, okay burgers..no bar...yes. bar is what i call this place that offers burgers what is the hype?
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When we drove by at lunch, the long line coming out the door was a good sign to my husband! He fulfilled his burger craving here later for dinner.
The burgers are a little on the pricey side for one burger but it was freshly made and tasted REALLY good! The lighter bun (ciabatta, I think?) made the burger tastier than if a regular burger bun was used. The onion rings were fresh -- not too strong of an onion taste, lightly battered and crisp! I'm not an onion ring person but these were GOOD! The fries were okay...average tasting.
My daughter had the chicken tenders, which were served on skewers. Think chicken katsu...breaded chicken cutlet tenders! Very tasty, not like the small pieces of fast food chicken nuggets.
There's an indoor counter area that can fit about 10-15 people and about 7 or 8 tables outside. A nice cozy place...
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Really cute place-- like a burger boutique. A little overpriced, but this is La Jolla. Good fries. Friendly.
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