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Categories: Burgers, American (New)
Neighborhood: Studio CityLive DJ.Beer samples paired with specialty mini burgers, Only $12.00. Every Wednesday at 4pm, DJ at 7pm. See you there.
Mon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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Great food. Isn't that what we look for in a restaurant? Well, the counter has burgers down. They have virtually any combination of condiments to compliment a burger. Everything is quality at the Counter and it also shows in the price of their burgers.
Now, IDK about you, but I've had problems trying to two hand their beast of burgers. The condiments just keep falling out, so it's like I had to use the utensils. Other than that, go eat your burger with a Stone IPA and be a happy man (or woman).
One thing I would like them to add is thick slices of toasted sourdough bread as a bread option. i.e. take a small round loaf of sourdough from Boudin bakery, cut it in half, empty out some of the breading to make room for the burger and condiments. Just saying, I love me some sourdough. I would even pay extra for that too.
Definitely the place to go if you want to customize your own burger. Ton of options, from the meat to the sauce. Try the herb goat cheese, it compliments everything. The fries are greasy and okay.
Also try the burger of the month, it's usually pretty good.
Nothing like literally getting it your way! Nifty ordering system means tou get exactly what you want and my turkey burger with bacon and cheese on an English muffin was good... about as good a turkey burgers are. Could have used a little more seasoning.
Otherwise, fries were great and the 50/50 option is nice. Everyone enjoyed their meal and it was a short wait for four on a Saturday night.
Overall a very good experience.
Memo to the owners of this place:
The music is too loud. I've been to two of your locations and it is waaayyy too loud.
Good, fun music is a great addition to any eatery. And bad music can ruin a good meal. But, loud music is even worse.
Take what you've got, and just turn it down a couple of notches.
I'm taking another star off for your staff. There is definitely not a friendly vibe in this place. I can't really put my finger on it, other than to say that there are not a lot of smiles and the folks seating the guests, taking the orders and delivering the food are uncomfortably melancholy. Maybe it's the fact that these people are subjected to high decibel levels for hours upon hours?
As for the food? Not bad. I had a veggie burger, sans bun, and it was a tasty salad, basically. The fries & onion strings are real good, as are the sauces that accompany.
The build a burger concept is fun, and the variety of toppings is great, especially the cheeses.
The food is good, I would really change anything.
Just turn down the volume and you'll be close to 5-stars.
I tried my first counter burger on saturday. It is monday and I have been craving another counter burger ALL DAY!
I am pretty picky when it comes to burgers, I love me some meat and cheese. So, when I was told I was going to love this place, I was skeptical because I have pretty high standards when it comes to the Carnivore inside me. Just check out my Carnivorous Craving list =) http://www.yelp.com/li...
I think with the hype of this custom built, tasty, high class burger, people don't really expect to walk into a diner like place. It is very fast paced, close seating and loud. I thought it added to the experience. Our waitress was extremely nice and informative even though it was very busy.
I don't think I even looked at the menu, just took my custom burger form and started check marking away! I got a little carried away with the onions but soooo worth it! I wasn't making out with anyone after lunch anyway so - no worries there =)
To start we had the fried pickles and trio of sweet potato/regular fries and shoe string fried onions...YUM! I think I could have stopped there...but then my mound of beef came out and I took a deep breath and dove in. I had to cut it in half in order to attack correctly.
I had Tillamook cheddar cheese with sauteed mushrooms, grilled onions, red onion with caramelized onion marmalade all on a Honey Wheat Bun (this sounds like it should be turned into a marketing song for the national onion association). I call TradeMark!!!
The meat alone was tasty enough. It has seasoning grilled in and it was awesome. It was juicy and wonderful. I do have to say the toppings were a little overboard on portion control and half of it ended up on my plate but it was fun to eat. I don't know if I would go here on a first date though, just to avoid humiliation of food attack issues!
All in all, I was very impressed with this burger joint! Good surroundings and ambiance, great service and tasty food! I would also like to point out that it was very clean!
I hope they open a location in FL soon! My mouth is watering!
PS - 100x better than in n out! just sayin!
I couldn't tell you about their hamburgers, as I don't eat hamburgers.
But I have had the turkey burger and the chicken sandwich, and they are both very good, albeit overpriced, which is the case for everything at this place. Apparently, customization comes at a cost.
The sweet potato fries are very good, the regular fries are fucking awful.
If you're looking for less customization of toppings, better (though fewer) fries at a cheaper price, then Fatburger is the preferable option for about $5 less.
Still, The Counter isn't BAD or anything (well, the french fries are) but there are better values on Ventura Blvd for the money.
Let's get things straight. I really like the burgers and sweet potato fries from the counters. They some how managed to mess up fried pickles, but I can forgive them for that. What I can not forgive is unapologetically bad service.
This was a business our office frequented for lunch. It's close by, the burgers are good and people can pick and choose what they want. In general, that makes people happy. However, the last time ordered from there was absolute chaos.
It's a large order, I've worked at restaurants, I know that's a pain. That's why I send the order in an hour and a half before I want to pick it up. So, I faxed the order in, called to confirm it was received, asked if there were any questions and then confirmed that I'd be there to pick it up at 12:30. Everything seemed to be going smoothly.
I got a call at 12:15 saying that they were running a little behind and my order probably wouldn't be ready until 12:45. Totally cool.
I arrive at the Counter at 12:45 and not only is my order not ready, it hasn't even been put in yet. Say what now? The host said he was placing the order now and asked "Is this going to be a problem?" Trying to be firm, but not a bitch, I told him, "Yes, this is a problem. You're putting my order in when I'm supposed to pick it up. That seems problematic. But, what am I going to do. I'll wait for it."
As I'm waiting, the host apologizes over and over again. I understand, he feels bad. At some point though (during the hour and a half I waited for my food to be done) he starts to blame me for this. He says that the way I faxed the order over made his job more complicated.
I downloaded the Counter menu (which is very handy, though pretty useless now) and I pass them out to the 30 people who were ordering. Rather than faxing 30 sheets over, I compile the order in text form. We've ordered from them before using this method and it was not a problem. That's also why I call to ask if there are any questions. Apparently, this time though, it was confusing. Not confusing enough to call and clarify, just confusing enough to not put the order in.
The icing on the cake though was that the host rang me up and informs me that "All orders over $200 have a 8% gratuity added." I looked at him, completely amazed and asked him if he was certain about that. He said yes. I asked for the manager at that point. I believe her name was Keri.
Keri, did a wonderful job from this point on. She knocked off the gratuity (cause really, was the poor quality of this service even questionable) and expedited the rest of the meal herself. But really, it was too little, too late.
By the time I got back to the office people were hungry and cranky and the food was cold and inedible.
All of this said, I still like the food, but I would recommend it only for sit in.
Edited to add: I got a message from the owner of the Counter. He was very apologetic and wanted to address any concerns I had with the restaurant. I was pleased that he read my review and took the time to respond. Big points for him.
This spot came highly recommended by a few people, needless to say I was expecting much more.
We started off with the chili fries and decided to try the fried pickle chips which fell short of what we expected. The sauce that was offered seemed to clash too much and just tasted off. The chili was extremely runny and made rendered the fries into a soggy mess, not what fries should be like. The chili was so poorly seasoned it tasted like ground meat and a little cumin.
I ordered my burger medium, my wife ordered hers well done, mine was cooked as ordered but my wife's was way too rare so that had to be remade. The patties weren't anything special and didn't even taste seasoned. I was also missing a topping on my burger. So by the time we got her new properly cooked burger and I got my avocado my food was cold.
We ordered chocolate and banana shakes to go which were the best part of the meal but was not enough to redeem it. In the end our bill with tip was $54 which seems like a lot to pay for 2 burgers that weren't right, fried pickles, some of the worst chili fries ever and a 2 shakes. We will not be going back to the counter.
I would rate it higher, but...I went in with such high expectations and the burger was underwhelming. If it weren't for all of the things that you can put on the burger, the burger itself would taste...well, bland. The sweet potato fries are the best thing I had - sweet potatoes are my favorite food so I guess I'm a bit of a sucker for them, but they were really good and the plate of them was huge. Oh yeah, they also have some of my favorite beers here - Stone Arrogant Bastard, Stone IPA, and Hoegaarden - whoever chose the beers must have great taste like me ;)
I will probably visit The Counter again, but it's not that craveable. I wouldn't take a date here either. All in all, it was so-so.
Went here yesterday...turkey burger just okay...thought it would be better....music a little loud. I love the idea though...I think I will try a regular beef burger next time....maybe in a bowl. All in all nice to have something new in that area!
The counter is OK. Being a Vegan, it may not be fair for me to rate a mainly omnivorous place, but hey, they have a Veggie burger on the menu which I suppose makes it fair game.
So, here is how the counter works. You sit down and are given a little card (similar to a sushi bar), where you dictate your order. You can choose from beef, turkey or veggie burgers, and choose the size-I chose the smallest, 1/3 lb (sorry, I don't recall the rest). Then, you choose your toppings from the list (4 toppings, any additional cost 50 cents)...there is also a 'premium topping list, each of which cost $1. You then choose your cheese (and they have a great selection including bleu cheese crumbles and feta, but being Vegan, I didn't get to choose one!) and finally you choose from a list of sauces. This is the fun part of dining at the counter...it's almost like build a bear, but it's build a burger!
I ordered the 1/3 pound veggie burger (which was house made, not some frozen boca or garden burger) with bean and corn salsa, green chilies, pepporcinis and red onions- I added a premium topping of guacamole, and didn't order any of the sauces (none appeared vegan). The burger was good, but by no means outstanding...if I had a SERIOUS craving for a veggie burger I might go back for one, mostly because it is right down the street from my house.
Here is the downside- a 1/3 lb veggie burger is $9...and it doesn't come with any side...just the burger (which, as I said was OK...but not fantastic-despite all the toppings, it still seemed a bit dry and boring to me). I did order a side of fried pickle chips which, being a pickle freak sounded amazing to me, but I was disappointed as the frying process seemed to take all the pickley flavor out of the pickles.
So here is my advice- if you live nearby or are in the area you might want to check it out-the ordering process is pretty neat and fun- BUT if you want a really, really outstanding veggie burger, get your butt to real food daily and order the Ultimate Burger...it really can't be beat!
Okay so maybe there is a few drawbacks but not enough to take away a whole star so ima leave it with 5.
first off its a build your own burger place. You get to pick what type of burger patty, what size burger patty, what type of bread, what toppings and then what sauce to put on it.
So with that said it works absolutely perfecto for me when our group of friends wants to grab something to eat my boyfriend being only a turkey meat eater, me being the only vegetarian and the rest of the buds being true blue carnivores. So we can all choose to get what we want.
The small size is totally enough. I can't even imagine someone ordering the huge one. I usually get my burger in a bowl [ which is so effing cool to me that they do this instead of wrapping it in wet ass lettuce like some places do for us carb and calorie counters out there!]
you can also choose to get it on a English muff. which i did once to try but my huge ass veggie burger just fell outta it any who so i ditched it to the sidelines.
the veggie patty isn't like a fake meat patty its more like the mashed up vegetables inside which usually i don't like AT ALL but they have a way of making it sooo great that i went back after i was disappointed from the first bite seeing bright orange staring back at me. But its not mushy and gross at all- prob one of the only places i would eat this kinda patty truthfully- I really do usually hate them.
The first time i just got way too over excited and couldn't decide on what to put on my burger- i agree with some of the reviews that their topping selection is a little wacky and fancy for a burger joint but its all good options it just made my decisions harder. so i chose a buncha stuff i like but when it actually came all together i was disappointed on how badly it all seemed when it was together. My fault TOTALLY i should have added the pineapple instead of those darn pepperciones! hehe
but every time after that i have tried to keep conscious that i am eating a burger- even if it is a burger with no bun on a plate of lettuce- and stick with my toppings accordingly.
They don't advertise the small order of sides on the menu i don't think it just has the sides and they are like 6 bux each...but if you get a burger just ask for the small side and its only like $1.50. Their sweet potato fries are amazing and without any complaint on my end. I love the chipotle sauce they give with it too! My bf loves the onion strings to death and craves them constantly even now adding them to his burger....
everyone i have ever taken here loves it!! I actually heard about it from an elderly man who was a client at my work and when i noticed his birthday was the same as mine we started chatting about diff. things and he said wow your a lot like me i just had an amazing lunch at this new place down the street called the counter- you would love it too and they have veggie burgers too! so on this 80 year old gentleman's suggestion i dragged the bf there one night and viola- a new favorite spot.
the decor is super modern and i was shocked when i first walked in that this lil 80 something man would totally love this place so much but after goin a few times i have seen all types f people all ages all diff. enjoying their great food and awesome service.
eat on the patio for people watching or when its nice out.
huge ass parking lot attached to a VONS
they have beer and wine but a kinda small selection
be careful to remember that all the things that sound so good on a burger might not taste all that good TOGETHER on ONE burger.
and lastly i don't EVER eat banana smoothies, shakes, malts, etc but my friend got a banana shake and almost died. He raved on and on til i finally took a sip and wow. WOW. wont order it myself- too big and still not super duper into banana but OM GOODNESS it was reeealllly good.
The Counter is always really good. Does not matter of what location it is. It is awesome across the board.
Was there the other night and I have to say I had THE BEST server I've ever had. I think her name was Trish or Trisha. If you go, ask for her!
She was funny, fast, and accurate all in the same time you could tell she was very busy but never made us feel rushed.
This month's burger of the month was amazing as well, kudos to the chef.
AWESOME food, PERFECT service, GREAT staff! Everyone was very friendly and polite. The food was… Read more »
This is the type of place that when I am in the area and craving a burger it would def be a contender. With that said, if I was in my 'hood and wanted a burger, I'm not sure I would make the drive ...
The service is great, the ambiance is spot-on and there are no major complaints. The concept is similar to 5 guys, only The Counter is a more upscale option.
When it comes to burgers, for me, I am not sure upscale is where I am most comfortable. I don't know. This is a tough one because it is obvious the owners and management and entire team are really 100% on their concept.
I think .... I think .... I think that what 5 guys does right is they keep it simple, maybe where The Counter 'throws me' is that it's a bit complex? Yep, that's it. When you arrive they explain the menu ordering, then you write your own order, then they take your order and then they read it back ... hence the complexity. Work on that and you know what? Maybe I would make the drive :)
So I was looking for a spot to host one of my friend's birthday with my buddies. I confirmed with Eugine Y. about this spot because I know he's the king of fine burgers. When in doubt, this guy knows good burger joints from the Pacific Ocean to the Eastern seaboard (btw his area of expertise is the good ol' 702 Las Vegas). Anyhow, he told me he thought this place was "Just aiight son, Nah mean? but it'll be good for a crew of guys. Go check that spot out though."
We showed up on a Saturday night and ended up having 13 people without reservation. It obviously took some time to get the table (maybe 20-25 min max) but they were able to accomodate.
Everyone seemed happy with the idea of how they could choose their own style of burgers. To me, my burger was good. But I'm not a big burger fan to begin with, you can ask Eugine Y., Reid Y., Johnnical G. that 5 days a week, they rarely see me eating a burger. I'm usually eating some brown looking Thai dish.
I really enjoyed their Fifty/Fifty: sweet potato fries and onion strings with the 3 sauces: rance, bbq, and I believe horse radish (forgot the last one?). For sure, if I come back I am going to get this.
My friend had the burger of the month which was a crabcake style burger. Now that was legit. She gave me a good portion and I killed it with mad quickness.
Anyways, I like the concept of this place. It gives the opportunity for picky people to dissect their burger the way they like it. We didn't have room for any desserts, malts, shakes, or floats.
The service was really good especially for a table of 13. No mistakes and everyone seemed happy afterwards. Not too bad. I'll be back for the Fifty/Fifty though.
Wow, delicious!
The menu is broken down into different sections of what you want on your burger... Type of meat, size of meat, on a bun or on a bed of salad, type of cheese, toppings, sauce, type of bun...
There are so many choices, so you can really have a lot of fun when building your PERFECT hamburger. They also have some on the menu already put together for you if you are feeling uninspired, plus, they have "burgers of the month" as well as "shakes of the month".
They actually dissect their burger of the month, and put the sauce, toppings, etc., from it on the menu so you can add it to your regular burger!
We also ordered along with our burgers a Fifty-Fifty... Half sweet potato fries, half onion rings. Deep-fried delicious!
I got a veggie burger over a salad, and the boys got mean burgers... All of us were extremely happy with what we eat.
The reason one star less was the service was a little off. While our server was a complete sweetheart, they messed up our side order, and when it came time to pay, we waited a verrrry long time for the bill.
Be careful when checking off what you want on your burger, it can get expensive quickly!!!
I have to say, I didn't read any Yelp reviews before I went here, so I was surprised that this restaurant was full-service, assuming the name "The Counter" meant I ordered at a counter and waited for my number to be called. OK, so maybe I'm too literal sometimes.
The interior is clean, modern with a cool color palette. The menu is simple, burger, beers, milkshakes, at a higher than average price point. However, I must say that the food warrants the price. Their build a burger is very popular and we had ours with a turkey patty, roasted peppers, garlic aoili and cheese - quite delicious and perfectly cooked. I'm not sure what they season their turkey patty with, but it is delicate and flavorful, not tasteless and dense as some can be. I also tried a BLT and it was pretty tasty. The sweet potato fries are very good. Not overly fried and a huge portion to share. They are served with a creamy, thousand-island like sauce with a bit of kick, maybe sricha? It reminded me a lot of Jeffrey's in San Mateo.
A bit pricey for burgers, but a cool place to hang out, have a good meal and grab a beer.
Giving someone like me the choice to put together my perfect burger should be illegal. Best believe that whatever I'm putting in that burger will be of the unhealthy artery clogging variety; the kind that will kill you. At least you'd die with a satisfied stomach and a smile on your face. I won't get into what I put in it exactly, but the end result was a good personalized burger.
If you know me, you'd know that I never pass the chance to order Chili Cheese Fries. The Chili Cheese fries here are fantastic. I love the sour cream they add with it. The Onion Strings were also pretty gosh darn good as well.
All and all, a fun experience. A bit on the pricey side, but it was a fun process throwing all your favorite ingredients together and seeing what the burger of your dreams looks like. The same one that is going to probably send you to the ER.
I love the vibe of this place; the loud music, friendly servers, and the wide-range of options for lunch.
The meat quality is pretty solid and I do agree with many of the reviewers here that the meat is a little undercooked; it's not quite medium. The server did let me know ahead of time, but I figured I'd try it the way they want to cook it. The toppings are yummy, especially the blue cheese! The sweet potato fries were ok; I didn't love them the way some reviewers did.
Overall, I enjoyed my lunch, but it wasn't outstanding. However, I did enjoy eating in the restaurant, and that goes a long way in having a good meal. I'd go again =)
Two of us for dinner: two burgers, one side of sweet potato fries/onion strings and one root beer. Total damage with tip $34.26.
Yes, I do believe that is pricey for a burger and fries especially when I can do the same at "In n Out" for under 12 dollars total. And let's face it we all love "In n Out."
Thing is "The Counter" was an experience. Yes, you do create your own burger (WATCH OUT! The more you add the more it costs. It can easily turn into one of those crazy self serve salads where you get charged by the ounce)
If the prices don't come down a bit, I'm afraid "The Counter" could suffer. I'm glad I tried it. It was good, but most likely will not come back. That type of novelty wears off quickly.
So what makes one come off a hiatus from yelping??
Paying $18 bucks for a Burger and fries and NOT being wowed by the meal. Well that and the fans! Its all for the Fans!
OK so Ive passed this place a lot and one day said, ok..lets check this joint out. Its a fancy "custom" burger place blah de blah. I say that because these places exist all over now and i would bet we have all tried one at least once.
So after looking on the menu, i went for a normal burger with avocado and some fries, half regular and half sweet potato. Little did i know the only success would be the sweet potato fries.
The hostess girl was super nice..until i found out that my order was done about 20 minutes ago and she didnt think to go back and get it. When she finally did, i had cold fries and a cold burger. She offered to get me new fries which i did accept. The Burger was cold and pretty untasty by that point. I couldnt help but look at my price tag as i ate...$18 bucks for this crap.
Enough of this. Im rambling now so let me get to the point. We have all gone to "places" like this. By places i mean places that charge you more than usual for gourmet or specialized version of common foods (Pizza, burgers, sandwiches etc) and there is nothing fundamentally wrong with those places. We all know of a few of these places that make us say "yeah..XXXX is expensive, but man it is real good". When you are one of those places, your burgers better be so good that i feel good about the exorbitant price ive spent. The counter burger WAS NOT AT ALL WORTH THE PRICE
Thats the most direct and honest thing i can say about this place. I am not looking to go back.
I really wanted to fall in love with this burger. I think it's the peer pressure, my gawd, "OMG, best burger ever, Keisha! How can you not love it, mmm mmm, you are missing out." I've been to the Santa Monica location several times and been meh-ed out. But, I thought, hey, maybe the Valley will make it taste differently. That was a big http://nope.com.
Look don't get me wrong, the burger's alright. It's just not enough to make me want to strip down to my girly wear, dance on a table and declare with a shout, "This is the best motherbleepin' burger I've ever had," followed by a shimmy, a shake and toss of my shirt. Nope, I kept myself clothed and my voice was at a level only my dapper dining companion could hear.
What I do like here are the SPFs (sweet potato fries, not sun-blocking machines in case ya didn't know). We ordered the fifty-fifty with fried onion strings and SPFs accompanied by 3 dipping sauces: barbecue, buttermilk ranch and that good ol' standby, ketchup. Yummy.
The build your own burger idea is cool, but sometimes I feel like it's way too much pressure for me. *I* am not a cook. I am here because I want someone else to cook *for* me. So, can someone please just give me a preset menu and let me take stuff off that I don't like? The reverse is just apparently too difficult for me. And why am I paying $10+ if I'm concocting my own meal?! I ordered my b-a-b with grilled onions and they came out looking caramelized and I turned up my nose at them. Off to my dining companion's plate they went. Not good!
The Studio City location is patronized by more little people (the ones who like to scream, run around and act as natural birth control) than the Santa Monica location, so keep that in mind when deciding which location to visit. One of them started at me as I ate....awkward! Also, unlike the Santa Monica location, you order at your table rather than at the counter. Both locations are equally packed, so there's no change there. Parking is much better here though as there's a large lot in the back and street parking up front.
The decor is cool: emo-fied skateboards on the wall, pastel blue walls and retro light-bulbs hanging from the ceiling. While I'm not in love with the burger, I do like their beer choices and that's where the 4th star comes in to play. I just need a more inspiring burger if this joint is going to warrant a stripshow from this yelper.
I work in very close proximity to this location of The Counter, and have been dying to try it since it's construction began. The convivial Keisha F. and I decided to go explore this luncheonette and feasted on some fine vittles. Here's what I had:
Little Penguin Chardonnay - For a burger eatery, they sure have a great beer and wine selection. Small, but choice. The Little Penguin chilled my inner being on this hot summer day, and went very well with my meal.
Fifty/Fifty - Two half-orders of either fries, sweet potato fries or onion rings. We chose to go with the last two. The sweet potato fries were addiction, like a starchy form of heroine. The onion rings were very good, but very thin. Like the sort one puts on a hamburger. It's easier to use a fork to devour these. Buttermilk Ranch, BBQ Sauce, Classic Ketchup and a Horseradish Aioli accompanied the finger foods.
Build Your Own Burger - Their burgers, done medium, still have a pink center, so I would suggest getting yours medium-well if you normal prefer medium. Mine was still slightly rose' on the inside, but tasty nonetheless. Just go one notch "more done" and you should end up with a burger that will appease your appetite. For toppings, I chose tomatoes, red onions, lettuce and green chilies, with a ranch aioli for a spread. I also got Keisha's grilled onions (which were much more caramelized than grilled) that I also added to the ground round. It was very, very good.
The service here is excellent, both the host, a young looking Irish guy, and our server, a very pretty girl of Asian decent, were friendly and efficient. The ambiance here is very much west-coast boardwalk, with painted skateboards hanging on the walls. It reminded me of something you'd find in Venice or Santa Monica, where the other location of The Counter is located. The only flaw I noticed were the amount of small, annoying children, which reminded me why I've chosen not to procreate. Parking is convenient either on the meters out in front, or in the large free parking lot behind the diner. Next time, I'm going to try one of their Turkey Burgers with Chili.
a good hearty 4 stars for a hearty meal.. hahahaa.. aka a FULL meal..
got the veggie burger on wheat bun with onions black bean salsa avacado jack cheese and tomatoes.. it was AMAZING,, and by amazing.. i mean HUGE.. hahah..
i also got the half order of sweet potato fries.. so good perfectly crisp served with this yummy chipotle mayo sauce.. mmm so good.. not my FAVVVVV but def top 5 contender..
the burger was huge.. DEF big enough to split.. ate half at lunch and the other half later.. still good even later..
i was expecting the veggie burger to be like measly veggie patty but nope.. HUGE just like the other burgers i saw coming out..
i ordered for pick up so i cant rate based on dine in service but it was lunch on a wednesday and everyone was SUPER friendly and inviting and theres ALOT of parking in the back thats free which is a BIG plus..
a little on the pricey side but if you split the fries and burger its not too much.. or like have half for lunch & dinner whatever it makes for like a 5 buck meal each.. not too bad id say..
ill def be back. a good place to go with a bunch of friends..
i also like that they had like art on the walls keeps you kind of occupied while waiting because there is a LITTLE wait.. i mean its all made special to order so.. worth the wait IMO..
WOW - 2 burgers, fries and drinks $50. Good burgers, great onion rings and fries but overpriced!!!!! You even have to pay extra for such things like lettuce and mayo!
Now i know all about quality meat, organic, low fat etc, and NY prices but this place and it's pricing is just off the hook! For the money it's just not that great. I don't plan on returning.
OK if you plan on spending about $20 per person if you share fries and sides. otherwise even more expensive!
This place is OK. It has a unique style the way you order your burger. And I think that everybody gets caught up in the novel way you can select all the various toppings that you can put on this somewhat tasteless overpriced hamburger. They bragged about the meat, but I don't think it was that great.
What made the hamburger good for me was the toppings. But I didn't need to pay $13.00 for that. I might try it again, but I won't go out of my way to go there.
One last thing, the tables are on top of each other and it's loud. A great place to take noisy kids.
I actually wanted to give this place 3 stars because even though everything was definitely above par, for some strange reason, I'd still rather go to the Granville Cafe if I want a burger.
The burger (I chose Angus Beef) was pretty damned good. Had it with a honey-wheat bun (which still kinda fell apart), medium (like most people's medium-rare), with grilled onions, a lettuce mix, Gruyère cheese, and tomato. Tasted the beef by itself, and it is of a very high quality. VERY. Shared chili/cheese fries with my dining partner. These come topped with some chopped red onion, but also a bit of sour cream (an artistic squirt). I'm not a big fan of sour cream, but it was so little it didn't matter.
But while all the burger ingredients were superb, the standard was raised by the Granville and their $12 INTENSE Bacon & Blue Burger with Angus beef, applewood smoked bacon, caramelized onions, organic arugula, bleu cheese, sautéed mushrooms, port sauce and Horseradish Aioli (I skip the Aioli) on a buttery brioche bun. That creation by Granville is the best burger I've ever had, PERIOD. So The Counter's burger, even though I built it myself and with great ingredients....well, it left me a bit cold, like the decor at the Counter (sorry, the blue, brown, metallic color scheme does not warm me up).
The fries were skinny, not fat (and I like fat steak fries, especially with chili). The chili was meaty, but needed more liquid. I think Fatburger's chili cheeze fries far outweighed these.
Service was reasonably attentive and friendly.
All-in-all, a good local joint and likely to be a hit with a hit with a lot of people. But not enough to swing me into being a regular.
I agree with the guy who said that the place was really good except for the hamburger patty itself. Actually, it appears that was actually a female. In any case, she pretty much took the words right out of my mouth. I'm tempted to even just cut and paste her review right here, but that could subject me to copyright infringement if I don't get her consent. I guess yelp reviews aren't copyrighted, but who knows, this girl could be a famous reviewer or something. Anyhow, her name is xoEDNAxo, so just scroll down a bit and read her review--it's spot on.
Oh, but to add, the bun also left something to be desired. I like 25 degrees, with the toasted, buttered, fluffy bun. The bun here (I went for the honey-wheat) tasted like it had just been taken off the shelf at Ralph's. If I go again, I'll try the english muffin.
I think I like the *idea* of The Counter more than I like the restaurant itself, mostly because of the exorbitant pricetag that comes with their burgers. The food is good, but really doesn't wow you enough to justify what they're charging.
The option of building a burger from the ground up is nice. Their veggieburger patty is a unique creation that was tasty, albeit a little on the mushy side. The ingredients are fresh (Particularly the bread) and I did enjoy the barbecue-jalapeno-veggie-cheeseburger I glommed together from the list of options. The sweet-potato fries that rode shotgun with my burger were even better.
But did my g/f and I get $50 of enjoyment out of The Counter? No, not even close. (Especially considering we passed on the bar in favor of a couple of iced teas.) They served me a good veggieburger, but there are plenty of good veggieburgers to be had much, much cheaper.
I suppose I will return to The Counter...As long as someone else is paying.
I just moved here from San Francisco (see YELP reviews from SF) and a good friend who I happen to also improvise with suggested we head off to The Counter In Studio City. He sends me the link here.
I always read the worst reviews *first* and they were all pretty consistent: The lack of service. The overpriced meal. The lonely lonely hamburger on the plate with no sides. The wait.
But hey. This was recommended by my friend, and it was his day out.
So into the Garmin with the addy from Hollywood to North Hollywood. Easy to get there. Parking is a cinch. Love the parking you can pay for with a credit card (TAKE HEED SAN FRANCISCO)
I get there before my guest (12:30) and the outside was available. The inside was fair...but I was seated with ease. (keep in mind...by the time we left it was pretty jammed pack. Just know this is a hot spot in a hot area in Studio City).
My waitress was friggin awesome. And she was funny as hell. Great sense of humor. Sorry. As a comedian I appreciate a good bit with a total stranger. :) It had to do with my spleen running all the way through my nose. You had to be there.
With this the service was excellent. She had wine on the table fast. I ordered some Sweet Potato Fries. They came out hot and fast with Sea Salt. And arrived just in time for my guest to enjoy to (Whatever you do...if your guest arrives after you and you are on the deck...don't taunt your guest to jump the barrier. Yes. Don't taunt happy fun ball)
I was suggested the Lamb burger. I was really super tempted as the waitress recommendation for a red was very, very good. But, I opted instead to fill out the form.
This was nothing new to me. Please see the review on Custom Burger San Francisco (which was up the street from where I lived)
The food came out in a decent time. We had water refilled regularly. The music was not overbearing at all. I sat below the speaker and it was at perfect background enjoyment.
I was served a second glass of that wine. They did not even flinch when I pulled out the hostess cupcakes with the candles not supplied by them.
And the hamburger? Well. That was just plain damn good. You seriously cannot go wrong with a hamburger your pretty much had "Made Your Way". I asked my staff "Please don't make it bloody"
It was perfectly cooked. You see...if you ask for what you want with some amount of kindness? you get what you want.
Granted I do agree that the lonely, lonely burger on a big white white plate makes the entire plating look shockingly sparse. They might want to dress up that plate with..I dunno...splats of the sauce the customer ordered with some sprouts. Or get some smaller plates.
The bill came. It was 45 dollars. This was for two burgers, two glasses of wine, a big ass thing of hot sweet potato fries and a sprite. Look. It aint Burger King. Custom Burger cost about the same as The Counter...and hell..at Custom Burger you are lucky the waitstaff does not sneer at you when they bring your plate begrudgingly to the table hoping the guy with his pants around his ankles from 8th and Natoma does not wonder in to take a pee and ask if someone could remove the Robot Apocalypse from his butt.
It is four stars with one star off for the plating. Everything else is golden.
Just don't taunt happy fun ball. And make sure you get the waitress who knows your spleen runs up through your nostrils.
5 stars for SERVICE (incredibly nice and attentive servers)
5 stars for ambiance and cleanliness
5 stars for the *BUILD your own BURGERS* concept (think Fuddruckers but TEN times better)
5 stars for the variation of toppings (4 free toppings + $1 for premium)
5 stars for the EXPERIENCE
all 5's but why not a perfect 5 on the rating?
---- the hamburger patty itself is not quite 'perfect' material. Cooked medium w/ reddish pink in the middle, however the meat was a bit dry and flavorless. If I'm paying $10+ for a hamburger, then I'd like my meat to be perfecto! Otherwise, I'd be perfectly content with my $5 In N Out burger---animal style! ;)
- chili cheese fries ($4.50)= yummy! not greasy like most.
yaaaaaaaaaaaaay! The Counter---I am definitely a FAN! thanks Nattypoo for introducing us to this awesomely FUN restaurant! ('',)
NEXT STOP: UMAMI!
The Counter is another hip skewing of an age-old idea. It's a diner with flat-screen TV's and a rather clever way of taking orders (you mark a piece of paper and then hand it to the waiter. Not done often in diners). It's a younger establishment, with popular music playing and cold, sterile looking furniture. Sounds like they're trying too hard, huh?
But the food's good so you let the smirky, hipster attitude slide. And, as hip as the staff is, they're actually all pretty nice and happy to see you. And while it's not dirt cheap, it's not that expensive.
A note of caution: any type of cheese on your burger will melt into a messy goop that'll leak out from the patty and onto the plate. So maybe grab a couple extra napkins before you dive in.
Hmm... well first Ill say that I had really been looking forward to the opening of this joint. It had great buzz and looking at the menu made my mouth water for a great burger.
First the positives,
I love making my own choices about things and food is no exception. For me, the 1/3 lb burger with pineapple, blue cheese and bacon was just what the doctor ordered. ( Ok not REALLY the doctor because let's face it your doctor would never tell you to order a burger but you get the jist).
On my first visit, my burger was great, flavorful and cooked exactly as I like.
The wait staff are exceptionally friendly and accommodating. Definitely deliver a 4-5 star attitude.
The negatives:
Burgers are served reaaally rare. I love rare meat but this was kinda gross. They do "warn" you that their "medium" is a "medium rare" but it's not. My burger was seriously almost completely raw, on my second visit. Yuck :(
If you go order UP of the wellness of your burger, trust.
The burger wasnt huge and $8.50, it was tasty but a little on the average side.
Some toppings like bacon are extra, which is fine but I wish I had been told. Kinda irritating when you get the bill.
Onion shoe strings were not good. Way too greasy and pretty much no onion and all fat.
Just a warning, weekends at this location are Margot-Kidder-off-her -meds-wandering-the-streets-and-breaking-into-hous es crazy. I dont think you can make a reserve, so get there before lunch time to get a seat.
I would go back with friends, definitely a good addition to Studio City.
Whaaaaaaat? Im not writing reviews on Yelp when I should be looking for a job so that I dont become a homeless, grocery-cart pushing fool. Don't worry I have a good corner behind my local 7-11 staked out for a new pad as need be. :P
I've been at the Sherman oaks Counter and every time i have gone, i had bad service. I ordered a few things on the menu and when my food came not everything was there i ordered, and my burger was dry (nothing special). The atmosphere is very cold inside. i am in the food business and cant understand how any one can like something like this.
No service
No atmosphere
WAY OVER PRICED!!! wont be back
So by this point in time I feel as if virtually everyone has tried a burger from the counter so I am going to keep my review more service related.
I came to the Studio City location for a last minute dinner with a friend seeing as we were in the area and that just so happened to be the most appealing thing we could think of at the time. Upon arrival we were greeted and then promptly forgotten about as other patrons began to line up beside us. Were they clearing tables? Not that I could see... Were they taking care of other customers? One of the waiters was. Were they have a friendly chit chat amongst each other while diners waited to be seated? They sure were!
Regardless. Once seated we were approached by a very nice server who took our drink orders and asked if we were ready to order. I informed her my usual overwhelming amount of topping I was going to check off and needed a minute a calculate my burger. After 2 minutes of careful contemplation she came back to our table with drinks in hand and took out burger orders. My company and I waited in anticipation of our delicious meaty treats when suddenly chaos ensues! A patron at the table behind us had dropped a platter of condiments spewing yellow, red, white and orange liquids everywhere! I understand stuff like that happens and the people were apologetic and actually pretty funny about it. Considering my lack of concern about my own appearance and my general scumbag nature I was not at all concerned about whatever had gotten on me but I did however feel bad for the gentleman next to me that had gotten an abstract art piece added to the back of his nicely pressed white button down shirt. Ouch!
Once our food arrived(rather quickly) I was stunned to notice that they had completely neglected to add any of the premium toppings I had checked off on my list( bacon and a fried egg). My friends burger came out to to order so I insisted he start to eat as I waited for the waitress to return so I could express my need for that egg. After a 5 minute wait she came back to check up on us,I told her about my order and she took the burger back. I always get a little nervous returning food to the kitchen as if it's going to offend the chef or my food may come back with "a little extra something something" but I did it anyway. Minutes later my burger came back out, egg in tact(still no bacon) and I just decided to dig in. The burger was juicy but I think a little over cooked seeing as I did politely ask for medium rare. The egg however was extra runny! I could not have been happier with that aspect. It may have been because they rushed it out, who knows?
I can't give the place an entirely bad rating just because of one bad experience and I'm sure I will return seeing as it's in the neighborhood but I just hope that my next trip here is a better one.
Note: The "Burger of the Month" was a re-run that I have seen at The Counter twice already!!! Step it up!
The initial idea of creating your own hamburger was a bit blah...but when I saw the ingredients, it became way more exciting. Plus! Good conversation starter for a first date ;-)
Who knew that beef, with herb goat cheese & cranberries on a english muffin would be so good. *don't hate on it before you try it!!*
The food was decent. You can't argue with the plethora of burger options. That's just it though. EVERYTHING ELSE was good BUT the burger. The burger has a really so-so taste that doesn't stand out in any way other than it being more undercooked than your average restaurant burger. Blood does not bring flavor though and it's the quality of the meat that makes other burger places really shine.
I do like the fries and onion strings, decor and ordering method. If you go in a group though, be decisive, or you'll be waiting as long as it takes for your friends to piece together their ideal hamburgers.
The concept is so great; I'll definitely give The Counter another try. Maybe I over did it on the toppings. I just couldn't say no to bleu cheese.
They are so nice here! Great service and great food. The night we went, there was a Laker's game on the big TV above the bar (followed by the Tony awards) so the atmosphere was really jovial, like a big party -- the staff really added to that.
It's great that The Counter is opening up all around the place. Supposedly, they'll be a Pasadena location soon. Can't wait!
Oh -- make sure you save room for dessert! So nummy...
Lunch time on a Wednesday:
30 min wait for a table that ended when I pointed out to the hostess that there was an empty clean table in plain view. We then proceeded to seat ourselves.
Our orders were filled out and ready for the server before we sat down (must say this is a nice feature). Ordered 2 burgers, fries, and 2 beers. Very nice and friendly server with recommendations to what she thinks is good on the menu.
Here is the part where they might want to rethink the business plan:
40 mins wait for the food! The beers took about 3 mins, the fries about 10, the burgers 40 mins! I mean come on, its lunch time, I don't have time to just sit and wait for the never-ending burger prep! The excuse for the wait time is "your 1lb turkey burger takes a while to cook, so sorry for the wait." Seriously, 30 mins to cook a turkey burger? You have to be kidding me. This is not a 5 star restaurant this is a burger joint that lets to create your own burgers and your telling me its going to take 30 mins to cook a 1lb burger? That's BS!
Once the burgers arrive the fries are gone so we order another batch...queue the wait time! 10 more mins later another batch of NOT PIPING HOT fries show up. This leads me to believe they could have churned these out much faster if they had the drive to do so.
The food is gone and its time for the check....you guessed it, another 10 mins or so. Once we get the check it has a simple mistake on it but even correcting that takes about 10 mins as our server explained: "took me a few minutes to get the mistake sorted out, sorry it took so long to get back." Total: $50 with tip for 2 burgers, 2 fries, 2 beers.
This place knows they are slow and it seems they are getting by on their flagship SM locations reputation, which people rant about. I'm a very fair guy and if the food was amazing then I would say so even with terrible service. The Counter's food is on the level of any casual dinning place, i.e. Chili's, but priced to compete with a Huston's Hickory burger. I had hoped that they would have done at least one thing well but was sadly mistaken, however so slowly.
Unless you have a potentially endless amount of time to kill and are in the mood to try the "hot new joint" in the valley, with mediocre food....I would keep heading west on Ventura and try The Habit. At least the food will be how you ordered, quickly served, and less than half the price.
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