On our last visit to Ocean Beach we had lunch at Hodad's again. This time, we had to wait outside for a couple of minutes. Once seated, we got the attention of one of the servers quickly and ordered immediately. Friendly, honest, San Diego surfer attitude. Very nice. Shortly after, the drinks arrive. At first, the waiters seem very busy. One might think that it could take some time to get a meal. Surprisingly not. Service is fast, food is delivered within a few short minutes. The fact that it is crowded with characters, tourists, locals makes it a diverse scene.
The burgers at Hodad's in Ocean Beach were particularly good. The patties and bread they use is well selected. Their signature is the folded onion in combination with crisp lettuce and tomatoes. Even on busy days, consistent burger quality.
The atmosphere is beach casual. All sorts of folks can be found as mentioned above. Very mixed aged crowd. A line forms often, usually a maximum of 5 minutes wait time until you get seated. Orders are completed quickly. The servers are young locals , surfers, genuine San Diego attitude. Friendly and open. They have this numberplate decoration. The word Hodad refers to a person (mostly in the beach communities during the 50's). Hodads are described as either as a poser with a surfboard on the beach or a certain youth culture that co-existed with surfers on the beach but would be completely seperated from each other. Whether you call them posers or youth culture, Hodad's do definitely not surf. Many of the servers at Hodad's do actually surf. In front of Hodad's is the Hodad Car. It is a VW Bully Bus, one of those VW hippy buses. It is shorter, pick-up shaped and has funny looking wheels. This custom pimped out Hodad Car, is equipped with an installed surfboard that sticks out of the car (since it is a Hodad car, it is probably not for surfing). This customized "surf" bus is a real eye-catcher.
Hodads Burgers have been recently featured on the Food Network and they have a reputation for great burgers in the San Diego Community. If you are looking for Burgers, look no further. Go to Ocean Beach, enjoy the boardwalk, check out Newport Avenue with its many shops and stores. There is a great green tea store around, called The Whole Leaf. Be aware that it is not open all the time and it makes sense to call them and tell them that you are planning to visit them.
Get your Burger at Hodads on Newport Avenue. Once you finished lunch, walk around the corner and have a tea ceremony that enables you to taste their tea.
Have a wonderful day in Ocean Beach.
Details:
Hodads Burger Joint
5010 Newport Avenue, Ocean Beach
San Diego, CA, 92107
Phone Number: 619 224 4623
Hours of Operation: Lunch and Dinner daily, i guess 11 AM to 10 PM
Here is my older Review about Hodad's $7.25 Lunch Special!!!