American Eats: California. Hodad's
What Arkansas lacks in the eating experience, California makes up for.
For all of California’s problems (which are practically innumerable these days), they do have a lot of fantastic places to get a meal. And while the most unusual of those is this a very good Mexican restaurant located in a sketchy Quality Inn in Barstow, the best eats in California are in Ocean Beach.
Hodad’s is one of the places that I discovered from being a fan of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. When Hodad’s was featured and I knew that I would soon be visiting San Diego, it immediately became a must visit on that trip.
Rarely does a restaurant featured on television meet expectations. This place far, far exceeded them.
Understand what you are getting when you go to Hodad’s. You are going to a burger bar that is run by an old school punk rocker. That’s the ethos. If that’s not your scene, you should probably go someplace else because Hodad’s won’t be for you.
But if your scene is hamburgers, then there is no better place than Hodad’s. The burger menu is extensive and the burgers are so fantastic that only one place in the world exceeds them.
Yeah there are chicken and vegan options, but you’re not going to want those.
The burgers are *massive*. If you order the double, you’re not going to need those fries or onion rings unless you are planning on sharing with a friend. Not to say that the fries and rings aren’t fantastic; everything is fantastic at Hodad’s.
Let me talk about the bacon cheeseburger. Most places, when you order a bacon cheeseburger, put some strips of bacon on the burger and call it a day. Here, they chop up the bacon into pieces and form a patty that is the same size as your burger. Every bite of your bacon cheeseburger contains both bacon and cheeseburger. It’s genius and I don’t understand why more places don’t do this.
Did I mention it was a beer bar? Because they also have an extensive list of their own Hodad’s Brews as well.
The thing about Hodad’s is that going is more than just about the food. It’s about the vibe. It’s about the experience. It’s about the hundreds of license plates on the walls, and the stickers that are all over the place. It’s about how people of all walks of life come to a beach town to get burgers in a place that carries the old-school vibe of a bar for beach bums. It is an experience that is worth your time and money in spades.
If you are in San Diego, Hodad’s is a must-visit establishment.