Cheeseburger Culture

A trip to Ocean Beach, San Diego is not complete without a visit to Hodad's. 

Hodad's is one of those secrets that you wish nobody else knew about, but since Guy Fieri blew their cover on his Food Network show "The Best Thing I Ever Ate," I figured I had the go ahead.  I mean, the line to get in stretches around the block most days.

According to their website http://www.hodadies.com/ and I can personally vouch for them,

"Hodad’s has been recognized as one of the top 5 burger joints in the country by CNN with Hodad’s being the only west coast restaurant to get recognized."

You can view the article here:
 http://www.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/04/16/burgers.five.to.go/index.html?iref=24hours

Regardless of their countless honors, there is something that Hodad's offers that can only be experienced.  It has a one-of-a-kind surf-punk, beach bum vibe.  "No shirt, no shoes, no problem" doesn't even begin to describe it.

Personalized license plates and street signs decorate the walls, surf and skate stickers stick to everything from the entryway to the longboard shaped tables and VW bus booth. 

The music playing is usually some revved up heavy metal and the beers are cold, local brews that are served in mason jar glasses. 

By far, the window is the best place to sit and people watch.  To begin with, the servers, whose faces haven't changed much over the last decade, embody the dark OB counter-culture and the unique characters hanging out front range from homeless vets and their dogs, to unique street performers like this guy - OB Phil

There really is no other place like Hodad's.  When you eat one of their ginormous burgers, you just feel cool.

So next time you visit Ocean Beach, don't be scared of the line - it's worth the wait.