The Counter Fremont

Food is always good considering you can custom make your order. However, be careful when ordering the cook of your burger! Burgers were unanimously pink all around the table.
The reason for the 3 stars is simply just the service. So many employees on the floor at all times, but just standing around and/​or dazing off into space. From certain tables in the restaurant you have a clear view into the kitchen. Whoever manages this location REALLY needs to warn their employees not to stand right at the kitchen door entrance if they’re just going to be goofing off and not working. It’s offense to customers who are actually expecting service.

My family and I have been to The Counter Santana Row many times, and this is our favorite hamburger place. We were in the Fremont area, so this was our first visit to this location. The entrance area is a little hidden. They have an indoor and outdoor dining areas. We had an early dinner here on a weeknight, so place wasn’t too crowded. My hubby had the Meltdown grilled chicken sandwich with provolone, sauteed mushrooms, grilled onions, chiles and basil pesto. Our daughter had the mini cheeseburgers with a caramel java malt shake. While I had the Old School cheese burger. We all shared a side of sweet potato fries. Our burgers, fries and drinks were good as always.

Take off a star for really high prices. Everything here though is dope, from the high-​quality meat (not just beef, but chicken and fish also– and veggie patty) to the random toppings you can put. Me being a person who «does weird shit and eats it» (according to my gf), I love this infinite customization. The inner mathematican wants to calculate every permutation and combination of burger in this place. I really like how it has an option to do no-​bun so you can get it on a bed of greens if you want. Definitely is high on my list for places in Fremont.

Love this place. The food and drinks are great and the staff loves our dane. Bree, the manager is fantastic.

It has a few little flaws but damn. What a burger. And great beers and for low-​carbers like me (I went bunless on the burger), not a bad wine list. Nice patio set up. Perhaps the best reason to go to Fremont that I can think of right now.

Came here with the SO because I’ve been badgering him about it and reliving the goodness that was The Counter way back in the olden times. Times have changed… I can’t remember the last time I went to The Counter, but it has definitely been at least 7 years and I went to the Santana Row location back then. I loved the customization feel of the restaurant and have wanted to come back again for some time. I never really did until last night and was excited to create my own burger monster! Muahahaha *rubs evil burger mustache*
When we arrived, it wasn’t too crackin’ so we were able to sit anywhere we wanted. We were introduced to the restaurant’s updated menus (aka they took hella stuff out and put other stuff in and upped their prices by $ 3-​$ 4). Looking through it I was appalled by the price tag for the burgers! $ 13 for a ½ lb not including «premium toppings», and $ 19 (rounded up from 18-​something) for a 1 lb.
The SO saw these prices, slack-​jawed and wide-​eyed, yet ordered the 1-​lb burger anyway after hearing that I’ll be taking care of the tab LOL –_​_​–
We ordered the following:
Loaded tots
1-​lb beef burger
½-​lb beef burger
Bacon/​onion marmalade (premium topping)
Avocado (premium topping)
Bacon (premium topping)
We contemplated adding in a side order of fries or something, but both knew without saying that our tab was already high enough with what we ordered. So we didn’t. The above premium toppings we got were $ 1.25 each. EACH!
*Note: Get free premium topping with Unilocal check-​in. Just sayin’. I have got to stop saying ‘premium topping’.
I do want to say my burger was pretty darn good. They added all the toppings/​sauces I wanted. The tots were crispy and had sprinklings of bacon and scallion. The SO said he did not think that he got a 1-​lb burger. He compared what he got at The Counter that night to not even close to a 1-​lber at Fuddrucker’s. You see, usually he would be ready to pass out and take a nap in the car after a 1-​lb burger from Fuddrucker’s; when we ate at the Counter, he said he still had room for a snack after his 1-​lb burger. ??? Scientists disprove this?
Service was ok too. Our waitress (Alaina? I totally forgot even though she mentioned it and I tried to remember but I also couldn’t hear very well so I don’t have it in memory) was nice and made a comment about my SO finishing his burger lol. You should see what he does with a pizza from Papa Murphy’s. That thing is murk’d within minutes. All the staff we interacted with were welcoming and there was no attitude detected, a plus in my opinion.
In the end, it was like running into an old high-​school friend at Target — cool but I don’t think I want to do it again. For the price, I could have gone somewhere where the SO and I could stuff ourselves to combustion.

First time ever trying The Counter and I really enjoyed this place. I like how you have the option to build your own burger or chose something off the menu. Love how they have the «salad bowl» where you can have a patty of your choice on a bed of greens with all the fixin’s. It’s nice to have a healthy alternative while still being able to treat yourself a lil. Got the Asian Veggie and the it was not only delicious but filling. The veggie patty was huge!
They also have a full bar and indoor/​outdoor seating was plenty. Will definitely come again to try making my own creation and also one of their shakes.

I love The Counter. I first experienced one of their magical burgers after a day of hiking and cliff jumping in Arroyo Seco and visited the Santana Row location. This is was my first time visiting the newer Fremont location and it was definitely well-​deserved after an early morning hike at Mission Peak.
The first thing I noticed was that this location is noticeably bigger, and we were able to walk right in and get seated right way. Yay, no 45min+ wait time! I also really appreciated that the hostess sat us at a 4-​seat table despite it being only 2 of us; we both had motorcycle helmets and back packs, so the extra seats were definitely put to good use! We were greeted immediately by our server, who quickly brought us our beverages and returned to take our order. Service was great, no complaints!
The food was delicious as always. You almost have to strategize how you’re going to eat your burger because even the smallest patty easily becomes a mountain after adding all the delicious toppings. Also tried their fried pickles for the first time and was very please! It was served with an apricot jam, which was pretty good, although I do prefer the standard spicy ranch-​like sauce that most places pair fried pickles with.
My only complaint is that it gets really expensive really quickly, especially considering that a burger doesn’t come with a standard side dish included in the price. However, they use high quality meats and ingredients, and for that I am more than willing to shell out the few extra dollars every now and then.

I usually go to the Counter over at Santana Row but this one’s closer to home and all I can say is 5 stars overall!
The food was great, you basically make your own burger and how mine came out was perff! I love sweet potato fries and this place makes it so bomb lol.
And to top off the good meal, Nhi was our server! She made sure we had everything we needed and checked up on us often. Definitely someone with awesome server skills and good work ethic!!!
I will be coming back!

I’m not a big fan of burgers but this place delicious. I opted for the build your own burger and my favorite part was the Brie cheese. This is the only place I’ve gone to that offered this. The chili cheese fries is a must.
Nhi was our server and she deserves a 5 star. I would return just for her! She was friendly, energetic and attentive. I was going to be boring and order the pre made burgers on the menu but she convinced me to make my own and gave me some suggestions on what to pick/​order.
Overall great food, service and environment!

I usually don’t get burgers, nor do I crave em often. but one day I decided to visit the counter.
The food was delicious, fries are always on point, the restaurant atmosphere was great, and importantly the service was impeccable!
I wanted to shoutout our server Nhi who gets an
A+++ for her service. She’s friendly, courteous, entertaining, and always checked in at the right times. I asked for suggestions, and she instantly provided me options. She also instantly connected with our table, and that’s also what made our visit to the counter personable.
Definitely coming back thanks to Nhi!!!

This place is a total hit or miss on how good the food will be.
The first time I came here I did the create-​your-​own with a burger and salad. Didn’t expect what they brought out — a burger patty plopped down on a salad. However, it was absolutely delicious so I didn’t mind cutting up the burger myself.
Came here this past weekend and created my own burger, but on a bun. I was surprised at how small the burger was when it came out and I was still hungry at the end of the meal, after having fries as well. For $ 13 I expect to be full, that was incredibly disappointing. The burger didn’t taste very seasoned or flavorful like the last time. Also I got the burger cooked «medium» — when I got to the middle of the burger, it was so pink and soft that I double-​checked how hot it felt to reassure myself it was actually cooked. Later that night I wasn’t feeling so well, and woke up during the night to a minor bout of food-​poisoning, which makes me think it was not cooked properly. The SO had his well-​done and he was fine.
Service is very irregular at this location. Both times I’ve been here, we were introduced to our waiter/​waitress to never see them again throughout the whole meal and had a completely different person each time bringing/​taking food away.

Very disappointed my family and I went on Saturday 09^th of April 2016, 5 of 7 of us got food poisoning, my sun called to inform manager they said they would get back to us. We have been ill missing work and no one has called.
Thank you for caring

The Counter is one of the few chains that I actually like because it’s consistently good. You can build a custom burger, salad or cocktail. Be sure to check in for a free premium topping! I recommend getting the shoestring fries and crispy onion strings combo (listed under appetizers) to share.
The outdoor seating is great on warmer days. The service was so nice, too. They brought water in a paper cup for our dog.

The service here is the best. Welcoming and happy. Though the weather was a little wet the energy was still strong.
Entering: there were only two servers on floor and though they both were with guests Tracy acknowledged us and seated once she had a chance.
Ordering: as The Counter is a «build your own burger» or choose from the menu type of place. We opted to choose our ingredients. Tracy was very informative on how it worked since it was my roommate’s first time there.
During: we were checked upon a perfect amount. Not over bearing and not neglected. Let’s say she noticed my water was filled less than 3 minutes it was emptied.
Check and leaving: Tracy noticed our meals being finished slowly but surely and approached us about our check and asked if we needed boxes.
Food: since it IS a custom order all I can say is that the meat was cooked the way I wanted and the sweet potato fries and onion strings were mouth watering.
Perfect for a casual date with a friend or girl/​boyfriend and great for family meals but the burgers are a big size even for a ¹⁄₃ pounder.

Overpriced burgers, your burgers can easily reach $ 20 if you don’t stop it with the premium toppings. At the end we paid more than what we usually pay at a sushi restaurant and we weren’t entirely satisfied with our meal. I was still hungry…
I customized my burger which came out to at least $ 10. Medium cooked beef, basic veggies, sharp cheddar, habanero salsa… The habanero salsa tasted literally like water, I could not taste anything. Fortunately I had a coupon for free side of fries which kept me from starving. My bf had one of their special burgers which came out to at least $ 15. WTF. That is definitely 3 in n out meals right there. No sides or anything. Presentation wise, they looked good and we had a hard time figuring out how to eat them. Cut the burger in half and just open your mouth wide.
There’s usually a wait during peak hours, so please be aware of that. The burgers here are OKAY and your milkshake plus fries plus burgers can turn out to be very expensive… We probably won’t be returning here anytime soon even though we still have that free fries coupon. Just not worth it.

Another branch of a regional chain serving burgers, with the twist being that you can choose from lots of options with which to customize your burger. It was a somewhat interesting concept when it first rolled out about 8 – 10 years ago, but these days feels rather mainstream.
Prices seem a bit high for what you get, but it’s all to be expected if you start piling on the ingredients without keeping tabs on cost. Overall, at this outlet, the results are rather decent and dependable. Not super amazing, but certainly not bad.

I definitely like the concept of how The Counter works. Choose your type of meat and put whatever shit and however much you want on top. Stacks on stacks on stacks. From their Signature burgers to your own customized burgers, The Counter definitely tops it off with what they have to offer!
I’ve gone here a few times to try a few of their Signature burgers and also to build my own as well. I would have to say having the option to put whatever the hell I want on my meat is a gift from heaven ;) Though toppings can be an extra $ 0.50 to $ 1, some is worth stacking on top. In the end you get to choose as many sauces as you want but the more you choose an extra $ 0.50 it is!
I think the only thing I hate about this place is that I get overly excited building my own burger that I don’t realize that I created like a $ 16.00 LOL. Just be careful with what toppings you choose; the more you put on top the more your burger will cost you.
Their sides here are really good especially their fries! Parmesan fries, sweet potato fries, friend onion strings, loaded fries, etc! All their fries are top notch and they definitely go well with a fat piece of meat in your mouth AND a nice cold glass of beer. Oh right alcohol! Ask them what they have on tap; they usually have something different every month :)
All in all, this place is a great burger joint! You don’t get that many chances to customize your own burger do you? Recommended to try if you haven’t already :)
P. S. I would like to give a shout out to one of their servers there. Probably one of the best service I’ve had in a while. He was very friendly and always checked up on us. Definitely had a great sense of humor too! Hope my next time at the counter I get Danny as my server again :) Not gonna lie, but he’s a good looking guy as well ;) #datbootygain

The counter is a very unique build your own burger joint that has multiple toppings for basically unlimited burger combinations.
My gf and I came on a Sunday night, it was about a 15 – 20 minute wait to get seated. When we got seated our server was very polite in explaining the process to my gf to has never been there before. The custom process goes as follows: pick the type of protein that come in either 1/3,½ or full pound patties, cheese, no limit on toppings, sauce and bun. *premium items are at an extra price. Ex.) bison patty is an extra 4 dollars. Fried egg topping is an extra dollar. *cry.
As we waited we ordered a combo of garlic Parmesan shoestring fries and onion strings. The serving size was more than enough and for 6.50 was well worth it. When we got our burgers, we got it done medium as they recommended, mine was nice and juicy and had an excellent char to it. Unfortunately for my gf hers was more on the rare side, as it was more pink, and had little char flavor to it.
This place is fun because you have a vast amount of choices to top your burger and its perceived as gourmet. I honestly would go to another burger place at a fraction of the price. Although the burger was delicious as well as the fries, they don’t scream 28 dollars for 2 in my mind. 3.5 stars.

Great Food, Great Customer Service, Great ambience (sorta looks like a lighter Chipotle)
It’s a little too loud and noisy though for meetings or any conversation unless you’re sitting shoulder to shoulder. Outdoor seating seems nice. With heaters to make sure you stay warm.
Burgers are good, you get to customize/​create your burger on a piece of paper with your pencil. Starts at about 9 $ but to add fries or other normal things it’s 3 $ here or .50 there. Sorta crazy.
It’s just so over priced. Otherwise I would be a regular.
Trained staff does well but sometimes they seem to forget their tables? It has happened to me 2 separate times I have been there. Tell the hostess to stop being a robot about specials… Stop just reading the script in your head and smile some.