The Counter Marina del Rey

Had the burgers and was not that impressed. The meat was very flavorless, the ingredients end up all over the place and I it did not seem to be as fresh as they should be. I found this place to make a desperate attempt to be like «Slater’s 50÷50»
To make things worse, the service sucked…

Can’t complain here ever. Great burgers you get to choose how your want them! I always like to get a cheeseburger nothing special but their parmesan fries are amazing! I love their milkshakes too! Nobody has better Oreo milkshakes then here!

God! I love this place! So many selections on toppings for a great burger or salad. Love when Jackie is working she’s always a pleasure. And always helps me make a good choice!

If you’re ready for a gourmet burger and fries at roughly twenty bucks a burger, you’re in for a treat. Swaying from our usual routine sandwiches at Mendocino Farms, my boyfriend and I decided to give The Counter a try since it’s in the same shopping center. Parking here can get a bit sticky. The lot is huge, but it always takes a few minutes to find an empty spot, no matter the time of day. After parking and walking in, we were led to a table at a pretty full restaurant (on a Wednesday evening) and handed menus. Our waitress asked if we were first timers and proceeded to explain the menu and made some suggestions. It was nice to see that she was enthusiastic about the menu and how to order. She recommended the Korean BBQ steak sandwich as a popular choice and my boyfriend decided to go with that. I chose the «bison is gouda» burger since it’s a leaner meat. There is also an option to create your own burger which is a fun way to pick and choose some unique flavors. I asked the waitress to cut the sandwich and burger in half so that we could share and she gladly obliged.
Korean BBQ Steak Sandwich– this sandwich was stacked with grilled skirt steak, lettuce, grilled onions, cucumbers, Korean chili aioli, and garlic aioli on top of a Hawaiian bun. The sandwich had very different flavors and textures from sweet to spicy to savory coming together to form a unique taste. The skirt steak was super tender, the cucumbers added a nice crunch and the chili aioli gave the sandwich the extra oomph with the spicy kick. There is a generous portion of meat on the sandwich and it’s super filling. There’s an option to order ¹⁄₃ lb or a ½ lb portion of meat, depending how hungry you are.
«Bison is Gouda» Burger– this burger had bison, gouda, bacon onion marmalade, fried egg, spinach, scallions, and house made thousand island sauce on top of a brioche bun. Aside from the healthy perks of bison in comparison to beef, the meat is very tender and soft to the bite. Most people can’t tell it apart from a beef burger! The smokey gouda and sweet bacon onion marmalade made this burger just right. I ordered this with a side of shoestring fries and extra house made thousand island sauce. YUM. At half a pound of meat, this was a pretty big burger.
At The Counter, you can go as lean or as fatty as you’d like to! The beauty of this restaurant is all the different protein options and the create-​your-​own burger, bowl, salad opportunities. Since we were first timers, we went with two signatures, but I’d like to create my own next time! They have a nutrition menu online, so you can see what you’re eating as well. The only downfall for this place was the price. Although both meals were pretty gourmet, we dished about sixty bucks (with tax and tip) for two burgers, fries and a side salad. Aside from the little dent in my wallet, I’m a fan.

Ok so besides the burger being amazing the milkshakes were fantastic. Reminded me of the good ol’ days when I’d go get some burgers and shakes with dad. Great place to relax and enjoy a burger

Everyone is going to rave about the burgers but:
1) the kids meal options are excellent
2) Starters are half off during happy hour
3) the milk shakes are amazing.

All these years and this is my first time here. I think every single friend I have (all of two of them) have eaten at this place. Attentive service. Decent draft beer selection. IMO build your burger is the way to go!

I love the counter! I’ve been here twice and everyone I come it takes me so long to decide what I want. Service, beer, wine, food, all amazing!
The last time I was there (Saturday night) I ordered a ½ pound burger on a Hawaiian bun. Added mayo, mustard, chipotle aioli, cheddar cheese, beef chili, lettuce and pineapple.
My mouth is watering just thinking about it! I love that the toppings and sauces come on the side so you can add as much as like.
I was in a food coma after this meal. Was it worth it? Hell yes!

I love coming back to his Counter. The services are always amazing. Check in to Unilocal and you get a side of fries. Their turkey chili is the da bomb! I had the crab cake salad this time. Loved it!

One of the better Counter locations, I’ve been dining here for a couple of years now and I’d rate it higher than the nearby Santa Monica location simply due to the people traffic which is less here. Both locations have really busy parking lots so off hours is the way to go with both.
Staff at this location is frequently pleasant and go about providing fast service. Food is usually top notch, chicken and beef burgers I’ve had zero complaints with. Counter prices lean towards 20% higher than most burger joints but I think their food quality is in the end worth it. Recommended.

Wow! I was impressed by the food! Most importantly the customer service provided by Rigo. I love his attentive personality. It was my first time in this establishment I did not know what to expect. Rigo’s customer service made my family and I feel welcomed. The food was excellent I could not remember when I had such a great burger! NO JOKE, THESE ARE THE BEST BURGERS! I CHALLENGE ANYONE TO DISAGREE!

Great burgers anyway you want, custom built. Remember the appetizer are half off during happy hour.

We went to the counter for a business lunch. It is located in a strip mall area. The room seats about 60 people accounting for the bar are as well. We were served promptly and saw a decent variety of a menu. We had the starter salad and it was fair. Nothing to jump up and down on. We then ordered the Parm Fries, Anaheim Jack and the 1/​3lb burger.
All were cooked perfectly. I honestly have not had such a juicy chicken burger in a very long time. It was perfectly cooked and tasted wonderfully. The ¹⁄₃ lb. burger was also cooked great and very juicy and tasty to devour. The Parm Fries are enough to feed three people. They are a nice change from regular fries. We liked them a lot.
Lastly, we had the Apple crumble ala mode. OMG, it was so good and they give you two scoops of very good quality vanilla ice cream. An absolute perfect way to end the meal. The Apple crumble is for two people, not one, unless you can handle it as that last scoop of Ice Cream gets ya every time. I would highly recommend the place if in the area.
By appearances, it looked as if they had a very good bar selection as well and a decent happy hour. The only reason I cannot give 5 stars is that the service was just ok. If it was better, it would have been a 5 star for us. However, I would go again for the food

The service here is slow. The people are perfectly friendly and knowledgable, but it just feels like when one of the servers goes into the kitchen or behind the bar, s/​he is gone for an incredibly long time.
I came here during lunch hour on a weekday, and even though there were several tables open, the guy before me and I still had to wait. The hostess kept going back and forth between a corner booth and the host stand, saying it would be just a moment. So that took a while, which didn’t seem necessary.
And then we sat down and got waters. And it was another five minutes or so before our server came back and got our oder. Then another 20 minutes – at least – until we got our food, even though the crowd had already starting thinning out before that. No water refills or fries in the meantime.
The food was good. The chefs included every single item that I checked off for my burger-​in-​a-​bowl, and the greens in it were particularly fresh. The fries seemed to be seasoned differently – with like a Cajun/​Creole seasoning, unlike fries from other locations I’ve visited – but I enjoyed the kick of flavor.
In the end, everything about this Counter is fine. It’s just that one visit here takes so darn long!

Best Service I’ve had in a LONNNGGGG Time!!!
Jessie and Eric were so amazing. Jessie paid attention to detail and gave suggestions when i didn’t know what sauce to pick. My burger was so good cooked perfectly. Jessie suggested the Thai Peanut sauce and Sesame Ginger sauce and called it a PB&J sauce mix. LOL thought that was super cool. Now Eric our host we need more people like him period. Super respectful and his service was just so genuine. Me and my date didn’t even wanna leave. Great Job to their Team definitely will be back to take Jessie up on that Shake for Dessert.

I know, I know. I’m probably the last person in LA to have tried The Counter Custom Built Burgers.
But maybe I’m not! I feel like The Counter is one of those places that we all know about, living in LA, but just don’t always make the journey to go try out ourselves. Like how we all know about The Ivy and Duke’s, but how many of us have ever frequented these famous establishments?
In any case, last week I tried The Counter for the first time and let’s just say I’m in love. If you haven’t made it out yet, you absolutely must.
I was CRAVING a veggie burger, and was driving past my allergist in Marina del Rey when I came across a Counter. Immediately I pulled over and decided to give it a try.
I had no idea it was a sit-​down restaurant — my intention had been to order a veggie burger to go — but in any case, I had a good book with me so I decided to just enjoy the dine-​in experience.
The staff was all really nice and helpful when they found out it was my first visit. Because I am picky, I opted to build my own veggie burger with Tillamook cheddar cheese, green onions, red onion, pickles, tomatoes, lettuce and garlic aioli on a brioche bun. YUM. Of course I also had to order fries with the burger.
It was so hard to take this picture before digging in when my food arrived. Look how amazing it looks! It tasted just as great. What I liked the most was the extensive customization options. From fun cheeses like horseradish cheddar, smoked gouda, brie and herbed goat cheese to funky sauces like apricot, cabernet mustard, red relish and various aiolis, and unique toppings like nicoise olives, grilled pineapple, alfalfa, carrot strings and grilled Anaheim peppers, the options are truly endless. I could see myself coming back and ordering a different burger every time.
I REALLY want to come back and try the «snacks.» The potato-​heavy menu includes loaded spuds with shredded cheddar, scallions and sour cream; chili cheese fries; Parmesan fries with roasted garlic aioli and crispy onion strings dipped in hickory BBQ sauce and buttermilk ranch.

03/​18/​2016
First time here:
Omg! We’re stuffed!!. We had 2 turkey burgers. One with brie (2 slivers is not enough of btw) the other with Jack cheese + greens on both. And shoestring fries (seems like half a tater). Turkey chili (we’d come back for that). The burger meat themselves was kinda sad (didn’t fit bun) compared to other burgers that passed us by. Nonetheless, we were filled to the brim. Definitely a comeback spot.

I built my own ¹⁄₃ pound burger and checked in for free fries. It’s pretty cool that you can stack whatever toppings you want on the burger and the beef quality is pretty good. However, I ordered my burger medium but it came out well done. I sat at the bar, watching the lakers game – which was painful to watch and Kobe wasn’t even playing.

Very nice and helpful staff. Greeted and seated within minutes and was given a review of the menu. Build your own burger concept similar to Slaters ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ but no vampire dip. I did make my own burger and it was very tasty. Pretzel bun with a ¹⁄₃ lb beef burger topped with pepper jack cheese and I added coleslaw and avocado. Pricey for a burger place but very tasty nonetheless!

The Counter = chill vibe, and delicious food. I had a build your own burger bowl. Portion size was excellent. The sweet potato fries are my favorite. The menu provides options for all types of eaters, even vegetarians. Excellent staff, and ample parking.

I always have a good experience here. The food is great, and the service is very friendly. Beware of weekends around dinner time as the place can get very busy with a long wait.
My favorite things to get here are the Backyard BBQ Bowl with chicken, and the sweet potato french fries. The food is always fresh and delicious! They’ve got a nice selection of beers here as well, and they offer a sample flight so you can get a taste of several.

Have to give kudos to the ‘weight AFTER cooking’; nothing like a pound of beef in the afternoon.
They were pretty busy, we wandered in on our own and found a seat, but they cleaned it up pretty fast. Parking was a challenge; huge lot that was absolutely packed
The food was as excellent as ever. Andrew was our go-​to guy, keeping the iced tea coming… but what’s up with ONLY ONE REFILL of Arnold Palmers? This made my wife unhappy and she wanted my to only give one star on the review.
All in all a good meal!

The Counter is always a satisfying delicious experience. It’s a build your own burger establishment. There is so much variety when it comes to meat choices for your burger, buns, french fries, salads for those watching carbs, shakes and more. This last visit I decided to try one of their signature built burgers, The Korean BBQ burger and a half n half order of sweet potato fries and parmesan fries. Sooo good. I came with a big party for lunch and the staff was very friendly and attentive. It’s a casual place to come hang out with family/​friends and grab some great food and even a drink.

Excellent experience! And a damn good burger. We came at lunch with a big party. I’m sure most waiters dread that but Andrew was great! He was patient with my wife’s multitude of allergies, and helped her make an informed and delicious decision. Thanks for accommodating us!

SOOOOOOO My co worker suggested we come here for lunch. and I was NOT impressed and I was actually bummed out because I heard great things about this place. I ordered the shoe string fries (which were amazing) and a Turkey burger. The best thing on the burger was the bun. It had no flavor, it taste kinda funny and was just not too appealing. I gave them 3 stars because the waiter was nice and willing but the food was just not that great. Maybe I tried the wrong thing. Maybe a 2^nd time will be a charm if I come back but I wouldn’t count on it

Great food, great service! Our waiter was a gentleman named Rigo. Such a rad dude, and a very attentive waiter. Super helpful and patient, and allowed me to try samples of beer before selecting one. I had to rave to the manager about his service after our experience there. The food is excellent and flavorful. What’s more rad than building your own custom burger accompanied by fries of multiple flavors and an amazing selection of beer?

Worst experience ever! I order a hamburger for my son and got a cheeseburger. I had to get up to grab a ketchup bottle from another table because my waitress didn’t come by till we were almost done with our food. She asked at the end to refill our drinks and never brought them back to the table. The manager saw my frustration but didn’t say anything simple asked me if I wanted my check. Than I had to pay my check at the take out register. I will never come back to this location.

This is one of our regular spots close to work.
Solid 4 on the food. Turkey Burgers, Bison Burgers, and the Burgers in a Bowl are consistently good. The fries are nice. During happy hour 3 – 7 on weekdays the fries are on special and the the 3 of us sometimes get one order each. Some of their drinks go on happy hour for $ 2 off (beer, cider, wine I believe — I’m a Doc’s Cider fan).
Staff: The regular servers are very nice. They recognize us and say hi. The bartenders have been cool as well. It seems like they don’t keep any staff members that don’t fit this mold, which is definitely a great customer service look.
It gets crowded during peak lunch and dinner times, so plan accordingly.

Meh. Not the best burger I’ve ever had but certainly pricy. Lunch ended up costing $ 54

I really liked this place. It is kinda hidden, off over to the side of California Pizza Kitchen.
I went there for Lunch and was impressed with the cool, laid back atmosphere. And… the Milkshakes… The milkshakes… AH… Heaven! and the fries! U got to pick out, via paper and pencil, all that u want on ur burger (i couldn’t get my mouth around it, and finally just «went for it». Love this «locals» spot!

I’m always satisfied with a burger from the Counter. This build-​your-​own burger place is great. I love toppings, so the unlimited toppings is a huge plus point for me. I’m very tempted to try a salad next time I go.
Can’t wait to visit again!

Counter is my most fav food place in the world! Period. As a brand yes, as a location this is probably the worst I have been to. Sorry to say, but it’s the truth (I have been close to 10 different counters btw). I eat at counter once a week, find me someone who does more :)
Reasons for this particular location getting bad ratings. People are real nice here though, so feel bad doing this
1. The smell? Smells like the plumbing got clogged, I have been here thrice, what’s the deal?
2. Pretzel bun sucks here. Don’t know what’s the deal? They don’t serve real pretzel bun
3. I have asked grilled Anaheim peppers on 4 different occasions at this location so far and everytime they give me green peppers, what am I missing?
Will update more as and when

No. Just no.
I was excited to try The Counter, I had heard from a friend that it was pretty good. But no, it was not. It started off very promising as my family and I checked out the vast menu then went downhill FAST. Waiter checked on us once… left our water glasses empty and oh! and I’m pretty sure the garlic aioli sits out ALL DAY with no type of refrigeration what so ever even though it seems like they slather it on EVERYTHING. Why do I think so you ask? Because I had a BLT and COTC which was slathered with the garlic aioli and was immediately sick within a good 30 mins. My ride home was not pleasant. So I will pass on the Counter in the future. Super disappointing because it held so much promise.

Great place —
Love across the street and frequent at least once a month, when people come from outta town we always bring them to the counter.
I would recommend any burger w blue cheddar crumble and make sure that you have a beer while your there.
Music staff and environment are all fun for any time of the week

yuuuuuum
came in hungover after all the Halloween revelries were over. no clue what I walked into, just knew I needed some beefy protein
sat at the counter, my server helped me figure it out, and BAM! made myself a fine ass burger suited to my tastes that eradicated the majority of my hangover. add on the fine tunage playing in the background with some solid nfl and a glass of pineapple cider, and ding ding ding, am coming back indefinitely!
I’d certainly return during non-​peak hours/​days. 1^st visit was a Sunday around noonish/​1p, not crazy packed til I left. 2^nd visit was a Friday evening about 8p; most of the seating was occupied, but still got seated quite quickly. food was not as lovingly made as my first visit, but what is there to expect on high volume days?

Wow! If you are a person who enjoys a great burger from meat to veggie you are in love. I love the fact you get select the size of the burger. They have excellent customer service from the minute you arrive to the minute you leave.
I tried the veggie burger that was one of the best I ever had. I’m not a vegetarian. If you are a true vegetarian you will love the veggie burger. I highly recommend the turkey burger if you are a person who loves turkey. They make great french fries with numerous of selections.
You have plenty of private lot parking.

Have eaten there four times, searching for a great turkey burger but have not found it there.
Expected the turkey burgers to be tasty, but was consistently disappointed. I was shocked a 3 inch corn on the cob was $ 3, Definitely not a restaurant for value,
Bison burger was good.
Jack H
Playa Vista

Awesome spot. Food and service is great. Gem in the sparse marina. Beer and wine are great too with constantly changing selection.
Oh, and they have bison burgers!

Great burger selection!!! Amazing sides and tons of options. Andrew our server was super patient and knowledgeable about the menu! I love that you can do fish meat or chicken on your burger!!!
This place is a great option for food and is reasonably priced for good quality.

Good burger joint that lets you customize your burger in many different ways. I’d give it four stars except for the fact that it is a bit spendy for a burger.
I remember going to this place about six years ago when there was one in downtown Salt Lake City. Unfortunately, it did not last long (about a year) before it shut down. I think primarily the problem was that it was a $ 20 burger lunch (after you account for the burger, a side, drink, tax and tip). Was on a family vacation a few weeks back and saw it so I thought I’d give it another try.
Think of it as a Five Guys with more options for protein as well as toppings (but also about twice the cost for a burger). Definitely better tasting than a Five Guys if you go all gourmet but if you were to do a burger with a topping for topping matchup, I don’t know that it is a whole lot better and, at least in my opinion, not worth the premium. Some may argue this is an unfair comparison. And you may be right as Five Guys is fast casual and Counter is a sit-​down full service restaurant. But in my mind, they serve the same core items.
Anyhoo…
The burger is good. It’s actually very good. Patty is moist, tender and flavorful. Definitely no frozen beef (at least it sure doesn’t taste like it). The toppings are fresh and good. And you could go nutso with the amount of toppings you want to stack on top of your burger. I’m Asian and it is built into my DNA to get my money’s worth. Accordingly, I stacked my burger tall with stuff that I didn’t even care that much for because, well, I’m paying for it aren’t I (and I’m down with the whole getting my money’s worth philosophy because. .. . I already told you. .. . it has to do with one of my defining demographic attributes)?
The sides are good as well. I really liked the sweet potato fries and the crispy onion strings. Dipping sauces are pretty fantastic as well.
Service was excellent and a good place to bring kids (we brought ours). If I’m in the neighborhood of another Counter Burger, I’ll come back.

After spending an afternoon wine tasting, I was ready for dinner. Decided to stop in The Counter and meet my cousin & her hubby for dinner and try this place out.
I order a few custom burgers, one was the ¹⁄₃ lb burger, medium rare with a gazillion toppings including a sunny side up egg. That was tasty!!!
My other one was the 1-​lb ahi tuna burger… and I am very disappointed to say this was THE WORST BURGER AND TUNA of any kind I’ve ever had! It should be removed from the menu altogether… you’ve been warned.
The Ahi tuna for sure is not ahi or sushi grade. First, the tuna should have been left as a steak rather than minced up to form a burger patty. It had a fishy smell reminiscent of not fresh tuna. Inside the sear, the tuna meat was grayish in color, not the vibrant red one would expect to see in a 1-​lb tuna steak, NOT worth the $ 22 they charge (without the toppings). Secondly, whatever the seasoning used is way to salty. It was like eating something just removed from a brine.
Basically, stick with the beef, bison, or chicken.
Whatever you do, I strongly recommend against the tuna option here!
That was an epic fail, partly my fault for being adventurous and willing to try new things at all restaurants/​food establishments I visit.

Tried: Tried the turkey burger and was really impressed. Turkey was very moist. ¹⁄₃ lb size was perfect, wasn’t feeling too full afterwards. Topped with plain lettuce, tomato and cheddar cheese and avocado. So good, I didn’t need ketchup (or west coast mayo). Side of sweet potato fries.
Perks: Was happy to find out that there are locations on the East Coast! And check in on Unilocal for free side of fries!
Overall impression: Really enjoyed the burgers and atmosphere here. Offering a plethora of Great selections to build your own burger, beef, chicken, turkey, bison or pick from custom made burgers. Perfect for groups.

I came here for lunch on a weekday and the restaurant only had about 6 tables filled. There was no one to seat us, so we decided to grab booth. We had a flag down a waiter after sitting there awkwardly for a couple minutes. When a waiter came, he handed us menus and left before we could place our drink orders.
Anyways, I opted to make my own burger, which consisted of a beef patty, lettuce blend, tomatoes, banana peppers, grilled onions, and garlic aioli. I checked in on Unilocal and got a free side of shoestring fries.
I was on my lunch break and our food took ridiculously long to come out of the kitchen. Once our burgers came, I had to scarf down my food and I couldn’t really enjoy my meal. Overall, my burger and my meal was just okay.

It was my first time in the area so my friend’s family wanted to treat us to lunch. Although I didn’t drive, finding parking is kind of a pain. The area was busy and packed! We had to circle the parking lot a few times until we finally saw someone leaving. Mind you, this was on a Saturday… of course, it would be busy.
‘The Counter’ is similar to ‘Stacked’ in San Diego. It’s a burger joint so they offer a variety of burgers or you can ‘Build Your Own Burger.’ I opted to build my own. I always have to throw a fried egg on top of (almost) everything! I also ordered an Arnold Palmer– refills are not complimentary.
We were seated near the window which was nice because we got a little breeze during that warm day. The décor is nice and the service was good. Overall, it was a good experience.