Hopdoddy Burger Bar

This place is mediocre, especially when you factor in the prices, the food should be amazing for what we paid. The service was quick and we were seated right away, which is why they get two stars.
The burgers were flavorless and way over cooked. There was almost no chili on the Terlingua burger, and my son was unable to eat his normal burger because it was over cooked and over salted. The shakes were not good either: the chocolate one had a weird coconut taste and the salted caramel one was more whipped cream than milkshake.
Pretty much nothing was more than half consumed by the time we were done, which is like wasting $ 30 worth of food. The server did not seem to care when she asked how everything was and we explained that we were unhappy.
It could have been so nice, but I cannot see going back to Hopdoddy to pay that much money for crummy food.

Had an amazing classic burger with egg and caramelized onion, and a tasty magic shroom with cheddar cheese instead of the goat cheese.
We tried a the truffle fries and was just great
Next time I will try their shakes, they seem very tasty

I have been here twice but unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll be back.
The first time I went I ordered the Nutella pretzel shake. For $ 6.50, I have to say it didn’t quite live up to my expectations flavor-​wise. It came in a medium-​sized cup when for that price, you’d think you’d get a taller glass with the metal cup on the side. For less money you can get a much better shake at Ruby’s Shake Shack.
During my second visit, I ordered a black bean burger. I’m not a vegetarian, but I do enjoy a good bean and veggie patty from time to time. My husband ordered a burger with caramelized onions, jalapeños and BBQ sauce. We also ordered a couple of shakes. This time I decided to try the Red Velvet one since it looked good in pics I’ve seen on Unilocal and Instagram.
The black bean burger was dry, and crumbled apart as soon as I started eating it. It didn’t have any flavor and was a weird red color from beets mixed in it. My husband said his meat was undercooked, not charred at all and flavorless. The onions weren’t caramelized and the jalapeños were raw.
The Red Velvet shake was very disappointing. It just didn’t have any flavor. I’m not sure if it’s the kind of ice-​cream they use or maybe the red velvet cake being bland, or both.
I basically ate maybe 3 bites of my burger, and when the server came back, we told him it wasn’t very good. He apologized and told us it’s very popular there. He didn’t take it off our bill.
We won’t be back.

Sometimes I wished Unilocal allowed us to score places on a scale from 1 to 10 rather than 1 to 5, because I always seem to be torn half way between two numbers.
Such is the case with Hopdoddy for me. It’s a solid choice with good food and service, but there is nothing here that overly impresses for all the hype. So it feels like a 3.5 star kind of place.
Basically it’s another gourmet burger bar. It’s getting hard to differentiate one gourmet burger bar from another, so I’ve tried 4 dishes here to see if they offer anything unique. All were very solid with minor drawbacks.
For example, the La Bandita veggie burger has good presentation with a bright red veggie patty, and the toppings and sauces were very tasty. But the patty (the most important part) did not have nearly the flavors other veggie burgers do. The menu said it was a black bean burger with lots of other tasty ingredients mixed in, but if it wasn’t for the toppings and sauce, I’m not sure I could have tasted anything other than the beans. They were overpowering everything else.
The angus beef burgers were much better though. Thick and juicy. Although probably the least healthy of all the options on the menu, it was easily the best tasting. But was it better than similarly priced burgers at Slaters, the Counter, Umami, or even Deemer’s? No. It’s in the same ballpark probably, but there is nothing here you can’t get at a dozen other high end burger joints in OC. And although the burgers are decent size, they are not huge like Slater’s.
I’m told the chicken and turkey burgers are some of their best, so I will have to come back and check those out.
For side dishes, the french fries were whatever (hard to be blown away by fries) but the quinoa side dish was excellent.
Most burgers are between $ 9 – 14 each. For one burger, some fries and a iced tea, you’ll spend between $ 20 – 25 with tax and tip. That seems a little high for the small amount of food, but if you want to have lunch in Newport that’s not terrible.
The ambience is nice, but there is nothing too unique about it. It’s basically a bar with TV’s all around and some tables around the outside. The green plastic chairs seem out of place with the rest of it, but I usually don’t really care too much about anything other than the food and service. :)
So all in all, a solid place, but most likely nothing is going to overly impress you.

Came for restaurant week, $ 10 specials. Depending on your burger, some were better value. Nice, trendy restaurant. If you have more than 4 in your party you will be sitting outside, they can’t accommodate parties more than 4 inside. Works if it’s a nice day out. They do have heaters but my sister said when they went, it was still cold.
I got the ahi burger on wheat $ 13.25! Just a «gourmet» burger! Wow! No side or anything! It was tasty though, liked the mixture of flavors in the burger. I would have loved more of that wasabi mayo.
My friends all got different burger/​& they all looked great! And they said they all enjoyed it as well. Prime time burger, poblano burger & oldtimer I believe.
Most of the girls got the fries which wasn’t even the truffle fries but they were think& crispy. I got the salted Carmel milkshake which said hand spun. However when I asked for it thicker than thinner, waiter said it comes out of a machine. So how is it handspun then? Hmmm…
Service was decent. Great patio seating shoe nice days. I will go back to try the spicy burger but more of a special treat. Normal burger meals, stick to red robin!

A middle of the road Burger parlor at Fashion Island.
The newly opened Hopdoddy Burger Bar features a rectangular bar as the focal point and an open kitchen to showcase their cleanliness (which really is leagues above their peer group) along with the best level of service in gourmet Burger game. Their shakes, cocktail and local craft beer lists are all remarkable. All of the Burgers can be customized with everything from meat grade upgrades, exotic meat patties and even a fried egg making the experience your own. Perhaps Hopdoddy’s biggest advantage to the rest of the growing segment is the fact you can customize a Burger in any way you see fit a la Fuddrucker’s (without the sneeze guards and sticky menus).
I started with an order of their Truffle Fries and must admit Hopdoddy knows their spuds. The Fries were freshly cooked to order. They came out piping hot and oozed of Truffle Oil and Garlic. Matched with the Truffle Aioli these Fries were a stone cold lock. If you only stop for a drink, get the Truffle Fries as a snack, you will not be disappointed.
On to the main events:
The K-​Town Belly Burger comes with a Grass-​Fed Beef patty, Braised Beeler’s Pure Pork Belly, Kimchi, Gochujang, Korean «Rice Crispies», a large dollop of Mayonnaise, and interestingly enough — Basil Leaves. I love a good Kbeebz Burger and was very excited to try Hopdoddy’s version but must admit that I found the flavors were muted if not extremely subdued. Being accustomed to Umami Burger’s KBBQ Burger I was pretty disappointed. I suppose they didn’t want to scare anyone away but I don’t think anyone in K-​Town would be impressed with this Burger as the the Kimchi was absolutely terrible, the Pork Belly didn’t really fit in the flavor profile, the Gochujang lacked any real kick… Oh — and the Mayo was an incomprehensible addition. Who has ever had mayonnaise with Korean Barbecue?
The Primetime fared much better. The ingredient list includes a premium Texas Akashi Beef patty, Brie Cheese, Arugula, Caramelized Onions, Truffle Aioli, and a Steak Sauce I asked for on the side. The quality of the Beef in comparison to the K-​Town Burger was very evident from the start and I immediately wished it wasn’t overcooked because that Akashi is killer stuff. Sadly, the patty came out medium plus when medium rare was ordered. I hate that. Just like you do.
That said, the soft Brie, fragrant Onions, peppery Arugula and Truffle Aioli all shined on their without being too busy, plus the bun to meat ratio was about perfect. I would try this one again as I think it would be a home run if they meat temperature would have been on point.
I suppose it is time for the direct comparisons.
Thanks to The Orange County Register there has been plenty of fanfare for the two newest and trendy Burger spots in OC; Hopdoddy Burger Bar and Holstein’s. There are numerous comparisons to be made between the two but I can say with utmost certainty that they are both very average in the grand scheme of things. R+D Kitchen, Summer House, SideDoor, Umami Burger, 25 Degrees, Crow Burger Kitchen, G Burger and even Slater’s ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ offer better Burgers at this price point so I don’t really understand why their «Burger Battle» only had these two entries. I digress…
A decent Burger experience if you are already in the area.

Bless your soul, lil hopdoddy! Ben recommended we try this place for NBRW at $ 10/​person for lunch for your choice of burger + fries/​milkshake. True, I wouldn’t normally get a milkshake (well perhaps fries), but you still can’t beat the price for a bougie burger for $ 10!
I came UBER late (Sorry, Ben) but he told me that when you sit down, they tell you a little history of hopdoddy and how their buns are fresh… or something along those lines. Haha
FOOD:
Buffalo Bill [5/​5] l 10 — Bison, Apple-​Smoked Bacon, Blue Jack Cheese, Frank’s Hot Sauce, Sassy Sauce. YAAASSS sassy sauce for sassy me! All my favorite flavors in one. If fireworks could’ve been in my mouth, it would’ve been there when I took that first bite into the burger. Only downside was that I was told the bison would be medium rare, but it came out to be medium.
Ahi Tuna [5/​5] l 12.50 — Sushi-​Grade Tuna, Sprouts, Teriyaki, Honey Wasabi, Nori Chips, Pickled Ginger, Mayo. Again, a perfect combination of flavors. I don’t know why, but I guess I only read the «ahi tuna» and didn’t see the «teriyaki, wasabi, pickled ginger» because I definitely did not expect it to be so Asian flavored. However, I LOVED the combination of flavors here and especially loved the crunchy surprise of the nori chips. And the wasabi and pickled ginger tickled me pink!
Truffle fries [5/​5] l 6.95 — mmh yummy and crunchy and thin
Caramel and sea salt milkshake [2/​5] l 6 — don’t get me wrong, the flavors were there, and it was pleasantly good! The huge downside was that it was watery and seemed hastily made
Pros:
+ good combination of flavors. I never would’ve chosen the ingredients they used for each burger had I made it myself, but they were well thought out and perfectly used
Cons
— milkshakes? Or water shakes? I prefer my milkshakes to be thick.