The Counter Santana Row

To update my first review, I want to add that the owner reached out to my review and showed such care and concern for me as a customer and my experience there. Knowing that customers are important is a reminder of how I value businesses that care about customer service! I’ll be returning and giving this location another try.

Awesome customer service and management.
I haven’t been to here in awhile, and when I came today with my mom I was shocked to see how much of it has changed. The menu is more condense then it used to be. There were so many choices of sauces, but I always get the hickory BBQ.
Mom asked for avocado in her Grilled Cheese Trifecta, and they were generous. I ordered my burger, and I was getting impatient as my mom already finished her sandwich and we ate all our fries but I still didn’t get my burger yet. I asked my waiter and soon after the manager came over and personally apologized to my mom and I. He explained there was a hiccup in the kitchen, and to thank us for waiting, the burger was on the house. No other restaurant has been this apologetic and genuinely caring before, and my mom and I were both shocked at how eager they wanted to correct the situation.

The first time, the waiter pretended he is blind and it made us frustrated when we found out he is not. It wasn’t funny at all. The food is delicious but the service is very slow. Every time I was there, I waited for atleast 30 min after ordering. when you be here in last hour, your order can be anything. It seems they are in hurry and forget you choose your ingredients. If you care about service, don’t come here. Actually I am here and wait for my burger 45 min.

Sorry Counter. OK food but terrible customer service. We waited 45 minutes for a large party table. They gave our table away after four minutes and were unapologetic about it. AND expected us to wait another 45 minutes.

Negative five stars if this were at all possible. Was vaguely interested in trying out the menu until tonight’s experience with the front of house. My sister texted us to meet up since our reservation was called, and we arrived before she got there but instead of acknowledging our party the hostess snidely told us ‘Sorry, you lost your table,’ and told us we would have to wait even though the policy allowed 5 min to confirm text receipt and an additional five min to walk in the door. My sister arrived less than two minutes after us and waved the text confirmation, time stamped two minutes after the counter’s text was sent. Instead of demonstrating any basic reading skills (or arithmetic skills, for that matter), the hostess declared that we were one minute too late and had already given our table away, and that the anticipated wait would be another 45 minutes. (Why? The restaurant wasn’t even full). Never mind that less than five minutes had passed before my sister confirmed the text, and we all arrived within the 10 minute window.
Unimpressed by front staff and taking this place off our list of places to ever visit. It’s convenient, but hardly above the other fast food eateries in the area and not worth being snubbed by incompetent front house staff for mediocre food.

I would give less than one star for the hostess if possible. I’ve been to this location before and the food is fine; not memorable for being either especially good or bad. However, their policy for the «wait list» is ridiculous. First of all, they don’t even tell you the policy (they will text you when your table is ready and you have five minutes to text them back or they will give your table away. This was stated precisely nowhere. Perhaps include it in the text next time?), and even when you do inadvertently follow the policy, they claim that you were one minute past the deadline and give your table away. Never mind that I was waving my phone in front of her with the time stamp.
Terrible front of house; never coming back for their overpriced, mediocre mall food.

I went here for the first time and as some of you know I am not a fan of «Malls» or «Shopping Centers»
After a long day and stressing with my car and other things… I came here.
The minute I walked in I was greeted by Nick and he is an AMAZING guy! He was very nice and made me feel welcomed. He was down to earth, polite, friendly, easy to talk to and great customer service all around. The place was busy and I can now see why. He came out and asked if we mind where to be seated and we let him know anywhere was fine. We ended up sitting inside and was very comfortable. Tables were clean and positive atmosphere. I let him know I had never been to «The COUNTER», and he was awesome to explain the whole process. Thank goodness he was patient because I had a lot of questions. Then our waiter Mike showed up and he was just as great. He also was kind and patient and I hit him up with more questions.
I had the Korean BBQ Steak grilled skirt steak lettuce blend cucumbers korean chili [gochujang] aioli garlic aioli (No bun but I bet it would have been awesome!) This was SOOOO YUM YUM YUMMY! I also got Sweet Potato Fries and HOT DAMN I was in heaven! The sauce that came with the KOREAN was fantastic! TRY IT
Nick & Mike had come around to check up on us and chat for a min and they were again awesome. Not only did the food taste great but these two made the entire visit worth it! Keep up the good work guys!

Another wonderful experience!
I’m very happy with service that i got from here. We were seated outside and the manager personally came out to lite the heater for us even thought his foot was hurting. Then we asked to be seated inside because it was so cold, and they made it happen so fast. Bobby and Peter checked with us various times to make sure the food is good. Great service is the main reason that I live here.
They should get a raise

I love the counter! There are not many create your own burger places with such a variety of choices as the counter. Check in on Unilocal and you’ll even get a free premium topping! They have salads and various meats so that there is something for everyone. I don’t drink milk but from what I’ve heard their shakes are delicious. My favorite thing is their parmesan truffle fries. Last time I came in the waitress told me I couldn’t get parmesan truffle fries as a side order to my burger even for an upcharge but I told her I had gotten it many times and she did it for me.

Favorite burger joint! They have a great customizable menu here for you to create your own burger or to choose from their signature burgers.
Restaurant is definitely a bit small, but there is a nice heated patio outside for people to sit out. Service is a bit questionable, but bearable. Some days its fast and some days its slow. Either way, the food is most important and its what I enjoy the most here! From the customizable menu; you can choose your type of bun, meat, 2 sauces (.75c for 3), unlimited toppings and up to 3 side dishes. They have sooo many different toppings and sides you can choose from but beware** the price really adds up if you choose too much. You could also choose how big you want your burger (1/​3, ½, full pound etc).

I’ve been here countless times throughout the past few years and now I finally decided to write a review. I’m a huge fan of the burgers here. The price isn’t so bad considering you’re getting quality ingredients and things you never thought should top a burger patty (e.g. basil pesto, hard boiled eggs, etc.). I love the extensive selection of customizations for your burger. No matter what strange combination of ingredients you get, you can never go wrong here. I’m usually the type of person who wants to change up my order, but when it comes to the buns I gotta go with the Hawaiian buns. Nothing can change my mind about those buns, and would’ve known they would pair so well with a fat burger.
The Counter has earned a spot in my go-​to restaurants and they won’t be leaving that rotation anytime soon.

I came here with a friend for lunch on a Tuesday and were seated immediately. They have outdoor, indoor, and bar seating available! The server was friendly and took our orders quickly.
I got a ¹⁄₃ lb burger with brioche buns, beef, spinach, lettuce, tomato, Swiss, and bbq sauce ($ 10) and my friend got a club sandwich.
The burger is pretty big so my only complaint would be that it is a bit difficult to eat gracefully LOL even with the knife and fork. Other than that, I enjoyed the combination I chose and the beef was juicy and cooked nicely (med rare).
I’d definitely come back if I’m on a mood for a burger and am headed to Santana Row/​Valley fair!

I love me a juicy burger. if I haven’t had one for a while, that craving will hit n I will need to fill that void ASAP. the idea of custom built burgers for each individual person is such a welcome (wait, didn’t Burger King come out with «have it your way» long ago??) cuz everyone has different preferences for food. for someone who doesn’t like American Cheese n pickles n regular mayo on my burger, building my own custom burger seems like an awesome idea!
The Counter is located on Olin Avenue in San Jose. it’s in the center of Santana Row which is a large outdoor shopping area for those who r visitors. the store is next to a Starbucks n in front of a large play area for families n kids. there’s many parking lots on all sides of the shopping area so that’s no problem. I usually park in the 6 level parking garage behind The Counter cuz it’s the closest n has the most spaces.
I will say this was the second time I’ve been to The Counter. my first time wasn’t that great. they had just opened n the line was so long, my food came 20 minutes later, n my burger didn’t wasn’t the medium rare it should’ve been in the center.
fast forward to last Saturday afternoon as I walked into The Counter with friends for a custom burger. there wasn’t a line n we were seated outside on the patio immediately. our server was especially friendly n very helpful. we all ordered custom burgers. their specialty handcrafted burgers didn’t appeal to us. yes, we r picky eaters n we like it «our way.» :)
this time our burgers came out after waiting a couple of minutes. my burger was still not rare as I hoped in the middle, but my friend’s burger was done perfectly. our other friend’s lamb burger was cooked right also. so a bit inconsistent, but my toppings of carmelized onions, spicy tomato jam, pineapple, n applewood smoked bacon was both flavorful n delicious! the side of shoestring fries which came with my custom burger was good also. they were just the right amount of crispiness which I love! I’ll definitely b back for another custom burger in the near future.

The Counter is seriously the best! I wish they took reservations since it gets pretty crowded during dinner. Luckily because of their location, you can go to UO or Sephora while you wait for them to text you.
One of the main reasons why I enjoy eating here is because of the customization. There are options on the menu if you’re indecisive but for those that like to venture the unknown, simply pick up the pen and pencil. The steps are:
1. Choose a Burger
2. Choose a Cheese
3. Choose up to 4 Toppings
3.5. Premium Toppings (1.00 per selection)
4. Choose a Sauce
5. Choose a Bun
6. Choose Your Side
Although I can’t help much since it’s really up to you, I do recommend the Hawaiian Bread for the bun. Also, you’ll definitely need to get the Crispy Onion Strings. Out of all the other options, it’s my favorite. It’s thin and very crispy.
My craving for The Counter is at its all time high normally during the summer! I cannot wait for it to get warmer so I can eat outside. :)

Food was pretty good but the wait was super super long … I do like that you can create your own burgers however the wait for everything makes me hesitate coming back.
Might come back to order their fries to go, they have yummy fries !

A ¹⁄₃ lb burger without any Premium Topping is priced at $ 10. Add a Sunny Side Up Egg and some Housemade Guac, and now you are at $ 12!!! Worth it? I will let you decide!
I’ve actually been here a dozen times, and my main complaint has nothing to do with their burgers. This place is ALWAYS packed! I’m not one to wait 30 minutes for a burger, so if it the wait exceeds 29 minutes, I’m outtie 5000!
Getting back on track, this particular visit was spot on! I waited less than 10 minutes to be seated, and the service was excellent! I ordered the ¹⁄₃ burger, sunny side up egg, lettuce blend, brioche style bun, tillamook cheddar, dill pickle chips, alfalfa sprouts, and a side of tangy thousand island sauce! The burger was cooked to perfection, and was juicy AF!!! When I pressed down on the top bun, the yoke began to coat the burger with it’s yellowish goodness! Was it worth it, YES!
I also ordered their shoestring fries/​sweet potato fries basket. If you don’t pace yourself, you will overload on these thangs! They come out with just the right amount of crisp, and are a perfect match for that juicy burger!
In conclusion: Great burgers, great fries, great service, and great shakes! What’s not to like right? Oh yeah, long wait times and a $ 10+ burger might scare you, but in the end you’ll be satisfied!

Decided to give The Counter @Santana Row another try, and I’m now a fan!
On my last visit, I felt like the egg that I added kind of masked the veggie patty flavor. So this time I decided to choose effective toppings that will go well with my burger.
Before I go ahead and explain what I got on my burger, I would like to say that the service here rocks! They helped me with ease and I felt I was cared for. They were both attentive and friendly as they could be. Two visits so far, and the service has been great!
So for my custom veggie patty, I decided to get the ¹⁄₃ veggie Burger, lettuce blend, a brioche style bun, tillamook cheddar, a grilled pineapple & grilled red onions, and laslty, a lettuce blend. Basically the same thing like last time, except, with no egg and sauces in the burger. I also decided to get a side of sweet potato fries for 3.00 more.
I originally planned taking it to-​go, but I enjoyed the ambience quite well and ate there instead. My burger and fries were brought out quick! Faster than a 7 sec quarter mile 1000HP Supra. Just kidding, it took around 5 minutes, which is still pretty fast considering it was made to order. The food was brought to my table with a smile.
The burger itself was superb! I could actually taste the veggie patty quite well. It was both juicy and thick. Not adding that egg definitely helped the overall flavors of the burger. The fresh toppings complemented well together and nothing masked nothing. The only downside I had with the burger was that the veggie patty tends to fall off or break apart if you don’t control it right lol.
The sweet potato fries were bomb too! But I was quite disappointed with the serving size. Nevertheless, I enjoyed them.
To sum up, I am happy I gave The Counter another try. My burger experience was definitely better than my last visit. I do understand the high prices, but keep in mind, you’re paying for the amazing service /​ambience and the quality of food. If you don’t want to spend $ 10+ on a burger, don’t bother, go to a fast-​food joint where they treat you like shiet and serve you GMO. But I do wish the burgers were a tad big bigger. Anyway:
Just my two cents.

I gotta say the counter makes awesome chili cheese fries every time I seem to go there they’re made perfectly and the staffing is knowledgeable last time I went there was an individual application her name was Gracie she help me and she made me feel comfortable and so knowledgeable to which was really helpful especially when it came to making a choice and offered some recommendations as wellto so you ever get this girl or she’s serving you you’re in good hands.

The burger is awesome. You get to customize how you want your burger to a rather detailed level, and the quality of their food is at a price that is decent enough.
Their veggie skewers are surprisingly nice. There are a good variety of veggies, and not to dry when I eat them. The fried pickles are interesting. They prepare them in a way that it is like a snacking chip, but that does beat the purpose of having pickles in the batter because it just no longer matters what is being fried.
The waiters/​waitresses are helpful and friendly, the place is nice, and it does have a great location of being at Santana Row.
Overall, I would go back again.

I’ve come here a few times before and last night will be my last. First, my friend and I ordered the chili cheese fries and they were pretty good. We got our salads and my friend’s salad had this bug in it and after flicking it away, we asked for a new plate. Our waiter came with a new plate and I received my salad. Halfway through eating it, there was another bug in my salad. We were both surprised and when my waiter asked how everything was going we explained to him what happened. He said he would compensate for the mistake. Unfortunately, his compensation he offered was a discount on the bill. I told him I want to talk to the manager because I was not paying for a salad that had a bug in it, especially after there was a bug in my friend’s as well. Clearly, there was a flaw in the ingredients or the employees weren’t cleaning them enough.
The manager arrived at our table and didn’t say sorry; instead, he told us that what had happened was very rare and hadn’t happened in over a month. The least he could’ve done was say sorry immediately, but he decided to speak with us in a condescending tone. We really weren’t speaking to him with an attitude until he decided to come off so rudely. He said every time you order an organic salad, that you should expect a chance for bugs to be in it. He didn’t seem to believe us, but at least I didn’t pay for my salad. We have never experienced such a rude manager and just know that if you eat at this Counter and order anything organic from them, you should expect bugs in your food.

Visited counter for a team lunch with folks at work. You get to build your own burger here with seemingly unlimited possibilities! Took a risk with the combinations but turned out pretty good. Whew :) They’ve got quite a few vegetarian options too.
The highlight was the shake though. Mix and match different flavors for a personalized drink. It was Simply delicious. Keep in mind, it’s really hard to finish a large shake along with that huge burger you are going to buy.
Also, don’t forget the parmesan fries! Yum!

Make your own burger? What’s not to love? You can choose between beef burger, bison, turkey, veggie, and when I went there was a speciality short rib burger which I regret not getting. Choose cheese (so many selections) and add many toppings. Options for buns: brioche– fluffy, somewhat sweet, classic bun, multigrain– who are you kidding, you’re getting a burger, gluten free — you know who you are, and salad bowl style. I forgot to mark how I wanted the patty but it seems that the standard is medium rare. Perfect. Service was fast and friendly. Husband got talked into getting the ½lb burger as he was told it would not be too big or too small. News flash, it was too big. He said all he could taste was the meat patty. Get the 1/​3lb. It’s a good size and you will be full if you get a side. Trust me.

Decent and overpriced.
Like anyone should do to avoid all the traffic, is to come on a weekday. That’s what I did and the traffic was less bearable. I came in expecting to order of the menu, but this is Santana Row and a host helped me sit in the fancy looking chairs. A few minutes later, a waiter arrived with the menu. She asked me for a drink and decided to get water. She was very nice and helpful, I could tell she enjoyed her job.
I wanted to get creative and made my own burger, I remember I got a ¹⁄₃ Veggie Burger, Brioche style bun, Tillamook Cheddar, Sweet Sriracha, grilled pineapple, grilled red onions, lettuce blend, and a sunny side up egg (1.00 extra). For my side, I went with the shoestring style fries, which were 3.00 extra.
The burger itself lacked flavor. The veggie patty literally tasted like ground up chickpeas and I didn’t enjoy it. The toppings were the only good things on the burger, I loved the egg and the pineapple combo, the grilled red onions gave it a kick. Cheddar was on point, but what do you expect from the Tillamook brand? The bun was very doughy and had no flavor at all. My advise would be to avoid this bun and get the other options. Not a 11 dollar burger, more like a 6 dollar kinda burger, but I’ll give them credit since their veggie patty is ‘homemade.‘
Shoestring fries were good, but it was a small portion and expected a larger portion for my three dollars. I still enjoyed them nevertheless. They are thin, I guess that’s why they gave them that name.
At the end of the day, you’re in Santana Row, expect high prices, and probably decent food. The Counter definitely is expensive and serves a decent veggie burger. In my eyes, you’re just paying for the ambience, as the food doesn’t match the price. Service here is exceptional and they will take care of you. I like the fact that they checked on me if everything was good and refilled my water without asking. However, the service won’t give me a reason to come back again in the near future.

I came here with my friend just as they opened for the day. Right off the bat, we were helped and seated accordingly. We had the half sweet potato half garlic parmesan fries to start with. I usually get the sweet potato fries but my friend wanted to try the garlic parmesan as she heard it was great… which it was. It was my first time trying it out as well and I’ve thorough enjoyed it. The fries were fried perfectly. The sweet potato fries came with a horseradish ranch sauce and the garlic parm soaked up all the garlic flavor. It was both a delight. As for my main course, I had built my own burger. I didn’t put as much toppings as I usually did but that was fine. However, I ordered my meat to be cooked medium well but it was cooked a bit way too much. It was a bit too dry for me but manageable. I am a big water drinker and I barely got my cup refilled. It was left empty for a while and I had nothing to drink. I still somewhat just drink from it (even though there was nothing) and left it at the end of the table as hints, but still no aid. The appetizer was delicious but the burger itself wasn’t the best. Probably because my topping combinations didn’t work well with each other & the overcooked patty. And the service could’ve been better, especially since that it wasn’t busy at all when I dined here.
I still like & enjoy the food but let’s just say this visit wasn’t the best one.

I love the shoestring fries here :) Super delicious!
This place is definitely cheaper compared to some of the other options on Santana Row. I came here because the wait at other places was way too long.
I love the customization here — they have some interesting ingredients and combinations, and that makes ordering a burger both fun and unique.
The service wasn’t the best — I had to wait a long time just to order. Also love their shakes!

Ok, it’s been at least 2 years since I’ve been but nothing much has changed. I sat at the bar which was fairly crowded but I wasn’t about to wait for a table. Burgers are build your own or you can pick from their selection. They give you a nice choice of patties; bison, veggie, turkey, chicken or their special beef patty. There’s also an option for patty size and bun or no bun option. I had a cheddar bacon burger with shoestring fries. My patty was slightly over cooked but I’m more of a rare girl and you know how that goes trying to order that on a burger. None the less, I was happy with my burger. It’s hard to just walk by this place without getting hungry cuz you can smell them a block away, I was like a moth drawn to a flame.

There burgers are good and expensive .
however
Really slow on busy days, sat down 30mins before we got our orders, waited another 40min for our food.

Less impressed.
The customization is really fun — and they have some amazingly creative options.
But, the food just didn’t impress me — my meal was a touch cold and not the quality I would have liked to have seen. The fries were good though!
Service was decent, and the spot was pretty crowded — people waiting all huddled at the door, which did take away from the atmosphere a little.

What can I say? Welcome to burger heaven! Here’s where you can get your burger in whatever concoction you can think of. You name it, they build it.
The brioche and hawaiian buns are my favorite. Tried both beef and turkey patties and they are spectacular. Add 4 bucks to get bison patty if you are looking for an epic meal.
My burger stacks grow progessively higher through several visits. Always outdo myself each time. No matter how outlandish i thought my concoctions were, they always turn out delicious.
Grilled pineapple, radish, onion confit, sliced onions, jicama, spinach, mixed greens, roasted tomato, cheddar, hard boiled egg, etc.
Oh yea, baby. Come to momma.

I like the fact that I get to customize my own burger.
I ordered a ¹⁄₃ oz of beef patty on a brioche bun with Gruyère cheese, roasted bell peppers, grilled red onions, lettuce and a honey dijon sauce on the side. My boyfriend had the ½ oz of beef patty on a brioche bun with mozzarella cheese, onion, lettuce, jalapenos and roasted garlic aioli sauce on the side
We both had our beef patties medium rare, an additional sunny side up egg to our burgers and a side order of the onion string fries. Our patties were nicely done. The crunchy texture of the onion string fries along with the runny egg really enhance the flavor of the burger as a whole. It was overall phenomenal!!!
I will def be back!

Went to here on a Monday night. And it’s pretty busy. Their check in systems is pretty unique. I would suggest you put your name in the list first and then walk around Santana row and they will shoot you a text when your table is ready.
Food is great. First time customizing my burger and I think I added abit too much toppings cuz you can add all the toppings on the list. Lol.
The burger is good quality and quantity. Just a bit messy when eating. :/

I hadn’t been to this place in years and I remembered it being very average. I was excited looking at their menu recently and since I received a gift card I thought I’d try it again. It’s pretty much what I remembered: Average.
Not the best burger around that location. I would still head to Super Duper burger in Valley Fair 10 times out of 10 over this place if I’m looking for a delicious burger. This place is pretty noisy and packed, so people must enjoy it. I just think it’s over priced and doesn’t deliver on flavor.
For example, we ordered drinks, fries, and two burgers and the bill was $ 50. For that price I expect lots of fresh ingredients and food cooked very well. It’s not terrible food, but it certainly doesn’t match the price tag.
I got a beer flight and my wife got a Cosmo. The beer was good, but the Cosmo was very bland-​lots of citrus and Vodka, but almost no sweetness. It was one of the worse mixed drinks that she’s had. We got the regular shoestring fries. The fries are cooked well and I liked the texture. My biggest complaint is that they used Seasoned Salt to flavor them. Very 80s. Seems like they should just keep to regular salt and provide some dipping options, but that’s just my opinion. My wife got the sliders, which were the best part of our meals. The meat was seasoned well and had a pleasant char on it. The salty/​sweet balance was done well. I got the short rib burger, which had spinach, pickled onions, pepperoncinis, and a horseradish aioli. It claimed the meat was braised for hours, and I believe it-​it was overdone and dry. Like, it needed the aioli just to make it chewable. There was no moisture to the meat and it was bland. The condiments on the burger were likewise bland and I didn’t really find any balance or interesting notes to latch onto. Seemed disappointing for such a promising looking burger on paper. I think that’s just it-​this place looks amazing on paper but doesn’t have the chops to pull it off well.
My suggestion is that if you’re gonna try this place, go with the basic burger. Don’t get lured in by the fancier looking burgers because in the end the simple burger was the best tasting option of our night.

I truly believe it would be silly to mention how many times I’ve been here, but no one has ever accused me of being sensible so I’ll just say I am very familiar with the Counter.
This location is typically pretty busy but I have never had a lot of trouble with service; actually, some of the best service I have received here has been while sitting at the bar. For a time when I worked retail on Santana Row, I would fancy an order of take-​out parmesan fries and a grilled cheese, and while I was always pretty antsy to spend my breaks actually eating and relaxing, I think in any other circumstance I would still say their to-​go system is a pretty slow one.
My last visit was a week ago for a work team lunch with my small department. We were a group of 3 ladies in our early-​to-​mid-​twenties and our older male boss, and while I was hoping against hope that it wouldn’t be pointed out, an employee passing by said something about what a «lucky guy» our boss was. I know the employee had no idea what the context of our relationship was (maybe we were a study group, maybe we were organizing some sort of grand cult Kool-​Aid drinking) and I’d like to think that I have a decent sense of humor, but I kind of cringed.
Changing gears, I think I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that our waitress was really attentive and that my BLT was heavy on the B and therefore super delicious, but if you’re not into the whole casual vibe of the place (and I do mean casual) I might recommend you dine elsewhere.

We came in at 3 on a Sunday and it was still hella packed! When I first came in I thought it an order at a counter type of a place so I was surprised when the hostess said it would be a 15 min wait!
We gave them our phone number so that they could text us when our table is ready, but they never did, so we went back into the restaurant during the 20 min mark and they seated us.
Once we got seated our server greeted us and recommended the Parmesan fries ($ 5.50). To start off, for 3 people the portion size of the fries was great as an appetizer, meaning we finished it before our burgers came! I’m the type of girl that likes to eat fries with my burger so I wish I ordered my own portion :(Also, I think the fries might have been too greasy because it got soggy real quick. The shape of the fries was perfect though, because it wasn’t too thin or thick, and each fry was flavored evenly and strong.
Next, I got a BYOB burger with normal angus beef ($ 10.00), garlic aioli, garden greens, tomatoes, crispy onion strings (+$ 1.00), sliced avocado (+$ 1.00), and applewood smoked bacon (+$ 1.00) for a grand total of $ 13.00. Honestly though, if they had a prebuilt California Burger option I would have gladly made that choice instead to forgo the hassle of building your own.
The wait for the burger took quite a while (20 min plus), which I did expect given the amount of people and the fact that it was a custom burger, but it was pretty good! The patty itself could use some better seasoning though so it definitely wasn’t the best burger I’ve had, but the flavor of the aioli helped enhance the taste a little bit. It had a generous helping of the extra toppings (avocado, onion strings, and bacon) so I feel that $ 1 price is justified.
Overall, the Counter cooks burgers that are decent quality for the pricing, but would I rave about this place and call it my holy grail burger joint? Nope! I’d say only bring your friends here if they’ve never had BYOB burgers before!

When I saw the sign of The Counter, I only vaguely remembered that someone recommended it. So in the spurt of the moment we went into the busy store. Yes, it was crowded at around 1pm on a Friday. For two of us, there were no immediate opened table except a couple of seats at the bar between two big dudes. We squeezed in.
After a bit of wait, did I say the place was packed, I ordered the first item listed on their burger menu, The Official Counter burger ¹⁄₃ lb at medium, and S ordered Backyard BBQ burger bowl also ¹⁄₃ lb, no buns. And the verdict is … Wow! It looked like a tower, a beautifully stacked masterpiece that seemed too pretty to eat. The next question is HOW?! I wrapped it under the large paper napkin and attacked it, one small corner at a time. MMMmmm… it was Amazing! One the second bite I was able to get to the burger and the flavor struck… this was the best burger I have ever had. It was quite refreshing, as I worked through the whole burger and not felt overly greasy. I thoroughly enjoyed it, all the way to the last bite. Now that does not happen often.
Excellent Burger, with or without the buns.

Location:
It is across the street from Urban Outfitters in Santana Row (if that helps)
Décor:
Grey Chairs and tables. Doesn’t look very sturdy, but it holds up well.
Food & Drinks:
I ordered a ½ lb size of the Counter Burger. I had to say I was fairly impressed with the quality of the meat and construction of the burger. The burger had a good taste to it and had a good variety of completing ingredients. The only thing I was sad about was that for $ 3 I got what looked like a handful of fries. That was kind of disappointing to say the least, but other than that the food was good. I look forward to trying some different meats next time!
Happy Burger Building my friends!
(Oops, did I not mention you could build your own burger here with a HUGE variety of toppings, sauces, and other ingredients for free! Some are premium ones that would cost some $$)

An enjoyable atmosphere with adequate heat lamps for cold outdoor nights. Inside seating is comfortable but outside is a great view and cozy feel.
The quality is above average and pricing is near well priced. You don’t pay for quality here, the mark up is definitely for the variety of esoteric ingredients. You get a damn good selection. Regardless, I consider this a entry level gourmet burger.
As you pick your burger from ground up, ask yourself, «now, what should I get to go with these beef? Goat cheese? Okay, now the toppings. What would do goat cheese justice?»
It’s hard to go wrong. It’s like Cards of Humanity, they’re all picked to work with each other, and there’s A LOT of cards to pick from.
So it’s a new experience every time!
PS. Try their sides. Shoe string fries, onion strings, and a milkshake.

I loved all the options The Counter had for their «build your own» burgers! I have been to several «BYO» places, but few have had as many options as this restaurant. It was actually extremely difficult to make a selection just because there were so many options. This was especially a blessing to me, given how I’m vegan. Most places – ESPECIALLY burger places – have very few vegetarian/​vegan selections. The different combinations here at The Counter were endless.
I ended up ordering a bowl with a vegan patty and a million different toppings. It was delicious and very filling. My boyfriend and I also shared each of our sides (sweet potato & regular fries) and both were phenomenal. I’m a total fry junkie, so I’m very picky about how mine are made. I had no complaints here.
I would have given five stars, but this place was extremely busy and our waitress seemed really out of it. Given how it was our first visit and we had no idea how everything worked, she sounded slightly irritated and rushed while briefing the process. She also ended up forgetting one of our appetizers until we mentioned it to her at the end – and then she brought it out. She did give us a 10% off our total check, however.
I don’t visit the South Bay very often, but I definitely recommend The Counter! If I ever come back, I know where to go out and eat again!

I absolutely love how The Counter takes the beaten-​down concept of hamburgers and transforms it into a fresh, trendy restaurant serving custom-​made burgers (and variations thereof) and yummy side dishes.
The fries were honestly the highlight of my light. We got ½ garlic parmesan fries, ½ sweet potato fries. The garlic parmesan fries were crispy, flavorful, and definitely garlicky. Not a single sweet potato fry was soggy, which was impressive! The only downside was the horseradish aioli sauce, which was tbh a little gross, but I’m not a big fan of horseradish so I’m probably biased.
The burgers are great for both vegetarians and non-​vegetarians alike. My mom built a veggie burger, and I built an organic beef burger in a bowl, which is basically like a huge salad with a chunk of meat on top. The meat is high quality, and the veggie patty still has lots of flavor.
Service is top notch. Our waitress was so attentive and friendly even with the entire restaurant completely packed. I only wish she came to refill the water more often. I also liked how they had Wiki Stix for kids to play with while waiting for food.

When I visited the restaurant for my first time, I was told it was a good place to get some some burger. I really like the concept of choosing your own bread, patty, toppings and sides. But I was really challenged to find the right combination and had to struggle with myself not to order too much on my burger. So taking a look at their burger proposals is definitely worth it. Sadly, they didn’t have bison meat when I was there. I really liked the veggie burger of my friends and the sweet potatoe fries were just perfect. The price was also reasonable, so I would definitely come back again.

The first time I ever had the counter was about 5 years ago. My uncle had told me about a place where I could build my own burger and fully customize it to your liking. At the time, there were not many «build your own _​_​_​» places, so I was super excited and was not disappointed. Forward to yesterday, I came across this place again and decided it was time to go back. We went in on a saturday night around 6:30 and put our names down for a party of 10. The wait was an hour and a half, but what I liked was that they use a texting system to alert you when your table is about to be ready (so you have time to walk over in case you walked away shopping along the strip). No waiting around and accidentally missing your name being called!
A party of 10 or more is always a handful, but our server Marty was really patient and great with assisting us and explaining how the menu works to the half of the table who have never been to The Counter. Basically they give you a menu thats like a binder and it looks really intimidating. It’s actually really simple and you just check off with a pencil what you want: from choosing the size, meat, how well done it’s cooked, buns, toppings, sauces, and sides.
I went with a dolce de leche shake (madewith baileys caramel irish cream) and sweet potato fries. The shake was delicious! The fries were not the best for me though, they were pretty thin and weren’t as sweet as I had hoped for, probably would skip out on it next time. As for my burger, I had ¹⁄₃ beef medium rare with spicy jalapeño jack cheese, lettuce blend, sun dried tomatoes, grilled pineapple, sunny side up egg, crispy onion strings (A MUST), and sliced avocados. They are not stingy about the avocado like most places are! For my sauces, I got a sauce flight of apricot sauce, sweet sriracha, and korean bbq. They were all delicious, but my favorite sauces would be the sweet sriracha, apricot sauce, and roasted garlic aioli! Only complaint would be that this place is known for their presentation and they tower burgers high no matter how many toppings, yet they gave me my burger lopsided and sideways. As for the bar, their bartender Marlou was amazing. She was super charismatic, funny, and made awesome ginger snaps for us!

Who doesn’t have dreams of designing your very own custom burger? :)
You get to start completely from scratch here, choosing the size, meat, bun, cheese, toppings, sauces, everything! It’s like being the chef but not *actually* having to do any of the cooking! Amazing! (Yeah, you guessed it, I eat a lot more than I cook. Haha)
I love that it’s never quite the same here. My current favorite thing to do is actually have the chicken here. Yep. Seems like sacrilege, does it not? But, the chicken is so tasty and tender. I love getting it on the hawaiian bun or the pretzel bun.
To compliment your burger, you can choose from a selection of well crispified sides. I love their fries, sweet potato fries, and onion strings and have been known to get a combo of all of them.

I think most other Unilocalers pretty much covered it all about this place with regard to the photos and reviews. Build your own Burger is a fun concept. Casual environment.
Good beer list. Noticed a lot of people do take-​out here.
The Pickle Chips are the Bomb! A must try. The milk shakes are good too.
Overall good service (thanks Drew), good beer, easy to order.

I would’ve gave them one star if it wasn’t for my prior visit… I was going to give them four stars until I went today. I had a really snarky server. (On the receipt, mimicha) She wasn’t very nice, I don’t know if it was because we looked young, giving her reason to not give me better service than the people beside me.
But me and my friends did not have an enjoyable experience. She was very cold and she kind of slammed the drinks on our table and gave a lot of attitude. It wasn’t even busy so I don’t get why she was giving us so much attitude. Anyways besides the bad service we also got burnt corn. We addressed it to another server and they didn’t say sorry or anything. My cup was also dirty. It was most likely coffee stains but my server kept telling me she would bring another one but never did. I’m honestly usually never picky about things but omg everything began to just add up!
My burger was okay, I feel like I get friendlier and better service at IN N OUT to be honest… I’m probably not going to come back. But I do appreciate the first time. I came, I had a lovely server, Idk why I had to get a mean server this time. It ruined my whole experience.

The Counter is pretty great every time. I usually build my own burger. I really love how I can pretty much get whatever I want on it and not be judged: P I can never eat a burger without fries. There are regular fries, Parmesan fries, Sriracha fries and my FAV: sweet potato fries. I really like the Sriracha fries and sweet potato fries though, the Sriracha ones are a little bit too flavorful for my own buds.
They also have a pretty great selection of beers here, but I always go with my Lagunitas. There are also spiked shakes and malts which is something I plan to eventually try as well!
Overall good food, good beer, good service, easy to order, and can be quick if you want it to be.
Tip: if you come on your birthday you get a free birthday cake shake. My coworker got one, and this thing is HUGE. She had to ask for a togo cup hahaaha.

This burger is awesome! You get the choice of creating your own burger! I ordered the largest oz of beef patty and included many toppings such as cheese, mushroom, onion rings, etc.
The burger I had was huge! It tasted sooo good, so I was able to finish the whole thing. The beef was cooked perfect with my choice of medium rare. The truffle fries were good too. They were very light and you can taste the crunch in your mouth.
The customer service were fantastic and helped me on deciding to create the perfect burger to meet my needs. No wonder this place always get crowded, even no the weekdays.