The Habit Burger Grill

The Habit always comes through with great service and tasty food!
Clean restaurant with plenty of seating.
I love both the cobb salad and the ahi sandwich, my husband enjoyed his tri tip sandiwch and my son kids kids meal.
Great fries and milkshakes as well.
Prices and portions are fair, one of our favorite burger places!

Horrible service. After driving across the state hoping to get some quick food, Called an order ahead of time, ended up waiting 20 mins past the time they said it would be ready. Cashier was rude. Too much trouble for a burger joint… Will never go back. Plenty of better burgers in San Diego with less attitude and hassle.

+1 Santa Barbara Style = avocado & cheese on grilled sourdough
+1 Reasonably Priced
+1 It’s fast food, but doesn’t taste as bad or greasy as true fast food
+1 Better than In-​N-​Out (in my opinion) especially the fries
–1 This is a weird critique, but music is always too loud

Usually dependable with burgers but tried the albacore sandwich and was disappointed. Photos looked great but was served over done. Love their shakes and burgers, would think twice about the albacore sandwich

This place is always great no mater where you go the food quality is fantastic and the onion rings are the best.

Great tasty burger joint with very reasonable prices.
Its a fast food place but a much nicer one with better selection and quality ingredients vs say a Jack in a Box and others. I usually hate eating and fast-​food establishments, but Habit changed my mind and i was pleasantly surprised when i first walked into the restaurant.
Its a perfect weekday spot when you just not in the mood to cook or just want a quick bite.
Selection of the burgers and sandwiches is excellent: double, tri-​tip, pastrami, albacore, chicken or vegetarian. You will find your favorite! If you are extra hungry, i recommend to get a Santa Barbara style char burger — double char with cheese & avocado on grilled sourdough.
Add a side of sweet potato fries and you will be all set.
For a sweet finish i go with a soft vanilla ice-​cream cone, can’t beat it, its only a buck!

After seeing a picture of the Cobb salad on Unilocal I tried it for myself. Actually ordered 2, Cobb and the BBQ Chicken salad for my hubs. Terrible. I would have returned them if I wasn’t already home and starving. Literally a pile of shredded burger lettuce w/​a SPRINKLE of toppings and chicken. That’s what I get trying to order salad at a burger joint.

Habit can definitely become a habit, that is if you’re a born and bred carnivore like me. ;)
I sometimes literally crave protein, and well, Habit is a great «go to» for that burger fix, but made only with the best quality of ingredients. I’ve actally never dined in but I have picked up more times than I could ever count over the years. I, 99% of the time get the Teriyaki Charburger (once in a while venturing off my path to have the good old fashioned Charburger). The reason I really appreciate the Teriyaki is that large, perfectly cut, juicy slab (not slice) of pineapple, they gently char… Mmmm good! :D
But I’m sure everything is delicious, and the portions are very large. I always split my burger in two servings. The customer service is above and beyond what you would ever expect when ordering a hamburger at a counter. I mean, every time, they’re just so sweet and polite, it’s very inviting. Definitely give ‘em a go! ;D

My first time at Habit Burger. I had regular burger with fries and chocolate shake. The burger is similar to In N Out both in size and flavor. Habit burgers come with grilled diced onion by default. I’m sure they would make it anyway you want, like In N Out. The fries are thicker and crispier at Habit, which I like. I was never a fan of In N Out fries… Too soggy. The shakes are better at In N Out because it is thicker. Habit also offers salads and a few other items.
Like In N Out, the customer service is very friendly and they seem to try to accommodate.
Habit’s propaganda talks about how they give back to the community such as YMCA, Boys and Girls Club, Pro Start, and a few others. That’s a good thing.
I would recommend you try it once and form your own opinion, but it is worth trying. Otherwise, I would just tell you not to waste your time. If you don’t like In N Out burgers, then you can skip this place. I find the two pretty similar. You can try the other items here, however.

My first time here last Monday! I had the Portobello mushroom burger and it was SUPERB!
I ate half of this massive burger and brought the other half home to my hubby. He LOVED it too!
So glad to have found this burger place!

Just a quick update on my previous review.
I was looking for a dog friendly restaurant to take my dog out to dinner to celebrate her 4^th birthday and remembered The Habit’s dog friendly patio. I told the cashier that I wanted to order a plain charburger for my dog and she let me know that I could just get the hamburger patty. I think it was $ 1.75 but for my dog, it was priceless. She gobbled it up super fast. Love the dog friendliness of The Habit and I’ll continue to bring my dogs here.

I have to admit my first impression of the Habit (in northern CA) was quite underwhelmed. But the Habit here in Solana Beach definitely exceeds expectations — so much so that we come here quite often.
The burgers are freshly prepared — I might even hazard to say I’m becoming a bigger fan of The Habit than that other highly acclaimed Califronia fast food burger joint. They feel less «fast food» than other burger joints but are still well priced. I always get the Charburger with cheese, which is always done medium and holds that smoky grill flavor. The best part is their sweet potato fries! I’m a sucker for sweet potato fries and theirs is done perfectly thin and crispy — perfect with ranch. Reasonably priced, my husband and I eat here for under $ 20.
Parking: Private lot.

My husband says this is easily one of the best burgers hes ever had.
I had the tri tip sandwich on sourdough with sweet potato fries. The meat is so juicy and the fries crisp.

Friendly staff and fast, top-​notch service. I enjoyed my stay here. The eating areas are well kept, inside and outside seating as well. ¹⁰⁄₁₀ Would eat again
the end

Hands down, this is my favorite burger spot! Habit Burger is better than the rest and super fresh with something on the menu for everyone — from the meat-​lover to the vegetarian!
I’ve tried Smashburger, Five Guys, In & Out, etc. and I must say that Habit Burger has them all beat. And, I’m not the only one! The Consumer Report ranks Habit Burger as the Best Tasting Burger in America. I know this might ruffle a few feathers, but hear me out.
Habit Burger offers more fresh toppings than the other burger joints, including Bacon, Avocado, Mushrooms, Grilled Pineapple, and a Lettuce Wrap for those going carb-​free. There are also a number of other options for Vegetarians and Pescatarians, including the Veggie Burger, Grilled Albacore Tuna, and fresh made-​to-​order salads.
The tasty Charburger earns its name and delicious flavor from the 100% fresh ground beef grilled on the charbroiler with a cast-​iron grill designed to sear the smoky flavor into every burger.
The #1 Charburger combo comes with fries and a drink — and is the way to go! The Charburger comes with mayonnaise, pickle, fresh tomato, lettuce and caramelized onions on a toasted bun. Personally, I enjoy my Charburger without the mayo and some fresh peppers from the Pepper Bar — fresh peperoncini or jalapeño anyone?!
I have not yet tried the Sweet Potato Fries or the Tempura Green Beans, but I imagine those are just as tasty as the perfectly golden Onion Rings and French Fries.

Competitor to In N Out burger. It’s more about preference though as this place serves «Char» charcoal grilled burgers. They also toast your buns as well giving it a nice crispy texture in every bite. The meat patty was cooked and seasoned pretty well. They also emphasize how they serve never frozen beef. It is a little bit more pricier than In n Out though but in case you ever want to try something else this place fits the bill. French fries are pretty decent too. Tried the Coffee milkshake here and it was pretty good, not so much coffee flavor but more caramel taste but great tasting regardless. I’ll be a returning customer here.

They have coffee flavored milkshakes here which is very hard to find. The burgers are aiiight… nothing compares to in n out. Kids meals are reasonably priced. For $ 3.95 you get your choice of a burger, chicken nuggets or grilled cheese. It also comes with fries and a beverage of your choice. Portions are pretty large too! I will even order a kids meal sometimes too. Great portion control. Next time I’m going to try one of their salads. The lady next to me ordered one and they looked pretty darn good!

Came to The Habit and ordered the lettuce wrapped Charburger and the sweet potato fries. The only reason this received 4 stars instead of 5 was because there was a huge glob of mayonnaise and the it was definitely not ‘lettuce wrapped’. The hamburger was definitely between pieces of lettuce, but it was a chunk of lettuce on the bottom and a chunk of lettuce on top.
The times I’ve gone to In-​N-​Out and ordered a hamburger protein style, the hamburger lived up to the definitely of being ‘lettuce wrapped’ because it was wrapped in lettuce. Lettuce doesn’t have the same gripping has the bread of the bun does, so the items were kinda falling all over the place and since the lettuce was not wrapped around the burger, there was nothing to hold everything in place or no where for the pieces to fall.
The taste of the burger and the fries were on point. Sweet potato fries can be great if they’re not oily and these were perfect amount of crunchy and dry — dry in a sense that they weren’t oily.
It’s a little bit more of a drive from where I work in Del Mar, but it’s worth it over eating Smashburger, McDonalds, or Jack in the Box.
The couple of times I have been in here the customer service has been on point. Workers are very friendly and polite. They have an outside patio to eat on and lots of booths. So if you’re in a party of 4 – 5, there is plenty of seating for you and your group.

I already left a 4-​Star review over at the Habit in San Marcos, and this place is no different. It’s a damn near perfect burger in every way. As far as cheap and quick burgers go, it should get a 5-​Star, but my experiences with Swenson’s in Ohio have shown me the true heights that cheap and greasy chains can do.
Still, grilled burger, not overly greasy that keeps the bun the perfect balance between toasted and not moist, the veggies are cut well and in god proportion, meaning nothing is drowned in tomato or overwhelmed by a ton of lettuce, the onions are grilled until they are juicy and sweet, no char, and the fries are a good size cut and not fried into inedible sticks.
Add in a condiment bar that includes steak sauce and worcestershire, and you go away a happy burger lover. I didn’t have the drive to try a shake, but they do have both mocha and malt, which does sound very tempting. Maybe next time.
Seriously, though … skip ever going to In ‘n Out and come here. You won’t regret it and you won’t go thinking In n’ Out is more than a barely average burger ever again.

My boyfriend lives really close to The Habit & goes all the time. This past Sunday we were both in the mood for comfort food and decided to stop in and get some burgers and fries. I had been craving sweet potato fries and lo and behold they had them on the menu! So I was already a happy camper, and I hadn’t even ordered my food.
I usually get hamburgers lettuce wrapped, to cut down the calories, and because I love lettuce (I really do). But I decided that since it was my first time at The Habit I should have a proper Charburger (with cheese of course).
I was starving so as soon as we got home I dug in, and found myself in hamburger heaven. Everything was perfectly proportioned and I could tell I was eating a quality burger, with fresh ingredients. I’m not a huge meat eater but I think the burger patty was my favorite part!
I can’t wait to go back. I would say The Habit is the best hamburger around (I still love you In-​N-​Out)!