The Counter

Reviews

• Paul S.

  star star star star star_border 8 June 2026

  I split a BYO burger with my wife here at the counter while waiting for an SWA flight one Saturday night after a week of house building in Baja. We had the garlic aioli, cheddar, onions, tomato slices, lettuce, and dill pickle. This was about $12.25. We also had a regular French fry for $3.75. We are water drinkers and thus did not order any drinks.
  
  The burger was very good. Reasonable amount of meat - maybe it could be a bit thicker for $12. That said, nicely done and tasted very good. The garlic aioli had a nice garlic taste without being overpowering. Condiments were solid, although my wife found a bad piece of lettuce in her half. These are handmade burgers, so maybe that is not so acceptable? My half had no issues.
  
  The fries were excellent. They are about 6-8mm square in cross section and cut from actual potatoes (vs. extruded from potato mash). They were nicely cooked - crispy and light on the outside and the right amount of soft on the inside. Additionally, we had no over-cooked dark brown pieces, which is something that bugs me when it happens.
  
  There are negative issues with the space around the Counter. They have no sit down area. There is a communal hi-lo table/counter that is shared by all the food court that has charger ports and AC plugs. It always seems to be crowded at this part of the terminal. Also, since most of the charge ports are on this table/counter, there are a lot of non-food court folks who just st and compute or Tae up a spot with their chargers and gear.
  
  In summary, good burger, great fries, tough location, but good and cheery staff. I may check them out again the next time i come through here.

• Alex C.

  star star star star_border star_border 7 June 2026

  In Terminal 1 of SAN, your dining options are extremely limited. You basically have your choice of The Counter, a bar & grill type restaurant next door, pre-packaged cold-cut sandwiches, or the vending machine. Given these limited options, it is not surprising how busy this particular Counter location is.
  
  Despite the long lines however, they seem to move the line along in a pretty fast manner. Unlike a traditional Counter restaurant, instead of filling out a piece of paper with your dining option, you instead move through first an individual who takes your order, then a Chipotle-esque assembly line where people behind the counter will ask you your options to customize your burger.
  
  The service here starting from the person who takes your order, through the individuals making your burger, all the way to the cashier at the end was very kind and attentive. The burgers themselves are made in front of you and it is very clear that great care is put into assembling the burger to look visually appealing. Taste-wise however, the burger tasted rather dry and lacked flavor. I ordered the BBQ Bacon Burger, and was never given the option to customize how well the burger was done. Instead it seems that all the patties coming out were medium-well, including those of my co-workers. Something that was definitely evident in the burnt smell that wafted our way when we were in line.
  
  The actual establishment does not have any table seating, so you will simply have to take your meal to-go back to your gate area to consume. However the drink/condiment area appears well maintained and very clean. And it seems that this Counter location has completely converted to paper straws, which while commendable, also break down pretty quickly. I recommend either bringing your own or simply drinking out of the cup directly.

• Kalani S.

  star star star star_border star_border 29 May 2026

  The home made selected your own style burger place at San Diego Airport was one of the best burger/Mediterranean  turkey bowl that I had.  This is a chain restaurant and it was not bad of burger and bowl.
  
  1) Location: on the busiest terminal 1 by gate 3.
  Easy access and great for customer to notice the restaurant .
  
  2) Service: The Service was ok. Can't blame them because of so many demanded customer with picky attitude.
  
  3) Food Quality: It was edible and tasty. Love it and it really hit the spot.
  
  4) Price: it's estimate around $ 15 to$ 20 per person.
  
  5) Decor: like a deli style restaurant. Cute and clean
  
  So all your foodie that happen to travel to San Diego airport. Go try it.
  
  So if you have a chance to try it ,you won't regret it.
  Go foodies

• Monica S.

  star star star star star_border 27 May 2026

  Ordered $3.75 fries and $12.25 hamburger which included 4 add-on options, choice of cheese, bun, and choice of one sauce. For my choices: cheddar, dill pickle, lettuce, tomato, aioli garlic sauce, organic spring lettuce, and brioche bun. As for the patty, it was cooked medium rare (just the way I like it), but it is on the thin side. The crispy fries were also to my liking. Staff was friendly.
  For the lettuce decay, I'm taking a point off. Many restaurants are not careful about removing decay from spring lettuce which bugs me.
  Other caveats to BE AWARE of is that terminal 1 is SUPER crowded/busy and there are NO TABLES and chairs to eat at. Either you can sit at a gate and eat or stand at the free form counter with charging stations. Since there are no trays, carrying your order + drink + condiments is a challenge. Additionally, I had to transport TWO meals, which meant going back and forth. Ugh.

• Joe L.

  star star_border star_border star_border star_border 18 May 2026

  $13 plus dollar burgers. Can you guys do grilled onions? Yes for $1.75 more how about extra bbq sauce? For 1.75 more we can. No thanks! My bbq burger beef patty was dry, the bread was cold and almost stale tasting. Horrible burger. I am going to have burger nightmares tonight.
  
  I'm officially ashamed of Our San Diego Airport eateries compared to other airports.
  
  Warning Note to self and others if you are going into Southwest Terminal 1 eat before you come here. I repeat eat before you come here.