Reviews Balboa Bar And Grill

These burgers were soooo good! I’m from Wisconsin and this reminded me of a little slice of back home. Tavern/dive bar, small menu and country music. I loved it. The burgers were delicious and the fries were crispy! Definitely will be back.

BURGER GRATIFICATION: CRAVING-SOLVED I eat burgers about twice a year and when I do I want the calories to count. Because I'm eating the bread and getting fries (with sass). Finally, I made it to The Balboa. Balboa Bar is a mix of dive bar+small tavern. Several TV's, wood seating tables, vintage pics and decor and a laid-back vibe. THE MENU IS SIMPLE: Hamburger, chicken sandwich, fries, a few extra burger fixins and full bar. For my vegan peeps, you can substitute the burger for a black bean patty at an additional cost. ORDERING: You order drinks and/or food at the bar upon entry. Grab a seat with your number and your meal will be serviced to you. My eyes and stomach were tingling inside because the plating of the burgers is so enticing, although I ordered mine to go. I appreciated that my burger remained intact in the recyclable sustainable friendly to go bag. There were four people in line ahead of me. Line-order-completion was 22 minutes. I even had time for a shot. SERVICE: Excelente AROMA: The venting system is great because there is no aroma or smoke permeating through the bar. Good because I just washed my hair. Although I love the smell of grilled burgers. TASTE: I ordered my burger well done and it still retained its juicy grilled flavor, complemented with slightly sweet sweet & soft bun with traditional fixings. I ordered the grilled jalapenos. There were only a few atop the burger. This was an extra cost and it actually did not add to the burger. SEASONING: I would say the burger could stand a little bit more seasoning. It was seasoned just enough that if you added more it would have been too much. But we all know the burger must have perfect seasoning while cooking. PRICE: Justified by hand pressed fresh patties made to order. Mondays burgers are $8.00 all day, this would be a steal. But you must dine-in. Other days to get this deal is Tues -Fri (4 PM - 6 PM) FRIES: Fresh cut like a million bucks and good, good, good. These are real potatoes and they take care to prepare these fries before their fried. Thank you. PARKING: Likely to be difficult. Paid parking lot near by. If you find street parking make sure you pay because the meter persons make their rounds in this area like clockwork. I'll eat here again. But there is another burger I like more. "The best burgers are simple, juicy, and messy." - Bobby Flay.

Really good bacon cheeseburger. The meat is flavorful and cooked perfectly. Salt and pepper fries were also really good. Super friendly service.

Favorite bar in San Diego, hands down. Wouldn't go so far as to call it a dive, but it's rustic, certainly not an overlit patio-ed fern bar serving $20 cocktails that there are sterile carbon copies of all over the area. The counter is a little sticky, the chairs wobble a little, but the place is welcoming and the bartenders have great energy. They serve a cold beer and, as far as I'm concerned, the best burger in the county, respect to the kitchen guys. Got a killer happy hour, too.

I come here 2-3 times a month. The burgers cannot be beat! Staff is always cool. Kid friendly during brunch. Haven't been here for the nightlife.

This place has an "award winning" burger and voted best burger by There San Diego. I can most certainly tell you it is NOT the best burger in town. Do yourself a favor and go to Crazee Burger in North park. Way too much bread (too thick and too chewy) the special sauce has too much cumin, the meat was thick, good quality and tasty but both our burgers we're overcooked to a medium well not medium as they say they're normally cooked. We asked for the salt and pepper fries well done and they were not. It's a cool locals spot, great vibe, good beer and a pool table.

Got the balboa and garlic fries and both were amazing. The burger was perfectly cooked, and you’ll like the fries if you like garlic chunks and crispy awesome fries. The staff were so nice and I am definitely going back. Ate the burger so quick I didn’t even take a photo lol

Popped in for a quick lunch right when they opened. Simple menu, order food and drinks at bar, and grab a table! We got the balboa original burger and the BBQ burger with a side of garlic fries. Everything was excellent. So far this has been one of the better traditional burgers I’ve had around San Diego and the BBQ one was super delicious, not to mention a great size with nice fluffy buns! They have a $15 burger and a draft special on Thursday which seems like a great deal. Can’t wait to try the other two sammies on the menu as I’ll definitely be back.

Biting into a Balboa Burger and some garlic fries is like a piece of heaven on earth! The burger is so flavorful, it is well worth the trip from Chicago. Mai Tai is my favorite to drink from here, not stingy with the liquor. Absolute must have when near downtown San Diego.

Great "dive bar" in San Diego. Standard burgers and fries on menu, but pretty limited other than that. The burgers are quite good though and they have garlic fries as well. 4 beers on tap that rotate, with wine and cocktails available. Prices are standard...recent trip had party of 8 and bill was 180 bucks. Update July 2023: pretty much the same, and still good for what it is (semi-dive bar in a good way). The burgers are still great and the fries are fresh cut, so can't complain!