Need a new restaurant to try out with your friends and family? Craving a burger? Here you can have one the way you want it!

Eliza Crowder | Staff Reporter
Staff photo by Eliza Crowder

If you’re in the mood for a filling, personalized burger, The Counter, a burger joint in Palo Alto (369 California Avenue), has your name written all over it. This build-it-yourself burger restaurant is a personal favorite in my family because of the upbeat atmosphere and the taste-bud-satisfying food. The Counter offers a wide variety of American food, but it focuses on the art of cooking the perfect burger just how you want it.

When you enter The Counter, shortly after you are seated, you are handed a sheet of paper with a plethora of options to choose from to construct your very own burger. The type of meat you can order varies, as do the cheese options, the toppings, the buns, and the sides.

One combination I created recently was a turkey burger with brie cheese, basil pesto, roasted bell peppers, and kale on a multi-grain bun along with the turkey chili side. Another promising combination is a beef burger with brie cheese, apricot sauce, and cranberries on a pretzel bun. It wouldn’t be possible for me to list off all of the delicious combinations; the options are truly endless!

However, for those of you out there that are too lazy or indecisive to create your own burger, there are also lots of recommended combinations that you can just order right off the menu. The prices range from $9.25 for a one-third pound burger, to $12.25 for a one-half pound burger, to $18.25 for the one pound burger. Unless you absolutely ravenous, I would recommend ordering the ⅓ lb burger because that by itself will fill you up!

As for the sides, I highly recommend the sweet potato fries. I cannot stress this enough — you just simply cannot go to The Counter and not order a basket or two of these special fries. There are also other scrumptious options such as vegetable skewers, turkey chili, regular fries, or a side salad.

Last but certainly not least, you cannot forget about dessert! All of my little cousins ordered different milkshakes at the restaurant, even though sugar was the very last thing they needed. The Oreo shake, the chocolate chip cookie shake, and the nutella/salted pretzel shake were all very popular among our group and were the perfect treat to top off a satisfying meal!

If you have the time and patience to create your own masterpiece of a burger, this is the place for you! Head to 369 California Avenue in Palo Alto for a meal that will not disappoint!