The Counter

7919 Sunset Boulevard
Los Angeles CA 90046
(323) 436-3844
www.thecounterburger.com
twitter.com/CounterBurger

Parking: 2-hours free parking w/ validation Days: Monday-Friday
Times: 4-7pm
Drink Deals: $2 off Draft Beers & Wines
Food Deals: $2 Mini-Burgers and ½ off Starters
TUESDAY Night Deal: $14 “Burger & Beer” Samplers – 4 Mini-Burgers, 4 Beer Samplers

Street-View

I’ve already been over my Counter vs. Corner confusion – documented in this spellbinding review, but after visiting the Counter’s Happy Hour last week, I think we have a winner in the Happy Hour category! I still love the home-y charms of the Corner, but the Counter has phenomenal pricing on beer, wine, apps, & sliders – so much so that pal Nic & I were able to order 4 beers, 3 dinner-portion appetizers, and dessert for under $40 (with tip)!

Inside The Counter

See, the Counter is an all right lunch or dinner venue – it’s an upscale hamburger restaurant (part of a growing nation-wide chain) that offers a variety of toppings – cheese, vegetables, sauce, etc – for you to customize your own sandwich or salad. The burgers (veggie for me, thank you) are quite good; the trouble is it’s not really the cheapest burger joint, especially if you want to add fries and a beer or two – you’re looking at maybe $25 + pre-tip per person.

On the Patio

If you’re on a budget and/or you like to stretch your funds further, your best bet would be to make a dinner out of Happy Hour from 4-7pm on Monday-Friday. All draft beers and wines are $2 off (so $3.50 beers and wines from $5.50-$7.50); their nice selection of starters is ½ off, and they have 4 specialty mini-burgers for $2 each.

Cheers! Allegash White & Flying Dog Doggie Style Pale Ale (each $3.50)

Nic & I hadn’t gotten to visit much since our Palm Springs – Tropicale-riffic (link to: ) getaway, so we were excited to catch up over the swell prices at The Counter on Sunset Blvd! For booze, we stuck with the “burger & beer” theme (even though we didn’t have burgers :) and had a nice selection of $2 off draft beers to choose from – Allegash White, Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA, Fat Tire, Flying Dog Doggie Style Pale Ale, Stella Artois, and Weihenstephaner. I enjoyed both the Doggie Style Pale Ale (great name!!) and the Allegash White while Nic had an Allegash & Stella.

Nosh-wise, we went with several sharing-size starters that were only $2.50 each!

Grilled Vegetable Plate (grilled veggies brushed w/ olive oil) ($2.50)

Parmesan Fries (w/ parsley, rosemary, and garlic aioli) ($2.50)

Crispy Onion Strings ($2.50)

The starters were a nice modern take on traditional bar food and were very good. For dessert, we finished everything off with a Chocolate Chip Cookie ($3.25), served a la Mode for an extra $1.95.

Chocolate Chip Cookie a la Mode ($5.20)

All this food & booze was totally enough to send anyone into a food coma, but I was revived quickly when we got the bill and to my delight, it was only $28.74 (pre-tip)! Such a steal for a dinner date – these kinds of little-known secret spots are what makes me so happy to share this site!!

Quick scene-note: This isn’t the most romantic venue in the world – the inside looks a bit like a futuristic diner and the patio has closely set metallic tables & chairs, but it is a great place to get a good Happy Hour dinner deal with your pals, a date, etc.

--JB

Rating: 5 Martinis