Habit Burger & Grill — Restaurant in Shoreline

I was dying for a burger after long week, but a GOOD burger, not a crappy fast food burger. 😂 I was nearby so thought I’d try The Habit burgers. They’ve got mostly rave reviews.

I had the worst tasting burger there… twice. In one night.

I ordered the Teriyaki burger— without onions. The first burger tasted like onions. NOT normally a big deal. Mistakes happen. I knew they’d remake it. But I’m certain onions were on it that someone just picked off after the fact. Tip: Don’t ever try fooling an onion hater. We can taste onion-tainted anything a mile away. Lol.) Judging by the look on the gal’s face at the counter, I think she doubted my claim of onion-tainting but was nice enough to make me a replacement burger right away when I brought it to her attention.

The replacement burger had no trace of onion flavor (yayyy!) but it still tasted just… gross.

First, I’ve got to say: their decision to use ONLY American cheese on ALL burgers & sandwiches is a poor, poor decision. I’ve never seen a burger joint do that. It’s just odd.

Even after scraping the cheese off, the burger patty itself was just gross. Kind of mushy and flavorless, and despite their burgers bearing the name “Char Burgers” it didn’t taste “charred” at all (grilled/flame broiled). I ended up tossing 3/4 of a burger in the trash despite being starving. That was after them tossing the first onion-flavored burger in the trash. What a waste.

I will say the customer service was good. My order was ready quickly despite it being a busy Friday night. It’s clean and nice inside. There’s seating inside and a little outside. Everything else was good. But I can’t get past TWO burgers tasting awful in one sitting. There...

When I first went here two years ago, they must have been having a bad day...or maybe I was. I rated the place a 2 at that time.

I have gone back since a number of times, and now--with that additional information--I would give it a 4. I particularly like the fry sauce, and the fries that I've gotten since my first visit have been better than the original ones.

My favorite entree is their Tri Strip Steak Sandwich.

For the record, I've left my original review below.

I don't consider it valid any longer.

I would now recommend Habit Burger to others.

I really can't understand all the positive reviews for Habit Burger. The burger is ordinary except for being very greasy and so is AT BEST 3 Stars in my book, but more like 2 Stars. The fries, which were fresh out of the fryer were the taste and texture of McD's fries after they have been sitting for too long, so they were at best--well, I guess a 1, since they just were not even edible to me and almost all went into the trash.

On a positive note some of the signature sandwiches looked like they might be better, the lime drink looked intriguing, and the condiments bar was above average.

The place also seemed very "corporate": cramped, with things like a corralled queue for ordering, little buzzer thingies to call you to pick up your food (where other places will bring it to your table or have faster "instant" service"). The employees seemed to be be scripted automatons with painted on smiles because they were told that they needed to smile.

I prefer a place with a little more...

Welcome to the neighborhood "The Habit Burger Grill!" This California based chain fits right into the cozy little space in the middle of the Aurora Village shopping center.

This is a fast food place so you will order yourself and then find your seat. They use the buzzing pagers to alert you when your food is ready up front. They also have staff members walking around checking on everyone asking if they need anything. This is something that Chick-Fil-A has always done well and it makes this place feel better than other traditional fast food places.

The seating appears a little limited but not immediately restraining to them, I can imagine it gets pretty cozy in here during lunch and dinner rushes. Also they have one men's bathroom and one women's bathroom that are both single use. They have an adequate stash of booster seats and high chairs so they are well equipped for multiple families to sit in and enjoy a meal.

Their food is good. I just tried the traditional charrburger with cheese. I definitely like their fries which are typically a make or break for many. I look forward to trying something different next time.

Where The Habit Burger Grill has already shined well so far and should continue to do so if they want to secure their spot as a regular dining location for the locals is on their opening weekend they had two 2 hour blocks where they donated 100% of proceeds to the Shoreline School's PTA. The greater Seattelites LOVE businesses that care about their community and Habit Burger has already shown themselves as stars in this area. Please...