Rod’s Char Burger

This is my favorite burger joint in North Redondo. Everything from breakfast to lunch is great, but my personal favorite item is their breakfast burrito. They put chili in it and makes it so yummy!

Seriously, I said onion rings, not fries. So sad, they look offended when I brought the order back. Not so excited to return now.

For this category– five stars! Amazing cooked to order burger perfectly delicious, great service, plenty of parking. Perfect old school burger place … And smells so … CHAR

Place seems really good as they have tons of options. The only I didn’t like is when you pay with a card they ask you if you want to add a tip. That always makes me uncomfortable especially if I’m ordering to go, but I did leave a small tip as i felt bad if I didn’t. I don’t think they should ask customers that up front when paying.

Great for breakfast or lunch.
The night crew screws up a lot.
I live right behind the place. Great food. Early in the day.

Try the very satisfying and delicious thick flavorful bacon cheese burger. It is booomb and budget conscious! I often call my order in 5 – 10 minutes before arriving and it’s ready when i get there. Yes they accept debit cards at the counter as of this writing in Dec 2015.

I use to love Rod’s before it was sold to new owners. My favorite used to be the Chicken Greek Salad. Now it just tastes gross. They changed the dressing and the feta cheese doesn’t taste or smell right. They changed the type of chili they use too. It’s just not the same vibe there. The workers that use to seem happy don’t seem as happy these days. Don’t understand why they would change the tastes of their foods when they have been so successful over the years. Definitely lost a loyal customer.

— long wait times, lots of unhappy customers. We waited over 40 min for our food that was Luke warm. Food was mediocre.
This is my second time trying it. And both times I saw people complaining. I wanted to give it another chance but unfortunately the food was not tasty enough for me to wait that long again… (2x) Will not be coming back.

I’ve been a faithful customer for years. Today, in need to have a satisfying burger I returned. As I walked in, I was surprised to see how lonely it was. Well, I proceeded to look at the menu since the jr. Special is gone. As I looked at the menu… I glanced at the kitchen and I NOTICED ONE OF THE COOKS SETTING UP A MOUSE TRAP UNDERNEATH THE SODA MACHINE. Needless to say, I walked out. I hope that they take the steps necessary to fumigated the whole restaurant n not trying to just set up mouse traps… because then my mind wonders whether or not the mouse or more got killed and whether they roamed around the food and all. Sorry fellow Rod burgers lovers n employees.

Oh there was so much potential. Breakfast burrito, filled with ham, bacon, sausage, hash browns, peppers and eggs. Covered with chili, cheese, sour cream and Avocado on top.
I haven’t been to Rods in a long time, so I stopped in. There was a line to order, I think the cashier was just slow. I ordered the Rods Supreme breakfast burrito to go.
Once I got home, it really looked great. Dug in. The chili was pretty good, the cheese was all melted. Once I got inside, everything was pretty good. I like hash browns, and they were good. The trouble started when I got to the eggs. They were burnt and dry. They had that brown burnt crust, like they left it to long without flipping it. If the cook had taken a little more care with the eggs, it would have been perfect. But the burnt eggs wrecked it. Maybe I should have said undercook the eggs. Oh well. I think next time, I will get some eggs that aren’t hidden because I used to love this place.

A good straightforward burger and fries joint. Casual atmosphere, quick service, good food. The double cheeseburger was bowled straight down the middle. No muss, no fuss. A good charbroiled taste complimented wonderfully by thousand island dressing. The fries are thick and plentiful even with the standard «combo option». Definitely see this as a spot I could check out when I don’t know exactly what I want and the menu seems substantial and diverse enough to support that attitude.
Will check out again.

t’s not pretty but it’s gorgeous to my taste buds. Turkey Burger from Rod’s Char Burger. I went to get some food last night at 9:05 on Sunday night in Hermosa and had a terrible time finding a place. Boardwalk was closed, Watermans kitchen was closed, Sharkeez hung up on me twice, and the Mermaid phone just kept ringing. I then thought of going back to an old North Redondo staple. I love Rod’s. They are not a scratch made, chef driven, trendy spot, but they do source great products and make sure they execute all great recipes. The Turkey Burger with Avocado, 1000 Island dressing, and a great Wheat bun, is phenomenal. We got 2 burgers, a salad, and a Chicken Tenders dinner for $ 28. This place is amazing.

IT WAS ABOUT TO GO DOWN IN RODS! So… After my last bad review the owner of Rods ask that I come in so he could rectify the situation and meet me. I went in last week (at my nephews request) for a cheeseburger and fries.
I went and ordered and she/​the employee asked how my hubby was and the vibe was very awkward. You know that vibe… When you could cut the tension with a knife. So, while I was waiting for my food to arrive; she obviously mustered up enough guts to approach me about my bad Unilocal review and aggressively confronted me about what I wrote saying, «you shouldn’t write it looked like dog food and you should have spoken us about it not write a review.» I’m pretty sure this is MY Unilocal page and she doesn’t get to dictate what I write on it.
So I just as aggressively told her… «I’ve been in contact with the owner via Unilocal and that I posted photos of the food so they could see what they served me and furthermore that wasn’t the first time my food was poorly executed» At this point I’m thinking, «keep pushing me lady and you’ll find out how ugly this can get.» All I wanted was a cheeseburger and a smile. Is that too much to ask?! If so, hold the smile and just give me what I paid for.
She, of course, huffed and puffed and disregarded me instead of trying to understand that the review wasn’t malicious just factual. So I asked for the owner so I can clarify to him what and why I rated them one star.
He came over and let me tell you… He was so pleasant, understanding, and very kind. He completely understood why I rated him as such and really wanted to rectify the situation. He took time to explain the changes he is trying to implement in the restaurant and that he was grateful for whatever feed back I provided.
So I am upgrading them 2 stars based in customer service from the OWNER. Not to mention the cheeseburger and fries were good also.
While I was appalled that an employee had the audacity to approach a customer in a negative manner and then tried to tell me how I should and shouldn’t rate their store; I was very pleased and humbled by the kindness of the owner. He was such a sweet, sweet man. Makes me really want to see him succeed.
I’ll try them again for breakfast in hopes it will be better.
I’m curious to see what employee approaches me about this review! We shall see…
I’ll keep you posted…

Came here a couple times and it is amazing! Their burgers are phenomenal! Had their chili cheese fries and they are amazing as well. The service is really great as well I love coming here!

CHANGED OWNERS :-(
Makes me sad because a lot seems to be changing.

Seriously only now have I been blessed to taste their fabulous chilli fries. I don’t care for chilli most of the time but it’s good. Simple meat based no other frills but it is bomb and those fries are crisp on the outside. Texture… All about the texture. And that chilli feels like it’s been stewing for awhile while the ground beef not being chunky.
This place gets crazy during breakfast and brunch with lines sometimes going out the door. It’s kind of diner food but they have sooooo many items since they serve all 3 meals there. There is barely any seats inside. Get it to go especially if it’s just simple.

Rods is your classic burgers and fries joint. Located a mile and a half off the road from Redondo and Hermosa Beach, it’s the perfect place to get full without having to pay extra for the prime beach real estate.
The burgers are charbroiled and the fries are thick and greasy.
Come for breakfast, lunch or dinner and expect to pay anywhere between $ 6 – 10 for a full meal.

I have heard so much about Rod’s and their food but never stopped to try it out even though I pass by this location on almost a daily basis.
Well that came to the end a couple of days ago when I got the overwhelming urge to have a BLT sandwich. I talk a mean game but when it comes down to enjoying a cheat meal I usually back out and eat something healthy, not this time=)
I figured I could still make a healthy sandwich by using high fiber bread from Trader Joe’s, avocado instead of mayonnaise (which I despise), organic tomatoes and romaine lettuce, the only thing I was missing was the bacon. I did not want to stick up my house and drive the dogs crazy by cooking bacon followed by the decision of what to do with the grease so I decided I would have Rod’s cook the bacon for me and any leftovers would be dog treats.
I walked into Rod’s and immediately observed the open kitchen, which I liked. You are able to watch you food being prepared and cooked right in front of your eyes. I waited in the short line and was greeted by the friendly staff working the cash registers. I asked if it would be possible to order just two (2) side orders of bacon ‘well done’ the cashier said no problem. I actually observed the staff put the raw bacon I ordered on and open flame /​grill allowing the grease to drain off which I thought was outstanding.
As I waited for my order to be ready I checked out the menu and observed everything from serious junk food to healthy chicken breast plates all at reasonable prices.
The staff all seemed to be having a goodtime working, communicating and getting orders out in a timely manner.
The restaurant itself during the time of my visit was packed but the restaurant was spotless and even smelled clean. As I mentioned above the kitchen is open and believe you me I gave the stainless steel counter tops, the burners and the utensil the staff was using a pretty good ‘eye’ inspection and found everything to be ‘inspection ready.‘
Before I knew my order was ready and I was out the door. I brought the bacon home which was wrapped in tinfoil and it was crispy (as ordered) and tasted incredible. I am not sure what type of bacon they use but it was quite tasty.
My sandwiches were amazing and the dogs loved the leftovers. I am sorry it has taken me this long to pay a visit to this spot but now since I broke the ice I can see myself coming back here for their chicken breast specials.
Rod’s has a pretty large dedicated parking lot that can be accessed from both Artesia Blvd & Felton Lane.
Word to the wise this place gets packed on the weekends especially for breakfast /​brunch.

Rod’s Char Burger is an A-​OKAY place that’s average and on par to its peer local diner /​grills. To disclaim ‘tho I see a lot of * * * * * five star reviews of Rod’s, not to bring their rating average down, I have to be honest, I’m not the type of reviewer who throws out 5 stars haphazardly, nor do I give 1 star reviews unless it was an avoidable incident that occurred. With that, 3 stars in my system is good, where 4 stars is great. I would continue recommending and coming back to places I rate 3 stars as a solid reliable place.
There’s no signature item I’ve had here, nor anything extraordinary. So, that’s what’s keeping Rod’s from higher than 3 stars.
However, the service with a smile has been consistent. It’s fast and friendly.
The quality and quantity of food for the price has always been fair.
They do have a fairly robust menu, including solid breakfast offerings (‘tho they don’t offer corned beef hash nor waffles).
Parking is always easy if you’re willing to walk should the parking lot be full and front street parking occupied. The adjacent residential streets offers convenient options.

Great service and food! What else can I say, this is an iconic place for those that grew up in Redondo Beach and Lawndale area. For a burger joint, this place employee a lot of people that really works very hard. The comes out super fast and the service is one of the best around. Their food is very good along with the quality. My favorite is their combo burrito or the famous Greek salad with chicken. Come hungry! They give you a lot of food.
The parking lot gets pretty packed and the line goes out the front door onto the side walk. But definitely worth the wait. For a fast food burger joint, this is my favorite place and you will see tons of regulars.