All The Charburgers At Habit Burger & Grill, Ranked

If you're craving a more gourmet fast food burger that goes beyond chains like McDonald's or Burger King, you may want to check out Habit Burger & Grill. The chain started in 1969 as a small-town burger spot, but has grown considerably over the decades. Now, it has hundreds of locations in North America (and a handful in China and Cambodia). Most stores are concentrated on the West Coast (California specifically), but you'll find the chain on the East Coast as well, in states such as New Jersey, South Carolina, Florida, and more. If you've never ventured to Habit, you may wonder what it's all about. 

Well, the chain features chargrilled items like burgers and chicken to offer a unique flavor that many fast food restaurants don't provide. I decided to test out Habit Burger & Grill's full lineup of burgers, which it calls Charburgers. My store has seven options, so I picked one of each to try. I critiqued them based mainly on the flavor of the burger and delivery of the burger's ingredients, but some textural components and pricing come into play as well. And, of course, there's a bit of personal preference added into the mix. I hope you're craving beef, so let's dive into the taste test.

The Teriyaki Char features the chargrilled burger patty, grilled pineapple, caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato, pickle, and a bit of mayo between a toasted bun. The sweet and tangy notes of teriyaki sauce are perfectly fine, but it's not something I want on my average burger. It's welcome as an occasional flavor variance, sure, but I likely wouldn't go to Habit Burger & Grill for that profile. The pineapple, which brings the bright, sweet, slightly tart taste, is sadly minuscule. 

The image of the Teriyaki Char on the website shows an enormous piece of pineapple that covers the full patty and appears just as thick as the meat itself. But my fruit slice was tiny, thin, and covered half the width of the burger, if that. I ate multiple bites before even reaching the pineapple slice, and its flavor isn't very noticeable or succulent — I don't detect much chargrilled flavor either. A regular Charburger is $5.99, so the teriyaki burger isn't a good value given that it is priced at $7.49; the only difference is some teriyaki sauce and a tiny slice of pineapple. 

The BBQ bacon Char is one of the higher-priced burgers of the bunch at $8.59. This added fee gets you the usual burger base that we'll see through most of the burgers (patty, caramelized onions, lettuce, sliced tomato, mayo, and a bun), as well as the titular ingredients: Hickory-smoked bacon and BBQ sauce. I must say that this burger is messy and hard to eat — the messiest out of them all, actually, with sauce falling out of the burger and landing in the wrapper or on your hands as you take a bite. 

The bacon brings a bit of smoky depth, but it's not too noticeable over the sweetness of the drippy barbecue sauce. The burger advertised on the website depicts a hefty layer of bacon, but mine had a mere couple of pieces, which were almost hidden. Because of the underwhelming amount of bacon, the messiness of the sauce, and the elevated price, this receives the sixth-place spot. I'd pick BBQ sauce over teriyaki, but the rest of the burgers are much better.

I quite like the Double Char; it's essentially a competitor to In-N-Out's Double Double. Habit and In-N-Out are among California's top two burger joints according to Yelp, mind you, so this makes sense. The Double Char has all the classic add-ins, but this time around, you get two burger patties stacked on the bun. 

The bun is wonderfully soft, and the burger is cooked nicely to give it flavor without making it hard to chew. The two patties offer added richness and protein compared to the rest of the one-patty burgers on this list. It's a solid burger, but I'd recommend adding cheese to make it more similar to the Double Double and to add a creamy touch and flavor boost. It's quite good as it comes, thanks to the fresh ingredients and chargrilled burger, but it's better with cheese. While the queso offers more intrigue, it also comes at an added cost of $1.10.

As it stands, the non-cheese version is priced at $7.99, making it the most affordable out of the lower-ranking options. The cost is enticing, but the no-fuss flavor gives even more of a boost to solidify its position above the BBQ burger.

The Santa Barbara Char has all the makings of a superior sandwich. Did you catch that? Sandwich. In addition to the caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and mayo, we have some new elements to give this option an enhancement. We see mashed avocado, American cheese, and grilled sourdough added into the mix. The trio really elevates the sandwich to bring dimension; there's a crunch of grilled bread, the buttery, mild taste of avocado, and for the first time, we get a bite of cheese. The trifecta brings a lot of flavor and texture to easily bring the Santa Barbara Char to the highest position thus far. 

That said, there are also a trio of caveats. One, the Santa Barbara Char doesn't seem all that burger-y to me. It's a burger patty on a sandwich. Two, as tasty as that tangy sourdough is, it begins to fall apart under the weight of the ingredients and the moisture from the lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise. Three, it's the highest-priced option that I taste-tested priced at $9.99. I understand the higher fee, of course, because of the premium ingredients, but the price jump could make it less enticing if you're working with a specific budget. I'd happily order this creation again, but only when I know I can finish it while it's fresh. It doesn't last or reheat well otherwise.

Without reading the description, I first thought the portabella Char was a large chargrilled mushroom designed as a vegetarian option. That's not the case, though. It has the classic fixings, plus a burger patty, sliced portabella mushroom pieces, and perfectly melted white American cheddar cheese. I often get mushroom Swiss burgers when I go out to eat at restaurants, so this has a similar spin and is a great alternative if you, too, are a fan.

However, I'm on the fence about the price. For $8.39, the mushroom and cheese addition seems like a steep add-on when compared to the basic Charburger. But at the same time, it's still cheaper than a few of the lower-ranked burgers. 

This mushroom burger is a little heartier, offering creaminess (and a bit of protein) from the cheese and added meatiness and a vegetable element from the 'shrooms. The flavor and texture come together to make this a fantastic burger, solidifying this burger's position as the third-best option. The next two are a bit better, albeit slightly more basic.

The Char Sliders are as tasty as they are adorable. You'll receive two mini burgers and a side of housemade ranch for $7.79. I, however, didn't get that side of ranch, but I'm sure my order was a bit hectic, considering I had seven burgers. I'll let it slide (since I didn't notice it was missing until reviewing my order receipt, way after the fact), but I'm sure it would've further enhanced the flavor with creamy, herbed decadence. 

I especially like the ratio of ingredients in the smaller burgers; it seems like you can enjoy everything without a specific item taking over, like the beefiness of the Double Char. The bun is soft but makes an equal partner to the patty and other burger accoutrements. Unlike the average Charburger (where cheese is an added cost), white American cheese comes standard with the sliders. But it also comes with something that none of the other burgers have had: Thousand Island dressing. This component brings added umami and richness, ensuring that every bite is packed with flavor. These aren't the best based on value alone, but the taste and combination of textures make it a sure-fire winner. However, only one Charburger beats it.

In the battle of the best Charburger, how could anything but the namesake Charburger receive first place? It's simply the best, and it's what every other burger on this list is based on. It has all the essentials we've come to know and love; it's nothing fancy and doesn't need anything to bolster the flavor. Although, as you might tell by now, I am partial to upgrading with some cheese, so I'd recommend that if desired. Like the sliders, the proportions work well. We have sliced tomato, crisp lettuce, and tangy pickles to bring moisture. 

The caramelized onions, which I haven't really mentioned yet, are superior to merely sliced onions. They bring complex, sweet yet savory notes to the burger. And once again, the bun is fantastic — not too firm nor soft. At $5.99, it's (far and beyond) the best value from the other Charburger options. I used to think Habit Burger & Grill was pricey, but it seems to have evened out, given the rise of fast food prices (in California, where I am based, specifically) and the cost of beef. The burgers are set apart from other chains because they are chargrilled over an open flame. This step gives them a drool-worthy, home-cooked, grilled flavor that solidifies why Habit Burger & Grill is ranked in the top five American burger chains. If you head to the chain, start with the Charburger.

I purchased the food through my Habit Burger & Grill app and then ate it in-store. I ordered everything exactly as they come without any type of alteration or customization — for example, I didn't add cheese to anything. I did so to streamline the ordering process and to eat them fresh, without having to commute back home. I tried two large bites of each burger, wrote my notes, then worked my way through all the burgers before taking a couple more bites of each to solidify my opinions.

Flavor is the most important factor in the taste test, as I wanted all toppings and ingredients to shine and provide what they say they are going to. If something was bland or underdelivered, it ranked lower than ones that were balanced and flavorful. Texture and pricing are factors for some burgers, acting more like a tiebreaker to help something move up or down in the ranking. I have personal preferences too, such as liking mushrooms or pickles, which some readers may disagree with. All prices are based on my San Diego, California, store location; prices were accurate at the time of writing.