Crafting their locally-sourced and mouth-watering food, Hopdoddy Burger Bar entices customers into a world of flavor. Located inside El Segundo’s mini-mall, The Point, this restaurant has “a passion to bring you burgers made with fresh, all-natural ingredients prepared by hand.”

The restaurant instantly gives off a welcoming, open vibe as tall glass windows encase the eating area, opening it up to bypassers.. Upon entering, customers are greeted with the aesthetically-pleasing combination of blonde wood, black leather, silver metal, and Hopdoddy’s trademark neon-lime green accents. Seating choices range from bar-style diner counters, typical tables, and snug booths. A sleek bar rests in the center of the space with overhead bottle racks and a bartender shaking up some cocktails for their 3 to 6:30 PM happy hour. A blackboard wall displays slogans noting the freshness and locality of their food sources, with baskets of vegetables to emphasize their local-mindedness. This freshness is exactly what sets this restaurant apart from the rest of from most other burger places.

Hopdoddy’s menu allows it’s consumers to order from a vast menu of burgers, all customizable and with a uniquely fresh twist. The restaurant has a broad range of options in toppings and choices of meat, for all types of eaters. Depending on what customers enjoy, Hopdoddy will easily personalize your order to a seemingly limitless extent, which is another key factor in Hopdoddy’s success. It’s not everywhere that you can trade in beef for over three other types of meat. Still not tasting the exactly how you like? Boom, here’s a slab of Ahi Tuna instead.

I’ve never been one to stray away from anything other than normal, so the Classic Burger is what I usually order. Despite it being a typical cheeseburger with tomatoes, onion, lettuce, beef, and cheese — it’s still delicious — especially since it’s made with natural, non-GMO ingredients. The chefs also add in a bit of their “Sassy Sauce,” which adds some vibrant underlying flavor. But there is one item on the menu that I feel should take the spotlight; The Impossible Burger. When I first heard about the Impossible Burger from my parents, I just thought, “Oh no, not another one of these imposter meats.” My family has been trying to gradually give up red meat in order to save the environment. But honestly, at that time, there was no way I giving up meat for some bogus patty made up of wheat, coconut oil, and potatoes.

Well, turns out that I was very wrong. As soon as I was pressured enough to take a small nibble of it, my mind was blown. The aroma, texture, and looks matched a medium-rare beef burger perfectly. It tasted more like a burger than a burger itself— the flavors were explosive in the best way. And because the patty doesn’t use any cow meat, it’s much healthier you and for the environment, which is nice to think about as you devour the burger.

To complete the diner-like feel, Hopdoddy also offers a vast amount of milkshakes. As another signature element of the menu, these shakes are phenomenal. They possess all the qualities of a perfect shake— creamy, rich, and thickly sweet. The flavor combinations are on point, too, examples being caramel and sea salt, red velvet, and Oreo cookie. But their best-selling flavor Nutella and chocolate covered pretzels.

The key that makes this burger joint exceptional is their ingenuity— With their bread baked every morning, locally sourced ingredients, and their humanely-raised and antibiotic-free meats ground daily, Hopdoddy’s burgers are the perfect middle ground between mindful eating and guilty pleasures.