I've been coming to Knockout Burger in Carlsbad for many years, and I have to say this is the all-time worst experience I've ever had here. Was on our way home, my girlfriend and I, so we called in an order to go, expecting the food to be ready in about 10 - 15 mins as it usually is, even when its been busy. After repeating our order over the phone multiple times because the woman on the other end was either multi-tasking or not listening, was told our food would be ready "in about 30 mins". Parked out back in the parking lot and waited for about 20 mins before we went in to pay and pick up our food. Soon as we entered, the guy at the cash register fiddled around with whatever was in front of him for a few minutes before noticing my girlfriend and I and saying hi. We told him we were there to pick up a phone-in order and that our order was to-go, and he looked at us as if we were speaking a foreign language that he didn't understand, before running around looking for our order but looking more like he was chasing invisible fireflies. When he finally found the order on the prep table underneath some packaging or something, he looked like he was reading hieroglyphics, even though we know he's worked there for a while now, and told us he would ring us up after. So my girlfriend and I took a seat and waited patiently. We watched kids run into the kitchen and watched staff replenish baskets of fries for a table of what appeared to be family / friends before our food was even being taken care of, while we waited another 15 mins or so. At this point, we were the only other order waiting to be prepared. Another guy showed up and walked into the kitchen, who I figured worked there as well, and began to open up a beer for himself and his coworker before he ACTUALLY got to work. Once he had his "liquid courage", he kind of stumbled around in the kitchen for another 5-10 minutes before he walked over and asked me what my order was and if it was dine-in or take out. We clearly stated our order when we called it in and that the order was to go and repeated that when we showed up to pick up our food. When we finally got our food, there was no apology or compensation or ANYTHING at the register for the lack of communication among staff regarding our order, or making us wait extra long so they could joke and chit chat while they "prepared our food". From the VERY POOR sanitation (no washing hands after picking up the phone or wiping down surfaces and then going back to cooking and prepping orders), to drinking on the job in front of customers, to the absurd amount of poor communication among each other and waiting customers, the service here was DISGUSTING!!! They claim they have an "A" health rating and 3 1/2 stars??? I would investigate further and get this placed re-checked and get a new rating. Definitely not an "A" health rating and DEFINITELY NOT 3 1/2 stars anymore. More like 2, 2 1/2 at most. I'm so upset that a great local burger place I've been coming to for many years has gone so far down hill. If this place is to succeed again and become the awesome local burger joint it used to be, they got A LOT of work to do. I'm very disappointed in Knockout Burger and what it has become. read more

Worth the wait. Delicious. Good prices ordered the double cheeseburger and fries. Tasted like you made on your own grill

A hole in the wall place with delicious burgers at a great value. Great choice of toppings and really perfect crisp fries. The knockout sauce is definitely one of the better special sauces around. There seems to be only one guy working so be nice to him! He's doing a great job. Suggestion: Onion rings. read more

This place is fire. I love the owner as he is a local and one of my own. The owner makes the best burgers in town. I'm glad they are still in business especially after this pandemic crapola. read more

Great food, great service, great prices. Stumbled upon this little joint after a morning at the beach and couldn't have been happier. Great meal after a day in the sun. read more

Straight fire cheeseburgers. Awesome local hangout when on vacation. The decor is great with boxing legends everywhere and the heavyweight burger is grilled, juicy and delicious read more

They make a good burger, I'll give them that. Fries were ok, but nothing special. But even if COVID didn't make me more worrisome of how my food was handled I'd still have issues with their food safety. I'm an out of sight out of mind kind of person. Sadly their kitchen is easily visible even standing on the sidewalk outside waiting for your food. Their COVID safety is almost non-existent. The guy who took my order and the order ahead of me wasn't wearing a mask and the cook had a loose bandana. I guess another customer, or manager, said something because a few minutes after I ordered they both put on a surgical mask. Then I saw the cook grab a bun with his bare hand. Not the worst thing in the world, but with the rest I saw and other reviews I've read, I really can't give them the benefit of the doubt here. I'm pretty sure they just don't take food safety seriously. There's so many other options in the area that I can't justify going back unless there's a big overhaul in management & staff. read more

You have two options, you can either be there and have a dank burger, or you can have a dank burger and be there. There really is no in between. Unless you just get fries but then come on man. What you can't smell the burgers? read more

This restaurant sucks. Service is awful. The owner is a prick. I don't know why they are still open. Don't support this business. I ordered a meal for my family two weeks ago and the meat was frozen and bread stale. Never going to visit again. Had to give it a star only because I had to leave a review. Just thinking about my expierence makes me want to throw up read more

Not nearly as good as knockout pizza just next door or two down. Only 1 guy was working who took the order and made it. Not as clean as it can be. Doable if you're hungry but the pizza place is 10x better and actually worth it. read more

5 stars because it greatly exceeds expectations. For a 1 or 2 person crew- they do serious work! -- I really don't even go to in n out anymore.. I think this place is much better. read more

Cook used no gloves and touched the patties bare handed after handling money., no a knowledgement to us as we walked in to order., thought he was a customer just sitting there ., took FOREVER for my order ., I even went next door to have ice cream came back and he still wasn't done with my order. Three large fries and burgers read more

Can't believe we've been coming to Carlsbad for the last 20 years and never tried KnockOut Burger. We did tonight. It will be a staple henceforth. Burgers were made to order. Best burger we've had by a long mile. Staff was pleasant, too. Tonight it was just one person taking the orders and making the food but definitely worth the wait! read more

they had ONE guy on the grill ONE & he did amazing there was someone who ordered the 12 rounder which is 12 mini burgers while there were multiple other people and he did ALL of it!!! the hard work and dedication he had is incredible the food was amazing i've been here once before visiting carlsbad and i'm so glad i came back the food did not disappoint and i love the boxing atmosphere i definitely will be visiting here every single time i come to carlsbad and if you want good food you should too! thank you so much to the staff you guys rock!!! read more

Ordered here because it was near our hotel and pictures looked pretty good. This burger was AMAZING. It was a juicy, not greasy, fresh beef flavored burger cooked over a fire grill instead of drowning in grease on a griddle. The bun was perfectly toasted, shredded lettuce was fresh and crisp, and my tomato (I'm very picky about tomatoes) was perfect consistency of ripe without being sloppy/gooey. The fries are the shoestring style and were exceptionally crispy without being over cooked, but were not covered in grease either. I would ABSOLUTELY recommend this place to eat. read more

We called in our order and were told it would take 20 minutes to be ready. We waited the 20 minutes plus an additional 30 minutes for our food to be ready and when it finally was, the fries were hard and cold. The sliders barely took up half of the bun. The worker by the name of Stephanie was unapologetic when we let her know how long we were waiting, not to mention she charged us separately for the fries, making it more expensive without the combo deal. I have eaten here before and the wait is usually a bit long but tonight was specifically a bad experience. Stephanie didn't seem to care about our dissatisfaction and it was very disappointing. read more

This place is the best burger joint! I came down to Carlsbad today to specifically eat Knockout Burger! The lady was cranking out the orders as fast as she could and KILLED IT!! The food was great, as per usual, and service was great. We will be back! I got the lightweight...2 sliders and fries! read more

Well now 24 hours later I've got food poisoning I can only guess 1 or 2 places I could a got it and I'm guessing which one now

Horrible service terrible food. Long wait. Br8ng a cot cause youll need to take a nap till dinnertime if you order by 11:00am.

We ordered the Knockout burger & the Curry Sweet Potato fries. The burger was good but not worth $11.50, it was the size of a kids burger. The sweet potato fries were meh, I wouldn't get them again. The service was very good but the food wasn't worth a return trip. read more

Bomb! This place is legit. Quick service, great food, friendly staff. They cook the burgers on a charbroiler right in front of you. I would consider myself "among the best" burger makers I know, and I cannot recreate the texture and flavor of this burger. Best burger in Carlsbad, hands down. read more

Great old-school burger and fries. Service could be a BIT better, not horrible but some smiles and appreciation for clients would probably serve them better. The cook was kinda surly, but hey...everyone has a bad day. Food is good and great pricing too. Sit out front and watch the Cali Carlsbad traffic stroll by. read more

First time here burger was great I got the grilled chicken big portion of chicken with the jalapeños sauce the fries were awesome loved that there Cajun flavored overall excellent meal read more

Love the sliders! So good. French Fries are great too. Fairly priced quality food. Can't wait to go back

"A 12 rounder, 4 fries and 4 drinks, please." There are very few places our family of 6 unanimously agree on to go out to eat, except Knockout Burger. It's always #1 on our list. The burgers are great, the atmosphere fun, and they have the World's greatest french fries. We've been eating at Knockout for years. The owner is great. He remembers us every time we come in. And the best kept secret is parking is free right behind the restaurant as long as you are eating there. Do yourself a favor, visit Knockout Burger your next visit to Carlsbad, CA. You will be glad you did! PS - Guy Fieri, you need to swing on by and check out this place :-) read more

Mediocre service. We waited about a half an hour for our food which we were fine with since we knew it was cooked fresh when we're ordered it. As we watched what was obviously our food come out...it started to go to another table. We tried to tell the lady, "hey I think that's ours," and she said "no it's for Larry are you Larry." Anyway, it ended up being ours after the other table put their paws all over half our food. We took it from them anyway since we weren't going to wait another 30 minutes for our food. No happy about that. Lucky the food was tasty and we were hungry or else they would've gotten 1 star. read more

A thoroughly enjoyable burger experience. If you're going to go to Knockout, then you better go big. Get the Heavyweight combo (2 patties, fries, and a soda). The patties are so greasy...so good. Unlike most, I prefer a greasy burger. I want that thing dripping down my arm while I'm eating it. The burgers and fries are made to order so expect the cheese to melt off with the first couple of bites. And the fries will burn your fingers and mouth if you're not careful. The burgers are topped with thousand island and the fries are dressed with a cajun-like rub. I prefer my fries unsalted but I tried my GF's seasoned fries and they were pretty good. Gotta love a place that serves Coca-Cola. I'll admit, I was a bit confused with the place. Knockout Pizza is just a few steps away, yet Knockout Burger has no affiliation. It's kinda weird, especially with the boxing motifs that are ever present in both restaurants. But both spots have something else in common aside from the decor. They put out a good product... read more

This is me and my girlfriend's favorite burger ever. It literally blows our minds every time. The fries are also really good. Every time we're in the area, we make sure to stop by. The place isn't the cleanest, but the food makes up for it. read more

Decent burger and fries. They deliver to lazy and hungover Carlsbad residents, which is nice, but for the "best this burger can be" I'd eat at this fun little joint that's just steps from the beach. They also serve Coke, and I like Coke. Is it the best burger in the world???????? No, but it's better than anything coming out of a McDrive through. I give this place 7 " I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today" out of 10. read more

Well I took a chance and called Knockout Burger and asked if they had a veggie option and they said yes, they have a veggie patty or a grilled cheese. So With that, we went in. My complaint is...why aren't these options on the menu? The first time we went, the line was long and we scanned the menu and saw no veggie option so we left. Normally you look at the menu and if you don't see something you can eat, you leave. Knockout Burger, ADD THESE OPTIONS TO YOUR MENU! You may be losing customers that don't call like I did or who don't want to risk standing in a long line to be told there isn't something. I guarantee if you add it, vegetarians will see it on the menu and give you a chance! With saying that, I got the loaded grilled cheese. Which was disappointing. The bun was dry and not appetizing at all, the cheese was hardly melted and the LOADED part was lacking. So. That sucked. BUT I did love their fries. They were seasoned so well and cooked perfectly! I loved that. Customer service: Not that good to be honest. We were at the counter a good 5 minutes before anyone even acknowledged that we were there. No hellos, no be right with yous, nothing. I find that to be so rude. The lady seemed overworked and uninterested. I think it was just her and the cook. Food took a while to come as well. Small sitting space. The employee was so busy that the tables were not cleaned before we sat down after the last customers left. Yuck. I wouldn't come back. Unless there wasn't a line and then I might just for the fries. read more

Seriously?? if you eaten here you'll get a feeling that you've been punked and it's not funny. I mean, there's nothing remotely positive to say about this place. 1st of all, $7 for a burger combo with a burger I kid you not the same size as Mcdonald's kid's meal and to rub it in it tasted like crap. There's was no love whatever that was served that day and what's incredibly frustrating is that it's located on prime beach walk real estate which means they will always get traffic daily from unsuspecting tourists. A place like this should just go away and let a decent eatery like one of those places on Diners, drives, and dives. Owners, please shape up or ship out to more deserving merchants. read more

Sitting here now, going on 30 minutes waiting for our food. Just got skipped, people who were behind us in line got their food first. Guy was a dick about the living social coupon, didn't have to be. So I didn't read the fine print, wasn't trying to put one over on them. Still waiting... Oh, turns out the pothead had our food sitting in a bag on the counter. Lady was nice, tried to make up for the dickhead's rude behavior. Food is good enough. But wife's veggie burger has cheese, which she didn't order. Not too excited about coming back. read more

Ordered a chicken sandwich the other day. Watched the cook shove a piece of food into her mouth and work while eating. Even had a smudge of mayo on the side of her mouth while working in front of the grill. I didn't even eat my sandwich. Just threw it into the trash can when I left. read more

YUCK... went here last Thursday and this place was awful !!!!!.. I had the burger/fry deal.. it was all bun, which fell apart on the first bite. The meat had no flavor.. completely tasteless .. The fries were good, but then how can you ruin deep fried potatoes... I feel sorry the residents of Carlsbad, if this is what they consider to be a "good burger" according to the local we asked while cruising the town. I have to say my friends grilled chicken sandwich looked great and she loved it.. so i guess that's the 1 star read more

I'm a local and used to come here all the time. They had some if the best burgers and fries. After awhile, the service just became too slow and I didn't have time to wait 30 minutes for my food. Today, I had some free time and was craving a burger so I decided to give me old burger spot a go again. What a disappointment. Another 30 minute wait. However, this time my food was not up to par. The bun was cold, dry and stale. The meat was not up to temperature, and my basket of fries looked more like a basket of seasoned salt. The cook really dropped the ball on this one. Either they lack skill or passion for their work. Either way, the end result is an unsatisfied customer. 2 stars for the guy at the register. He at least acknowledged everyone's food was taking forever and apologized to the patrons. read more

Poor experience today after coming here for many years. Watched 5 people ask for refunds due to slowness of their orders being made and at least 4 groups of people leave after others warned them. It took us 40 minutes to get our sliders and fries (small order), and the place wasn't that busy. The staff didn't care at all. Food was just ok. Fries were cold. Won't be coming back anytime soon. read more

They are definitely understaffed. My friends and I waited for 40 min to get three burgers. The ladies seemed to be working as hard as they could to keep up , but like I said, they are understaffed. The burgers and fries were pretty decent. Staff could've been a little friendlier, though. read more

I love this place! The location alone is awesome, just a parking lot away from the beach, plus the burger flippers are always super cute surfer guys. I get the lightweight which is two mini burgers plus tons of fries (ask for light salt as they can be lil heavy handed), and a drink for about $6. Toasty buns, cheese, lettuce shred, thousand island dressing and pickles, I always add bacon for about $1 more, (onions if u want too). If your looking for fast food this is not going to be in and out, everything is made fresh right in front of you so you have to wait about 10-maybe 15 min, and sometimes they can get pretty packed. For dessert, Cold Stone is right next door, you can't beat a tasty burger and ice cream to boot!! read more

First time I've been here. Pretty good burger place, yet not out of this world. Food took a bit to long to come out and the meat was over cooked. I'll give it another try as they staff seem friendly and the place had a cool local vibe. read more

Dirty place! Under staffed! Took 45 mins to get our food. Everything is grimy! Not worth the wait. You will be doing yourself a favor to NOT eat here! Besides the service and presentation, the burger itself is decent; perhaps a 6 on a scale of 1-10, but no big deal. Eat somewhere else for sure! read more

Knockout Burger - Burgers Near Me - Carlsbad, California