Michael Y.
Yelp
When thinking about a bite to eat on the west coast, there is nothing more California than grabbing some food at an American joint facing the ocean. And while I was in the Newport area, I was recommended to try Husky Boy Burgers right on the Pacific Coast Highway. Open to trying this spot, I drove in around 7PM and saw a decent sized line. That's when I noticed that Husky Boy Burgers is more of a hole in the wall eatery. With the pickup counter, a few barstool seats, and plenty of covered outdoor tables, the environment matched similar to a semi-dated beachside bar. Walking up to the counter, I noticed there were many burger and sandwich options. But craving something different, I settled on an order of Fish and Chips which was 16 dollars before tax. I was given a buzzer and returned to pick up my food about 15 minutes later.
Notes:
1) The parking lot is pretty tight and irregularly laid out. If driving a larger vehicle, consider parking on the streets nearby
2) There is no public restroom at this restaurant. Need I say more?
Opening up the box, I first noticed the ratio of the items inside. Though this was supposed to be a fish and chips order, the box consisted of 60% salad, 20% fish, and 20% chips. It was true that the menu mentioned salad came with the meal. But I was expecting it to be just a side. The fries were just smaller than typical steak fries which weren't terrible in terms of quantity. But each piece of fish was similar to a flat stick. Though I was borderline filled, price to portion was not justified in my eyes for the quality of the food. And though 16 dollars might be a normal price for seafood in the Newport area, the imbalanced ratio of ingredients made it seem like the 16 dollars was going towards the salad first and the seafood second. From there, I gave the benefit of the doubt. "Maybe the food tastes better than it looks".
But unfortunately, the taste of the food could have been better. The salad seemed to be made up of the tomatoes and lettuce used in their burgers. Though it was simple, it was more fresh than many other places I've been to. The dressing was standard, but at least gave the salad a sweet-salty flavor. The fries were lightly salted, but came out soggy. A few of the fries were crisp, but those ones in particular were all of the small bits. If you were wondering if the fish was any good, I'd be inclined to say no. The breading was borderline crisp and was close to flavorless. And on top of that, the breading made up about 50% of the piece of fish. Though I dislike being negative, I have to admit the fish tasted comparable to freezer-ready fish filets. It wasn't bad to the point where I wouldn't finish the meal, but I would probably not order this again.
Though most the meal fell flat, I will give the benefit of the doubt to Husky Boy Burgers and say that you probably would be coming here for the burgers and not the fish and chips. But for what it's worth, the fish and chips at Husky Boy Burger only gets 2 out of 5 stars. On the bright side, the food came out quickly and the staff inside were friendly. The eating space, for an outdoor establishment, was clean and well maintained. In all, my experience at this roadside eatery wasn't the best. But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't give them a try. If I'm in the area again in the future, I'll be sure to give them another go.
