At the corner of A Street and 2nd Street near Downtown Auburn, Cow & Cod has been a favorite one-stop burger-and-seafood spot since its re-brand in 2018, and the results show it.
Cow & Cod has officially placed #1 in the “Best Lunch” and “Best French Fries” categories for Best of Auburn 2023, and arunner-up in the “Burgers”, “Fast Food” and “Family Dining” categories, making it one of the most popular fast food restaurants in town.
According to owner Alexander Hong, what makes the restaurant so popular is its return to “old-school” fast food and restuarant methods. “It’s just the quality of food and the pride we take in it,” Hong said. “The sauces and sides are made in-house, even the shakes are hand mixed. It’s old school and you don’t have that any more.”
Hong took over the restaurant from his parents five years ago when his father, Don, passed away. Don and Ye Hong had run the restaurant for 25 years when it was known as the Auburn Herfy’s.
“This is the one my dad started,” said Hong, of the restaurant. “I do real estate and when my dad passed away, this was the last bit of him. We just kept this one going out of all of his stores.” The Hong family had owned multiple Herfy’s in the south Sound area, including the ones that were in Enumclaw and Olympia.
Hong, who has long had a passion for the restaurant business, decided to re-vamp the place and came up with the name Cow & Cod, which highlights the new menu. “It gets its own identity. We were in this area for so long and towards the end of his life, it was just such a big thing that I just wanted to restart it,” said Hong.
For burgers, Cow & Cod offers beef, chicken, fish and a veggie option, like the Piggy Burger, the Fire Alarm Burger, the Halibut Burger, the Original Chicken Sandwich and the Veggie Burgers. For seafood, the restaurant offers Fish & Chips, Prawn & Chips and Clam & Prawns.
Cow & Cod’s large crinkle fries were undoubtedly what helped the restaurant win “Best French Fries” along with the in-house sauces that include BBQ, hot sauce, sweet & sour, tartar and ranch.
“We’re just old-fashioned hamburgers and seafood,” said Hong.
Cow & Cod is located at 201 A Street Southeast in Auburn and it is open Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. To order from the online menu, visit cowandcod.com.
