There isn’t much new I can tell you about Top Notch on Burnet Rd in Austin, TX. Nothing has really changed there since the 70s. However, why would you want to change something that is so right. Charbroiled burgers, golden onion rings that are not the least bit greasy, a steady amount of regular patrons that give the place its own Texas seasoning, and a decor to match your favorite Texas steakhouse three decades ago make Top Notch an interesting experience before you’ve even ordered your burger. The biggest impression is left by the sweet charbroil aroma that fills the atmosphere of the restaurant. Knowing that anything this place serves up is gonna be as delicious as it’s conviction to decor I ordered the Longhorn Special.

This double meat, special sauce, lettuce, tomato, onions (not on mine), and cheese burger, add bacon hit home. It had an all American feel. There was an amount of care and pride in the burger. The Stanish family has been running this business for decades and they love what they do and it shows. The cheese was melted perfectly and the bacon was cooked to perfection. The special sauce mingling with the lettuce and tomato gave the burger a fresh taste that let the two patties be delicious and not overwhelming. It has been said over a hundred times and I can only concur that Top Notch is serving one of the absolute best burgers in Austin. My onion rings were some of the best I’ve had. Not greasy, just golden and perfectly ketchup dippable.

Top Notch has had its share of celebrity. If you’ve ever seen the Linklater hit “Dazed and Confused” then you’ve seen Top Notch’s big screen debut. Local artists have also taken some inspiration from the diner such as Jennifer Balkan and George Boutwell. It is a staple in the Austin community. A place that values pride and Americana. James Stanish, who began working at Top Notch for 50 cents an hour as a bus boy when he was 12, took over the business after his father. Stanish sadly passed away this past November, however a legacy has been left behind of quality service and product. Please go EAT IT and enjoy a burger that is quite possibly burger perfection.

Top Notch Hamburgers
7525 Burnet Rd
Austin, TX 78757
(512) 452-2181

As a burger joint should strive to be, Dan’s Hamburgers is a definite icon in Austin, TX. In big cities, like Austin and San Antonio, a good burger is usually hidden in the sprawl of the neighborhood. Slightly hidden to those not familiar with the area. Although word has spread about Dan’s, in the beginning it was a just a community burger joint. A place families went weekly, after a long day, after traffic and reports, school and work, Dan’s is there to be a burger oasis. A small business that means a big deal to a lot of people.

What you might see a lot is that Dan’s Hamburgers is a good burger but not the best. I’ll agree with this statement, but it was a damn good burger. Adequately sized, a did inhale the whole thing. I ate it all and didn’t have room or all the delicious onion rings. I loved the place, I loved the food, I loved the cafeteria like seating. The service is quick and the burgers have the taste of a well worked grill in them. The hickory sauce does not overwhelm the burger, just adds a nice hint of flavor. It reminded me a lot of my original burger love at the Malt House in San Antonio. They serve curly fries as well as regular fries, and onion rings that are pretty good. I dare say that Dan’s does make the best burgers list in Austin, and in a smaller town would be number one. The price for the taste is a deal in my eyes. And the feel of the community is a nice treat. I ate it, you should definitely EAT IT.

Dan’s Hamburgers
5602 N Lamar Blvd
Austin, TX 78751-1058
Phone: (512) 459-3239

A real Texas backyard burger is a beautiful thing. Bar-b-ques fire up, the summer heat beats down, and the sweetest sound is patties grilling. My mouth salivates like a trick pony waiting for that sweet patty to come off the grill and land in my belly. At the Longhorn Cafe in San Antonio, TX patrons get to enjoy that great feeling. What greets hot Texans at the door is a long row of ice cold bins filled with soda pops (and for the extremely thirsty patrons, ice cold beer). The sound of the grill is right behind the counter, feet away, and the smell of that delicious patty calls me. I ordered the Provolone Burger and as an appetizer the bean and cheese nachos.

On that note I need to let Cheeseburger lovers know: order the nachos with caution and extreme hunger on your side. These nachos are extremely delicious, doused in a perfect amount of cheese and beans. Try to stop yourself from eating ‘em and you’ll hate yourself.

Now the main act. There’s nothing exceedingly special about the Provolone Burger. No special sauce, no special topping to enhance the flavors of the yaddayaddaya. Just a burger with a nice slice of provolone cheese. And that’s all it needed. The burger was the same idea I’ve seen over and over again. Only this burger was a little different. All the fresh ingredients, the cool tomatoes, shredded lettuce, and a bun toasted on the grill with all the delicious flavors of the patty just seasoned in it made something different. The meat is packed into a delicious patty that doesn’t overwhelm diners and definitely pleases with every bite. There’s a poise in the burger, every bite as delicious as the previous and never failing to contain every ingredient. The tots I ordered were exceptionally delicious and I couldn’t have asked for a better meal. My only regret is that I didn’t eat the whole thing. It would take a a vast empty hunger to take on the Longhorn Cafe’s well composed and very filling cheeseburgers. The next time I dine at the Longhorn Cafe I’m showin’ up ready to Eat It all and so should you.

Longhorn Cafe Icehouse & Grill
23775 W Ih 10
San Antonio, TX 78257
(210) 698-7766

Ever wish you could do more than just dream of cheeseburgers. At the end of a long not so cheesy day when the man’s getting you down you could just throw yourself into a soft sesame-seed bun. Then cozy up to that favorite pickle pillow of yours and sink into that nice patty of a mattress…wait- I CAN!!! The cheeseburger bed is out there and I want it and i want to eat it and if anyone tried to snuggle with me under that bun i’d say ” I’M GONNA EAT IT ALL SO SCRAM!” Until the day I’ll just friend that tasty bed on Facebook and dream of the day.

[via geekologie]

P. Terry’s at first glance gives the impression of another retro googie burger stand that only appears to pay homage to a golden era in Americana. The difference, the extra-Austin-something-special, is that P. Terry’s is the real deal. P. Terry’s materialized after a reading of “Fast Food Nation.” How something so entangled in the American culture could become so mangled, processed, and disassociated with anything else, what could that say about the American culture? With that Patrick Terry decided to open a business and manage it the way it should be managed. A place inwhich it’s not just the food but the quality, the ingredients, the way customers are treated, and the employees. The Austin Monthly would refer to P. Terry’s as anti-fast food, something they are quite proud of.

The most honorable of the little burger stands traits would be its strong ties in the community it feeds. P. Terry’s has donated to several charities in the community including Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Central Tx, Dell’s Children hospital, and Thoughtful House. They also support an Austin Little League! The burgerstand is reminiscent of the way we used to do business, when we cared.

There is a remarkable dedication to the food. Using simple condiments, All-natural Black Angus meat, and a special sauce these people make one heck of a burger. The patty is hand pattied and seasoned in the kitchen. The french fries show up as potatoes, as in: I will now scrub and cut this potato in the kitchen and create FRESH (hot) fries. The rest is simple: Mrs. Bairds buns, Heinz ketchup, Hellman’s mayonnaise, French’s mustard, milk in the milk shake, lemons in the lemonade. The art of burger making is not rocket science, but a science that insists upon simplicity and careful construction. Over the years that science has turned into processed freezer burned patties and American cheese-colored-non-milk based questionable component. And yes, it is more expensive to do it all natural, but it is, in P. Terry’s mind, the only way to do it.

My particular burger was delicious. A simple concoction of single patty, lettuce, tomato, special sauce, and American cheese, with hot and delicious fries. I ate the whole darn thing and the fries. Although the burger isn’t big, it is a sizeable portion that will leave you satisfied. If not at 2.25 with cheese, 2 without, just order another. There is a double patty burger, chicken burger, and a veggie burger that Chef Andrew Brooks of Spirited Food helped create. I can’t wait to return to try just about everything else on the menu!

Some truly exciting news for fellow P. Terry’s fans is a second location now under way. Designed by Micheal Hsu it will be located on N. Lamar and will have indoor and outdoor seating and the drive-thru! It is currently scheduled to open in March 2009. Until then, stop by the south lamar stand, I say: Go and EAT IT pleasurably.

P. Terry’s
404 S Lamar Blvd
Austin, TX 78704
(512) 473-2217

Let’s talk about Five Guys Burger and Fries. A burger joint that originated in Arlington, Va back in 1986 has spread across the U.S. and now has over 300 locations in 25 states. Five Guys markets that the establishments do not contain any freezers, fifteen free toppings, making 250,000 possible burger combinations! Five guys recently opened a new location in Austin, Tx. Lauren Miller, a UT student and dance party aficionado, recommended I check the place out, see what the big deal is. So off I went to 3208 Guadalupe St in the ATX to investigate.

With burgers, simplicity is boss! The menu is straight forward. You can get a cheeseburger or a hamburger, little or regular. Little being one patty, regular being two. I went for the Bacon Cheeseburger. And a funny thing happened as i was ordering, i felt a strange and awesome liberation from premeditated burgerdom! I felt as i was saying pickles it was a free for all for any of the other 14 free toppings. So then I said sauteed mushrooms. And then I knew i needed bbq sauce but i wasn’t done yet. This burger needed one more somethingdelicious, so green pepper just came out. And that was it, with a Coca Cola as a burger chaser I was ready.

My burger showed up in a brown bag with greasy splotches all over, a good sign. I pretty much ripped opened the foil to find Slagosaurus. Yeah, this guy was so disgustingly handsome I had to name him. Then after the first rather happy bite I had no choice but to continue to make out with the bad boy. Slagosaurus was scrumdiddlyumptious because it was all my idea. The meat was fresh and the quality added to the topping melee. The bun tasted as though they had toasted it on the grill and had a sweet little taste. I have to praise this burger because the cheese alone is defying gravity right before my eyes. The fries, cajun style, were plentiful and tasty. There were so many fries my burger was swimming in them and so was I and we were in love.

As a strange note, Elijah Wood also dines at the Five Guys on Guadalupe in Austin. Way to go Indie creepy!

You know what I want you to do: EAT IT and EAT IT HARD.

Five Guys Burgers and Fries
3208 B Guadalupe St
Austin, TX 78703
Tel: 512-452-4300
Fax: 512-452-4310

Stay tuned for next post on another Austin favorite P. Terry’s Burger Stand!

Our next burger comes from a pretty odd place. I heard through the circuit about a sacnpac that sold burgers. First reaction: “Bet they taste like toilet.” Second reaction: “Barfpukehurlllll.” But my source said I had to let go of my bias. Said the cook loves his life, loves what he’s doing, does it with vigor, which makes the burgers from the sacnpac off rr12 in San Marcos, Tx something special.

So I bit my tongue cause I’d just been taught my own lesson and headed up to see if it was delicious on the grill or the stray cat in the alley seasoned poorly. Turns out the sacnpac has a deal with Centerpoint Station, a restaurant that claims to have some pretty darn good burgers. So I decided to put the little ranchroad diner to the test by ordering a burger I’ve never really been a huge fan of. I enjoy the concept of the burger, i’ve seen my brother and sister order it with enthusiasm, but something about it just didn’t call to me: the bean burger. A burger with refried beans, salsa, and cheese. Something about those beans worried me, it could’ve been a pandora’s box we were opening or yuck refried into yuck. ya never know.

Well, the word on the street was right! My bean burger opened my eyes to how life could be. We can put bean on our burgers! On our patties, in our mouths and in our hearts! Bean might be the brown ranch dressing. I devoured my burger and knew: I’d need to come back, I’d need to live again. The burgers were cheap and delicious and on the way out we filled up the gas tank. thank you! Served on a sourdough bun with delicious fries this was one of my better gas station visits. So i think you know what to do, eat it sucka’.

Sac N Pac
1416 Ranch Road 12
San Marcos, Tx 78666

HAPPY MEAL. A childhood desire that drives your existence. Each ride in the car is merely a chance to mark the McDonald’s’ you haven’t hit yet, the Play place you have yet to conquer, the toy waiting at the end of the gold double arched rainbow. Often outgrown and a little forgotten Happy Meals start taking the back seat to the Quarter Pounder (a royal with cheese for those of you practicing metric lifestyles) or assorted members of the Dollar Menu Brigade. But I’m gonna let you know, it still feels good to carry your own little Happy box-o-meal! I’ve begun to order Happy Meals again every since that nice little toy they’re just giving away is a collectible Clone Wars Edition Star Wars bobble head. SHOOT YES. On this recent visit I obtained a very nice Princess Leia bobble-head bobbling pleasantly a top a Rebel Blockade Runner and enjoyed a cheeseburger, fries, and a pretty tiny Dr. Pepper.

McDonald’s has received a lot of guff in the past years with the ever greener and pseudo health conscience society America has become. Inane lawsuits and movies detailing the rot process that would ensue if you were to eat out everyday (who can afford that?) at McDonald’s (not really health conscience) several times a day (because that’s what millions of Americans do, i guess) the corporation has had to do some reforming. Which was a little “sell out” and a lot of “just make em shut up.” Let’s face it, yeah they are a billion dollar company that sells trillions of burgers, fries, shakes, and so on a day, and yeah Americana is wrapped all around that. Maybe they did get a little lazy for awhile there and the patty isn’t too thick sometimes, but McDonald’s patrons need to know that these are trainer burgers. These are the archetypes for those to follow. If you can’t at least meet these standards then get out of the kitchen you’re embarrassing me. Not to mention that if you’re ordering coffee, it might be hot! If you eat twenty big macs a day, you might be fat. Stop trying to find an easy way to get some paper and use common sense.

All that said, if I ever want to try and make some kid’s day I’d get him a happy meal. I’d let him live a little you know. Get the taste of burger in his system. Figure it all out- mustard, ketchup, pickles, cheeeeEEEeeeeese! Onions, no onions, i don’t know…let the kid figure it out. Although there was a lot of ketchup, one pickle, and the meat was thin, the burger still pulled through as decent. The general idea of a cheeseburger comes through pretty good and the fries… America’s favorite right! All topped with a cherry of a toy because it’s Star Wars. I’ll probably go back a few more times to collect all eighteen bobble heads and enjoy a shake. Splurge, i guess. Heck, SUPERSIZE ME!

Mc Donald’s‎
1105 N I H 35,
San Marcos, TX
(512) 353-5033‎

The greens were crisp. The patty was a little burnt. The bacon…DRY! The only burger on the Cafe on the Square’s menu was a “build your own” with everything on the side. That’ already a signal, effort much? I personally have nothing really against the “build your own” in the sense that it grants you the comfort of being picky with out driving your waitress crazy. “Mayo on the side, easy lettuce, no onions, no mustard, extra pickles…” I’ve been there, it’s not fun. Conversely, if I’m gonna make my own burger why didn’t I just stay at home? What’s the deal here Cafe on the Square? In there defense, burgers don’t seem to be or desire to be the focus of the menu. I’m not demanding a signature end all of end all beta series burger, but if you’re gonna offer something up at least make it worthy of your caliber and my dollar. The service was good and the location on the historic downtown district of San Marcos across from the courthouse does make for a fresh scene. If you find yourself at the ol’ cafe I’d say steer clear of the cheeseburger, save it for a cafe that cares. Alas, as the doublecheeseblogger I shan’t be returning.