The Great Austin Burger Quest: 1886 Cafe & Bakery

This was not originally intended to be a burger quest, but it was so good, it quested itself. The 1886 Cafe & Bakery is in the historic Driskill Hotel in downtown Austin. Brendon took me there as a surprise (I told him I wanted to go on a date, and he delivered), and we did not plan on ordering burgers (and I actually didn't) but this burger basically ordered itself.

Burger:
LOOK AT IT. It's beautiful. Scroll back up, you need to. Brendon got the Hangover Burger which is topped with chili and brown sugar bacon, cheddar cheese, a perfectly fried egg (put an egg on it always), and hash browns. Everything that is good in this world. It was SO GOOD. I mean, I feel like maybe... the best?? I don't know y'all, but it rocked my world and I didn't even order it. I did not order a burger, I ordered pulled pork sliders with pimento cheese and fried pickles. It was also freaking amazing. I would have never thought of pimento cheese with pulled pork, but good lord, so yummy.

Sides:
Brendon got fries that came in that adorable little fry basket (I died!), and I got a side of fruit. I love it when sides of fruit are an option! They have all kinds of other sides too! I can't remember if the fries were good, I don't think I had any, but they disappeared quickly. And both of our meals came with the cutest little jar of homemade bread and butter pickles on. We are pickle people, so we loved that nonsense.

Atmosphere:
This place is adorably old. The walls are covered in ancient fabric and the floor is tiled in the sweetest tiny hexagon style tiles. Stained glass doors, beautiful dark wood, it was very pretty. Also so many windows! I love me some natural light. Plus, you're downtown on 6th street so, bonus, people watching!

Value:
This is not fast food. It's actually on the high end as far as burgers go (I think Brendon's was $13?), but so worth it. It's a nice place and the food is delicious. For the atmosphere and quality of product, I think it's a great deal. We did not inquire about happy hours or drink specials, but I imagine there are some!

Bonus:
It's in the Driskill Hotel. We had never been in there before and we loved it. There will be a whole separate post. Our server was so sweet and gave us lots of information about the hotel and the ghosts that haunt it. I love love love me a good historic building, and I love when other people love it too! Our server seemed to really enjoy his job, I cannot tell you how far that goes with me. Kudos.

This place was really kind of a surprise. I mean literally, because I didn't know we were going there, and also because I thought they'd have pastries and light sandwiches, not badass burgers. Very impressed and we will definitely be back. They are apparently known for their desserts, so I was super bummed when I was too stuffed to partake. Next time for sure.

More questing and stay tuned for our search for ghosts in the Driskill Hotel!

The Great Austin Hamburger Quest: Hill's Cafe

It's been a while since we've burger quested, eh? Our semi-vegetarian lifestyle (which I find explained well as "flexitarian", these folks say it best) has put a bit of a cramp in our questing. However, it is not over! We tried out Hill's Cafe last night, because we heard word that they had a fantastic burger with three different meats on it. I mean, if you're going to eat meat, go big!

Handsome man, you are hurting my eyes. Also, here's an awkward girl with a beer, because clearly I can't handle myself in photos:

Hill's Cafe is the cutest. We'd never been before, even though it's super close and we drive by it often. And we will be back.

Burger:
A++. We both got the Country Bob Burger which has a burger patty (obv), bacon, brisket, a fried egg (!), and American cheese (although somehow I think I ended up with a white cheese of some sort, not complaining, it was still delish!). The brisket was the best part. I love love love brisket. It's one of the reasons I don't think I'll ever be able to go full vegetarian. This burger was amazing and huge and you need it in your life. The buns are great; they're not just buns out of a bag (those are always such a let down). I got a kolache bun (yes, it's as good as it sounds) and Brendon got a jalapeno cheese bun. And I think I've discussed my love of fried eggs on burgers previously, but whoever thought that up is a genius and I love them.

Sides:
YES for side variety! As this place is not just a burger joint, they've got all kinds of sides to choose from, including actual veggies! I got mac and cheese, because how can you ever turn down mac and cheese when it's an option, and Brendon got sweet potato fries. Both were very good. I can't gush over how much I love side options enough. The more the merrier.

Atmosphere:
Excellent. The place is old as heck, but incredibly clean and well taken care of. And HUGE. That place is humungous. It's got random decor of all varieties, giving your eyes endless entertainment while your mouth is full of good food. The service was amazing, everyone was so nice. The hostess was sweet, our server was sweet, and so was the guy who I'm assuming was a manager who checked on us. Everyone just seemed pleased to be there which is SO RARE these days. Great service goes such a long way with us. Way to go Hill's.

Value:
Definitely a good deal. Not a five dollar burger by any means, but for getting a burger of that size (and variety of meat!), it was an excellent deal. And they have a great happy hour, like a dollar off beer and two off specialty drinks, although their drinks are already decently priced. Excellent bang for your buck.

Bonus:
Aside from that ridiculous(ly awesome) burger? Chive butter. I know that sounds weird, but I happen to LOVE butter and infused butter is even better. You get rolls with your meal (another bonus, we love bread) and they come with that chive-y goodness. I need to learn how to make fancy butter. Stat.

As I think you can tell, we loved Hill's Cafe. And we will be back. I have my eyes on some brisket tamales (doesn't that sound divine??) and I know Brendon is head over heels in love with that big ol' burger. Thank you Hill's for a great reason to keep on burger questing, finding food gems like you that are right under our noses!

Previous Burger Quests!

The Great Austin Hamburger Quest: Hut's Hamburgers

Hut's Hamburgers was suggested to us by a couple folks when we first started burger questing, and we finally had the chance to go! We've been slacking on our burger questing, mostly because we've been busy as heck, and my vegetarian streak has been going strong. Tomorrow morning will make it basically a week with no meat for me (aside from a bite of Brendon's burger at Hut's...). The original plan was to just cut down on our meat intake, but I've been enjoying how good veggies make me feel and honestly just haven't been in the mood for carne. SO, at Hut's I ordered a veggie burger. We'll discuss that outcome shortly.

Burger:
I got a veggie Boodieburger which had grilled mushrooms, swiss cheese, and sour cream. Brendon got the Wolfman which had green chilies, sour cream, jack cheese, and bacon. Brendon out ordered me. I did NOT like their veggie burger. It was dry and seedy and just not good. Have you had P.Terry's veggie burger? That thing is on point and something similar was what I was expecting. The toppings were great, the patty was just awful. But I know better now. Brendon's burger was awesome, so if meat is an option for you, get it at Hut's. They also have different types of patties (buffalo, chicken, longhorn) to choose from. I will be going full carnivore next time. In fact, I'll probably get the Wolfman!

Sides:
Originally we thought they just had your typical fried sides (fries, onion rings, fried pickles) but then we saw a sign on the wall that had their sides of the day and there were actual veggies available. Of course we saw this after ordering. We got cheese fries with chipotle mayo. And that mayo was real good! Their fries were a little meh, thick and a bit soggy (via the cheese), I prefer thin and crispy fries if I'm going to eat them. But the cheese and chipotle mayo were a pretty good combo.

Atmosphere:
This place is adorable. It's a little 50's style diner that probably hasn't changed much since it opened. For being as old as it is, it's well taken care of and seems pretty clean. There's all kinds of school and sports pennants which is cute, North Texas represent! The service was great and our server had a Spurs cap on, bonus points!

Value:
SUPER affordable. So cheap. Our whole meal was like $14. The burgers don't come with sides (standard) but the sides are huge and totally shareable. They also have deals on certain days where you can buy one burger get another of the same for a half off. We didn't get any adult beverages, so I couldn't tell you how the pricing on those are but they didn't have any happy hour special or anything when we went.

Bonus:
Location! I'm a big fan of West 6th street, not at all a fan of the grungy 6th that Austin is so famous for. I love the area. Great view of downtown and you are just a block away from Whole Foods, which we just went to for the first time ever. I don't know if all Whole Foods are like that one, but we were blown away. That place is amazing. They're doing it right! Also, we saw Elijah Wood there. Twice. I made serious awkward eye contact with him, it was awesome. This just became more about Whole Foods than, Hut's. My bad! I'm just still in awe of the place. I did not feel cool enough to be there.

Overall I loved Hut's! I failed by ordering the veggie burger (WHY SO DRY!?), but everything else was great. Cute little place. We'll be back I'm sure!

The Great Austin Hamburger Quest: Sandy's Hamburgers

We drive by this place all the time and have said we needed to try it. It's a tiny little place, you can either walk up or drive thru. We walked up. It's been there forever, there's a little historical piece on the side of the building telling Sandy's story. I love a good story!

 

Burgers:
These burgers are of the thin fast food variety, but they're good. And I'm pretty sure they don't make them until your order them. Brendon says they're Whataburger (ironically next door) style burgers. The patties have a great flavor, they're kind of smoky! I ordered my norm; cheese, pickles, and mayo. Brendon got a cheese burger basically all the way (ew, lettuce!). You can add bacon or chili too! They're good burgers. Not phenomenal, but way better than McDonald's or Whataburger for that matter.

Sides:
Fries. That's it, haha. But they're good as far as fries go. Actually, they're pretty close to McDonald's fries, which are my probably my favorite of fast food fries. So A+ on the fries, Sandy's! There's also custard and shakes and sundaes. Are those sides? Brendon had a dish of ice cream and I had a chocolate shake for dessert. And even though it wasn't Blue Bell, it wasn't bad!

Atmosphere:
It's not the best, but it's alright. The only tables to sit at are in the fairly small parking lot. And it may or may not have been a little stinky at times. Buuuut there's an okay view of downtown over the building. And it's super close to things we like, like Town Lake! And South Congress. But lets be real, this place is slightly grungy and funky and I was not trying to hang out for a while. It's quirky though?


Value:
This place gets kudos for excellent value. Super cheap but filling and yummy! They have a combo deal on Thursdays and Saturdays for a burger, fries, and a drink for $4.99. Super good deal. Ice creams real cheap too!

Bonus:
Ice cream? Or how about the birds that flock around you when you eat at the picnic tables? Or the pigeon with jacked up feet that kept staring at me and made me tear up? I don't have squat. The historical Austiny aspect is nice.

This place was cute and quirky, but with a good measure of grunge. Worth it for sure. I'm sure we'll be back, but I think next time we'll just drive thru. And they've got hotdogs on the menu, and I love a good hotdog. And of course, here's us:

Look at that goof. Two drinks are better than one. Blue powerade and a chocolate shake. Bonus.

ONWARD TO MORE QUESTAGE.

The Great Austin Burger Quest: Doc's Bar & Grill

We are burger eating fiends lately. As we've gone pretty much vegetarian at home, we're basically getting all our meat lately from these burger quests. That's my excuse for the frequency.

Doc's has two locations, Doc's Motorworks on South Congress, and Doc's Backyard in Sunset Valley. We live near both, but we've only been to the one on South Congress. But I'm sure the other is great as well!

Burger:
I got the Bleu Cheese and Peppercorn burger and Brendon got the Chipotle burger. I think Brendon may have out ordered me, although mine was delicious. The burgers are big and the buns are yummy. It's amazing what a difference a quality bun makes. The burger patty itself was alright, nothing special really, it was the toppings that made the burgers so good. That peppercorn sauce was boss and Brendon's chipotle sauce was amazing. Reeeeally good on fries.

Sides:
Not a huge amount of options for sides. I didn't spy any veggies. We went with regular fries, but I think they have sweet potato fries as well as onion rings. As I've said before, I'm not nuts about fries and I wasn't nuts about these. They weren't bad, just nothing special. BUT, with the help of Brendon's chipotle sauce I ate a lot of them. That sauce man... so good.

Atmosphere:
Really awesome laid back vibe. Definitely a place you could chill out at for a while. You guys know how I feel about a good patio. And this place, it's got a good patio. It's not huge or anything, but it's got fans and misters and you can bring your dog if you're the doggie having type. And the chairs are super cute! There's also plenty of seating inside, and there's entertainment! There's shuffleboard and pool! And lots of tv's of course.

Value:
Decent price. Not super pricy, but pricier than fast food for sure. There are different drink specials everyday plus a happy hour Mon-Fri. Competitive pricing, probably what you'd pay at Applebees but it's waaaaay better. Ughhh Applebees. Did you live in Denton? Do you remember how often everyone went there?? It was like a thing. WHY?

Bonus:
I hate to be super pradictable here, but dang I like that patio. I'm all about patios, while the weather is still cool enough to enjoy them. It's an excellent place to people (and dog!) watch. It's right on South Congress so you can creep on everyone walking by. There are always fun folks on South Congress. Also, the fact that it is SUPER close to us doesn't hurt either. We are creatures of habit and we are very much in the habit of frequenting South Congress. It's just so easy.

Overall, good! Fun place to hang out and grab some drinks and grub. The burgers weren't technically the fanciest in the world, but they're good solid burgers. And the menu is huge if you're not in the mood for burgers. They have a fried avocado plate, y'all.

Aaaand here are the odd shots of your favorite Hogans, I know you've been waiting.

The above grainy awkwardness is evidence that we were again lazy, and documenting our burger quest via iPhone.

MAS HAMBURGUESAS!

The Great Austin Burger Quest - Mighty Fine

Our most recent stop on the Burger Quest: Mighty Fine. Mighty Fine is a fast food style joint, I believe started by the folks that own the Austin franchise of Rudy's Bar-B-Q (or so I over heard the cashier telling the guests in front of us). I love me some Rudy's and this place is pretty dang good too! I don't know how we stumbled upon this place, I think someone recommended it to us. We frequent the one in South Austin, but there are a few up north as well.

They write your order on the bag your burger will come in and they always ask for your first name and last initial. We like to give fun names. This time I was too slow to think of something clever, but we had just watched the new Star Trek (this deserves it's own paragraph), so Brendon was Captain James Tiberius Kirk. We've been all sorts of people, but we tend to stick to HP; recently we've been Percy Weasley and Penelope Clearwater, James and Lilly Potter, and one time Brendon was Voldemort. Although they wouldn't call out Voldemort, I guess they were just scared of saying the Dark Lord's name out loud.

Burger:
It's a pretty good basic burger. Their menu is simple, either a half or quarter pound burger with or without cheese. Then you pick red (ketchup), yeller (mustard), or white (mayo) and your standard burger toppings. I got my go-to plain jane burger, cheese, mayo, and pickles. Brendon got some lettuce on his. Have I told you that I hate lettuce? Especially shredded lettuce? Oh dear lord, shredded lettuce is the nastiest. Off topic! These burgers are good. I would liken them to Five Guys. They're grilled fresh and they make the patties in the store. You can actually see them make them! There's a cool little window into their prep area and their kitchen is open as well. They're flavorful and juicy and although the bun is a little plain, as far as fast food burgers go, this place is fancy.

Sides:
I do not like their fries. Just putting that out there now. I am not really a reliable judge though because I'm not nuts about fries in general, but they're crinkle cut and I hate me some crinkle cut fries. Brendon loves them. They don't really have a whole lot of options as far as sides go, but they do have a "locals" menu that offers Frito pie. I love Frito pie. So American. I've never tried it (seems a little too American to get a burger and a Frito pie), but it's nice to know it's there.

Atmopshere:
Have you ever been to Rudy's? The set up here is basically the same. Big long tables with lots of chairs. Very casual. The building itself isn't anything special (very much an existing space in a shopping center), but the place is clean and organized. The customer service here is on point. These are probably the nicest cashiers you'll find. They always ask how your day is and they're always so cheerful. I think they're better than the folks at Chick-Fil-A and that's saying something. Kudos to the team and management running this place, they have got customer service down.

Value:
It's on the high end of fast food prices, but it's definitely a good deal. It's a quality product for sure, and you're only paying about $5 for a good burger. As seems to be tradition, the burgers don't come anything, your sides and drinks are extra. But for excellent service and yummy food, I think it's a great deal.

Bonus:
Blue. Bell. Milkshakes. I generally hate ice cream. The only exception is Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla. I LOVE that stuff, and that's what Mighty Fine uses to make their shakes. Oh their shakes. We have only eaten burgers at Mighty Fine a couple times, but we have been a gazillion times to get shakes. Like an embarrassing number of times. I was ecstatic when I found out they have Blue Bell ice cream. A chocolate shake with Blue Bell vanilla is my happy place. It's what my mom made us growing up and it's the only kind of shake I'll consume. They have multiple flavors, including the local flavor and Brendon's usual, lemon. They have seasonal flavors as well, the most recent was banana cream pie, Brendon loved it. I always stick to chocolate.

Also they have a chandelier in the woman's bathroom. It's the nicest bathroom ever for a burger joint. ALSO, they have a hand washing machine. Brendon uses it every time we go. Because he's 8 years old.

Forgive the quality of the photos, we went on this burger quest spontaneously so I had to use the ol' iPhone camera. But it takes pretty dang good pictures!

OH, and go see Star Trek. Seriously. It's so good and so cute and endlessly entertaining. I may have enjoyed it more than Iron Man 3, but don't tell Tony Stark. The effects are wonderful. I love the sparkly blue trail that the ships leave when going into warp. It's the little things you guys. And of course, Spock, I love you.

MORE BURGER QUESTING.

The Great Austin Burger Quest - Hopdoddy

Hopdoddy Burger Bar. If you like burgers and live in Austin (and there's one in Dallas now!) you know about Hopdoddy. If you don't, what's wrong with you? We have eaten there a gazillion times, but we still needed a burger quest visit. We went to the original on South Congress with a couple friends and it was awesome as always.

Burger:
Brendon got the Thunderbird which was the specialty burger of the day. It was a green chili chicken patty with a fried egg (always a win), roasted poblanos, chipotle mayo, pepper jack cheese, and tortilla strips. I had the Primetime, which was a fancy beef patty, brie, truffle aioli, argula, and steak sauce. Both these burgers were boss, as is every burger I've had there. Brendon loved the chicken patty, although he was a little wary at first. Between us we've had almost every burger on the menu. Brendon's favorite at the moment is the Terilingua and my standard is the Ahi Tuna Burger. That Ahi Tuna Burger is where it's at. And their buns... oh man. They bake them in house (they make every thing they serve basically, from their patties to their ice cream!) and it smells like heaven. The best thing about this place is that their ingredients are just so good. They put the best things on their burgers and everything is super fresh and super local. They even have a chalk board where they write what Texan farms the ingredients are coming from!

Sides:
The french fries. I think we've discussed how I'm not really a fan of fries, but I love Hopdoddy's fries. They're thin and crispy and just perfect. We actually kind of got a funky batch this visit, kind of like the bottom of the fry bowl. Usually they're more golden than brown, but even then they were still really good! Fries are pretty much it when it comes to sides. Although they do have milkshakes! I've never had room after my burger to try a milkshake, but I've heard they're delicious.

Atmosphere:
The only downfall of Hopdoddy is how it works. You wait in an usually ridiculous line, order and pay for your burgers at the counter, are assigned a table, and then you wait for your food at said table while a cocktail type waitress gets you anything else you need. So theoretically you'll have two tabs if you order your burger and then get say, a margarita or beer at your table. Not terrible, but not good. The line is always crazy, unless you go at like 2 or 3 in the afternoon. In the evenings it wraps around the building, although it does move surprisingly fast and is definitely worth the wait. It's a cute little place, but it's just always so busy.

Value:
These aren't the cheapest burgers in the world but they are definitely made out of quality ingredients so I think it's a fair price. Your burger comes with nothing, you order fries on the side, but the fries are a good portion, Brendon and I split the smaller order of fries and it's perfect. The drinks aren't real cheap, and I have no idea if they have specials but they have lots of fun drinks and local brews. Pricier than your usual burger joint, but not by much and it's worth it.

Bonus:
Green chili queso. This queso, y'all. Put it on everything. It's meant for your fries and but is heavenly on everything. And alone... like good enough to eat it with a spoon and/or just pour it into your mouth. It's amazing and you have to get it. I need some right now.

Overall, Hopdoddy is amazing. The awkward ordering style and insane amount of people constantly there are my only qualms, but those burgers are so damn good it's worth it. If you are ever near one, GO or we might not be able to be friends.

The semester is over (WOOO!) and Brendon's pharmacy school partner in crime, Mike (top left), is moving back to El Paso to finish his last two years of school. Last night was his going away shindig, and we celebrated good times with burgers and then believe it or not we went to 6th Street. And not even West 6th! We played pool and shuffleboard and I got verbally abused by a homeless man for wearing the Denver Bronco's colors. It was a good night and we will miss Mike. Brendon's going to be lonely without his bff here. I guess some road trips to El Paso are in order!