Dan's Hamburgers: North Lamar

 I have been shopping at the Half Price Books on North Lamar Boulevard south of West Koenig Lane for over a decade. The entire time, Dan's Hamburgers was right across the street, but I never bothered visiting. I went to Fran's Hamburgers on South Congress when I first moved to Austin (until 1990, they were the same company), and as readers of this blog know I was not impressed.  I had a little time one day and was in the area, so instead of stopping into DK Sushi next door, I decided to give Dan's a shot.

 Dan's Hamburgers is another Austin original business, founded in 1973. Going into the Dan's on North Lamar has the feel of stepping back in time to the 1970s; the restaurant has a simple floor-plan with red and chrome fixtures and an almost dingy look (unavoidable in an open room where lots of things are fried every day). The menu has nothing out of the ordinary; burgers, fries, onion rings, sodas, and shakes. Dan's has a breakfast and dinner menu that includes omelets, breakfast tacos (because this is Austin), biscuits and gravy, chicken strips, and chicken-fried steak.

 The onion-rings are a must, though they are a little thick for my taste they are still amazing. The double-hamburger with cheese I ordered was good; just what you would expect of a simple hamburger. A burger, onion rings, and a soda was just over $10. The service was friendly and the food was cooked to order. It is not a place you will get in-and-out of quickly, but you won't mind the wait.

 Dan's Hamburgers has expanded to four locations, and based on the images on their website (http://dans-hamburgers.com/), the North Lamar location is either the oldest or the most in need of renovation. Good food for a good price, but lacking in aesthetics. A hamburger place doesn't need to be pretty, but when the word I think of to describe the interior is "dingy", there is room for improvement.

Old School Bar and Grill

 On a Sunday, we had the need to be on 6th Street.  We were on our way to Tears of Joy and we were trying to decide on what to have for lunch.  My daughter is a minor, but unbeknownst to many minors can eat at the bars that serve food in Austin as long as it is before a certain time, like maybe 8pm.  So, as we happened to be walking by the Old School Bar and Grill, their greeter stopped us at the door and asked if we wanted to see a menu.  We decided to roll with it, and ended up on the third-floor balcony overlooking 6th Street, waiting for our lunch.

The Old School Bar and Grill is in a really beautiful building, one with a great deal of antique charm.  We were escorted through the ground-floor eatery up two flights of wooden stairs to what appeared to be the dance-floor and stage on the third-floor, and from there to the balcony.  This was the perfect day to be eating outside, maybe in the high 60s and just a little cloudy.  They had probably only opened within the last hour, but the wait-staff proved to be very attentive to the handful of patrons already out on Sunday.

 A couple of items caught my eye on their menu.  They serve a Blue Cheese Buffalo Burger, a hamburger patty seasoned with buffalo sauce, blue cheese, and bacon.  I considered this as an option until I saw they have fish-and-chips, my base-line pub-food of choice.  I elected to have the fish-and-chips, while my daughter went with a burger.

 In addition, there drink menu included a concoction called "The Granpa", a collection of fruit liquors that sounded tasty.  I am one who likes my drinks to taste good, and not require developing a taste for them.

 The order was filled in roughly ten minutes.  The Granpa proved to be an excellent choice; sweet while not syrupy and strong enough to offer a mild buzz.  The fish-and-chips were better than average, but not near the top of my list of good dishes, making me wish I had went with the burger.  My daughter enjoyed her burger, but was neither impressed nor disappointed.  The home-style fries were as good as any other part of the meal. 

 All-in-all, the meal was well worth the $30 spent on two plates and a drink.  I will be going back to try that burger. 

 Old School Bar and Grill Austin Texas

 401 East 6th Street, Austin, TX 78701

 (512) 722-6351