Burger Bar On Congress

I just finished a bacon cheeseburger, queso fries and a chocolate oreo shake. That was the best 3000 calories I’ve had in a long time. My lactose intolerant body will probably disagree with me in about 30 minutes.
Really sweet people, juicy burger, crisp bacon, yummy shoestring fries, creamy melted queso, and the best shake I’ve had west of Shake Shack. So worth the extreme discomfort I will be experiencing shortly.

Ran to get here after work. Got here at 7:51. Waited in line for 9 minutes and the cashier told me the guy in front of me would be the last person served. When I asked why she said «because I have to close these windows exactly at 8:00.» I was by myself and there was nobody behind me, but she «couldn’t serve me?» Hmm… not cool considering I was there well before they closed and went out of my way to do so. Definitely go to Hopdoddy, Huts, Sandys, or Casino el Camino if you’re downtown and want a burger. This was craziness.

I’ve eaten here twice now, even though I have a very strong dislike of burgers, so Burger Bar must be doing something right.
Here’s a hint: they are doing something right. Something excellent, even.
Their turkey burger is what I believe to be burger perfection. What do I know, though, because I’ve probably eaten less than 20 burgers in my entire life. BUT, I think their turkey burger is pretty darn awesome, so that must mean something at least a little great, right? Even if I never eat burgers?
Duh, it means Burger Bar is amazing. That turkey burger is cooked perfectly — it’s never hard and dry but always perfectly moist. The tomatoes are fresh and crisp, never mushy. The lemon aioli is delicious and I love that they add avocado. They have never put lettuce on my burger — I love when people get my special requests correct. (Not that it’s that special or complicated, but just nice that they’ve never accidentally put any on there.) The fries are also tasty.
They now have covered boxes, which is fantastic. Makes carrying my lunch back to the office that much easier. The people who work here have been super friendly both times. My burgers have come out wicked fast, even with people waiting ahead of me. They’ve got efficiency down to an art without sacrificing quality. Color me impressed.
I don’t know about y’all, but any place that can get me to like a food I generally hate is a winner in my book. Five stars all the way, Burger Bar. Y’all earned it.

This place was good not great and good value for the price. The service was fast. However, not overly friendly. There is no place to eat besides a few stand up tables. I just took my food back to my room. I thought it was better then an In and Out Burger but not as good a a Habit burger. I had a cheese burger, fries and a coke.

Pretty average. The veggie burger was disappointing — fell apart almost immediately… was left trying to scoop pieces of it back onto the bun. Fries were okay, nothing special.
I do have to commend the staff, who were all super friendly and well-​equipped at handling the Friday lunch rush. If you need a weekday pick-​me-​up, I imagine a shake & sweet interaction with the Burger Bar cashier would do the trick.

Great price. Greater quality!
Walked right up to the window, ordered, and approximately 2 minutes later was sitting on the bench eating. The cashier and cooks were so sweet, it was nice to have a quick chat and watch my food prepared right before my eyes! The cheeseburger was comparable to In-​N-​Out but much tastier, juicier and bigger. And the fries… Let me tell you, I’m a sweet potato fanatic and these are to die for.
Fantastic place for a quick lunch break!

Very cute, quaint concept – it’s a long window opening onto Congress on the side of the JW Marriott. I just picked up a couple of shakes (to share!), and both were very good but not mind blowing, especially considering that I had to wait in line for a bit. (At about 3 p.m., from the time I got there to when I left was about 10 minutes – not bad but not that short for just two shakes not at rush hour.)
I ordered the peanut butter pretzel and the oreo shakes. The oreo was the best – classic oreo flavor. The peanut butter pretzel was good too, but it could use more peanut butter, and the pretzel bits were a bit soggy towards the end.
All in all, a generally good concept.

The burgers here are average at best. They are made as fast as possible b/​c this is a walk up restaurant. The parties are frozen. The o-​rings are pretty good. The shake machine was broken so I can’t comment on those.
I will not return.
The taste isn’t worth the price.

Decent burger. Wasn’t as good as a Shake Shack burger, or some of the burgers at burger joints in Chicago but it was good enough. I didn’t get fries, got onion rings instead and they were done perfectly.

I usually stop by here for lunch. It’s one of the good, cheap options to get lunch downtown. I usually get the turkey burger; it’s always fresh, the patty is done well, and the edgier touches like guacamole and lemon aioli work well.
They also give you a free burger every tenth order, which makes it even more economical. EDIT: they don’t do this anymore

Excellent Burgers!!! I had a cheeseburger and my hubs had something juicy and spicy with peppers!
Onion rings were really good, although not handmade! And the sweet potato fries were edible (I’m not a sweet potato fan)!
I’d definitely go back!

Burger Bar makes good burgers. No, it’s not a bar. The burger choices are limited, but good enough for most people. No wheat bun, or American cheese — just like Mighty Fine. There is a turkey burger on the menu, though.
I got a regular bacon & cheese single. It was pretty good: flavorful, well cooked, not too greasy, and not dry. The Oreo shake was pretty good too.
The only downside is that this is street-​eating. there are no chairs, just a few high tables.
Will not make the list of top burgers in Austin but I would definitely come back again. i would say 8 out 10.

I’m afraid to write this because I don’t want to come here one day and see a line around the block and then I’ll have to wait forever for THE BEST BURGER IN AUSTIN. Love this place !! AND VALERIE and JOSE are my new besties LOVE those two!!! Thanks you two for the fun and great food !

Not impressed.
The food smelled good but was mediocre. The people behind the counter were to busy chatting with each other.
My son ordered a turkey burger and queso fries. He said the burger was ok but not great and the fries were something I could make at home, nothing special.
Just another trendy «hipster» place in Austin. Will not spend my money here again

Meh.
Austin is a city full of delicious burgers. And there’s no reason to waste time or money waiting in line for a mediocre one…
The menu is simple and straightforward. My friend and I went for lunch. I got a cheeseburger and my friend got the turkey burger with avocado. and we split em so we could try both.
The burger was a medium rare as we ordered but it was very under-​seasoned and lacked flavor. It was also very greasy and sloppily put together. The Turkey burger wasn’t much better, under-​seasoned and UNDERCOOKED! My friend and I both noticed after we bit into it and ended up getting sick after. The rest of the afternoon was not enjoyable… let’s just say that.
You want to order a solid burger from a walk-​up window? Grab one from Downtown Burger on Cesar Chavez. You’re belly with thank me.

Wow! Unilocal brought me here but Valerie and staff kept me.
I was greeted with a smile and a welcoming hello. When the staff cares like that, you know the food will be just as incredible.
No frills here. It’s a Burger Bar. I had a bacon burger. Bacon was crisp and flavorful. The fries were hot and crisp.
While I was there, I was offered a sample of Piña Coloda milk shake. Whip cream and toasted coconut. That lead to a purchase.
This is a great spot to get a quick bite to eat. Standing tables. I was told that there were plans to add sit down tables in the future.

When I saw the bigmouth burger I really wondered, how can this possibly go wrong? Jalepeno, roasted peppers and thick bacon on double cheeseburger. Mmmmmm. Yet somehow the mélange of flavors just didn’t tie together. Meat is average, not that seasoned. Produce didn’t feel that fresh. Other than bacon and roasted peppers, the other flavors just lack pop. Oh and it’d be nice if my burger didn’t have two top buns… Too squishy.
Skip the fries — nothing to miss.

For praise: Easy street access, good prices, bbq sauce, fries, juicy burger, candied jalapeños on «big mouth burger».
For Shame: got my wife’s order wrong (single burger w/salad…got no salad :-/​), no escape from the sun.
Next to try: shakes!
The bottom line: Burger bar is a creative joint with easy access from congress avenue. Friendly employees + juicy creative burgers w/​crispy fries and Texas style BBQ make for a bright future. Veggie options that cater to diverse crowds are a plus. Just, please, get an order right. Is not that hard :).
P. S. Thanks Brian! Will take you up on that next time I visit. The food was good.
Brian, you are a gentleman. We passed by on the way back to our hotel and decided to take Brian up on the offer. So, he came out to greet my wife and family. We had a nice conversation about the locally sourced food used by burger bar. Shakes delivered as promised + ice cream cone for a friend. They were delicious! Creamy and cold, perfect for the summer heat. Thanks to the crew, they were very gracious. Great experience!

Solid, middle-​of-​the road burgers at a decent price point.
It’s within easy walking distance of my office, and while I very rarely go out, this is part of a broad circuit of downtown eateries I have the option of — and so far it’s earned a spot in the «return» list.

A one star burger for me would be akin to something off a McDonalds dollar menu and seeing as how this was waaaay better than that, I’m surprised by the artificially low reviews. While I’m not sure what kind of impact an establishment’s lack of pickles or inability to alter thermodynamic laws should play into one’s ratings, I’m thinking a lower deduction would have been more accurate.
This was more like 3.5 stars for me. This place definitely has some kinks to work out as the none of the employees looked comfortable with what they were supposed to be doing and it took a bit longer than expected, but in the end it turned out to be a pretty decent meal at a reasonable price as the burgers are between about $ 4.50-$ 6 and fries being $ 2.25, so we’re not talking Hopdoddy prices here.
I got the big mouth burger with 2 patties, cheese, blistered peppers, bacon, lettuce and tomatoes. What the reviewer below me failed to mention was that it was 37 degrees outside and the place is open to the wind and weather, so maybe the burger wasn’t twelve thousand degrees of liquid hot magma hot, but even taking mine across the street and up to the office and snapping two glorious pictures for the Unilocal world to see wasn’t enough time to say it was anything near cold.
They do seal up the burger and fries, presumably to keep them warm, but it does soften them up a bit so the fries weren’t fresh from the fryer crunchy. They were tasty and seasoned at least.
The burger itself was good, with the meat slightly overcooked. The sauce, blistered peppers, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes picked up the slack and it was still a juicy and satisfying burger. Is this place jaw-​droppingly amazing? No, but it is a decent burger downtown at a reasonable price. Downtown Burgers on 1^st street puts out a better burger and fries for cheaper, but on days like today when I don’t want to walk 15 minutes there and back, this would definitely do.