HIHATPUBLICHOUSE @hihataustin VS.

Hi Hat Public House’s Bar Burger is another delightfully drippy treat. The house Tasty Sauce and rich 44 Farms beef are the agents to blame, but all is forgiven after biting into this straightforwardly delectable dish. A brioche bun dressed in house pickles and the obligatory lettuce and tomatoes envelop the thick patty. The laidback atmosphere of this music-centric Eastside watering hole puts patrons at ease, allowing any self-consciousness caused by wayward sauce to dissipate into the background of this toothsome experience.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Some traditions and recipes stick around for a reason, continually passed down through the generations not only for the sake of convention but also for their damn good results. Finding the perfect prototypical burger or taco might be for the birds, but these tried-and-true family customs deliver consistently delicious results.

Jacoby’s Restaurant and Mercantile is a rustic ranch-to-table restaurant focusing on elevated American fare, specifically zeroing in on Texas’ regional specialties. It’s only natural, then, that their Texas beef burger is the star of the show. This burger is a whopping half-pounder made from Jacoby Brand beef, sourced from the namesake family’s cattle ranch. Since 1981, the Jacoby philosophy of raising all natural, hormone and antibiotic free cattle has resulted in some of the most flavorful beef in Central Texas. In addition to their excellent ranching conditions, they use a 21-to-28-day dry aging process to bring about a most tender result. The large-and-in-charge patty is dressed up with cheese and the usual accoutrements, but it is the beef itself that does the heavy lifting in this Texas-sized burger.

DEVEN’S FAVES

Salt & Time’s Butcher’s Burger

This burger is not messing around. For a butcher shop, it should go without saying that their burger is beyond a typical patty, but even so, Salt & Time's myriad of flavors tickles the tastebuds. They take steak trimmings and grind them into a burger so rich with flavor it packs a punch. As a pro-pickle-on-burger person, the salty, sour kick with the creamy mayo in between those brioche buns is what dirty dreams during a diet are made of. Coupled with their beef-fat fried fries, is there any competition elsewhere?