It’s hard for us at the Chronicle to find much about the States to celebrate these days, so this Fourth of July, we’re saluting an American staple we can all believe in: the hamburger.
This all started with an Instagram account. Two years ago, deliriously sunsick after an afternoon at Deep Eddy, my best friend and I launched a page called, at the time, @BurgerTourofAustin. Who loved burgers more than us? No one, we declared. As writers, who better to speak objectively on their quality, Pitchfork-style numerical ratings and all?
We quickly realized, from our peers and our measly internet following, that this is all subjective. Everyone’s palates are different, and we are not burger connoisseurs. But we do feel strongly about them, we love talking about them, and, above all, we love sharing them with each other. That silly, personal page snowballed into a full-on Chronicle issue, but rest assured: These aren’t the ramblings of a madman. Insights from a slew of writers – and renowned local chefs – make up the pages of this paper to create what I hope is a well-founded package – one that spotlights restaurants of all kinds throughout the city. There’s something for everyone here, I hope.
The Chronicle published a guide to Austin burgers back in 1997. Like so many of our archives, it stands as a time capsule. Some names on the list are familiar to this day as holdouts of a bygone era – you’ll see Dirty Martin’s, Sandy’s, Dan’s, and a whole bunch of other decades-strong institutions-named-after-people recommended here in 2025. Other locales were admittedly foreign to this Gen Z writer – what the hell is EZ’s? – and others still elicited a mournful sigh upon mention (R.I.P., Burger Tex, and the original Magnolia).
We didn’t attempt to create another comprehensive burger guide for this contemporary follow-up. Austin is a lot bigger these days, and we undoubtedly would’ve missed something (I’m counting on the comment section to inform me of what we missed anyway). Instead, we dug into how international flavors have influenced local chefs’ approach to this all-American food as Austin’s population has grown and changed, and asked the experts about which ingredient is most important in making a good burger.
We did make a guide of sorts, but around the office we’ve been calling it a Burger Vibe Guide rather than an all-encompassing ranked list. How can you compare bars to gourmet eateries, diner burgers to smashburgers? All of these stylings have merit – at different times. By organizing Austin’s 2025 burger spots by style, we hope to help you select a restaurant based on the mood you’re in. It’s based on the belief that no matter what, there’s a burger for every occasion.
This article appears in July 4 • 2025.