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Search for the Best Burger Joint in Austin: Crown and Anchor Pub

October 1, 2012 by Eric Highland 13 Comments

Crown and Anchor Pub in Austin, TXIf you’ve been looking for the best burgers in Austin, you’ve come to the right place. This post is part of a series on The Austinot.

All the posts in this series start with “Search for the Best Burger Joint in Austin” in the title. Remember, I’m looking at not only the burgers, but the experience as a whole.

You’ll always get an honest take on the burger joints that I’ve visited. I’m not on any burger joint’s payroll. Agree or disagree, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

First Impression of Crown and Anchor Pub in Austin

A smattering of obviously happy patrons were seated on the outdoor patio with pint glasses and burgers laid before them as we arrived. The Beatles’ “Get Back” was playing over the speakers and the place was immaculate for a neighborhood pub. Great first impression as we walked up to the Crown & Anchor in the Hyde Park/UT area of Austin.

Located on San Jacinto, just off Speedway at 2911 San Jacinto Blvd, this local watering hole has been pleasing customers since 1987. Practically always open, the doors at the Crown & Anchor pub stay unlocked 365 days a year from 11 AM to 2 AM. When do these guys sleep?

When you first enter the Crown & Anchor pub in Austin, you walk past the outdoor patio and into a large covered patio that is dog friendly and smoker friendly. The covered patio boasts a large television that shows the Longhorn Network and other sporting channels around the clock.

Covered Patio at Crown and Anchor Pub

Crown & Anchor’s outdoor covered patio

As you pass the threshold into the pub itself, you’ll walk straight up to the bar. Place your food order or choose from over 30 beers on tap and over 100 different bottled or canned beers. Quite an impressive selection!

To your left is the indoor seating area, which as stated before was immaculate during my visit. Neon bar signs light the walls and a couple of pool tables and dart boards are offered for entertainment.

You’ll definitely find neighborhood locals here, plus the regular barfly and a handful of college students.

Large beer selection at Crown & Anchor Pub

Crown & Anchor boasts a large selection of beers

I ordered the bacon cheeseburger and fries to keep my reviews on the same playing field.

Play Pool or Darts at Crown & Anchor Pub

Laid-back entertainment options at Crown & Anchor Pub

Austinot Eric’s Burger Review Criteria

If you’ve read my other articles in this series, you’ll know that I rate burger joints using a 1-10 scale, with 5 being Average. (Don’t be a hater. If I rate you a 5, that means you were average.)

Roughly speaking, a score of 1 translates to “worst ever,” while 10 translates to “God handcrafted this himself.” Remember, you are free to disagree with me. This is just my honest take.

When reviewing a burger joint, these are my categories:

  1. Burger Patties
  2. Bun
  3. Cheese
  4. Messiness
  5. Garnish
  6. Burger Taste
  7. Fries
  8. Atmosphere
  9. Cleanliness
  10. Other Factors

Crown & Anchor Pub Austin – Burger Joint Review

Bacon Cheeseburger at Crown & Anchor Pub

Bacon cheeseburger with fries

  1. Burger Patties = 6. Very thin patties and a bit too salty. They would have rated a 5, but the burgers came out piping hot and that bumped this score to a 6.
  2. Bun = 6. Store-bought buns. But Crown & Anchor does something right here: toasting and buttering the buns bumped this mark above average.
  3. Cheese = 5. Processed, sliced cheese. Not impressive. Just average.
  4. Messiness = 6. The shredded lettuce, mustard/mayo combo made this an above average messy burger, which I like.
  5. Garnish = 7. Shredded lettuce is always a good thing on a burger, I prefer it to huge slabs of iceberg lettuce. Tasty pickles gave the burger a bit of a tang. And though the tomatoes were thin, the two slices of flavorful and crispy bacon were solid additions.
  6. Taste = 7.  Despite thin patties, a store-bought bun and processed cheese, the burgers were definitely tasty. The Crown and Anchor did two things very right that helped bumped this mark: the burgers were hot off the grill and the buns were buttered and toasted.
  7. Fries = 8. The fries were really good. Kind of like Whataburger’s fries, only better. Think fast food style, with a neighborhood pub twist. Crispy and well salted. Both Brittany and I finished our fries, which is a normal thing for me, but not for Brit. Great side to a decent burger.
  8. Atmosphere = 9. The Crown and Anchor Pub in Austin has a great local vibe going on. Locals love it, and we did too. Good music, dog friendly, smoker friendly (in a separated area), and neon/nautical decor makes this a very cool place to hang out.
  9. Cleanliness = 9. I was completely impressed by the cleanliness of the joint. This mark would have been a 10, but we didn’t go during their busy time, so I had to take that into consideration. Regardless, every surface that I looked at was clean, even under the pool tables.
  10. Other Factors = 8. The massive beer selection offset the lack of fountain drinks and the small size of the burgers. The staff was kind and even offered us some house darts so that Brit and I could enjoy a couple of games after our meal.
Playing cricket with darts at Crown and Anchor Pub

Enjoying some Cricket with complimentary house darts

Bottom Line on Crown and Anchor Pub in Austin: 7.1 out of 10

Overall Score = 7.1. The overall score is the average of the 10 categories.

Crown and Anchor Pub in Austin is a great local hangout with above average burgers, great fries and a huge beer selection. The burger patties are thin. I would recommend ordering a double of whatever you are getting. (Editor’s Note: Eric did order a double on our second visit and it made him happy!)

Austinot Brittany Highland at Crown and Anchor Pub

Austinot Brittany enjoying the paper on a quiet afternoon at Crown & Anchor

The staff is really cool, and the atmosphere makes it a place worth recommending.  The prices on the burgers were more than fair, cheaper than most national chains. So why go chain when you can go local?

I recommend you try out Crown and Anchor for yourself. If you do, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

And so my…

Search for the Best Burger Joint in Austin Continues

So far, of burger joints in Austin reviewed on the Austinot, here is the scorecard:

#1 – score 8.1 – The Tavern

#2 – score 8.0 – Your Mom’s Burger Bar (Tied for 2nd so far) CLOSED see below.

#2 – score 8.0 – Opal Divine’s Freehouse (Tied for 2nd so far) 6th Street location CLOSED see below.

#3 – score 7.64 – P. Terry’s

#4 – score 7.6 – Phil’s Icehouse

#5 – score 7.2 – Casino El Camino

#6 – score 7.1 – Crown & Anchor Pub

#7 – score 7.05 – Dirty Martin’s Place

#8 – score 7.0 – Billy’s on Burnet (Tied for 8th so far)

#8 – score 7.0 – Moonie’s Burger House (Tied for 8th so far)

#9 – score 6.9 – Mighty Fine Burgers

#10 – score 6.7 – Wholly Cow Burgers

#11 – score 6.4 – Nau’s Enfield Drug

#12 – score 5.9 – Old School Bar and Grill

#13 – score 4.8 – Cover 3

Burger joints that have shut down since they were reviewed:

1. Opal Divine’s (The 6th street location is closed but they have other locations so give them a try.)

2. Your Mom’s Burger Bar (The owners decided to buy an RV and see the country. But they did write a farewell letter to Austin. We’ll miss you Your Mom’s!)

Other places that have been suggested to review: 

  1. 2nd Bar + Kitchen
  2. 24 Diner
  3. Austin Land and Cattle
  4. Austin Java
  5. Black Sheep Lodge
  6. Blue Star Cafeteria
  7. Burger Tex 2 on Guadalupe
  8. Cain and Abel’s
  9. Counter Cafe
  10. Cow Bells
  11. Dan’s Hamburgers
  12. Dart Bowl
  13. Foreign and Domestic
  14. Fran’s Hamburgers
  15. Hat Creek
  16. Hill’s Cafe
  17. Hideout Pub
  18. Hoover’s Cooking
  19. Hopdoddy
  20. Hula Hut
  21. Hut’s Hamburgers
  22. Jack Allen’s Kitchen
  23. Jackalope
  24. Lambert
  25. Luke’s Inside Out
  26. Parkside
  27. Ski Shores
  28. South Congress Cafe
  29. Sputnik
  30. Top Notch

Got one you’d like added to the list? Comment and let us know! (Only suggestions of burger joints founded in Austin will be added.)

 

@EricHighland asks:

I’d love to hear what you have to say. Do you agree or disagree with me on Crown & Anchor Pub?  Do you know of any places that I need to add to my list?

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Filed Under: Food, Food & Drink Tagged With: bars, best burger joint in austin

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Comments

  1. WonderousATX says

    October 1, 2012 at 10:23 am

    Also Posse East next door. Some places like this one are more pubs with a restaurant on the side. Eager to see review of Hopdoddy, Burger Tex, & Your Mom’s Burger Bar. Hut’s hamburgers should be on the list just due to the age of the place. Also Shady Grove, Black Sheep Lodge, 12oz Wagu burger at Foreign & Domestic, Hoovers, Austin Java, 24Diner, and Counter Cafe.

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    • EricHighland says

      October 1, 2012 at 10:44 am

      @twitter-282188191:disqus thanks as always. Hadn’t heard of Posse East. I’ll add them. Hopdoddy, Burger Tex, Your Mom’s, Austin Java, 24 Diner, and Counter Cafe are all on the upcoming list. I’ll have to add Shady Grove, Black Sheep Lodge, Foreign and Domestic, and Hoovers. Wow, you are going to keep me busy my friend. I think the next review series might need to be a Best Gym in Austin series.

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  2. Rebekka Adams says

    October 1, 2012 at 10:50 am

    One more suggestion: Lambert’s downtown at 2nd Street and Lavaca. You can only order their burgers at the bar. Their burgers are AMAZING – the smokey flavors and the seasonings are perfect.

    Bonus: during Happy Hour, they are only $5! I recommend if going for happy hour, get there right when they open to get a seat – there are only 7 seats available at the bar. They also have happy hour 7 days a week.

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    • EricHighland says

      October 1, 2012 at 12:15 pm

      @facebook-22409542:disqus great tip! Didn’t have Lambert’s on the list, but I do now. Only 7 seats? Wow.. guess I’ll have to take your advice and get there right when they open. Sounds like a cool place.

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  3. Derek says

    October 1, 2012 at 11:36 am

    I’ve been on this search for the best burger in Austin for a couple years now. Good to see a new write-up. I’ll be pinned to this blog, checking for places I haven’t been yet. One of my top five that’s not often mentioned is the Kobe slider at III Forks (Happy Hour it’s like $4!). It’s the perfect size and they put a relish underneath the patty that kills me everytime. Highly recommended. Also, the Roaring Fork (at Happy Hour to avoid the normal price) has a pretty tasty burger. Other than that, Hopdoddy and Counter Café are the best, imho.

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    • EricHighland says

      October 1, 2012 at 12:14 pm

      @219915babee3191314e10d9831ded560:disqus thanks for taking the time to comment. Sounds like you’ve got some great suggestions that I’ll have to add to my list for sure. So adding III Forks, and Roaring Fork to my list. Have you checked out the other reviews? Do you think I’m on point with any of the places you’ve been to?

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  4. Matt says

    October 1, 2012 at 2:54 pm

    Check out moonies burger house and get a blue moon burger and a blue bell ice cream shake. So amazingly good.

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    • Brittany Highland says

      October 1, 2012 at 5:22 pm

      Can’t go wrong with Blue Bell…

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    • EricHighland says

      October 1, 2012 at 5:23 pm

      Just added them to my list, and checked out their website. Thanks for the tip @186479f57147ca6728c7d1fd5a3034fc:disqus actually half considering heading out there tonight.. but a prior commitment to a zombie flick has me booked. Will get out there though again thanks for the tip!

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    • Eric Highland says

      October 31, 2012 at 9:25 am

      @186479f57147ca6728c7d1fd5a3034fc:disqus we took you up on your suggestion and posted a review on Moonie’s you can find it here: http://austinot.wpengine.com/best-burger-joint-in-austin-moonies-burger-house

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  5. Alex says

    October 2, 2012 at 1:52 pm

    Disappointed Wholly Cow Burgers aren’t on the list. They’re all grass fed beef, local and organic…

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    • Brittany Highland says

      October 2, 2012 at 1:59 pm

      Look again, @9936e785449bb61f3cf9c6352f662401:disqus! Wholly Cow is most definitely on the list. 🙂 We’ve enjoyed the Congress location before, but it was during a SXSW marathon and we didn’t do a review. We plan to go back & we’ll get a review done up in style.

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  6. Tantumblogo says

    October 1, 2014 at 3:37 pm

    Ah, thanks for the memories. Crown and Anchor (and Posse East) are, or were, the prime hangouts for many UT Engineering students. Especially mechanical engineering students, since our building was the closest to both places. My wife of over 20 years and I ate lunch at Crown and Anchor at least once a week, often way more than that. One of the most satisfying times of my life was during my last semester at UT. The “only” class I had was the final design project, but we were working 12 hours a day on that. So every day we’d start at about 11a, work till 11p, then go to Crown and Anchor or Posse and get blitzed, then wake up at 10:30 the next day to start it all over again. Nothing like a really nice buzz after a hard day’s work. Just a fantastic four months.

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