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    Burger Bar Congress

    3.7 (322 reviews)
    ModerateBurgers, Fast Food
    Open • 11:00 am - 2:30 AM (Next day)

    Burger Bar Congress Photos

    BURGER BAR CONGRESS ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Delores L.

    AUSTIN RESTAURANT WEEK #1 - BURGER BAR CONGRESS Burger Bar was our first foray into Austin Restaurant Week. Burger Bar is a part of the JW Marriott downtown located on Congress Ave down the street from the Capitol of Texas. It is a walk up burger bar with seating outside as well as inside of the JW Marriott. During Restaurant Week, August 29-September 14, 2025, over 70 restaurants are serving special fixed priced meals ($25 for lunch | brunch, $50 or $75 for dinner including specially curated beverages. A huge upside of Austin Restaurant Week is that some of the proceeds will be donated the Central Texas food Bank, serving 21 counties with a wide range of programs (food distribution, mobile food pantry and home delivery program.) Burger Bar's Restaurant Week special was 2 cheese burgers or 2 chicken tender sandwiches, fries and fountain drinks for $20...a pretty sweet deal. My hubby is the fast food connoisseur of the family. Sometimes you have to take one for the team. He got the chicken tender sandwich and I got the cheese burger. His chicken tender sandwich was moist, cooked to the proper temperature and the outside was crispy. One area of improvement includes revamping the seasoning in the breading. My cheese burger was messy and yes, I had a happy face (on theme). The burger was juicy with an elevated pickle and tomato taste. The French fries were long (v short broken pieces), crispy on the outside as if they were dipped in seasoned cornstarch. So yummy! Adam, manager, said there restaurant is called the original as it was the first of the locations. He also said that get a steady flow of customers during the day, however, there best business is late night. Only 2 customers at the time we were there...pretty chill vibe. Total comfort food..,.we will be back!

    Double Wagyu Cheeseburger with fries and Voss
    Erikka T.

    Great late night spot! The service was friendly, fast and the food was made to order. The burger was a little salty but, we knew this going in and it was evened out by the chocolate shake. A great option anytime of day but especially after a long day or night out; they stay open until 2:30!!

    Wagyu Hamburger Mayo Ketchup Mustard
    Mili C.

    5/5 for beef soft and chewy burger with a SOFT bread that is not overly sweet. They serve POTATO bread! (Might be a long shot but it tasted like the McDonald's honey biscuit bread - lol without they honey and not as sweet but you get the memo.) It is outside across the street so I recommend this as a post somewhere bite. Parking on this street is not really possible just fyi. Staff is so thoughtful and friendly. Plus the area is insanely clean for being downtown and in a calm safe environment. Felt safe and clean to eat out here!

    Veggie Freak burger
    Shelly G.

    Good burgers & fries! Had the "Veggie Freak", has some heat to it. Regular burgers are also good.

    Lis Z.

    Not enough seating area for my team so we walked to a public seating area. There is a sign saying more seating upstairs but we couldn't find that. I ordered cheese burger and milk shake. They are good. The frites are very crispy too.

    Caleb R.

    This review is for 5/14/25. This was a decent burger spot. I ordered the cheeseburger with cheddar cheese and added bacon, fries, and ordered the three piece tender basket. The burger and fries were good for any normal burger joint, but the tenders were seasoned really well and hand breaded nicely. I was a little sad that I could try and milkshakes, being as though they were not serving any that day. I haven't stayed in the area in over a year, so the next time, I'll have to remember to try this place again.

    Tracey L.

    You know you are a baddie when you open a burger place smackdown in the middle of so many great restaurants in downtown Austin. Not only that, but Burger Bar is also a walk-up counter with two long tables on the sidewalk of Congress Street--the most walked street in Austin. Yep, you are a baddie, and you brought your A-game. When we realtors say it's all about the location, it is, but you brought something 10 times better. You brought the best meaty burgers, soft buns, crispy fries, and shakes to the game of restaurants. My niece and I order the Double Wagyu burger. I have never eaten a whole burger in one sitting. I honestly could not put it down. It was bite after bite until it was gone, and it's a big juicy burger. I demolished the fries, too. I'm actually here in Austin this weekend, again. This means, I'll see you in a few my Double Cheese Waygu Burger.

    Wagyu Cheeseburger with bacon & grilled onions, no pickles !  Delicious
    Cari B.

    Delicious burger! I don't know if it's because it was 930 at night and I was super super hungry or if it was because it was that fabulous of a burger, or a little bit of both. This was a wonderful burger and I have not enjoyed one like this in years. The fries were pretty great also--nice and crispy. Service was quick with about three people in front of me and I waited less than seven minutes for my order which I took back to my hotel. I am actually here for only three days and I will probably go there again before I leave.

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    10 months ago

    The fries are phenomenal! No notes. Crispy on the outside with some extra breading, soft on the inside. Would definitely come again.

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    1 year ago

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    7 months ago

    Some of the best butgers downtown. Not the big steakhouse burger, but a fast-food style quality and flavorful burger. Shakes are good tio.

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    Kim B.

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    3 months ago

    The service was quick and staff was nice. Burgers were really good and fries were nice and crispy. I would definitely go again.

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    6 months ago

    One of the best smash burgers in the city! The fries are to the perfect crisp with the addition to their secret sauce.

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    10 months ago

    Amazing food and amazing service and of course a cool spot to sit and eat, thanks Ana!

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    Sandwich's and service were great and the restaurant stays open till 2:30. Yeppppp. Definitely a spot after the bar with your friends.

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    Page 1 of 9

    Ask the Community - Burger Bar Congress

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    As one of the tribe, I couldn't not check this out. Especially with a burger called the "yenta"…read morethat has a latke in the burger. I'm going to repeat that - a crisp, golden disc of potato love is in the burger. Not on the side. In. Be still my heart (literally, I think that got me close to a heart attack). I cannot recommend Jewboy burgers enough. Staff was friendly, service and ambiance were great with plenty of places to sit inside and out. Parking is somewhat limited but worth braving to get a little peace of Old Testament heaven in your belly.

    The hype couldn't be further from accurate! Ordered the standard Jewboy Burger as it comes, onion…read morerings, fries and a fountain soda. First off, i'm so over places offering only Maine Root options. These always taste horrible. Id pay double for a canned coke or pepsi anyday. Before we get to the disappointment of a burger, lets talk about the onion rings and the fries, as they shared the same problem. Either your oil needed to be changed 2 days ago, or your timer stopped working. Both came out brown and tasted of bitter overused oil. Now to the burger. I do appreciate the amount of pickle slices on this burger, but this heavy hand was also responsible for the mustard levels! I think i'll be tasting mustard for a couple days. The bun was too soft and barely held up to the task. If I do give this place another shot, it will be minus mustard for sure.

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    NADC Burger

    NADC Burger

    3.9(198 reviews)
    0.7 mi•East Austin
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    I've eaten here twice. Once the patties were beautifully charred and the overall burger was…read moreperfection. The second time the patties were light grey and tasted like they had been boiled. I'd like to know which style I can expect from this place as I prefer one over another.

    Long story short - it's an average burger, where flavor wise the beef itself was overpowered by the…read moreamount of pickles. I'm a girl who prefers no pickles on burgers so that's my own bias but even my partner stated he felt the burger was very pickle forward. The waygu beef was suppose to be star, especially at the price point for this ($40 for two burgers, a diet coke, and a shared order of beast fried), and it simply wasn't. Both the burger and fries were well cooked but my feedback is slapping what seems to be sliced cheese that will only melt to the top layer of fries and leave the rest without any toppings feels like a missed opportunity. It makes it harder even grab fries because they are conjoined together by the cheese. I like consistency in each bite, once the top layer of fries was gone they were just plain Jane fries. I think if the burger had some crunchy / crispy to just break up all the soft textures that would be nice as well. Like subbing the grilled jalepenos for raw ones. I can't say I'd go out of my way for this spot again with other competitors like Buddy's being closer and less pricey but it was still a well cooked burger. But if you like pickles, this is the place for you! It's bar/ high top dining only so definitely a casual, quick bite stop.

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    Taqueria De Diez  - Carne Asada Taco

    Taqueria De Diez

    4.7(565 reviews)
    0.1 mi•Downtown
    •$$

    This is the best taco place I have found since I've moved!…read more I don't know how often I will come back here I don't know that it's that easy to find parking in this area. We walked from the hotel and ended up eating here twice! I had the extra cheesy volcan tacos they were so good I could smell how they tasted when I walked in. The carve asada was a little salty but it didn't stop me from devouring them! If you come in down the alley like we did you'll walk through what looks to be a little bar area walk-through there and then follow the signs to find the tacos. There were some people walking in with small children as we were walking out and they looked confused walking into the bar and I showed them just keep going you'll find the tacos and then they laughed. Everyone inside was nice and very friendly they run a super efficient operation and it's very clean. Soon as someone gets up somebody cleans the table because somebody's already waiting for a table. The whole thing is like an assembly line you get in line you order you get in line you get your food you walk around the corner and you get a table. Keep it moving people! This is just an amazing taco place with some amazing people highly recommend if you are in the area to go for it. The second time we came back and got more tacos to go and had to pay for parking around the corner so I don't know that it's convenient unless you're walking because parking was really expensive over there I think we paid $20 for 15 minutes.

    Why 5 stars? Because this absolutely nailed my craving…read more --- --- --- My friend and I had big ambitions to eat nothing but BBQ during our 4 days in Austin. We weren't even fully through day #2 and were already sick of BBQ. He broke the seal first and suggested Mexican. I found Taqueria De Diez in my bookmarks, and dinner plans were set. This was one of those meals where I was walking out with a pep in my step because I got exactly what I needed. I ordered a carne asada quesadilla + two tacos: Campechana and adobada. I don't even know what my favorite thing was. They were all excellent. The only slight miss were the beans, which were kind of oddly watery. But everything else was perfect, including the jamaica agua fresca. I ended up returning the next night and ordered a carne asada burrito. I didn't love it quite as much, but this is still an easy 5-star review for me. Note: this is not the easiest place to find. You literally have to walk in between some big, orange road blockers (is that what you call them?), to enter an alley. You then walk into a small bar, and then from there, you enter the actual restaurant. It's like a taco speakeasy, and it's glorious.

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    Mission Burger

    Mission Burger

    4.7(204 reviews)
    3.6 mi
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    It's been a while since we've been back here and since then, they've moved and this is their…read moreSECOND, new location. Whoa! I studied their website before we went as a review session and they have a section with ingredients and options for food allergies and special diets. I got there prepared and the owner was there and I found out that website hasn't been updated in about 2 years. Many things have changed, but not their website. Our go-to Meati Sandwich is no longer on the menu. But I must say I love the new place. Bold, clean, awesome. Other than that, not too much has changed; they still have a lot of mouthwatering items on the menu... and my family can only eat one burger on the menu. We're allium-free vegetarians and there's alliums in sauces and certain proteins used. Thankfully, we were speaking to one of the co-owners and he was super helpful and patient with us, even looking up ingredients and letting us double check. He is aware of the Jain diet. They also have a kids menu and we actually ordered off of one for the first time for the kids (just a simplified version of the regular burgers), We ended up ordering: MISSION BURGER ($16.95): a classic burger with 2 Impossible patties. Having said that, the patties were super thin and smooshed flat. The guys got this burger. Took out onions and subbed out the house sauce with ketchup and mustard. JR MISSION BURGER ($12.95): same as the regular with only 1 of the smooshed impossible patties. My sister and I got this. A very good burger and it's such a nostalgic feeling eating a burger (that I didn't make myself for once). The burger was perfectly filling but I could definitely also eat a regular Mission with no issues since the patties are smooshed down. KIDS' CHEESEBURGER W/ FRIES (1 with a gluten-free bun), both $11.99 so no additional cost for GF: both my kids got this with nothing added in other than cheese and the smooshed impossible patty. The saddest looking burgers BUT they ate it! The gluten-free bun is a bit... flattened, but my kid ate half of it there and finished it on the car ride out of Austin. Then asked for another one. In fact, he's still asking for another one and it's been almost 2 weeks. My other kid (picky, no allergies) likes it as well, but didn't finish and not as much as her brother. But she definitely loved the fries. SMALL FRIES ($3.50): almost every order of burgers came with a side of fries. These are perfect, stayed delicious, and were perfectly seasoned. If you are gluten-sensitive or have a wheat allergy, do know they use a shared fryer for ALL their fried items. My kid with the food allergies couldn't eat them, just to be safe. COOKIES AND CREAM MILKSHAKE ($11.95): This is made with their soft serve and regular Oreo cookies. SO GOOD. My daughter and my vegan sister got one each. Not too sweet, hit the spot perfectly. I would like to suggest they offer a gluten-free version made with GF Oreos if they can figure out how to significantly eliminate cross contamination... or just use only GF Oreos. VANILLA SOFT SERVE ($3.99): fun fact - these are lentil protein based! Got this for my kid with the food allergies (he's allergic to wheat, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, avocado, pineapple, kiwi) who prefers real dairy and he ate almost the entire cup! It's a pretty hefty serving. I had a taste and it's pretty good. Very close to the dairy version. We were thrilled with our visit. Everything tasted great! I loved how there isn't an additional cost for a gluten free bun (it's a little wonky shaped... irregularly flattened on top). My food allergy kid asked me to make him a burger because he misses the one he got here and he specifically requested for buns with a round top so it's apparently a sore spot with him. I also love how I could actually talk to someone and make well informed decisions on what we could order... and we ordered everything we could have (aside from desserts). I'm a bit sad Mission Burger is so far away, but I guess it just means we'll have to stop by Austin when we're in Texas again. Thank you for another amazing experience!

    My BFF and I came here looking for Spin Burger and realized this location had moved in. Sad I…read moredidn't get a burger frisbee, but this was a great substitute. FREE Chocolate Chip Cookie - The cookies are definitely great--no crazy standout, but they had a distinct oat flavor. I can imagine sea salt would enhance the flavor even more. I love chocolate chip, though... and FREE is the best seasoning. Mushroom Truffle - We agreed to split these burgers 50/50, and bro zoned out while eating; I got like 1/4 of it. Hopefully that emphasizes how much he enjoyed this burger. The first thing I noticed was that the patty wasn't as thick. I do like their burgers and how they're medium-rare, but this one was much more packed with mushrooms, per the burger style. If it had the B&B patty, this would've been my favorite. Hold up--I did not know this was an Impossible patty. Not bad, but it does explain the difference in flavor. Still, it paired exceptionally well with the mushrooms. Black & Blue - Very deep flavors. I didn't like it as much as the Mushroom Truffle. In fact, I felt like this was way too saucy. The blue cheese didn't hold the show as much as the rest of the burger, and I'm a sucker for blue cheese. Like, inject Penicillin straight into my soul; obsessed. Anyways, it was just okay. My BFF and I agreed that these burgers are TENDER. Like, "didn't have to chew; it was a soft slush in my mouth" tender. Anyways, the sauce on both of these was on point--the first bite was a very obvious banger of flavors. Okay. I lied; these are ALL Impossible patties. Instantly changed the game because these were very well executed. On the way out, one of the workers (perhaps the owner) asked for our feedback. Apparently, many of these burgers are new menu items, and we got to hear a bit of their backstory (and got another FREE cookie). Some of the loveliest people I've met. I really love what they're doing here, and I'm glad they moved just 15 minutes away from our location. Wishing them the best!

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    Velvet Taco - Velvet Taco 8

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    4.4(822 reviews)
    0.2 mi•Warehouse District, Downtown
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    Perfect spot for late-night tacos!…read more The best part is that they have great vegetarian options, including both paneer and tofu tacos, and both are absolutely delicious. It's not always easy to find flavorful vegetarian tacos, so this place was a pleasant surprise. I loved it so much that I ended up visiting twice during my two-day trip to Austin. If you're in the city, this place is definitely worth checking out!

    Needed a quick bite and walked two blocks from my hotel straight into downtown Austin's busy…read moreCongress Avenue stretch, right at the corner of 6th Street in the middle of the Warehouse District energy. Sixth Street's neon and noise are basically next door, the Capitol sits up the hill, and the whole area is packed with people, bars, and that classic Austin mix of polished downtown hustle and late-night chaos. Velvet Taco is pure counter-service: you walk right up, order at the register, and then grab a seat. There's plenty of seating, so even with a couple of kids in tow it was no problem finding a spot. The place leans hard into what can only be called white-people tacos--soft, sad flour tortillas that taste like they came straight out of a grocery-store package, loaded with every wild creation the kitchen can invent. Global mashups, brunch hybrids, burger impostors, the works. No one is pretending these are the real deal. I went for the chicken-and-waffles taco, which was actually built on a thin, real waffle instead of a tortilla. Surprisingly good--crispy, a little sweet, chicken holding its own. The burger taco tasted exactly like a cheeseburger that had wandered into a tortilla and decided to stay. We also tried the shrimp taco (fine), one daughter got the kids' chicken taco (perfectly kid-level), and the other ordered the chicken tikka (spicy, saucy, and very much in the "why is this on a tortilla?" category). Everything was okay. Comparable to Torchy's in that same creative-American-taco lane. If you're looking for a true Mexican taco, stay far away. But if you just want to play around with some decent flavors on a cheap flour store-bought tortilla while sitting in the middle of downtown Austin, this is your spot. Not my favorite. Glad I tried it. Won't be back.

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    Burger Bar Congress - burgers - Updated October 2026

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