Austin's Best Cheap Eats

Hut's Hamburgers

We're in the dog days of summer, but just because most of your paycheck goes to the air-conditioning bill doesn't mean you have to resort to microwaved burritos every night. Here are some of Austin's best cheap eats, as determined by your votes in our recent Texas Restaurants survey. Let us know some of your other favorite bang-for-your-buck meal options.

Tacodeli
Food: 26
Decor: 12
Service: 20
Cost: $11
“Excellence wrapped in a tortilla” is how devotees describe the “delicious”, “gourmet” Mexican street eats crafted from “fresh, local and organic ingredients” at this counter-service trio that’s once again ranked Austin’s No. 1 for Bang for the Buck; open for breakfast and lunch only, it’s always busy, but “friendly folks” keep the constant lines moving fast, and you can also call ahead to skip the wait; P.S. “the salsa doña is a true revelation.”

1500 Spyglass Dr.; 512-732-0303


Torchy's Tacos 
Food: 24
Decor: 14
Service: 19
Cost: $11
“Stop reading and go now!” exclaim fans of this ever-growing Mexican chain cherished for its “creative” tacos “bursting with delicious fillings” like fried avocado and “spicy” jerk chicken; “you can eat pretty well pretty cheap”, so most don’t mind the minimal service and settings or “lines out the door”; breakfast is popular too; P.S. the original is a trailer on 1311 South First Street in Austin.

Multiple Locations

Mighty Fine Burgers 
Food: 21
Decor: 13
Service: 19
Cost: $13
This Austin mini-chain with an old-fashioned vibe “hits the mark” with “solid” all-natural burgers, crinkle-cut fries and hand-dipped milkshakes made with Blue Bell ice cream; “efficient” counter service, picnic-style seating with blue checkered tablecloths and inexpensive prices are other nostalgic touches.

10515 North Mopac Expressway; 512-524-2400

Flip Happy 
Food: 25
Decor: 13
Service: 17
Cost: $13
“Lovely” “custom crêpes” are crafted from “fresh ingredients” at this refurbished Avion trailer in Zilker, a true “Austin original” putting out an “impressively varied menu for such a tiny kitchen”; prices are low and “it’s a surprisingly charming place to eat”, so long as you don’t mind the “quirky” hours and perpetual “lines.”

400 Josephine St.; 512-552-9034

Hut's 
Food: 23
Decor: 18
Service: 18
Cost: $14
Sentimentalists swoon over this 1939 Downtown diner slinging “hangover”-busting burgers, shakes and cheese fries at a “frenetic pace”; it’s nothing fancy, but it’s “always packed”, and prices are pleasingly “inexpensive” too; “put it on your list of 100 things to do before you die.”

807 West 6th St.; 512-472-0693