Hut’s

It had been a while since our last visit to the iconic Hut’s on W. 6th. We all can caught up in the excitement of all the nouveau burger places that have opened in the past five years, not to mention the In n’ Out frenzy that happened a while back.

But walking into Hut’s the other night was like returning to an old familiar novel. You’ve read it and reread it dozens of times yet still you pick it up and read it again. The grub at Hut’s is like that. The minute I bit into one of their crispy and ridiculously large onion rings my sensory memory bell went off. Man that was good. That of course had to lead to the famous #20, The All American Buddy Holly Burger. There’s nothing unusual or terribly innovative about it: just an homage to the classic burger with American cheese [you were expecting Swiss?] with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, mustard and mayo on a fresh bun. Of course, as always, it was delicious.

Hut’s interior along with the menu has changed very little in the past 15-20 years. Some critics find fault with this. I myself do not. It’s comforting to know that the comfort food you expect will be prepared as always, and more importantly, taste as it always has. The afore-noted Buddy Holly is a good example. Ditto for the Fats Domino or the Allen Freed [their version of the hickory burger]. And the famous double meat cheeseburger, The Dagburger, has changed not at all. It’s still a super-charged jolt of burger goodness. I suppose the only difference is that given the demographic changes over time, a good idea of Hut’s newer customers have no idea who most of these people are. So perhaps a reference sheet accompanying the menu?

The rest of my favorites at Hut’s are fortunately not named after anyone. Hence, the grilled Hot Dog which come on a Po Boy bun with mustard, grilled onions and cheese needs no explanation.
Nor does the Chili Dog or the BLT. They are all still as they have been: predictably tasty.

The only issue I have is with the shakes. They seem to have downsized overs the years and lost a bit of their classic taste. Our chocolate shake the other night was a bit on the bland side: could have used some more chocolate flavor. But that’s an easy fix.

So rest easy burger lovers in the knowledge that at least one of Austin’s classic spots is alive and well.