Forkboy on Dan's...

On the way back to the airport in Austin we stopped and had lunch at Dan's Hamburgers. I was starving so anything sounded good. Dan's is not in a great part of town and the building itself looks like a Dairy Queen. But, the 35 year old restaurant seems to have withstood the test of time. After stepping into the place my first reaction was that this was a former Dairy Queen. Old white tables crammed into what is a decent sized space. All the blinds were drawn so there was this eerie feeling of the place closing in on you. Just odd. We walked up to the cash register to order. The story goes that Dan and his wife Fran worked together until a divorce where she got half of everything and started her own place called Fran’s. Apparently, according to the locals, the food just ain’t the same since the bitter divorce.

Food…
The menu is basic. Mainly burgers. You could order your burger by the size-which I thought was brilliant. Small, medium, or large burgers. I ordered a medium burger, small fries, and an iced tea. The burger was ok, nothing to write home to mamma about. I think it makes great hangover food. The meat was not overcooked but not very seasoned. I had to add lots of salt and pepper. There were plenty of onions and two big slices of tomato. This pleased me. However, I was incredibly annoyed at the shredded lettuce. I HATE shredded lettuce on a hamburger. Just totally pissed me off. The fries were thick cut and fairly good. The best part of the entire experience was the iced tea.

Service…
It helps if you speak Spanish. They seem all friendly but have a blank look on their faces. You order at the window and pick up at another window when they call your number. Listen carefully cause the speaker system is as old as the restaurant.

Atmosphere…
Dark and old feeling. Not inviting at all. All the ultra white table made me feel like I was in a hospital-very sterile feeling. When we pulled up there was an old Town Car with “Jesus is Coming” written all over it. That was the highlight of the dining experience at Dan’s.

Food: 1.5
Service: 1.5
Atmosphere: 1.0
Health Score: 73 (acceptable)

Dan’s
844 Airport Blvd.
Austin, Tx 78702