Fandango's (Burnet & Anderson)--Worked there in high school. Delicious burgers & fajitas The Stallion--Good, cheap CFS Holiday House--Great burgers
Oh yeah, Fandango's. When we were in high school, they always had cute hostesses from Anderson and McCallum. We'd go and order iced tea and eat chips and salsa for hours, chatting with the girls. Didn't even know they had food, couldn't afford it!
I'd forgotten about Mad Dog and Beans. Ah memories. I know it isn't really a restaurant, but I miss Common Interest, when it was a piano bar. It moved and changed to kareoke.
About 22 years ago, I had a rooommate who had a huge dog--half Akita, half German Shepherd, and stood almost 30 inches at the shoulder. My roommate let Hank roam freely. One day, Hank came home and there was a knock at the door a minute later. Some guy from Mad Dog & Beans had followed him home. He said they had been trying to find Hank's owner for weeks, because part of Hank's daily routine was to walk through Mad Dog's, grab a burger right off someone's table, and take off. Primos were awesome.
Remember all them cheap steak chains like Sizzler and Bonanza in the 70's? Steak & Ale was a definite cut above, but less affordable for a broke-dick student
I had a friend who lived in a little apartment carved out of a big house on Whitis below Scottish Rite in the early 80s. We were there one day and decided to go get something to eat. We got in my car and starting driving and debating and thinking about where to go. We kept debating as we passed MLK, going south on Guadalupe. We kept debating as we crossed the river on Congress Ave. Bridge. We kept debating to Oltorf and headed west. We kept debating on South Lamar, then headed west on Ben White, then 360 back across the river until we got on 2222 and decided we wanted to eat at Bonanza on Guadalupe.
Everyone has helped to bring back some great memories - Holiday House, Shakeys (went there on my 21st for that free gallon of beer), the Staillion, etc. I, too, lived at Holiday House for a couple of years before I got married. For late, late night, don't forget Hill's Cafe on South Congress - open 24 hours, and a great place for coffee and anything else you wanted at 5 AM. Great steaks, pancakes, eggs, and lots of biscuits to help soak up the alcohol in your system. What was the name of the hole-in-the wall chili and rice place on the drag, circa 1970, just up from the Varsity? "Chili 'n rice - most nice! " And some that are still hanging on - the Hut, Dirtiy's, Jaime's, etc. will always have a place in my heart!
I missed escargot until I saw an episode of 1000 Ways to Die where a couple ate some raw snails and Cantonese bloodworms ate holes throughout their brains. Probably BS.
I revisited this thread, and didn't recall seeing the Abbey Inn with the great Abbey Burger. Good beer and darts pub with a great burger, no blood worms, though.
I loved Abbey Inn. My buddy and I were in there late one night and ordered a pitcher of beer, (circa Summer of 1980). About two minutes later they came back and said they were closing early and we'd have to finish it or leave it. We chose a third option which prevented us from ever returning. I still had that pitcher until a couple of years ago.
How about this blast from the past? I was surprised to see they still exist. I am sure the food sucked back then by todays standards but it made for some good childhood memories. My dad would always take me to the one off Cameron road every few weeks.
All of the above + The Split Rail. Great chili cheese dog and entertainment by Blind George McLain on the piano.
I lived in Austin from 63-65, when my dad was finishing his engineering degree; from 78-82 when I got my BS and again from 86 through 88 when I was in grad school. The two restaurants that were constant favorites of our family were the Night Hawk and El Patio. I visited Austin this summer with my Hoosier wife and my nine year old Daytona Beach born son and was thrilled to take them both to El Patio. some of my personal favorites were the Stallion ( a waitress once chased me into the parking lot for leaving a two penny tip) and Conan's Pizza on the Drag.
The Split Rail was great, an old fashioned drive in, but with an interior sit down area as well. Blind George played honky tonk style piano, and was highly entertaining, but the biggest stars at the Split Rail were none other than Frieda and the Firedogs, and you couldn't have a better time than attending one of their shows. And yes, they had a great Coney Island hot dog.
"The Split Rail was great, an old fashioned drive in, but with an interior sit down area as well. the biggest stars at the Split Rail were none other than Frieda and the Firedogs," Showed up for the 9:00 show about 6:00 every Sunday. Chicken fried steak, lone star long necks and Marsha Ball and Bobby Earle.
I went to UT in the mid-1970's. Carmen’s La Tapatia on E. 7th Brown Bag BBQ on S. Lamar The Commodore Perry Shorty’s Lakeview Cafe The Plantation on 19th and Guadalupe Hank’s on Guadalupe The Twin Drive-in on Cameron and 183 The Longhorn on Research at Anderson Violet Crown on Justin Lane Galloway’s Cafe on Congress Airport Haven on S. 183 Lum’s Cafeteria Becks Pharmacy Soda Fountain on Burnet at 45th The Big Wheel in Oak Hill 52 Flavors Ice Cream Store on corner of Barton Springs and South 1st B & K Burgers Jorges on 6th Street Jorge’s on Elmont The Pig Stand Caruso’s Italian on W. 6th Our Place Hamburgers on Rosewood The Maroon Mill on Rio Grande Sam Lung’s Chinese restaurant on Burnet Dobb’s House A&W Rootbeer on Burnet Chicken Shack Lenzo’s Italian on Burnet Youngbloods Fried Chicken Steak Island on Riverside Original McDonalds at Capital Plaza Bert's BBQ on MLK Kirschner’s Chicken Old Bossey Milk Stores Victor’s Italian Restaurant off Guadalupe Ballard's Drive-Ins Fritz Bar on Manor and East Ave Raw Deal on 6th at Sabine The Filling Station The Donut Shop on Lamar and 5th; Airport at 51th Big-Tex Sirloin House Bull Creek Lodge circa 1967-1970 Mosley's Cafeteria on Burnet Road Rosie's Tamale House on 1st Granite Cafe Red Lion The Barn Convict Hill Restaurant Soap Creak Saloon Rome Inn Picadilly cafeteria downtown Christie’s Seafood Sid's Zider Zee on Burnet Holiday House Tarrytown The Pit BBQ #5 downtown Lock Stock & Barrel on Anderson El Matamoros The Stallion GM Steakhouse on the Drag 2-J’s The Rainbow Inn on S. Lamar Terrace Restaurant Los Tres Bobos across from Seton Saturday's on Anderson Vikashmo’s Joes’ Pizza on W. 6th Les Amis Bevo’s Chambers on the Drag Salvation Sandwiches Sit ‘n Bull Cugini’s Truck Stop (chili and eggs) English’s Mercantile on the Drag Jerry Jacob’s BBQ The One Knite The Armadillo Beer Garden and Concert Hall Nothing Strikes Back Toad Hall on 6th St L’il Abners The Doll House (in the Sage parking lot) Alamo Hotel bar Lung’s Chinese Restaurant on Red River Luby’s on North Loop Wyatt’s Cafeteria on 38th at Guadalupe Mike and Charlie’s on 38th, near Seton Pelican’s Warf Spellmans Restaurant in the Villa Capri Copper Skillet The Silver Dollar Toddle House on Lamar Scampi’s Pizza on Lamar
