Rolling the Dice at Casino el Camino

If you haven't yet been to Casino El Camino, you're really missing one of Austin's best bars. Located on infamous 6th Street near Red River, Casino El Camino is the type of place you go to drink Pabst tall boys, shoot pool on red felt tables, and listen to one of the most comprehensive jukeboxes in Austin.

Every person who has ever visited me in Austin has been treated to time at the Casino. Nobody has ever left disappointed. The bartenders make stiff, competent drinks and the beer selection, bottles and cans, is decent. Not much on tap, but this is a dive, not some Gingerman/Draught House/Dog and Duck wanker pub.

We ordered beers and sat on the back patio, which has gotten more attention from the bar since the anti-smoking ordinance went into effect. Someone complained of the smell, which could have been coming off the back alley or been caused by this guy.

Other, lamer reviewers might make a big deal about the smell, but you do have to remember you're on 6th Street. It smells on 6th Street.


Ordering is a process, but it is efficient if a little surly. You tell the dude at the kitchen window what you want, he tells you how much it is. All prices include tax, so there's no fumbling for pennies here. Two guys cook on one grill, so it will take a while to get your burger. But if you're in a hurry, you shouldn't be eating here anyway.

I ordered the Amarillo, which is 3/4 pounds of beef served up with pepperjack cheese and roasted serrano peppers. The burgers come cooked medium, regardless of what you tell the chef. And special requests usually get you a blank stare, so it's best just to order your burger, pay or put it on your tab, and come back when they tell you.

Our table's order was split. Two people got their burgers before me, and I had to drink my beer while they chewed and slurped and moaned. Finally, the cook barked my name from the doorway, and I was on my way.


The burger was hot, the basket of fries I ordered was also hot. The fries, by the way, start as whole potatoes that are cut and fried on the spot. Thick, greasy, and delicious.

Nothing about this burger fails. Meat spills from under the bun like a fat girl's ass in a bikini, but in this case it's a sight of beauty. Cheese is always melted perfectly, and the bun is grilled alongside the beef.

Each bite was juicy, beefy bliss. I was just hungry enough and just drunk enough not to respect this burger, and I wolfed it down in fifteen minutes. I payed my dues for the rest of the night as the burger worked my guts, but I can't blame the burger. It hurt me because it loved me.



The burgers at Dirty Martin's are 19-year-old skinny teases compared to this—the plump madam of the whorehouse who knows positions that are illegal to even mention in fifteen states. This burger makes you feel both very dirty and very, very good. I give the burger a 9, but I must admit Casino el Camino was my favorite coming into this search. Still, the burger is really fucking great.