Casino El Camino

My initial reaction was to walk out. Sorry I didn’t.
Love that TV show «Diners, Drive ins and Dives», and this place was on the list. Walked up and saw a sign for «world famous hamburgers». I’ve had better at red robin.
First, you walk into the crypt keepers place. Everything is gargoyles and voodoo with a sign near the bar reading 666. Then, you order your food from a guy in the back whose hair looks like he should be a my little pony. I was the only one there eating as far as I could tell. My order came out wrong. Ate it anyway because I wanted outta there.
Not like it was crowded… it was 2pm. The music was insanely loud and the waitress was obviously not interested in my because I was only drinking water. So, another DDD BUST. More often than not, they suck. Screw this place and DDD. Should have followed my initial reaction and walked out.

Omgosh!!! We saw rave reviews! And people who enjoyed a burger at lunch said how great the burgers were — but at night, the bar was a lil sketchy!
The cooks were cussing and fussing! The waitress was completely rude and got pissed we moved the tables closer together .
We originally went upstairs since we had a group of ten, but it was grotesquely filthy! Therefore we decided to pass on food!
We did have a drink prior to leaving the vampire den. The Bloody Mary while delicious was not their famous advertised drink! And the Long Island iced tea was lacking to say the least!

Came here because of the Unilocal reviews and it was the first time Unilocal has let me down. In short, this place is a dump! It smelled funny and even though reviews say the food is good, we just could not bring ourselves to eat in this building because it was so gross. It was way too dark which I assume was to hide the filth. We tried to sit upstairs but it looked like it should be condemned so we went down stairs to sit instead. I’m not a person who really cares about atmosphere and cleanliness but this place was over the top in regards to filth. The waitress was very strange and got upset because we moved two tables together, we were told we would have to move them back when we left. She also wanted a credit card from one person in our party to hold for her $ 2.50 tea and insisted if we used cash we pay for our drinks immediately. It was weird how she pushed the issue about paying but overlooked a person in our party who tried to pay her three time. Eventually we got her to stop and take the money so we could leave. One of the cooks was throwing a huge fit in the back when we arrived and was screaming and cussing about something, it was a total meltdown. We all drank our one drink and left to find somewhere else to eat. Of course before leaving, we made sure to move the table back!

Burger was under cooked and the fries were good but only warm. Had to get our own drink from the bar. Don’t tip until after you get the service.

Fantastic chicken club sandwich. Don’t plan on having a business lunch, music is loud. Would go back for the sandwich and burgers looked tasty.

Effing awesome place. Great jukebox, the best I’ve ever seen. Good drinks. Patio. Bathroom. WTF else do you want?
The staff are no-​nonsense just get over it. They are also super nice. The waitress sat and explained the drinks to our table for like 15 minutes, making sure everyone knew what they were ordering. She even offered to keep a side of soda on ice behind the bar so that with each new shot I could have a cold soda to add to it.
If they tell you not to get something listen to them.
I ordered the bloody mary ¹⁰⁄₁₀ spicy. She said no. They charge double for it she said because nobody finishes it and it’s a waste to make. I said just give me it.
I should have listened to her. One sip and I was covered in shaking sweat and almost threw up. Why do they serve this? I asked my friend (40 minutes after I finally came down off the death sip) why they even serve it. He said «for idiots like you»… I think he’s right. It was a combination of ghost peppers and more ghost peppers and habaneros and some gasoline. With a piece of bacon on top.
This part of town has a lot of drunk frat/​sorority/​fake hipster idiots throwing up in the street. Luckily this bar does not cater to them.
More of like a metal punk scene but also with kids during the day. I saw a baby in a car seat on the table next to ours. A boy scout troop or something was leaving as we got there. Wtf!
The best thing about this place is the FOOD.
Amazing. The best food I had in Austin anywhere. Burgers, chili cheese fries, all that good bad food and all of it was incredibly amazing.
You order the food at the back and then when it’s ready they cut the music and call your name to pick it up.
Damon makes the best burgers. Ask for him. I had a long conversation about life with him that blew my mind. And he kept working the whole time too.
This place is great. Just be open to new experiences and don’t be a jerk who wants their servers to come and wipe their butts. And yes, wait for your drink at the bar patiently. Hold your money up. Wave nicely when they see you. Say thank you. They are doing something for you.

We came in and had a drink and a snack, around early afternoon. The place was pretty packed but we sat and ordered a beer, shamingly as I quickly learned they’re known for their bloody mary’s. But, the beer was delicious nonetheless. We ordered a burger to split, the LA burger. Service at the ordering window left a lot to be desired as the guy didn’t seem too excited to have anyone there.
Next came the shot glass full of gummy bears, which I found a little odd. Apparently they’re usually soaked with vodka and provided to the women that sit at the bar. Usually this was a neat concept until I saw the bartender divvy up some of these into a shot glass, after just handing some cash at the register with her hand deep in the gummy bears and smearing them into a shot glass. Followed by wiping her hands on her pants before dishing up another shot glass full. The lack of proper hand hygiene turned off my appetite a little to enjoying the gummies.
We got the burger and it was dripping with juices and nearly towered over our drinks. I was SO excited to get into that burger but it just really lacked any flavor. It could’ve used an extra dose of salt and pepper and it was overall pretty disappointing. I was excited about the spouts when I saw it on the menu but they were placed on the bottom of the burger where they became hot/​soggy and you really couldn’t tell they were ever there. Overall, meh.

I’ve been on a burger craze quest in the last week and Casino El Camino is by far one of my more favorite burgers out there. I tried the Chicago burger which is more of the classic burger and it was delicious! Great grilled flavored burger and they ask you how you like it cooked. Pretty thick and hearty patty. Fries were nicely seasoned and were the old school steak fries. I had a starter of the wings and they were pretty close to perfect. Great stuff!

We came in and had a drink and a snakc, around early afternoon. The place was pretty packed but we sat and ordered a beer, shamingly as I quickly learned they’re known for their bloody mary’s. But, the beer was delicious nonetheless. We ordered a burger to split, the LA burger. Service at the ordering window left a lot to be desired as the guy didn’t seem too excited to have anyone there.
Next came the shot glass full of gummy bears, which I found a little odd. Apparently they’re usually soaked with vodka and provided to the women that sit at the bar. Usually this was a neat concept until I saw the bartender divvy up some of these into a shot glass, after just handing some cash at the register with her hand deep in the gummy bears and smearing them into a shot glass. Followed by wiping her hands on her pants before dishing up another shot glass full. The lack of proper hand hygiene turned off my appetite a little to enjoying the gummies.
We got the burger and it was dripping with juices and nearly towered over our drinks. I was SO excited to get into that burger but it just really lacked any flavor. It could’ve used an extra dose of salt and pepper and it was overall pretty disappointing. I was excited about the spouts when I saw it on the menu but they were placed on the bottom of the burger where they became hot/​soggy and you really couldn’t tell they were ever there. Overall, meh.

Don’t want to be a keyboard warrior here or anything — but I’ll give it to you straight. The Bloody Mary’s are a nice addition to the menu. They’re different. And nice, especially if you’re hungry. Once you undress the drink though, it’s really nothing special. Just like tomato juice and vodka. But it’s all good. I’d still come here just to get that item alone. Burgers are good, too. I’m sure you can find burgers as good if not better elsewhere, though. So yeah, the food’s aight
The reason you won’t find me here unless someone drags me here is because the attitude of the bartenders. I’ve been here about 4 times. Each and every time I’ve had the same experience. I’m ignored. Can’t order from the bar. No one comes to the table…
I’m tiny so I thought maybe I was just overlooked???
I had to STAND on a bar stool once and beg the bartender to get my order. Didn’t work. So I had to drag my over 6′ friends to the bar where they too didn’t get any attention to order drinks. It wasn’t crowded. I’m not sure what the deal was.
The times I was able to get a bartender’s attention, I had one literally roll their eyes at me as I ordered my drink. I just, I can’t begin to explain how many times the bartending staff really pissed me off.
Whatever, it is a dive bar. I’m not expecting to be treated like a princess but it would be nice to be able to order a drink. You know, at a bar. Where there are bartenders present. Specifically hired to make and serve drinks.

Pound for pound the burger here is the new heavyweight champion of my burger world.
The patty was a super thick, fat and juicy piece of heaven. Words cannot describe how much I enjoyed this burger.
A local friend suggested this joint for us and I now owe that friend big time.

BEWARE FOR YOUR HEALTH
I’ve been wanting to check this place out for a long time and finally got to for lunch today. I’m aware its a dive joint but I’m fine with that as long as the food is good. True to the reputation it’s pretty dive with a dark inside and sticky floors. meh, no biggie.
Here is where the trauma comes in… As I place my order and pay the cashier then walks back and grabs a stack of raw patties with his bare hands, seasons them, throws them on the grill, and then preps about 5 orders to serve. NOT WASHING HANDS, handling the buns, toppings, etc. He then returns to collect my payment where I mention my concern about him handling the raw meat and finished food without washing his hands. I get a look of death and no words from him. He hands my my receipt and then proceeds to joke with the other kitchen staff about washing hands. As my order was finished it was delivered as «the wash your hands order»
Are you kidding me? A restaurant openly laughing in the face of food sanitation and safety. Where is the Health Department?

Good burger. Thick patty. Amarillo burger had a little spice to it. Green chile fries can be skipped imo — just a sloppy mess and not much to the chile.
Love the movies that they play. Good service at the bar.

Bloody Mary’s are amazing! So spicy and rich flavors! They have a 1 – 10 spicy scale. I picked 4 and it wasn’t too spicy but a really good kick that made me make my throat feel the heat! I really wanted to try the food here but I questioned the cleanliness of the place.

I’ve always loved Casino El Camino (I prefer a dive bar to more upscale places) but I am done with the attitude of the kitchen staff. The bartenders & bouncers are cool but the Gordon Ramsay type antics in the kitchen yesterday were the last straw. I’ve been a semi-​regular here for years and this is always the first place I bring my out of town friends. A little attitude here and there is one thing. Everyone has a bad day but when you are throwing things around the kitchen and yelling at customers and staff alike it might be time to find a new job. It is possible to have a bad day at work without going full on meth-​rage, especially in front of patrons.
I am a polite and reasonable customer. I know what I want when I get to the window & I make sure that I’m not staring at my phone as I wait to be asked for my order. Yet I am always met with some snarky comment and the same «I am doing you a massive favor by even acknowledging you» attitude. Think «snobby indie record store clerk» crossed with a «fresh out of prison» vibe and you will get a sense of what the service is like at Casino El Camino. Reading the other reviews here makes it pretty clear that this is a long term problem in the kitchen as even positive reviews (my own included) have made note of it.
Hopefully CEC will restaff the kitchen soon but seeing the years of «rude staff» mentions in the reviews leaves me doubtful. I am loath to give a bad review because I’m not on here to trash anyone but enough is enough. After several visits I can now say with zero doubt that the kitchen staff possess a great deal of hostility towards the customers and I was actually hesitant about even eating the food this time around because who knows what else is being done back there.
There are plenty of places nearby (B.D. Riley’s and Frank are both within a few blocks) to get great food minus the attitude. I’ll definitely be steering clear of Casino El Camino from here on out.

Found paid street parking nearby on Neches St. There was a liquor store across with some shady looking people but I was fine. I also noticed there was a homeless shelter one block north.
Arrived at around 6:45pm on a Thurs night and there was a small line. This is a dive bar that’s dimly lit but serves pretty good burgers. You walk to the back and order at the counter, find a seat (seating upstairs too), and they call your name out when it’s ready. I ordered the Chicago burger which is the closest thing to a standard burger. The buns were crisp and the meat was thick and juicy. It was good… was it the best burger ever? No, but it was good.
The service was interesting… I had a funky looking lady take my drink order, I asked for an Arnold Palmer, and she shakes her head and said «you don’t want to drink our lemonade» in a somewhat aggressive tone. I asked why and she shook her head and said «you just don’t.» Um… ok. If this were a movie, I would guessed she was insinuating someone had pissed in it. Or maybe it wasn’t fresh. I ordered a coke and it tasted fine (phew).
Overall experience was pretty good… would I come back? Probably not. The dim setting isn’t my cup of tea when eating a burger and the waitress gave me the jeepers creepers.

Before my trip to Austin, I was on a mission to find the best Bloody Mary Austin had offer. On Unilocal,I came across this place.
I was overwhelmed with joy looking at all the pictures of the Bloody Mary’s decorated with sliders, bacon, cheese, olives, taquitos. I also read some reviews about how good the actual Bloody Mary was and I couldn’t wait to finally try it.
So obviously, the first thing I did when I finally got there was order a Bloody Mary.
The waitress who was nice and attentive took my order and asked me to rate how spicy I wanted the Bloody Mary — 1 being low spice and 10 being very spicy. She then told me that they do not «dress up» the bloody Mary’s anymore. Yup, no more sliders or taquitos… Whomp Whomp :(
Regardless I wound up ordering one anyone and wound up going for a three for the spice level.
The drink still came with a little dressing… A nice slice of bacon, two small slices of cheese, olives, a pickle, an onion, some cheese and a skinny slice of tomato that was right around the corner from going bad.
The Bloody Mary was okay… Not the best and not the worse. Still pretty spicy for a three. Tasted a little different than other bloody Mary’s I have had throughout the years which made it sort of unique? Idk.
The waitress gave us a menu filled with all the food they offer there.
I personally had to use the light on my phone to read everything because it was a little too dark inside to read.
With the food, you do not get direct service, there’s a little window in the back where you place the order. Once your order is ready the announce your name on a microphone.
For food, I wound up ordering the verse fries which were absolutely and 100% delicious! Now that right there was the good type of unique and different! The portion was also huge! If you go there, I would highly recommend ordering that!
I also ordered a buffalo burger which came with blue cheese and more bacon. It was very average – nothing about it really made it stand out.
After eating, my boyfriend and I had a chance to look around the establishment. It was a lot bigger than I thought it would be. An upstairs that has pool tables and kinda has like a «hellish devil» thing going on there. The downstairs has a back area that is open and had this whole Mayan theme decorated on the walls. The back area was really nice, my boyfriend and I sat back there for a little bit and enjoyed some beer.
Overall, I was really confused with exactly what their theme was – did they even have one or just did it all because they couldn’t decide? Once again. Idk
All and all, I think it’s worth checking out at least once. I myself will personally go back for more fries but that is pretty much it.

Wasn’t sure what to expect from this place, but it did pop up on quite a few «best of» lists I checked out prior to earmarking places we should eat ourselves silly at while visiting Austin. We had just checked into our hotel and were looking for a good bite to eat, but nothing we had to put much effort into. Boom. Perfect. Really laid back/​casual atmosphere, sweet-​as-​pie server, fantastic bloody Mary (w/​option of varying spice), and delicious food.
We shared a basket of the verdes chili fries along with a Chicago burger & a BLT. They were all delicious, but the queso atop the fries could have made cardboard a star; it was THAT good. I would highly recommend this place for anyone staying downtown-​or otherwise, looking for a good drink and a solid bite to eat.

I’m sure I’m not the first person to find this place and think it was a hidden gem on 6^th Street only to realize it’s been on numerous food shows and has a million Unilocal reviews. It has that kind of feel. Like a tucked away alley bar that could be in New Orleans, Key West, or Sioux City, IA. Shout out to the siouxer.
It’s dark. Very dark. Like you need your cell phone to read the menu dark. But sometimes you just need darkness, a good bloody mary, and a greasy hamburger. And when that happens (and if you are in austin for a few days, it will happen) this place is the Holy Land.
The bloody is different depending on your bartender but they all have mad skills. Just look at all the pics. We’ve been a few times never had the same bartender, never had the same bloody, and always had «the best bloody mary everrrrrr.»
The burgers are also top notch. They’re not afraid to cook them medium rare. Bun is fresh, ingredients are as well, and you can jazz them up however you like. Then comes the hand cut fries. Stop! You Killin me! I may never leave.
I’m already planning on drinking too much the next time we are in Austintown just to experience Casino El Camino in the proper dark hayes it deserves.

Snapshot: 4.5 Food & Drinks, ⁵⁄₅ Originality, ⁵⁄₅ Service
Stumbled across this place while walking on 6^th and I’m glad we did. They’ve been part of Austin for 30 years and serving up some of the best Bloody Mary’s and fries someone could ask for.
Their known for their burgers and they don’t disappoint. Their moist and juicy and cooked medium which is ideal
Get a side of fries, there simple but a perfect compliment to the burger and a Bloody or a cold draft of Austin Beer Works!

This is a dive bar, but this place has THE BEST bloody mary I have ever had. Ok. Let’s be honest, any bloody mary served with bacon, a taquito, celery, a skewer of olives, sausage, meatball, a tomato slice, a piece of cheese and a pickled okra is going to be pretty awesome. But then you tell them how spicy you want it on a scale from 1 to 10. I went with a 4, but could have dealt with a 6 or 7 – like eating fire. I watched the bartender craft this piece of art. There was hot sauce and fresh grated horseradish, and so many other things. It really was a work of art. (Bless that bartender)
The other thing to go here for is the verde chilies french fries. It’s a bed of fries, covered in cheese and topped with verde salce. This was delicious. The kitchen staff seemed to have fun in the back, they were singing people’s names as their orders were ready.
Go here. Seriously, you will not regret it.

This place is truly unique. From the décor, to the staff, to the food, you simply aren’t going to find anything else quite like it.
They do have servers to bring you drinks but you order and pick up the food yourself. There is a side window and they call your name once it’s ready. They make everything fresh to order here so be patient because it’s worth it.
My husband ordered the Chicago burger which is basically a bacon cheeseburger and he LOVED it. They use ¾ of a pound of beef per burger so come hungry. They will make you a smaller burger if you’d like and they also cook each burger medium unless you say otherwise. You do have the option to substitute a chicken breast for the beef on any of their burgers as well.
Our friends also ordered the Chicago burger and the Amarillo burger which was dubbed best of the night. It has roasted Serrano chiles, jalapeño jack cheese, and cilantro mayo.
I was the only person of the night to order a sandwich instead of a burger. I got the politically correct which has lettuce, tomato, cucumber, sprouts, jalapeño jack cheese, roasted Serrano chiles, avocado, and cilantro mayo on ciabatta bread. It was delicious! And came with a pickle slice which I loved.
The verde chili fries here cannot go without mention. One order is all you need because they are huge so we shared them. I’m not sure what kind of cheese they melt on the fries but the tomatillo verde salsa is addictive. It gives a subtle punch of heat that you don’t get until later when you are kicking yourself for eating as many fries as you did.
This would be a place that if we lived closer to downtown we would frequent often. Everyone gave a thumbs up for their meal and the prices aren’t bad either. 4.95 stars!

There is a constant debate about who has the best burger in Austin, Texas and in the 5 years that I have lived here I have heard many, many people say Casino El Camino … well until recently I always had no response really because I had never been there … why oh why did it take me this long to finally stop in here for the gloriness?! I have no idea, but it was worth it and they were right!
Hello Austin — I have found the BEST burger in town right here at Casino! No need to try the other places (i have been to many) Casino is doing it all with perfection!
I got the Chicago Burger which has bacon, mayo, lettuce, tomato and cheddar cheese. I then paid $ 1 to have a slice a pork belly added on. Just so you are aware the burgers are HUGE here — like really pretty huge. These are burgers for real people that want real burgers! The patty is nice and thick too! The burger itself was cooked just right and juicy — oh so delicious!
Steve H got the Amarillo Burger, which is his favorite and he raves that it is the best in the town.
We also shared some chili cheese fries, which were as good as the burger. These are totally shareable. Since the burgers are huge, you could maybe share a burger and chili cheese fries. The fries at the bottom of the basket are my favorite — they are so cheesy and soaked with the chili meat sauce.
So yeah — if you haven’t experienced the awesomeness here then I suggest you head on over ASAP! Oh and they have a bar that is pretty rad too! The bartenders are nice and make a mean margarita!
I have declared that the debate is over — Casino El Camino has the best burger!

Sie lassen sich ewig Zeit für den Burger… aber man schmeckt es! Der beste, den ich je gegessen habe!