Hut's lives up to the hype.

As the menu says, Hut's has been an Austin tradition since 1939.  No burger challenge in Austin would be complete without this traditional burger dive.  Hut's does not disappoint.

This is what the team had to say:

Judge #1 - ​The burger patty is among the best I've had.  Very fresh tasting, good texture, cooked just right.  The bacon had a little too much of a fast food joint (i.e. Wendy's) flavor.  The menu selection was awesome.  Sides were mixed.  The chocolate malt was excellent, albeit too sweet, but the french fries were just average.  They tasted like the ones I make in my Fry Daddy at home.  Not bad, just not amazing.  Environment is classic Austin, so huge points there.  Value takes a hit for a burger, shake, and fries costing $15.81.  That's not outrageous, but it's not especially frugal either.

Judge #2 - Good burger (bacon could be crispier), overloaded on the fries + onion rings (which were too thick), probably spent the most of any of these places (bit of a sticker shock at first because we had 8 and  they automatically added 18%).  Probably won’t go here a lot because of location, though it’s a real burger joint downtown; gained bonus points for not one but two bits of SMU memorabilia.

Judge #3 - ​I was so looking forward to Hut's -- a place I've visited many times before and always had excellent burgers. For some reason, though, this trip wasn't as yummy as in times past. The Hut's Favorite was good this time, just not out-of-this-world awesome. Maybe I've just had the aura of Hut's built up for so long that it's not possible for it to live up to it in my mind...? The patty itself needed more seasoning or something. Anyhow...the fried pickles and shake were awesome, and as always, I loved marvelling at the sports memorabilia, stuffed animal heads, and random newspaper clippings. God Bless Hut's!

Judge #4 - ​Huts has earned its landmark status.  There is no doubt that THIS is one of the best burger places in town.  Not only is this the tastiest burger I have had so far on the challenge, but the environment, service and overall atmosphere could not be any better.  This burger was as close to perfect as I have found to date.  GREAT flavor, not overly messy, but still packed with those things that you expect in a great burger.  The sides were good, not as spectacular as the burger, but good.  The Chocolate Malt I had was awesome.  This place is a must for anyone serious about a good burger.

Judge #5 - I had the wolfman. Green chilies were a little soggy, but a solid burger. My sides were really good.

Judge #6 - The buffalo burger tastes great, good flavor. Side (onion rings) were too big and too battered. Low environment score due to downtown location and poor parking availability.​

Judge #7 - Overall this was a good experience. Hut's is truly an Austin place.  The service was exceptional.  I ordered the "Mr. Blue" - blue cheese and bacon, always a great combination.  The burger was well seasoned and the bacon was perfect, I would have preferred a toasted bun but lack of toasting didn’t deter from the overall taste.  The fries would have scored higher if they had been salted and crispier.  Can’t say it’s the best burger I have ever had but Hut’s is definitely a place to keep going back to. ​

Judge #8 - This is what a Hamburger joint should look like - perfect 10.  I went in feeling sentimental and hopeful that this would be the best of the flat/cheap burger variety but alas, the burger was tasteless and boring and I was disappointed.  The onion rings were an abomination.  I feel bad giving them such a bad score for the sides because I only tried one but they were just really bad - unweildly and too peppery.  Peppery onion rings?  Weird.

Average Score: 73.78