Crown & Anchor Pub
The patties are broad rather than smashed, off a flattop Matthew Odam suspects has been running since the pub opened in 1987, and he put this burger first of ten in the Statesman's under-ten-dollars list.1
Why go
Eater Austin gave one of thirty-eight slots on its Summer 2026 essentials map to a North Campus pub, which is not where an essentials map usually spends a slot.2 Cat Cardenas wrote the card and made the argument on the kitchen: the beef is sourced locally, the fries are crispy, and everything is properly seasoned.
2 Alongside the burger the menu runs to fried pickles and Frito pie.2 The pub is a block off Speedway and a few short blocks north of campus, and it splits the neighborhood with Posse East down the street. Nicolai McCrary reviewed it for The Infatuation in 2022. He thought the rivalry was worth settling in person, with a burger at each.3 His order of operations there is still the right one: get a pint or a pitcher, then shoot pool or throw darts while the food comes.3
Order this / avoid
- Order: the cheeseburger and the fries. What Odam wrote about the patty is the whole case for the room:
The broad burgers aren’t smashed and aren’t thick jaw-jackers. They’re perfect.
1 - Or the mushroom swiss, which is what Nicolai McCrary picks when he comes. The burger also comes with bacon or with jalapeño.4
- How to keep it under ten dollars. Odam:
The menu reads over $10, but that includes fries. Ask for just a cheeseburger (but, why?), and you can still stay right at $10 before tax and tip.
1 - Avoid: expecting a smashburger or a thick one. Neither is what this grill makes.
What locals & experts say
- Matthew Odam, the Statesman's restaurant critic, ranked it No. 1 of ten in his September 2025 list of Austin burgers under ten dollars:
This Austin institution opened in 1987 and serves burgers with a depth and history of flavor that makes one believe the same flattop grill has been in service that entire time.
1 - Cat Cardenas, for Eater Austin's Summer 2026 essentials map, put the room's age and its beer in one line:
For almost 40 years, this casual North Campus pub has been slinging affordable bar fare like fried pickles, Frito pie, and some of the city's best burgers to hungry college students and sports fans who can enjoy more than 30 beers on tap.
2 - The Infatuation rated it 8.0 in 2022, and McCrary's reason was the absence of any ceremony around it: the burgers are
some of our favorites in town,
andthe best part is that you never have to wait in a long line, spend a lot of money, or win some kind of raffle to eat one.
3 - Eric Highland ate here for The Austinot in 2012 and is the one dissent on the beef, scoring the patties 6 of 10:
Very thin patties and a bit too salty.
He scored the fries 8.6 - Austin Chronicle readers made it a Veggie Burger finalist in the 2026 Best of Austin Readers Poll, which is a public vote.5
Good to know
- Hours: every day of the year, late morning until closing, with a long afternoon happy hour on draft.7
- Darts: two tournament boards, and an open-draw tournament every Wednesday evening.7
- Dogs are welcome on the patio, with water bowls and treats.7
- The beer. Over 30 taps and over 50 bottles and cans, plus cider, seltzer and wine.7
Verdict
should-visit — Matthew Odam ranks this the best burger in Austin under ten dollars, and the beer is why you order a second one instead of leaving. Nothing in the room has been redesigned for anybody. It is a college pub and Eater has it filling with students and sports crowds, which is the only thing here that might not suit you.