Top Notch Hamburgers
The patties cook in open flame in view of the door, which is where the char on the burger comes from.1
Why go
A charcoal-broiled burger counter that has been on Burnet Road since the early 1970s, and the grill is the whole argument. Nicolai McCrary rated it 7.5 for The Infatuation and put the mechanism first: You can see the patties nearly engulfed in flames from the moment you walk in the door, which translates to some excellent charred flavor in burger form.
1 The dining room is hung with memorabilia from Dazed and Confused, which was shot here, and the curbside window is the other way to eat it.1
Order this / avoid
- The char-broiled burger, and McCrary's order is a double cheeseburger with a side of onion rings.
This is why you're here.
1 - Avoid: planning the trip around the fried chicken. The same review calls it
a pretty good plate of chicken that doesn't disappoint, but also isn't worth a dedicated trip,
with mashed potatoes and gravy thatgive off cafeteria lunch energy
and chicken that is well seasoned but not very crisp.1
What locals & experts say
- Nicolai McCrary, The Infatuation Austin, 7.5:
You might know Top Notch as the backdrop to Matthew McConaughey's quotable 'alright, alright, alright' in Dazed and Confused, or you might just know it as the charcoal-broiled burger joint that's been on Burnet Road since the early '70s. Either way, it's as essential to the Austin ecosystem as Town Lake and swarms of grackles.
The outlet carries it in four of its Austin lists: 25 Classic Restaurants In Austin, The Best Burgers In Austin, The Best Fried Chicken In Austin, and Where To Eat With Kids In Austin.1
Good to know
- Hygiene: Austin Public Health scores the kitchen 88, inspected 12 May 2026, under the register name
Top Notch
at 7525 Burnet Road. The two readings before it were 90 in November 2025 and 94 in December 2023. Austin scores down from 100 and the ordinance's failing line sits below 70, so nothing here is a finding. That May 2026 inspection sits ten days short of the newest date in the entire register, so this is about as current as an Austin hygiene reading gets.2 - Two ways in: the dining room, or curbside from the car.1
- Getting there: Burnet Road in Allandale, north of Koenig Lane.
Verdict
should-visit — A charcoal grill on Burnet Road running since the early 1970s, rated 7.5 by The Infatuation and carried in four of its Austin lists including 25 Classic Restaurants In Austin and The Best Burgers In Austin. The mechanism is the point and it is visible from the door: patties in open flame, char on the burger. The order is settled by the critic, a double cheeseburger with onion rings, and so is the thing to skip, the fried chicken plate. Hygiene is current and clean at 88 from May 2026. It is not a destination meal and it does not pretend to be, but as a burger stop with a rated verdict behind it, it clears could-visit.