The Vitals:
the spot: Little Big Burger 1630 East 6th St. Austin TX 78702
the eats: Little Big Burger with double patty, cheddar and bacon
the bucks: $7.50, $4.50 respectively
the full nelson: a burger chain that’s pretty keen on Bang for your Burger Buck

One of my first jobs out of college would occasionally take the staff out for lunch. I naturally liked to steer the ship on where would we go, and fought relentlessly from dining at a chain. That was almost 20 years ago and in the two decades that have since passed, the words “restaurant chain” conjure up a more complex dining scene. Yes, there are some respectable chains out there, especially in the world of burgers. In the case of Little Big Burger, you just might have the best Bang for your Burger Buck chain there is . . .

With roots in Portland Oregon, Little Big Burger decided to open up shop in Austin but you can also find locations in San Diego, North Carolina, and Seattle. The menu is short and sweet: burger, cheeseburger, veggie burger, fries and drinks. You order at the counter and grab a spot to sit in their bright, modern loft like dining room. With burgers prices starting at $4.50 in a fast casual set up, you might think Little Big Burger is kinda like In-N-Out. Well, there are similarities but you would be wrong on two key counts.

Number one: Little Big Burger has beer, craft beer no less. The Austin location features a lot of local beers too like Austin Beerworks(one my personal favs), Friends and Allies and Zilker Brewing which is literally right down the street. They even serve a local hard cider if you’re watching your carbs or just saving them for the truffle fries.

Number Two: they serve up some seriously thick patties. Each one weighs 4 ounces, which is more than Shake Shack, Steak ‘n Shake or In-N-Out. Now granted all three of those burgers feature a wholly different style of patty, the thin/smashed burger patty, but price wise, you’re in the same ball park with a single at Little Big Burger or a 3 x 3 at In-N-Out.

They cook the burgers to medium but with these thick patties, expect a pretty darn juicy burger. I doubled up on the patty for an extra two bucks and added cheddar and bacon which tacked on another buck. You can probably imagine that this burger had a tough staying together after my first bite but $6.50 for a half pound bacon cheeseburger allows for a few minor discrepancies.

I would skip the truffle fries, not worth the $3. And if you really want to bring it home with some Bang for your Burger Buck, I would go with a single and skip the bacon and the cheese. The patty is the point here and the standard condiment suite of lettuce, onion, pickle and ketchup is all this thick juicy patty needs.

Whether you go big or go little at Little Big Burger, you will get your money’s worth here. That brioche bun is solid and just take in the fact that all that food above runs you less than $10, with all the burger bells and whistles you can order up.

I know I’ll be back soon, Little Big Burger, the only question is how big will I go when we meat meet again.