Casino El Camino Bar & Grill
(512) 469-9330
517 E Sixth St
Austin,
TX
78701
30.2666
-97.738
Neighborhood: Downtown
Last updated 4.01.09
What People Are Saying About Casino El Camino Bar & Grill
The Editor
Contributor
Citysearch
In Short
Casino El Camino, a dark and dive-y bar with TV's positioned high enough to produce neck strain, draws hungry patrons who enjoy a stiff drink and hefty burgers cooked medium rare. The bar is fully stocked, and the bartender makes an excellent Campari and tonic. Regulars return for the Buffalo burger, grilled with hot wing sauce and gloriously smothered with blue cheese. Other notables include the serrano chili-topped Amarillo burger and the Chicago burger with thick slices of bacon and melted cheddar cheese.
User Reviews
misteradiant
April 12, 2009
wow. i'm sorry to see the story below. i love casino el camino and have been there a few times since my family from new orleans and i ended up in austin after katrina. it must have been a stressed out day during sxsw for the kitchen staff to treat someone so poorly, especially another 6th street employee. i know for a fact that casino el camino gives preference to other local restaurant and bar employees so i am pretty shocked to discover this episode. remember though, the kitchen is usually staffed by just two people, and during south by, the orders for food pile very high. that is likely why the wait was so long for you. how fast were food orders delivered to you during that week in any other 6th street establishment? additionally, i also know 6th street staffs work very long and hard hours during the festival. these things probably add up to infrequent blowups. i was there during sxsw and my group and i all ordered burgers and fries. yes, it took 45 minutes, but the place was packed, everybody was eating, and i could see that the grill the cook was working on had burgers and dogs on every inch. when we received our food, the burgers were hot and the fries were perfect. i had no problems with the kitchen staff, although it was obvious to see that they were hot and stressed out. that energy wasn't hard to find during south by. i've also been there since, when the atmosphere is much more relaxed than it is during south by. there were three in our group and we went in at 5:30 on a monday. the burgers took 20 minutes and were just as good as they were during sxsw. additionally, besides the wicked atmosphere of the place and the interesting juke box, the bar staff is great. many are musicians and performance artists and conversations with them are very interesting. even during south by, it was easy to get a laugh out of them. at some other bars, the bartenders acted like everybody they didn't recognize was a tourist. i don't know about you, but when i go to a bar i'd rather have a great bartender than a friendly cook. besides, aren't bar cooks supposed to be surly? i thought that was a prerequisite. at casino el camino, i always have a great time and unlike the poor person who posted a couple of days ago, i highly recommend it to austinites as well as out-of-towners.
read full review
saidagive
April 09, 2009
I went to Casino for the last time on Sunday March 22nd. I have been eating and drinking there off and on since 2001. I worked the door at a bar on 6th and like many people would catch a drink or grab a burger there. Back then it wasn't as popular and despite the edgy service it was a cool hang with a great jukebox. I don't know what happened to this place. I have heard from several people that still work downtown that the wait for food had increased from 20+ to 40+and that the cooks had become more surly. The new length of time to wait for the food doesn't have any bearing on crowds or not. That turned out to be true. I had been a few months earlier for a bite before a show at Emo's and noticed that indeed the wait for food had doubled to 45 minutes. It was still good. The food was never amazing or life changing just good food for downtown. A good friend was in from L.A. for SXSW and I always take him there....it's on his list of things to do while in Austin. We went back to order and witnessed a screaming match between the cook and some kid from a bar on 6th St. He came to pick up his food and asked for a bag and the girl taking orders got upset because it wasn't discussed when the order was taken. Who's responsibility is it? How long have people been ordering "to go" from this bar? More importantly how big a deal is it to take the paper and foil out of the "basket" and tranfer it to a "box" while still on the paper and foil? Apparently its a big effen deal! She became rude with him and the cooks started screaming "...great f u c*i n g time to tell us!" The customer said he was sorry and that it would be ok. The cook again started to cuss him out and asked him if he wanted him "... come over the counter. Then you will be f u c*i n g sorry!" This heated exchange went on for awhile. Our jaws were dropped. I still ordered ( I was wiped out from SXSW) and it was ok. My chilie dog was warmer than my buddie's Green Chile fries but I guess it is real difficult to time out the two. The fries were almost cold and had been sitting. We bailed. Casino has always be a "clubhouse for regulars: bartender friends, etc" and will continue to tolerate the rest of us. It's sad what has happened to this place. I can get a better burger somewhere else.
read full review
nursebetty12
February 15, 2009
With all the hype for this place, while in Austin I had to go. Was so disappointed! On tv this place doesn't look like as small and dark as if really is. Not many tables, as it is a bar to begin with. The burgers are indeed thick but they are dry and overcooked. Menu says they are cooked medium but this wasn't the case with either of ours. I couldn't even taste the cheese on my burger, it was one measy thin piece. The bacon however was delicious on the Chicago burger. Next time I will skip this place, one IS enough.
read full reviewThe Details on Casino El Camino Bar & Grill
Know Before You Go:
Know the rules: Enter, then proceed directly to the back counter and order through the window. Find a seat and wait until your burger's delivered.
The Extras:
Keep in mind that one basket of fries is large enough for two people.
Category:
Payment Methods:
American Express, Visa, Discover, MasterCard
