F N Goode Burgers

Oh yeah. It definitely lives up to the name!
I was visiting friends last weekend and we were starving and wanted a place to sit a chat and have a beer and a burger and enjoy the beautiful weather.
This little food trailer is in the back patio of The Local Bar and Pub. it looks like a permanent fixture, but maybe they move? I’m not sure.
But you just order at the window and you get a number then they bring you the order. They have the cutest little condiment baskets made from the cardboard 6-​pack beer holders… way to reduce reuse and recycle! You can take these back to your table and it has plastic silverware and napkins, ketchup and mustard.
I just ordered a cheeseburger and shared fries with a friend. Boy I am glad I did! The hamburger was huge and the order of fries was plenty for two of us!
And the burgers? F.N. Goode, just like the name says! It was big and juicy and full of flavor. Now I’m not a burger or even a red-​meat connoisseur so i have no clue if it was Angus beef, or grass-​fed or whatever. All I know was that it was GOOD and it was very reasonably priced. The burger was $ 5.00 I think? Maybe $ 5.50? It had Tilamook cheddar on it and the bun tasted homemade. It typically comes with lettuce, tomato, onions, mayo, ketchup and mustard.
I’m really wanting to bring my hubby here; I think he would love it! It’s actually almost good enough to drive 3 hours from Houston for!

F.N. Good Burger is a misnomer. The beef patty didn’t taste like beef it tasted like seasoned salt. The french fries were good, but nothing special. And the ranch dipping sauce for the fries, was not ranch. It tasted like Parmesan peppercorn salad dressing.
The people were super nice and the beer garden was relaxing, but we probably won’t be back.

They have a fabulous vegetarian menu. My good friend is always complaining about the lack of vegetarian options at standard placed. She happily enjoyed a vegetarian corn dog. There’s also a veggie burger and hot dog.
I had the bacon cheeseburger and chicken tenders. The burger was huge. I could barely fit each bite into my mouth. The chicken tenders were nice and crispy. The fries are decent. I wish I could give the food more stars but everything was just okay. It’s not the best burger, chicken tenders, or fries I ever had but definitely passable.
They also can’t handle a large group. We had about 8 people with us and the food took forever to come out. By the time the first person that ordered finished her food, there were still 2 orders missing. That takes away from the dining experience when food takes THAT long to come out. Come on… it’s a burger.

Stumbled upon this place when visiting the girls at UT. One of them is a vegetarian and I just wanted a burger… quick internet search showed FN was close so we decided to check them out.
First of all… that was like a safari. If you do not know where they are they can be a real pain to locate. But in retrospect that is a part of the charm.
I had a chili cheeseburger, also ordered a bacon cheeseburger and the aforementioned veggie burger. HOLY FREAKIN CRAP. I think I just had the best burger I have ever (and I do mean EVER) had! Next time I was in town, well, we tried them again and they knocked it out of the park. You know how sometimes you can taste a side dish and tell that everything that they create will be outstanding? Well that is what you get here. The onion rings are spectacular as well. Matter of fact I have never had anything other than a great experience… and that includes driving a burger back to San Antonio for the wife… so good she did not even WARM it… ate it as is and LOVED it.
One of the girls ordered a veggie burger for one of her vegetarian friends and it was so exceptional she was convinced she was eating beef. That made for quite the practical joke, but you get the idea.
The guys are super nice as well. They know their way around a kitchen and take their expertise and precision to everything they do.
If you can not find it, well that is better for me because that means it will be a shorter line.
Like one of the other reviewers wrote, ask about the specials. Had a spicy meatloaf sammich and it was stellar. The boys know their craft and they also respect the vegetarians by having completely separate stations for the veggie/​regular menus.

So, red meat isn’t really stocked at home these days. Nor has it been for a little over a year. Sure, I get The Proteins and The Sugars and The Carbohydrates and The Nutrients enough. But all that didn’t matter: The Beast Flesh Master smacked me down one weekend, and I will not soon forget the lesson.
In a Heme-​iron-​deficient fury, I found myself frantically searching the red pages for best beast flesh. Billy’s doesn’t hold me. Top Notch was too far north. Your Mom’s has passive aggressive issues I’d rather not get into right now. And? Most burger places give you the burger with a bun. Which is fine, if you can eat the glutens. But some Chicos cannot, and so I found myself in a beer garden, with football games, on the drag, at FN Goode Burgers. I read those FN boys did ‘em right, and they did ‘em goode. Wrapped that sucker to-​go and high-​tailed it to standby Ruby’s. En route:
M: [face-​in-​bag, inhales aroma of burger]: Ohhh shit. You are gonna be soo good.
C: But you know what? Ruby’s is pretty FN good.
M: [snarls] I don’t need you to tell me how good Ruby’s is, okaay? I’m the one who buys it, and when I eat it, I FN taste it. But you know what’s on my mind right now, C? It ain’t the imminent bbq smell I’ll reek of after we eat there. It’s the FN beef in this bag.
Enter Ruby’s: I bee-​line it to the patio and rip into the damn thing. Seconds pass. I sense the neighboring table becoming uncomfortably silent. C enters with bbq foods. I am ¾ done with FN burger.
C: How was it?
M: [Frenzy has subsided, leaving me confused and afraid] I don’t… know…
…
…
M: I think the bun messed things up. F*****N bun.

My friend Emily and her boyfriend were in Houston visiting a few weeks ago and kept going on about how good the veggie burgers are at FN. So when I was there yesterday I had to try one. Man it really does live up to it’s name. I’ve been a vegetarian for over 16 years and have eaten many veggie burgers during that time… this was hands down the best veggie burger I’ve ever had! Thanks Emily for the treat!
I got to meet both the owners while I was there. What nice guys!

It lives up to the name. Ten-​fold.
Had the double cheeseburger. So much meat… so much deliciousness. Go with a single patty if you don’t want to be swimming in tasty ground chuck, especially if you’re wanting the fixings to have some representation on your taste buds. Even the veggie burger is strong; this coming from a self-​professed carnetarian.
Coming from the burger mecca that is LA, I’m overly impressed. If I’m ever back in Austin, I’m heading here first.

The best veggie burger I have ever had! I can’t wait to try their chilli dog next time.

Sweet merciful Jeebers! I found myself sitting in the beer garden behind Little Woodrow’s on the Drag talking to this Silent Bob-​ish fellow with a great sense of humor and he tells me he runs the burger joint in back. I mention I am a vegetarian but thank him anyway. I am promptly told that he serves a veggie option, that in fact he can do anything on the menu (minus Chicken Wings and Bacon Cheeseburger) as a veggie item.
I just moved here from Portland, Oregon and have learned through numerous painful nights out that «Veggie Option» usually involves a Garden/​Boca burger grilled to a carbon crusted hockey puck that is gooey and cold in the middle if it costs anything under $ 15.00. With this in mind, I politely said I would check it out. I am so very glad that I did.
First of all, He makes his own patties and veggie chili. The texture is outstanding, flavor is spot on and the sheer mass of the thing will leave you quivering. The chili throws a dose of appropriate heat into it and loaded out with grilled jalapenos and onions this thing just plain puts you in check. I was raised to eat big and going veggie was rough, but worth it. I do miss the heady days of the beef sodden gut-​buster and this is the first veggie burger that made me feel THAT kind of full afterword. Do not miss this place. The guys in that trailer know their way around food and can really make miracles happen in there, just ask. Also, avoid smoking at the window and don’t use your phone while ordering it drives people in confined spaces nuts and is fairly disrespectful to those waiting in line behind you. That little piece of thoughtfulness will get you some remarkable attention and outstanding service. Just to clarify for vegans out there, CHECK before you order, I am a vegetarian not a vegan so I haven’t gotten that far into it from your angle.

After walking all over UT in the rain last Saturday, my friend and I went to Woodrow’s to watch the Sooners lose. Wet and hungry, we schlepped back to FN Goode’s for a burger. I asked if there was anything special off the menu.
«Jalepeno meatloaf sandwich» was the answer.
And it was the answer, too. More meat than bun with grilled onions and that spicy catsup. Yum. I slipped into a food coma and that was the last good thing that happened to me for a week. I usually don’t like anyone’s meatloaf other than my own because there’s too much «loaf» and not enough «meat». This was not a problem. Lots of meat, little filler.

OK. Dude. The bacon cheeseburger (½ lb burger i.e., double meat) kinda disappointed, maybe it was too much meat (did I just say that?) or maybe the bacon was undercooked, or maybe just maybe after asking if I wanted Mayo twice, home dude didn’t give me any… kinda annoyed me…
Everyone else liked their burgers, so I bumped the guys a point.
I paid for Nachos. No upgrade. $ 4 never hurt so bad. Ok, when I was like 11 and we had no groceries, I could usually scrounge cheese and chips, broil that business with some picante, and that beat the hell out of what we got: tortilla chips. some shredded cheese (majority which was forever bonded to the foil) literally 15 effin’ black beans, and maybe 10 slices of jalapenos. I was embarrassed to have been served that.
You may have better luck… like I said, those around me were happier with the smaller burgers and fries… and I sampled a really solid onion ring.
They are a trailer in the back patio of Little Woodrow’s on the drag. They accept credit cards, but if you want to use the one on your tab inside, ain’t gonna happen… they are not connected. They deliver to wherever you are sitting in the bar.

The Best Burger on the Drag?
Well I’ve only tried a «test» burger. It had no condiments, no toppings save cheese, and it was the best burger I’ve had on the drag. No disrespect to the old standby, Dirty Martin’s, but I think they have some competition coming.
They grind their own meat, and the burger is not too thin, not too thick, with just some wonderful flavor to it.
F.n. Goode burgers started with a dream of two friends Rick and Aaron, who never wanted to leave the bar to go to work. They are both former chef’s at Café Josie’s on West 6^th, where I have had at least 3 of my top 10 meals ever.
Now they have a burger trailer named «Layla», and are going to have a grand opening this Wednesday, July 15^th. Find them in the beer garden behind Little Woodrow’s on the Drag, at 2610 Guadalupe.
I admit they are old friends of mine, but nearly every place I go in Austin, I know the owner or the manager. I’ll be sure to update after they have opened, and have a standard menu. Whether I knew them or not it is a F.n. Goode Burger!
I’ll be sure to update after I eat there again this Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
EDIT: Tried a test veggie burger and chili dog on Tuesday. The Veggie burger was very different and unique, but very good. Chili on dog very flavorful. Aaron, one of the owners did win the Chili cook-​off we had earlier this year. I also updated the pics with their opening menu.