"In its early days, Mighty Fine shared a parent company with the popular barbecue chain Rudy’s—the two had similar dining room experiences, with long rows of checkerboard-covered tables and communal handwashing stations. These days, Mighty Fine operates about half a dozen locations across the greater Austin area, each with the same menu of burgers, tenders, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, fries, and shakes. The verdict: This feels the most like a burger you’d get at your friend’s backyard cookout, complete with one of those hockey-puck patties that’s super thick in the center and tapers off around the edges. At a half-pound, it’s bigger than most of the other base-level burgers on this list (you can also get a 1/4-pound “junior” variation), but it’s cooked well, and nicely seasoned." - nicolai mccrary