Thurman's Old-Fashioned Burger

After 14 hours in the air, two layovers, and a seatmate who snored like a chainsaw, I stumbled into AUS Airport feeling like a crumpled boarding pass. My stomach was growling louder than the jet engines, and I had zero expectations for airport food—until I saw the glowing sign for Thurman’s Old-Fashioned Burger near Gate 21. I ordered the Signature Cheeseburger, which comes stacked with two juicy ¼ lb patties and a slice of cheese tucked right in the middle like a secret handshake from Texas. The seasoning? Bold. The bun? Soft and warm. The fries? Crispy salvation. It wasn’t just a meal—it was a redemption arc. That burger didn’t just satisfy my hunger. It restored my faith in airport dining and gave me the strength to face the final leg of my journey. If you ever find yourself weary and wandering through Austin’s terminals, Thurman’s might just save your day too.

Tried at the Airport, Couldn’t Even Finish It was awful, expensive waste. The burger was dry, flavorless, and fell apart almost immediately. I had to stop eating halfway, it just wasn’t enjoyable at all. The fries looked interesting (more like thick potato wedges), but they didn’t taste like much, no seasoning, no crispness, just bland. I noticed others eyeballing their burgers as well and throwing them away without finishing. Super disappointing. Photos show how it started… and how it ended.

This place was at the airport in Austin Texas. So of course you have to take that into consideration as most airport places aren’t going to stack up to their other locations. With that said the burger looked amazing as you can see in pictures, but it was kinda bland and dry. I’ve never heard of this place but everything I read on their signs sure made me feel it was going to be something special. At least I had time to get a thing to eat as my layover was only 45 minutes. It definitely filled me up. People were your typical airport working. They didn’t really want to be there, just like me.

It was an expensive burger (relatively) but the 1lb burger was amazing, I slept on the 3.5hour flight. Will definitely try this tasty burger and day sleep in the future (I'll be back).

I should have read the reviews first. Sloppily made breakfast sandwich. I was the only order, so they weren't rushed. And, the manager was right there when it was put at the counter. 4/7/25 @ 730am.

I ordered a cheeseburger (burger has 2 patties) which comes with potato wedges; the drink is separate. My husband ordered a burger plain with an extra patty. My order was correct and his order was covered in cheese. We didn't have time to order a new one so he scraped the cheese off. I say if you like things plain and you're with someone do your order separately. Also it seemed like the burger order is the longest item to make so if you're in a hurry order something else. Other than the order mix up the food was really good.

Roberto and Jose squeezed our order in right before closing it’s late and we are having to deal with a flight delay! These people are so kind and doing the lords work on Labor Day! God bless! I would take a picture of the basket but we only left crumbs! Thank you!

The staff was friendly. The burger was a good size. It had no flavor but the ranch made it ok.

OMG what a ripoff.... Ordered a $6.00 kids burger that comes with fried. Clerk with attitude asked if I wanted anything on it so I said yes but when I got the bill, before seeing what I was getting my bill was over $16.00! What a joke, the tomato was the size of a 50 cent piece. Also they will not tell you how much they're charging for any extras.... STAY AWAY ITS A TOTAL RIPOFF Went to counter to similar ask what the charges were for the extras and clerk was a jerk and would not answer customer inquiry. This was at the Austin Tx airport

Ordered a 1/2 cheeseburger - bun was completely stale and bottom bun was stuck to the tray - could not pick up burger. I went to find a fork, but they only had knives..... so, that was awesome. I get its airport food, but for what you pay for it - might as well just throw your money in the trash. The only plus was the fries - they were decent. Save your money and try something else.

Decently okay burger and decent wedge fries from the airport but as a meal it was $21 - way overpriced.

I think any review of an airport food outlet has to take into account that every restaurant in every airport has menu items that are overpriced. That's everywhere you go in the world, with the only variance being just how much that food is overpriced. I needed a quick means of refueling before a flight and decided to give Thurman's a go. I settled on the 1/2 lb Signature Cheeseburger as it looked appealing despite the price ($17 with fries, $19 if you get a fountain drink-what a bargain!). My sandwich came out hot and delivered promptly by the friendly staff. The burger was cooked beyond my preferred medium rare but that's about par for the course in these E. coli phobic times. The meat was not too far gone and I actually found it fairly tasty. Fries were my definitely my type-thick wedges of Idaho goodness fried crispy and not overseasoned. It was better than I expected and better than some of the other outlets I've tried in the Austin airport. The one ding against this location is the shameful lack of customer seating for it and its neighbors (the market, the pizza joint and Fly-Rite chicken). I wouldn't drive across town to eat here but if you're at the airport and are hungry, this is a decent choice.

Anthony was friendly and super efficient. Husband and I had the combo: burger, fries and drink. Since fountain drinks weren't working, we got bottled water. Anthony also gave us cups of ice for the inconvenience. He was wonderful! This is an airport restaurant, so it wasn't outstanding with decor and had no place to sit. But we were comfortable eating our burgers and fries on the gate area which was close by.

Located in the Austin airport, since it was in the airport I didn't have high expectations but DAMN! Six people working and it was like watching a clown show without the humor! Finally ordered, sat down and then the disappointment really sat in! Stale bun, overcooked patty and so clod the cheese won't even melt! Probably the WORST burger I've had in my life! For the same money you can go to Salt Lick or Flyrite and had some decent food. Save you money-DO NOT go here!

It's okay. Definitely not worth the price. The cashier disappeared for about 5 minutes for the need of extra ice. I'm not upset but someone else should be assisting for these kind of things. I saw 2 customers walk away. Anyway... I ordered off the kids menu..to be frank, I'm not cheap but I couldn't justify spending 12 more dollars for an extra patty, with Cheese. One half of the meat patty was burnt, but I will say the flavor and bun was tasty! The bun was cooked to perfection. The fries were fresh and I couldn't complain at all. Actually I will say the fries were good. Haha. The inside was dirty. As I waited for my food I was preparing my ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise but I couldn't help but notice stains on the counters, small trash leftover because no trash can was nearby. I don't have much to say other than that. Next time I'll try somewhere else. I don't plan on coming back unless I want a kids burger for 6$ You might have better luck people.

I make it a point to try cheeseburgers when I travel, and here was the chance to get one from the Salt Lick family. Everything is overpriced at the airport, so I won't mark down for having to pay the rent. Surprisingly good burger... tasted flame broiled and made me think about cookouts... the fries were good too. Pro tip- ask for some BBQ sauce on the side!

No idea about the burgers, but they have a surprisingly good, shockingly good one might even say, breakfast sandwich. One must be cynical about an airport burger joint's breakfast sandwich, sold simply to use the otherwise idle capacity in the morning. But it really wasn't bad. Looked like a fresh fried egg on with some bacon on a bun. Maybe it was a hamburger bun and not an english muffin (it probably was) but it wasn't bad. So, yes, low expectations were a part of this but the lines at the "real" breakfast places were too long and I got a decent cup of coffee and a pretty good breakfast sandwich served by some fun people.

It was OK. Had the Jr burger and fries, so thought it wouldn't take too long. Service was EXTREMELY slow and there were condiments on the floor that were not cleaned up. Guess I shouldn't have expected much from a burger spot in the airport but the burger was just lacking flavor

Ordered the cheeseburger- for airport food, not the worst but it was pretty dry/overcooked and pretty expensive imo. I did really enjoy the potato wedges they had on the side though, which were hot and crispy with a fluffy interior. Service was fairly quick even on the day before thanksgiving. Price: 2/5 Taste: 3/5 Value: 3/5

If I could give 0 stars for service I would. Anthony, working afternoon shift on May 28th was rude and insulting. When someone mumbles their words and gets offended when a hearing impaired person doesn't understand him. When asking for further explanation he walks away and then calls security stating he was being threatened is unconscionable! I always had the impression that Austin was a cool place to visit. Anthony left a bad taste in my mouth.

I would like to say I tried the food but I didn't get that far. After telling my friend it took 20-25 mins to cook a cheesesteak one of the few choices on their fast food menu item. I approached the unattended counter where a couple of workers started saying "hey your brothers up at the counter waiting on you" I can only assume it's because I'm gay and have long hair and the worker was as well. The worker rounded the corner and says "that ain't my brother". I immediately asked for a manager and was told he's "around the corner". Once the manager (Joey) arrived I asked how like it took to make a cheesesteak (3-5 minutes per his statement) and referred to the above encounter his only responses were "I'm just trying to figure out if you want a cheesesteak". Definitely a no go.

Hands down, one of the top 3 worst burgers of my life. It was old-tasting, microwaved and disgusting. The fries were ginormous wedges that were tasteless and also reheated. DO NOT EAT HERE!

This venue is across from Gate 21, behind Amy's Ice Cream. Like every eatery at the airport, things are overpriced however a good deal is the Kids' Menu. I've tried the 1/4 Burger and it was quite good and it included a small portion of fries for only $6. I was rather disappointed with the 1 lb All Beef Hot Dog for $9, didn't care for the toasted bun. Another good deal are the French Fries for only $4, you get a good portion to satisfy a neglected belly.

As with any airport food, this place is over priced so I won't knock that against them. The burger however, is dry and over cooked (look at the photo). It also has no sauce on it. The bun is nicely toasted and the toppings are fine. The fries and ranch are good. I wouldn't eat here again.

Driest hamburger I've ever had. I could hardly swallow it and asked them to remake me one, and it was the same. The meat had the flavor and consistency of grout. I also asked for extra crispy fries twice, and they were just warm (and not crispy). Not good.

Let's start with the positive. The burger was tasty and came out hot and the cheese melty. And a double patty that was an added bonus But why did I give a 2. The employees and the "fried". The guy taking my order was extremely rude. When I asked what came on the burger and came with the meal he looked annoyed. He said the burgers come with potato wedges and I was like can I sub for French fries like it says on their menu. It clearly states that they sell French fries and he was like nope. So I say oh ok can I order fries and he goes super annoyed we don't do that just wedges. I ask them if they can make them extra crispy for me and he goes nope we can't they come the way they come. They came under cooked and with almost no flavor. For 17 bucks I expect more

Probably not a suitable structure for an airport. Fast food that is not fast, expect 15-20 minute wait.

The morning crew is friendly and quick, but everytime I pick up a night shift it's a bad experience when I eat here on my lunch break. The guy who works the register is very sarcastic with me when he takes my order. "Umm yeah yeah yeah yeah." Tonight I paid extra for extra ranch and he forgot it. When I politely mentioned it to him he rolled his eyes and threw it on the counter. Then immidiately went and sat on his phone in the back.

Great service. The cook was really into what he was doing so I had high hopes...but this was the most flavorless burger...terrible. No seasoning and tasted like it was boiled. Fries were good though

Thurman's met everyone of my expectations. The cook Joel on point grilled up my burgers just right. We even ordered the chicken strips and they were on point 2. So if you get a chance stop by Thurman's old fashion burgers in the Austin airport and look for Joel, Jaiden and Luz

The 1/2 lb cheeseburger was really good, tasty and very filling. French Fries seasoned just right. I will return to this spot in the Austin Airport