P Terry's has a few locations in Austin, but the one that I am familiar with a frequent pretty regularly is the one just south of Town Lake on South Lamar. A true drive-thru, this place is slightly larger than a breadbox, with windows on either side, one for conducting business, and one for receiving morsels of goodness wedged in a bun. The walk up business is great too, with a small, almost hidden outdoor seating area, which might be alright on a nice day, but you're not going to see me there in the heat of summer.
Saturday I arrived shortly after noon and was behind eight to ten cars, but it took less than fifteen minutes to get my food and be on my way. Shockingly, in that span I heard Florence and the Machine's Dog Days are Over on the radio not once, but twice (different stations at least).
Anyway, not a lot to choose from here, but that's just fine with me, it means they do what they do well, and they get it done quick. Burger, double, with cheese or without, or a veggie burger. Fries. Standards included, crisp iceberg lettuce, local organic tomatoes, and their special sauce, an In-N-Out like version of Thousand Island, which is incredible.
I chose the double, and added onions, which I strongly recommend.
So these burgers aren't big, so I do recommend a double, both for filling you up and also, it's the absolute perfect meat to bread ratio. These are thin patties, and the kind that nearly melt together, the same consistency throughout, made of fresh local, grass-fed beef, with great flavor and juiciness...like In-N-Out, fresh, never frozen. The cheese is high quality Processed In The USA variety that envelops the meat but seems to know to stop short of wilting the vegetables. Tomatoes are advertised as local and organic, and I'm fairly certain if they contained any bit of green or yellow, you wouldn't see them on your sandwich. Lettuce is the thick, hand torn from the head kind, which remarkably retains its crispness and temperature on the way home despite being wrapped in wax paper with the hot meat and cheese. Onions. Wow, the onions are great, and I urge you to add them to your burger. Chopped white onions. Crisp. Cold. Pungent. Lend incredible texture and flavor to an incredible sandwich.
On to the fries. Again like In-N-Out, cut fresh on site. Know how I know?
Oh, and they are DE-LISH. That's right.
So these have a nice, fresh flavor and are cooked to order and served piping hot and lightly salted. They're of the soggy, but not too much, variety, lacking the outside crispiness but making up for it in flavor.
Good stuff. This is a weekend spot for sure. Only thing missing is hitting the beach right afterwards. But wait, there's Barton Springs...even better. Finish off your fattening with a refreshing dip in the natural spring, and as you're FLOATING on the top of the crystal clear water, be sure to thank P Terry for the start to a great Saturday.
Summary
Atmosphere: burger stand, drive-thru, outdoor seating
Food: burgers and fries
Dog Friendly: yes
Time to Go: lunch
Crowd: jerseys, loafers, bad blouses
What to Order for the First Timer: double cheeseburger with everything and onions, fries
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