Thurman's Old-Fashioned Burger: Fresh, Flavorful Airport Eats at Austin-Bergstrom

This review is for the budget conscious - Airport food was always overpriced and now with food inflation it is even worse, especially when feeding three people. At twenty dollars per person, it ends up being sixty, and the food usually looks and tastes like it should cost about twenty total. Enter Thurmans kids menu. Six dollars gets you a one quarter pound burger or two piece chicken tender with sauce plus fries. Ordering on the kiosk weirdly charges for sauces but ordering in person does not. The food was made fresh and actually tasted good. The ranch and honey mustard really hit the spot and the fries, cut big which is not usually my favorite style, tasted just fine with salt and ketchup. Overall, I was glad to spend under twenty to feed the family with decent tasting food.

So we hit this burger stand with our vouchers after getting stuck at AUS for an extra 3.5 hours. Robert, the cashier was more than accommodating and very helpful making sure that our meals were covered correctly and exactly what we wanted. Jose was working on the grill and our order was served up quick. I ordered a Philly Cheesesteak and it was perfect. My daughter ordered chicken tenders and practically inhaled them! The fries were great, not over seasoned as some places tend to do these days. Even after they closed Robert was still very helpful after my daughter threw my “to go bag” away stopping what he was doing and getting me another. With all the chaos of changed gates, messed up planes and altered flights/missed connections it was refreshing to have Robert and Jose be an oasis of calm. I don’t know if we will fly the same airline but flying out of AUS I’ll stop here again.

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.

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).