The Silver Medal

After driving past this little joint for years, we finally dropped in for "burgers and boozes." It's got a friendly dive bar feel--like they all know each other but you're still welcome. We sat at the bar for some boozes, he ordered a buffalo burger and I went for the bbq bacon cheeseburger. We hung out, chatted, watched a terrible old monster movie, and petted the bar cat until our food came. My burger was unusually good. He just said his was "fine."One beer, two g&t, and two burgers somehow cost us $40. Shoulda specified well drinks and gone for the 2fer chili dogs! I'd go back.

The Silver Medal is the best little neighborhood dive bar at the side of a highway I've ever been to. Located east of I-35 in Central Austin next to a sleazy motel, the inside has that wood paneling that makes it kinda feel like you are hanging out in a basement at a friend's house in the burbs in the Northeast or New England. The place is small, so there's just a few tables and limited bar seating, but there are more tables outside in the back yard. The beer selection isn't large, but there is a variety of cheap beers and some local craft beers, plus some ciders and hard teas and mixed drinks (but nothing fancy, here). The food here is pretty good, and surprisingly, they have vegetarian options available with gluten-free substitutions available. And everything is priced fairly cheap compared to most places in Austin. Unlike many dive bars, you aren't forced to watch sports! For those of us that don't care about sports, this is great. There are 2 TVs, one dedicated to playing movies (mostly cult classics on VHS) and one dedicated to sports. I'm not sure the owner even likes the sports. When he's behind the bar you'll find him watching the movies. The music here is schizo. The jukebox is loaded with metal, punk, country and yacht rock. It's weird when the places is full of metalheads dressed in black listening to Ozzy, Metal and whatever and then Jimmy Buffet or Christopher Cross comes on. But, that's part of the charm, I guess.

My absolute favorite dive bar. Cozy and chill. Food is legit good. It's not fancy, so don't go in expecting it to be. Feels like real Austin. I love this place!

Great little bar with a good happy hour. Good chili dog, Good Burger and great drink prices. The staff is friendly and there's a nice outdoor area when it's cool. Will definitely go back.

A friend recommended this place so we gave it a go. It's a bit of a drive but it was worth it. The bar itself is tiny...like tiny but awesome! Exactly what you expect a little cool dive bar to be. The bartender was super friendly. Luckily we were there in a Monday and burgers were BOGO! The back patio was relatively small but felt cozy. It used to be a Mexican restaurant and they kept the original sign in the back. That's cool. It's worth the drive! Go get yourself a burger and a cold beer! Bring a friend and go on a Monday!

Silver Medal rules! No frills bar, there were ladies fighting and that was fun even though one pushed me. Had the City Dog and the cheeseburger. The smashed style cheeseburger is perfection!!! Straight up delicious. The new back patio area is wonderful. Great ambience - Texas meets Midwest with Malort!

My wife and I have driven past this place for way too long! We finally decided to stop in for some late night drinks and grub on Saturday. There is plenty of parking and the inside of the bar is cozy. They even have a small patio area out back with additional seating, which will be nice when things cool off a bit. Service was extremely friendly and welcoming, the drinks were priced right and they even had jello shots!So let me get this out of the way first: I am an absolute sucker for an un-pretentious bar. Know that when I refer to a bar as a dive bar, it is a high compliment. The Silver Medal is your quintessential dive bar. It's not a high end bar cosplaying as a dive, it is the real deal. When we were there, they had three taps, Twisted Tea, Bud Heavy, and Lone Star. They also had a well-stocked liquor shelf and a large fridge full of craft offerings from around Texas. And the $2 Jello shots. They were awesome. We got to try a couple of the food offerings and walked away impressed! I had the Silver Medal burger, add jalapenos. It's a double cheese burger served on Texas toast. It was delicious! The burger patties are served smashed and it had an excellent crispy finish on the patty. My wife had the hot dog with chili, sour cream and jalapenos. It was also fantastic.Thought here appeared to be some regulars in there, we felt welcomed. The friendly service was much appreciated. They had football on one TV, and a movie going on the other, both on mute so that we could hear the great music playing in the background. It was love at first sip, and I'm already looking forward to our next visit to the Silver Medal.

Morning Glory Burger$10Fried Egg, Bacon, American Cheese & Grilled Onions. " straight up breakfast on a bun".My comment:This was excellent! I love a good dive bar and even more a good bar with GREAT food! Came here for a purpose of relaxing after a long Friday work week with my man, and a chill vibe. This was it. The food only made it more of a reason to order another round.Staff is top notch and worth the trip.Invest in local!If you're from California don't come by. They'll charge you double.

City dog saved my life. Every time I come here it is just super duper. Would leave a 100 stars if i could. Get the John Daily.

sat for who knows how long and no one came to the table to ask if we needed anything but were quick to tell me where NOT to park. even after that I still came back in to have a beer n some food. TRASH! Good luck