In the first edition of the Fearless Critic, we called Casino el Camino’s “Amarillo Burger,” with roasted serranos, jalapeño jack cheese, and cilantro mayo “amazing…a delicious Southwestern combination whose heat does not interfere with the taste of the burger’s juices.” Since then, however, we’ve now and then found the heat varying wildly—sometimes it’s fine and sometimes we can’t feel our mouths for the better part of an hour. It doesn’t seem intentional on Casino’s part, in the dare-you-to-eat-me vein, so much as careless. But then, we refer you to this point of reference: it’s a bar. A divey one. With skulls.

Still, there are few, if any, better remedies for the midnight munchies than this Sixth Street joint. Don’t be deceived by the haunted-house logo and dark, punk-rock atmosphere: a back window in the rockin’ hangout consistently turns out some of the best burgers in the city, along with spot-on versions of other bar-food standards like fries, wings, and chili-cheese dogs, too. The legendary late hours are yet another feather in Casino El Camino’s formidable, if grungy, cap.

First, a primer: don’t expect speedy service. In fact, don’t expect service at all. You’ll wait in line to sidle up to a little window in the back of a bar. If you don’t want to be humiliated, you’d better know what you want by the time you get to the front. If all goes well, you’ll be handed a ticket that offers you admission to the privilege of a burger, generally sometime between 20 minutes and an hour later. Don’t expect to be informed when it’s ready—time management is left up to you. It would be nice to have a better choice of beers with which to pass the time, though, and not the same blah stuff served up and down the block.

Thankfully, it’s all worth it. The burgers, which belong to the big, round, and thick school of thought—the sort that you can actually ask for rare (and we recommend doing so)—are really just as they should be. Juices are skillfully locked in by the molding and grilling processes, and the result is a deliciously moist burger of imposing size. A “Buffalo Burger,” with hot wing sauce and blue cheese (not buffalo meat), has its devotees, but we think the combination overwhelms the excellent meat, rather than flattering it. These are relative statements, of course; it’s still a great burger, and the Buffalo sauce is a good version, doing right by the wings. Even more successful is a “Chicago Burger,” a classic bacon-cheddar combination with equally impressive execution.

Numb or not, we’ll still risk our money at the Casino before most other burger joints in town.

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