Sandy's Frozen Custard and Root Beer aka: Sandy's Hamburgers

On a hot Saturday afternoon (as well as every other day of the week), cars loop around the small stand that has been a fixture on Barton Springs Road for a half-century. While they wait for the drive-through, others park on the side or in front of the building, where diners stand in line for a snack or a meal. The secret here is volume; it has to be because the prices are cheap, the products are good and the frozen custard is seriously soooo worth ruining your diet for! In a garnishment that must have originated in the Lone Star State (why else would they call the hotdog version a Texas hot?), Sandy’s serves a burger with chili, cheese and onions ($2.25). It may be a little messy, but it sure is tasty. The regular burger ($1.89) has several pieces of iceberg lettuce, sliced tomatoes and pickles served, naturally, with mustard. The fries (89 cents), which seems an automatic accompaniment to almost every burger you’ll see leave the window at Sandy’s, are soft and salty. The shakes and malts (99 cents, $1.25 for large) are so thick your straw simply flattens rather than allowing the ice cream mixture to traverse the tube to your mouth. Follow the regulars; we always ask for a spoon. If you’re eating on-site, join other diners at the picnic tables behind the building and chow down to your heart’s content.