Cat Mountain Grill

I came here about a month ago for a work lunch with some coworkers. We came early so it wasn’t very crowded! Always nice.
This particular time, I got to have their veggie sandwich, with a portabello mushroom and my coworkers ordered the buffalo chicken salad, fried pickles, chicken tenders, and some cheese stuffed burger.
Without a doubt, they’re serious about giving you the bang for the buck if you get a burger. They’re huge. The chicken tenders, I’ve heard, have a religious following. The fried pickles were yummy and crisply fried. My sandwich was good though… not as gargantuan in heft as the meat filled counterparts were. Not that I’m expecting a whole lot of volume but… I was a little bummed when sizing up my sandwich to their burgers. But that’s neither here nor there.
I’m actually detracting a star for the restaurant itself. It’s dive-​y and I think that’s part of the draw. What drives me nuts is the floor. It’s half patchwork tile and half concrete. Overall, it just looks dirty and it’s a bit disconcerting to eat food in a place that looks… not very sanitary. Also, the back kitchen is fully on display and it just seemed like things were out of sorts… before the lunch rush. Maybe I’m being difficult but I figure if you’re wanting a premium burger with a premium price… general restaurant upkeep should be considered a given.
Despite that, the owners are really nice guys and will come by and ask how you’re doing and if the food is to your liking. In a lot of ways, that’s a really winning advantage for a neighborhood restaurant!

Atmosphere and Cleanliness: It was quiet on this Saturday after noon… Place was clean and inviting… greeted when we entered…
Service: Service was great… everyone is friendly and really seem to enjoy being there… Happy employees equals Happy customers.
Food: Had the chips and Queso… a little thick and for us needed a little more heat, but still very tasty… wife had the Qtr. Pound bacon burger plain and I had the half pound bacon burger loaded… REAL BACON… Yes…nothing we hate more then heat and serve bacon and charging me for regular… Buns we tasty… a little on the sweet side… As for the meat… Man that is some good burger… Only the second time since Wholly Cow, that you can actually taste the difference in the meat… Mac and cheese was good and cheesy… and the Fries… Wow… those were out of the park…
Worth the Adventure: For Sure… Had a chance to chat with Jonny and this guy is truly sincere about his food and his customers… and that was nice to see… This was a great adventure… Thanks for a great Lunch Johnny…

Can I have a bucket of milk to sit in and some ice cream for my face? Many thanks to the Chupacabra Burger with a gluten free bun for the hot fun. I had to prove to my family that I could out do them on spicy food. As I’ve mentioned before, sometimes my 12 year old boy persona gets the best of me.
Half way through, I wanted to quit and asked The Kid if I had tears in my eyes. «Of course you do, mom, you’re eating fire», he replied laughing.
Pleasure mixed with pain. Delicious and scary. That’s a Chupacabra.

RESTAURANT INSPECTION SCORE: 83 (7÷12÷2011)
Went here a few weeks ago for a very popular and well-​attended UYE/​ROTD for Tony B. Got to see several friends that I’d been missing for too long.
What stood out to me about Cat Mountain Grill? Their truly incredible service. No favor too large, or too time consuming. We had one of the most amazing waitresses I’ve ever met.
What was really cool is that the owner came out gregariously and politely set service expectations given that there were three large parties going on simultaneously. Usually, that’s the kiss of death for the evening. Instead, Cat Mountain Grill greatly exceeded those expectations. I don’t think anyone waited more than 15 minutes for their food. OK, except for my good friend veek, and, yes, I think they did lose her order. And, if you can believe this, separate checks for 40 people were absolutely no problem.
Oh, yeah, I almost forgot to tell you about the food, because the service was so delightful. I had a delicious SwissXSW cheeseburger. Only downside was that it was piled so high, you really did need silverware to finish it because it got really messy. My side order was the onion strings; I found them to be plentiful but a tad too greasy for my taste; I’ll probably try another side next time. To drink, I had my favorite Barq’s since I was my own DD. Oh, and when I went inside for a refill, the Barq’s was empty, so our totally awesome waitress dropped what she was doing and refilled it herself while I waited.
Dog-​friendly place. They never met a dog they didn’t like. I got to meet so many canines that were the «other half» of favorite Unilocalers. I couldn’t believe little Fenway had grown into this beautiful LARGE dog since I last saw her two years ago. And, there’s always Enzo, the wonder dog of acrobatic fame; I can’t tell you how many times during and since that night Katie has offered me to take her for a walk. A very long walk. Longer than that. Keep going. No, for once, it wasn’t me that a woman was trying to distance herself from. Just kidding, Katie, we know you love her! :)
Damn. I need to remember to write up these reviews sooner. I made notes to retell the «buttonhole» joke that happened between Jack and me, but, alas, I seem to have already forgotten it. Jack, help me out!
[P.S., I remembered the joke. I had passed on the first round of food ordering whilst still making up my mind (OK, CMG has a long and somewhat diverse menu). Once ready, I decided to loiter near the door that led back inside thinking I could place my order on our waitress’ trip back. Jack sauntered up to talk, and I mentioned to him that I was trying to «buttonhole» the waitress. It was at that particular moment that I came to learn for the very first time that Jack has a peculiar hearing loss centered precisely at the frequency of the consecutive letters «o-​n».]

Who knew there was a great burger joint tucked behind a gas station? Judging from the packed dining room, everyone else did too! This was unexpected on a Saturday evening. They have a large patio, great for hanging when the weather warms up.
The burgers were great! And they have beer! If you like spicy, I mean really spicy, the Chupacabra burger is a must try. The habanero/​mayo sauce on the first try doesn’t seem too spicy, but oh it builds and after a few bites, it burns… in a good way. I love that it’s not just heat, but full of flavor. The burger is definitely one of the best. I also ate ½ of my kids yummy cheeseburger. If you are not into a fully loaded burger, the plain ones are just as good. Errol shared some onion rings. I love Errol, but the rings were not my favorite. I like my rings thick and completed coated with breading. Here, the batter just sort of fell off the onions. The tater tots were good and crispy. I wish the fries were crispier.
The service was extremely slow due to the huge group on the patio. Our waitress forgot one of our orders, but luckily we were not charged. They realized that they were short staffed and I appreciated the fact that the employees checked on us often and even brought us some fries to munch on.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I came here, but I left here thinking it’s a pretty cool place. If you enjoy burgers and beer, you’re gonna have a good time. If you don’t enjoy burgers and beer, I think you’ll still have a good time. Can’t beat that.
What I find semi-​interesting about burger places is what they’ll do to stand out among the zillion other burger places. Cat Mountain’s approach appears to be delivering a premium burger in a casual environment, with a sharp and quick staff who are also family-​friendly. Personally, I liked the hustling open kitchen plating their food in plastic mesh baskets — I kept thinking it’s the restaurant love child of hipster meets slacker. They pull it off here, and I heard nothing but praise for the burger food.
Fortunately for me, Cat Mountain doesn’t treat vegheads like bad wedding-​crashers — I expected the standard «Gardenburger» fare, but the marinated Portobello mushroom «Bella» on sourdough was a pleasant and tasty surprise. I could argue it was a tad overpriced, but nevertheless a worthy choice when you’re among meat-​gorgers. The fries and onion-​strings were good, but I actually enjoyed dipping tater-​tots in the chupacabra sauce — it had my favorite kind of bite, the one that sneaks up on you in about ten-​seconds before announcing itself. Incidentally, am I the only person who finds it mildly humorous when people pooh-​pooh spicy stuff and then break out sweating like a pig? Oh, c’mon now, that’s funny.
This place was hopping on an early Saturday evening, with families joining tables together inside, and the outside patio area filled with dogs and hipsters. The staff and kitchen had to have been slammed, but I thought they handled the crowd with efficiency and aplomb. Our server Kelly was a pleasure to work with, although I think we may have lost our order of fried pickles to a patio group. It just wasn’t that big of a deal. In fact, it gives us just another reason to return to Cat Mountain.

Attended my very first Unilocal event here in Austin, and I’m glad it was at Cat Mountain Grill. The Unilocalers there were great to talk to and the casual, laid-​back environment of Cat Mountian made it the perfect place to gather. Easy to see why there were other people there with the same idea.
I was in the first group of people to arrive, so the crowd hadn’t hit yet. This meant that the waitress was able to bring my beer immediately and my burger came out pretty soon after that.
It had taken me a while to actually order the burger because Cat Mountain came up with a menu just for persnickety people like me. Normal people can order straight off the menu, and people like me get a pencil and a form to «build your own burger.» I like the concept. And, boy, do they have choices. Big meat, little meat, chicken, portobello, and others as your patty choice. Then several kinds of bread to slap that sucker on. Followed by ample topping choices. And you’ve got a burger built just for you. No need to say, «On the side.»
I ordered the onion strings with my burger. I loved the breading on them. But be advised that they aren’t actually stings; more like onion rings that have been cut in half, so they are pretty thick.
The best part is that Cat Mountain allows dogs on their large outdoor patio. Plan on dinner with your poochie for some extra fun. Oh, and the eternally plugged in will like the free wifi.

I’ve finally made it. I have been meaning to come her for oh, well on 3 years. BEFORE it was Cat Mountain. And I’m glad Tony B pushed me to it with his UYE.
When I got there, it was crowded for a Saturday. Turns out they had a party happening at the same time and since Tony’s wildly popular, he brought in a crowd of about 30. No biggie — there are beers and unlimited delicious sodas so we all just ordered and chatted and hung around until those overworked dudes in the kitchen could get to us.
I appreciated how open they were about the amount of time it might take but honestly, no one was in a rush so it was just kind of a lazy Saturday afternoon lounge-​about. My food didn’t take as long as expected but was a delightful burger bowl, topped with hearty bacon, a TON of blue cheese and no bread. Just how I likes it.
The server was especially awesome and attentive, splitting up our bills at the end without us specifically requesting it and making sure we were all okay. It’s not my favorite burger out there but it’s darn good, the space is great, the service was excellent and they show movies in the back. Worth a return visit and great for groups.

4.5 stars. This place was an absolute treat to find. Nestled just a few minutes drive from Mt. Bonnell, Cat Mountain Grill is located in a relatively isolated area with a residential neighborhood nearby. It definitely had that neighborhood joint vibe, with plenty of families enjoying their burgers and having a good time. The place smells absolutely delicious walking in.
I’d been hankering for a damn good burger, and this place absolutely delivered. I got the SXSW ½ pounder, featuring swiss, mushrooms and thick cut bacon and ordered it medium. I was blown away by how big the thing was, and finally understood why all the burgers in the pictures usually had big steak knives thrust through them. My only niggle is that my bun was a little soggy at the bottom due to some grease, but this was an absolutely solid burger that hit the spot majorly. The fries were ok, nothing mind blowing.
Next time I definitely want to try the Cheese Louise or the Chupacabra (Which sounds absolutely amazing), and give the onion rings a shot. I also would like to give major kudos to the manager, Mark who really helped us feel at home with some jokes and asked us how our meal went. He even gave me a handshake on the way out and thanked us for our services, which I majorly appreciated. With service like that, and their epic burgers I’d definitely recommend this to anyone looking to satisfy a burger craving.

Burger greatness. Took my work Friday lunch group here with their doubts about my pick. After sampling the burgers and fries they were converted like a pack of holy rollers. If you like the heat, the chupacabara is excellent, very spicy with great peppers flavor. A basket of fries is generous for two. Extra thick and extra tasty milkshakes.
Oddly it’s next to an animal hospital. The provoked some interesting discussion about where the meat comes from.

Now THAT is a gluten free burger. I went simple with just meat and cheese on a gluten free bun because I wanted to taste what they did to the meat and see how their choice in bun stands up.
The ¼ lb patty is a little thin, but it fit perfectly on the bun so no complaints. Easily the best part of the burger was that they toasted the bun with spicy mayo instead of butter. I HATE mayonnaise (I hate all condiments), but that really did something special to the whole thing. Just a little bit of spice and flavor to punch it up to an above average meal.
I would highly recommend this place to anyone avoiding gluten for whatever reason. They made a great selection in their buns, the tots and fries are fully gluten free, and the head food dude seems fully committed to giving as many options as possible for people like us. I asked jokingly if there was a GF version of the fried cookie dough and he said he was working on it. Seriously?! I don’t care that I live on the direct opposite side of town – when that happens, I WILL be there.
The build your own salad option is pretty awesome. Looking forward to trying that next time we stop in. I can appreciate a place that will accommodate my salad-​based pickiness. I also have big plans to test drive that dog-​friendly patio.

Went here with my running group, a bunch of hungry trail runners tonight after a tough hilly run. We walked in 30 minutes before closing (8pm), about 10 – 12 of us. Not an eyelid was batted. Staff was super welcoming. It;s a low key neighborhood restaurant. I got the Chicken Corfu sandwich, the others went in for the awesome burgers. The burgers are fairly large and come at 8 – 9 bucks. My chicken sandwich was awesome as were the tater tots. My friend Sue got the ahi tuna burger which was also YUM. wouldn’t expect such a gourmet burger from a low key joint like this. They had a good selection of wines and decent selection of beers. liked this place A LOT! defi going back!
5 stars for the service, we left at 9pm and the waiter was super patient and friendly even though we made them stay open 1 hour after they closed!

Ate here for the first time a few days ago. Cat Mountain Grill is a locally owned hamburger place that is a bit hard to find (it’s next to a veterinary clinic *before* you get to the suburbs behind it).
I opted for a quarter-​pound «Sweet Baby J» (evidently derived from «Talladega Nights» the Will Farrell comedy). The Angus beef was tasty and the cheddar, bacon, pickles, onion rings and hickory sauce added to the burger’s overall goodness. The crowning glory were some pickled jalapenos that took the edge off of the sweetness of the hickory sauce. And the sourdough bun was also delish.
The only downside: I ordered tator tots with my burger — not impressed. They were like the supermarket frozen variety; probably best for kids. Washed all of this down with a Zhi iced tea. I’ll definitely be back when I’m in the area.

The Foolish Boys set out for Cat Mountain Grill today for lunch. We arrived around 12:30pm. We entered and review the menus and went up to the counter to order.
Impressions: Clean, tables, and booths, do it yourself soda, water, tea, cute wait staff, all is looking good.
Experience: 5 stars, service was great! 5 stars food was great!
Food: We ordered the Chips & Chupacabra Queso for a group appetizer. The boys who like it hot were happy and loved it, we mild boys were fine with it as well.
BoomBoom & Mr. Greenbay ordered the: «SwissXSW– We use our Swiss Army Knife to cut the „Holey Cheese“ and then melt it on our 100% Natural Premium Gold Angus* and top it with sautéed mushrooms and hickory smoked bacon. This tasty combo sits on a bed of lettuce, tomato, pickles and gets it’s zip from our spicy ranch dressing.»
BigMrTex ordered the: «Papi Melt — Big Papi likes to ditch the bun now and then and have his 100% Natural Premium Gold Angus* Beef sandwiched between toasted sourdough bread with sautéed mushrooms and onions and then covered and smothered in our signature melt sauce and covered in provolone cheese.»
I ordered the: Cheese Louise — «If cheese burgers are your thing try this ½ lb 100% Natural Premium Gold Angus* Burger, stuffed with American Cheese and grilled so the juices and cheese mix in the center of the burger. We use only lettuce and pickle so there is limited interference with the lava like cheese explosion when you bite into this burger. I had regular fries as well.» (I even liked the fries.)
We all liked our burgers very much and recommend any one of them. Who knows we may order the Emerson Bigguns Burger next time!
Would I go back? Yes and in the near future.
But wait that is not all, BigMrTex found two dollars in the parking lot as we left, he was so happy!

I was expecting a burger joint and was pleasantly suprised. There was plenty of tasty junk food, but there were also salads for my friends who were hesitant to eat here. The best part was definitely the cookie sundae for dessert! That’s what will get me to go back.
This is actually a good place to go and share dishes, to try a little of everything, while saving room for dessert.

I would describe this place as «kid-​friendly.» My hubby and I went out for a traditional Friday night dinner date here recently, and the place was packed… with kids. Now mind you, I have nothing against kids (I’m knocked up as I write this), but it just seemed wild in there because of it.
If you do go, be sure and get the fried pickles. They use the same batter that they fry the chicken strips in. Genius! As for the burgers, my hubby and I were both a little disappointed. I would describe them as greasy and salty. I had the Papi Melt and they forgot to bring the sauce with it. It just isn’t a patty or Papi Melt without the special sauce.
The service was outstanding, though. The servers really tried to make sure we were satisfied.
I think CMG is still working out the kinks of the new management, and when that happens the place has real potential.

I love a redemption story! These new owners seem to be off to a good start… probably smart move to change the name (formally The Hub).
I stopped by for lunch today to check out the new digs. It looks pretty much the same, but major upgrade on the food! I had the chicken strips and two of my friends had burgers. The chicken strips were enormous with a crispy, light batter that was a great combo of juicy white meat chicken and salty fried goodness. My friends both said their burgers were great and the BBQ one got lots of mmm’s and ughhhh’s. They were generous with the sides and waitstaff was quite an improvement, as well. I have a feeling this place may be my new hangover cure and definitely my favorite chicken strips in town! I really hope they keep this up.
Didn’t find out if they have any happy hour or game specials, but I hope so!

My taste buds are battling over what to rate Cat Mountain Grill. Some of them are saying to give them a –5 for trying to burn them off of my tongue, the others are saying give them the full 5 stars for their darn good food. Yeah, I had the Chupacabra burger tonight and it was hotter than the weather. It was very tasty though, well, at least until the heat took over and I couldn’t taste much anymore. The chupacabra sauce was very good, hot yes, but very tasty. The fries are excellent, beer selection is good, and the service was good too. Extra kudos to the servers since a group of 16 showed up, mostly very young kids, showed up right before us.
On previous visits I built my own tasty chicken sandwich and tried the Cheese Louise burger, which is cheeeeezy. It was my first time having a Juicy Lucy type of burger and I will definitely have it again at some point. Before I can have it again though I have to work my way through some of there other choices.

Ugh. This place frustrated me. There is some to like about the place, but they miss on a couple of extremely key factors for me…
My biggest complaint is the cost. Most burgers will cost you right around 8 or 9 bucks… with no side! That is just absurd for what basically amounts to the same as a Phil’s Ice House burger (which is only 7 bucks with a side). My second complaint is that the bun is Sweet and too thick. I don’t know who started this ‘sweet bun’ trend with burger places, but I hope they get hit by a truck. It’s called a «Hamburger», so the hamburger should be the star of the show not some overly sweet bun.
I do like that these guys are serving up yet another «Jucy Lucy» clone. And unlike some other place I could mention, they actually have the art of capturing the cheese inside the meat down pat. As I took a big bite the cheese exploded all over my hands and well into my beard, as it should when the Lucy is done properly. It’s too bad that stupid thick sweet bun had to ruin the party.
The first time I went here, I spoke to the owner a bit and he was a very friendly fellow. I ended up getting the Papi Melt and I asked for the sauce on the side. Then I proceeded to get pressured to get it with the sauce because it «changes the flavor of the burger». I buckled under the pressure and got the sauce on the burger… I was sorely disappointed. It was runny, and too tangy, and again it was another way to mask the flavor of the meat. Patty melts are easy… Rye bread (although I like them with Sourdough), grilled onions, meat, cheese and add a little bbq sauce on the side for dipping. Done. Just give me that. You know, the thing I asked for in the first place instead of coercing me to get your ‘special sauce’.
I feel bad because the owner seemed like a passionate guy, but I am not sure I will go back to Cat Mountain. I had two different burgers, and neither was really something I feel like I ‘need’ to go back for. I really did think the Jucy Lucy was well executed… but that sweet bun, and the price will likely keep me from heading toward Cat Mtn again.
Pros: A Well Executed Jucy Lucy (Minus The Bun)
Cons: Sweet Buns Suck, Felt Pressured To Conform to the Menu, Too Expensive for What You Get

Kind of wish I’d read Daniel J.‘s review before ordering today at lunch… my story is similar.
A work buddy had a 2 for 1 deal, so we decided to head that way. Walked in and was totally unimpressed by décor. I mean, it’s not ugly by any stretch… but just not much to it.
I thought… this is either going to be horrible or great (as mom & pop shops are). Luckily it was really, really good. And as for the décor… I’m sure it’ll get better the bigger this place gets.
I bellied up to the counter and looked over the menu.
Me: Chupacabra… funny name. Oh. it’s spicy?
Lady: Yes. Someone even gave us a writeup on Unilocal about how spicy it was (That’s you Daniel J).
Me: Is it REALLY that spicy
Lady: It’s pretty hot… (then the kicker) but I’ve seen a 12 year-​old girl eat one.
Me: Well, then I’ll have it, and I’m going to review it on Unilocal and see if I can call that guy who thought it was too spicy a wuss (assume manly grunt noises here a la Tim «The Tool Man» Taylor).
So I order the «CHUPACABRA» and get ready to enjoy lunch and come back to taunt someone…
So the order gets to me and I take a big –ol bite… about ¹⁄₆ of the burger… that’s when I realized that I had about 6 pickled jalapenos in my mouth… along with the roasted jalapenos, serrano, and habanero. Yeah, it’s everything Daniel J. said it was…
Now, I ate the whole thing. It took about 6 glasses of water, then it took about an hour before I could feel my tongue again.
Let me state this about me. I like spicy. I am a big fan. But this was «I want to punish myself and/​or prove a stupid point» hot.
I really think if they knocked the jalapenos off the bottom, it’d be palatable.
In other news. my coworker, who tried his best NOT to laugh at me as I suffered, had the «Black n’ Blue» burger and completely enjoyed it.
The french fries were hand cut and delicious (I tried them before I lost all taste).
I’m going to be back… and trust me. next time I’m trying what I was going to order before I dropped into the dumb zone… The «Papi Melt.»
The folks were totally friendly… service was pretty fast… Great little place. and I think it’s funny they call their desserts «Happy Endings.» but that’s just the 15 year-​old kid in me… which is the same one I shouldn’t have listened to when ordering the «Chupacabra.»
Go ahead… prove me wrong. I dare you. :)