Fantastic unique burgers. The establishment has rich history! A nice little local joint that makes a great place to eat lunch. read more

The Tendermaid - Burgers Near Me - Austin, Minnesota

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This is an old school GEM of a restaurant serving lean sloppy Joe style burger without sloppy Joe sauce but you add all the toppings of your choice. .... Also offer some great natural casing hot dogs, soup and chili. You must have one of the hand made and high quality shakes or malts, generous sizes! Seating at counter stools where you communicate with the locals while you dine. read more

Not a place for the health conscious, but great for a step back in time. Only veggies on the menu are pickles & onions. Burgers are 'crumbly' style, meaning a heap of steaming ground beef is piled on a bun & then whatever mixins you want are added -- BBQ sauce, ranch dressing, onions, cheese, etc. Shakes skimpy on flavor. A bit pricey: 18 bucks for 3 people and an order of 2 burgers, 1 hot dog & 2 shakes. Standard burger buns, so not huge portions. read more

Great and unique tasty sandwiches. The best malts/shakes around (lots of different flavored). This is a must if you're padding through Austin or if you're new to the area. Location is right near downtown with lots of things in walking distance. There is limited seating, so be aware of that. This is my 3 y/o favorite place to stop with dad. read more

Still love this place and the atmosphere. Don't expect the best tasting burger, just soak in the environment and enjoy

Sometimes you just NEED a cheeseburger and a chocolate black raspberry malt. Oh my gosh. I can't explain with words- you just need to go. Eat. Enjoy!! read more

Extremely friendly and inviting place! I wish I was in Austin more than once in my life just to have these shakes!!

The Tendermaid is one of the best places to get a burger and a malt. the employees are very nice and fun to talk to.

Being from TX, didn't know what this whole 'loose meat' stuff was about...but WOW! It's a straightforward sandwich of white bun, 'loose' ground beef (aka crumbles - think taco meat for my fellow Texans) and an assortment of toppings at your disposal. Meat is steamed instead of pan-fried so almost no grease yet seasoned and full of flavor. Counter service is a throwback and the owners are the nicest people you'll ever meet. If you're in the area, you owe it to yourself to stop by! read more

This place has the best burgers ever! The atmosphere is amazing and staff are amazing but it is very expensive but a nice little treat once and a while also my favourite shake is the strawberry my mom also loves the banana read more

We didn't know what to expect when we walked in the little building that simply says "hamburgers" on the sign. We weren't expecting such a unique dining experience. The dining counter wraps around where all the action is. The loose meat hamburgers are assembled there while you watch. They are perfectly seasoned and served in the wrapper (no plate). There are many toppings available. I had 1000 Island, American cheese, and pickles--oh so good. My son had the chili dog. He said the chili was excellent. The chocolate malt was just about the best I've had. We are so full but are trying to find a reason to make another trip through Austin, MN! read more

This is an awesome local gem! The milkshakes are divine and huge. Personal favorite is pineapple

We were in Austin visiting the Spam museum and stopped here for lunch. Fun place! Great loose meat sandwiches and shakes, the latter they will split for you (or your kids) because they only come in 1 large size. Limited seating inside--all counter stools, but they have picnic tables outside. Quick service, has been in business since 1938. Would so much rather go to a local place for a quick bite when possible! read more

I have been coming to the Tendermaid for as long as I can remember. The beauty of this place is that it remains the same and sticks to what it does best. The setup is bar only seating with the everything being made right in front of you. I always stick to a simple burger and ketchup with a vanilla malt. My mouth waters thinking about it. I highly recommended checking the Tendermaid out. It's a quick lunch and has available takeout. read more

This is an example of a different take on a burger. Some people complain it is catered towards the older population of the town. In reality it is a ground beef blend of deliciousness. The beef is seasoned perfectly and they have plenty of condiments to fill your crave. I love some spice on my food so the fresh jalapeños, pepper jack cheese, and spicy melted cheese goes well together. I recommend stopping in on a Wednesday and trying their delicious chicken tortilla soup...it is to die for. Also if you are a fan of old fashioned malts you won't go wrong ordering one. This is a hidden gem and for people looking for something different I highly recommend it. read more

Great little Mom and Pop shop. Still using same great recipe and original cooker for the 70 some years it's been in existence. The burger is loose and flavorful with great options to add on and amazing malts. Great experience, definitely worth going! read more

A wonderful trip back in time to when a real gourmet loose meat burger means topping it with thousand island dressing instead of ketchup and pickles. Huge shakes and malts. Real vinyl and chrome spinning counter stools. Loose meat burgers were new to me when I moved here from Wisconsin. They are weird. Sloppy joes with no sauce. But hey, I've gone native. They are pretty good. read more

Nostalgic 1950's style restaurant with burgers and shakes. Small, fun, place. Not the best sandwich in the world, but it has HOME written all over it. read more

Great little sandwich shop where you can get a steamed loose meat sandwich and a great malt. It is the perfect summertime lunch stop.

Great loose meat sandwiches and shakes. Couldn't wait to get back to Austin for lunch. Fresh and hot as always

If you are visiting or passing by Austin (e.g. to see the SPAM museum) you should definitely add 'Tender Maid Sandwich Shop' to your list of things to do. My boyfriend and I from the Twin Cities ended up stopping here randomly after we read they had 'loose made hamburgers' (also known as a maid-rite). Being a city girl and from out east I didn't have a clue what this was but he assured me I was in for a treat. The food, service, and decor of the place were great! We both had a cheeseburger and plus a chocolate milkshake for me. The food came out fast and was hot. The three women behind the counter couldn't have been friendlier and added such a personal touch. Tender Maid is a small place, sitting about 20 people along the perimeter of the counter, so you can see how everything is made. I heard the lines can get long, so one suggestion is come after the lunch crowd. In addition to finding a place to sit, you may just find yourself having a great conversation comparing and talking about some of the best burger places in MN with the employees (which Tender Maid is right up there on the list). read more

Unique and worth a trip if you are in the area and want something quick and interesting. Loose meat! That says it all. Left with a quiky smile that we went there! read more

Love love love this place! I remember going there when we were kids. Loose meat hamburgers with a malt. Now my kids call it the Krusty Krab. They say it looks like the Crusty Crab Shack from SpongeBob. Now they have fond memories just like I do. Love love love this place! And the owners could not be any nicer! read more

Delicious place. The loose meat sandwiches are awesome and so are the milkshakes. They have an eating challenge that #manvsfood needs to take on. read more

Loved it! Quality food in a nostalgic setting. Sara gave us great service and we definitely enjoyed the experience.

Watch our review here: http://peoplestours.com/2011/06/05/tendermaid-austin-mn/

:) Love this place, simple and delicious and not overly priced. I grew up with Maid-Rite, so this place is as close as it gets. Not quite the same, but okay. Their shakes and malts are amazing, to say the least. Very fast and friendly service, definitely recommend it! read more

Awesome local institution. Distinctive loose meat hamburgers. Great shakes too. Not a lot of seating but you can always get it to go.

Whenever we get back to Austin we stop at the Tender Maid. Great burgers, not traditional but so simple it's a wonder. The shakes are divine. My boys are traveling from n.e. pennsylvania by car on a swing to the west coast and will stop and visit my family in Austin. This is always a must stop when in town. The simple things in life are the best. read more

Having grown up in the birthplace of the loose meat sandwich of Iowa, and then living in Minnesota for the last decade, it was a great treat to be able to have a loose meat sandwich again as it's been a while. We stumbled upon this place looking for lunch after visiting the Spam museum. The inside was exactly how I pictured it -- a horseshoe counter surrounding the central meat cooker, condiments on the same station that were applied with spatulas. They also have a malt machine and bags of chips if you desire. Don't know if there was a pie case, I was too enthralled with the great tasting sandwich I was enjoying! Very friendly staff and towns people. I felt like I was back home. read more

I have been a customer of this sandwich shop for 50 years. It is by far one of the best sandwich shops in all of Minnesota. The tradition of this shop is goes without saying. Locally owned the whole time of its existence the loose meat hamburger and a thick malt of your choice is AWESOME! The one great thing is that it has never changed. What do I mean by that, you always here that they have no fries. Yes, they don't need it. The burgers are so good, why waste the experience with anything other than just eating 2 or more sandwiches. If you want to really go for it, do the 'challenge' which is a local thing where you eat a preset amout of burgers, chips, water and malt in a certain amount of time, all I can say is "good luck." A trip to the Tendermaid will be one of the most memorable dining experience you will EVER have, trust me. Don't miss it. read more

This is a must stop in austin! Delicious, as always, and for a good price. It's a mom and pop shop that was opened a long time ago by the sweetest little lady. read more

If you want anything that's remotely healthy, this is not the place for you! They don't even put lettuce or tomatoes on their hamburgers. It's basically like a dry sloppy Joe with a bunch of American cheese or bacon or jalapeños or other condiments jammed on the top. It wasn't terrible, but I would've liked an option for some kind of vegetable besides pickles and onions. They don't even do french fries, it's just chips in a bag. It seemed a little overpriced as well. Unique concept, very friendly waitresses, but I would rather go somewhere else. read more

In town for business and the locals recommended this place. I saw on the menu that they were known for their loose meat sandwiches, I thought I was ordering a regular bacon cheeseburger and it came as a loose meat sandwich. Turned out to be pretty tasty. The wait staff were very knowledgable about the business has been there for 70 odd years. Would recommend to a friend! read more

Tender Maid in Austin has been in the same location for 76 years. The reason is the unique loose hamburger sandwiches with tasty malts. I remember having Tender Maid sandwiches 50 years ago. They are a as good today as they were back then. I grew up in the area and make Tender Maid a required stop every time I am back in Austin. The malts are excellent. If you are in the area, do not pas up a chance to eat at an iconic restaurant. read more

Stopped here for the first time today and my expectations were really high because of the yelp reviews. I was not let down! The chili cheese tender maid was life changing! Of course I had to wash it down with their legendary chocolate malt, which was delicious! read more

Your standard business food you can make at home but bad price 5x more than it costs to make!

Awesome every time! cheeseburger with bacon, and a strawberry milkshake many times over many years!

Tastes awesome but 1 burger is $4. 2 stars due to having to spend 8 dollars to get decently full and another 4 dollars for a shake.

It may be a little speedy but it is good and I love the place. If you come to austin vist the tender maid