WELCOME TO AUSTIN!
So I hear y’all are coming down to Austin in a few weeks for the Netroots Nation convention, and I reckon you might wondering what there is to eat, drink, see and do while you’re here. Though I’ve only lived here for about two years, I’ve come to really love Austin. It’s a great city, and I hope you all get a chance to see some of it while you’re down here.
To that end, I’ll be posting a few diaries over the next few weeks to get you excited about coming to Austin, and give you a sense of what’s around. They will cover food, nightlife, tourist attractions, shopping, and basic getting-around info.
Join me for the first one below the jump!
Netroots Nation Food!
Let’s kick things off with my favorite category, food. Austin’s got great food. Not only do we have world-class barbecue and stellar Tex-Mex, there’s a great variety of other kinds of food around the city sure to whet your appetite. Most places are vegetarian-friendly, with the exception of the BBQ places. In my opinion, there are three things you must eat while you're here: great barbecue (I recommend sausage), some great chips and queso, and migas, a local breakfast dish made with scrambled eggs and tortilla strips.
In no way should any of this be considered an exhaustive list. In fact, I’m only listing places I’ve been to and can personally vouch for. Other Austinites or folks familiar with the city, please post your own suggestions below. This is just to give folks a sense of what’s around. My primary focus will be places that you can walk to from the convention center, or take a short cab ride. I’ll also include a few favorites that are around town with bus instructions to get you there.
The convention center is in the heart of downtown Austin, so there’s plenty of good food nearby. I scouted around and took a few photos of some of these places to liven things up. So, in no particular order...
Restaurants Within Walking Distance of the Hilton
Las Manitas
211 Congress Ave
Mon-Fri 7am-4pm
Sat-Sun 7am-2pm
Las Manitas is an institution here in Austin, having occupied their location since 1981. The epitome of a local business, they serve up great authentic Mexican food – not Tex-Mex. The wait can be long and prices may seem a bit higher than usual, but that goes to the cost of keeping the small business afloat and paying the workers. Sitting at the counter is a lot of fun, as is checking out the local history that adorns the walls. Las Manitas recently won a battle to avoid relocation, as a hotel is going to be built on its lot. The local business one, as the hotell will be building around the Austin landmark.
Whole Foods HQ
525 N Lamar Blvd
Mon-Sun 8am-10pm
Coffee Bar opens at 6 am
Whole Foods is headquartered in Austin, and their flagship store is worth a visit, for its sheer size and the tremendous food available therein. You think you’ve seen a Whole Foods? This one has its own barbecue counter, seafood restaurant, and Italian dining area inside the store, in addition to all of the regular prepared foods you can buy to eat there. I highly, highly recommend the BBQ counter (and the root beer in the frosty mugs) – the beef is their own all-natural, mad-cow-free variety, and they make and smoke their own sausages in house. The prepared food is great, too, as is the taco bar. If you’re there for breakfast, try the breakfast chicken tacos, they’re really fantastic with just a squeeze of sour cream, and only 99 cents each. Even if you just want to drool, make sure to take a pit-stop here. A bit far too walk in the Texas heat (one mile west of the Hilton) you can catch a free Silver ‘Dillo (a trolly service named for the state small mammal, the armadillo) along 6th street, and back on 5th street. Here’s the Dillo schedule in pdf form – SilverDillo
Little City
916 Congress Ave
Mon-Fri 8am-12am
Sat 9am-12mid
Sun 9am-10pm
Austin’s got great coffee culture, and a few blocks away from the Hilton is Little City, a great independent coffee shop in downtown Austin. Sit outside if it isn’t too hot for you, or enjoy their great coffee and tasty sandwiches and salads inside.
Best Wurst
6th St and San Jacinto Blvd
Wed-Sat 8pm-3am
Best Wurst isn’t a restaurant, it’s a late-night cart on the corner of 6th Street and San Jacinto. But I would be utterly remiss if I didn’t recommend what is probably my second-favorite food purveyor here in Austin. Try the Italian sausage. Really, there’s no greater ironic pleasure in life than standing on a street corner eating a sausage the size of your forearm as legions of frat boys and sororoty girls stream by into the booze hall of their choice.
Chez Nous
510 Neches St
Tue-Fri 11:45am-2pm // 6pm-10:30pm
Sat-Sun 6pm-10.30pm
Looking for something a bit more fancy and quiet? Try Chez Nous, a fantastic French restaurant a block from the hotel. The prix-fixe dinner is a tremendous deal at about $25 for three courses. There are also great lunch specials if you have the time to slip away. I highly, highly recommend it.
Stubb’s Bar-B-Q
801 Red River St
Tue-Wed 11am-10pm
Thu-Sat 11am-11pm
Sun 11am-9pm
Stubb’s is a concert venue and BBQ place, but you can do just one or the other. It’s the best barbecue within walking distance of the Hilton, just four blocks north on Red River. I recommend the ribs, and the spicy creamed spinach. Sunday they have a gospel brunch if you’re so inclined.
Koriente Restaurant and Tea House
621 E 7th St
Mon-Thu 11am-10pm
Fri-Sat 11am-3am
Koriente’s a great local Korean and vegan-friendly restaurant with fantastic food. The highest recommendation I can give this place is that it was the first place I went after recovering from food poisoning. It was really good. Lunch comes with free miso soup and salad. Very, very tasty, cute, small local business. There’s outdoor seating on a porch in the rear. Note: it can be difficult to find.
Manuel’s Downtown
310 Congress Ave
Sun-Thu 11am-10pm
Fri-Sat 11am-12am
Fantastic interior Mexican food in a sleek setting. I’ve never been to the downtown location, only the one out by the Arboretum (a big shopping area / movie theater / etc) but the food there is fantastic. Try the enchiladas mole or any of the seafood dishes. I hear the margaritas are pretty killer, too.
Restaurants Around Austin Worth a Visit
El Chilito
2209 Manor Dr
Mon-Fri 7am-10pm
Sat 8am-10pm
Sun 8am-9pm
El Chilito is my favorite restaurant in Austin. It’s a taco place made of cinder blocks. It serves the best pork taco you will ever eat in your entire life. They serve breakfast tacos all day – breakfast tacos are a great local thing here, usually eggs and/or beans, potatoes, cheese, sausage, veggie chorizo, etc. Here, try the migas taco – scrambled eggs, chorizo, jalapeno, and strips of tortilla. Also the fish taco is fantastic, as is the spicier of the chicken tacos if you like your food really hot. Getting there: You can take the Orange Dillo (opens .pdf map/schedule) for free during the lunchtime hours, catch it on Congress. Otherwise you can take the #20 bus (opens .pdf map/schedule) for 50 cents a ride. But if it’s not during lunch time, I’d get a group together and split a cab. In Austin you have to call to get a cab. I’ll cover that in our fifth diary.
Chuy’s
1728 Barton Springs Rd
Sun-Thu 11am-10:30pm
Fri-Sat 11am-11:30pm
Chuy’s is another Austin favorite, and one of the many places where the Bush twins were busted for underage drinking / using a fake ID. The food’s great, it’s very much traditional Tex-Mex. One of my friends lives and dies for the creamy jalapeno dip. Expect to wait. I don’t know how you’d really take the bus there – split a cab or find someone to carpool with.
Uncle Billy’s Brew & Que
1530 Barton Springs Road
Mon-Sun 11am-2am
Uncle Billy’s is right near Chuy’s on Barton Springs Rd, and is also notable because I took casperr, mindoca and hekebolos there for dinner when they came down to Texas to volunteer before our primary-caucus. It’s a barbecue and brew pub, they make their own beer. The barbecue is faaantastic. Order family style. Don’t forget the mac n cheese, and ask for the dangerously hot sauce if just to see it – there’s a skull and cross bones on the bottle. As with Chuy’s, I’d split a cab or carpool to get over here.
The Dog and Duck
406 W 17th St at Guadalupe
Mon-Sat 11am-2am
Sun 12pm-2am
The Dog and Duck is a great pub up near the University of Texas with fantastic beers on tap and great pub food. I love their fish and chips. Great outdoor seating. Via bus, take the #1 or the #5 going north from Congress Ave to Lavaca and 17th street and walk west to Guadalupe.
Veggie Heaven
1914 Guadalupe St
Mon-Fri 11am-9pm
Sat-Sun 12pm-9pm
Veggie Heaven is pretty close to Dog & Duck as well, a few blocks north and across from UT’s campus. Great for vegetarians and healthy eaters, and they have really cute t-shirts as well. Portions are pretty generous. Via bus, take the #1 or the #5 going north from Congress Ave to Guadalupe and 19th / Martin Luther King Jr Blvd.
Kerbey Lane
2606 Guadalupe St
Mon-Sun 24 hours
There are several Kerbey Lane locations here in Austin, a great local 24-hour place that serves up all sorts of food. I love their various seasonal pancakes. This location on Guadalupe is a bit further up from Dog & Dock and Veggie Heaven, and is the closest to downtown. Open 24 hours, probably the best place to get a great meal late at night. FYI, buses aren’t really an option after 10 p.m. Otherwise, take the #1 north to Guadalupe and 26th street.
Hyde Park Bar & Grill
4206 Duval St
Mon-Sun 11am-12am
A local favorite, Hyde Park Bar & Grill has the best french fries in town – they’re battered and served with a spicy remoulade. The turkey burger is also great. This place is up in Hyde Park, one of Austin’s residential neighborhoods, and also one of its most Democratic-voting. Take the #7 bus north from Congress Ave to Duval and 42nd.
Mother’s
4215 Duval St
Mon-Fri 11:15am-10pm
Sat-Sun 10am-10pm
Mother’s is across the street from Hyde Park Bar & Grill, and is known for its fantastic vegetarian and vegan foods. There can be a wait, but it’s worth it for those looking for healthy vegetarian options. Take the #7 bus north from Congress Ave to Duval and 42nd.
The Salt Lick
18300 FM Rd 1826
Driftwood, TX
Mon-Sun 11am-10pm
Ok, I have to mention The Salt Lick. The Salt Lick is an amazing, fantastic, breathtaking barbecue about 19 miles south of Austin in Driftwood. If you want to see some of the Hill Country, or you have family coming along who wants something to do, I recommend heading down to The Salt Lick. They also sell their sauce in bottles. Go for the all-you-can-eat if there’s more than 4 of you. Oh, it’s so good. Expect to wait on the weekends.
Note: for those of you who don’t make it down there, they have a little taco outpost and a regular BBQ venue at the Austin airport. It’s not the same, but...
Ok! That’s just a few places to get your mouth watering. Other folks in Austin, tell me where you love to eat, and if it’s not downtown, remember to provide some sort of directions.
I hope you’re all feeling hungry, and can’t wait to see you all here in July!