my austin, texas what to eat & where to play shortlist
When a good friend of mine asked for my go to Austin spots, I decided I would jot them down for her and post it up for all!
1) Matt’s El Rancho – order anything off the menu-it is all good, but you MUST order the Bob Armstrong Dip (my favorite queso ever) and an order or 2 of fresh tortillas. Lots of variety in margarita choices, but my favorite is the Sangria Margarita. Note: This place is busy, but it is big so either come earlier or expect a wait. I went here with my roommates in college 1997-2000 and this place is still rockin because it is that good. In the Tex Mex category, an absolute must in a visit here, Chuy’s, Lupe Tortilla’s, Trudy’s and Hula Hut get honorable mentions as great options to hit as well! (There are SO many more!!)
2) Mount Bonnell – Fill a tote with a few of your favorite drinks whether beer or kombucha or iced coffee or whatever, show up here 45 minutes to an hour before your phone tells you sunset will be happening that night, and find your spot to watch the sunset over Lake Austin. Yes, it is actually a river, but because it is dammed on both sides, they call these areas lakes. They can do that because-darn it-this is Texas. They reserve the right to call a “river” a “lake” and to mispronounce Spanish words for streets and city whenever they feel like it. Lol.
3) Barton Springs Pool – plan to go swimming at this natural spring watering hole. It’s a very popular place so probably earlier in the day or later in the day will yield the least busy results. It is a uniquely Austin experience. Consider hitting the nearby food truck pod called “The Picnic” after a good swim for lunch or a snack.
4) Mozart’s Coffee – located on Lake Austin, this cute coffee and dessert place has a great deck with plenty of tables. Park in the parking lot across the street and use crosswalk. We went most recently early evening on a Friday night and it was less busy and had live music. Fun to drop by later in the night too.
5) Oasis Texas Brewing Company – the Oasis is known for its large outdoor restaurant overlooking Lake Travis. Gorgeous sunsets and the food is pretty good. The locals like to hit the Taproom area instead of the restaurant and order off the abbreviated food menu and grab a drink on the patio with the same great scenic views as the restaurant, yet isn’t as busy ALL the time.
6) Whataburger – a beloved fast food favorite of Texas and surrounding states. Get a burger on Texas Toast. It isn’t going to blow your mind, but it is absolutely so very Texas. Late night between 11pm and 11am, it’s a double jackpot when you can order a burger and get a delicious potato breakfast taquito at the same time. A quick late night munchies shout out also to Taco Cabana. I do not know another place at 2am that you can drive-through and order queso and a dozen fresh tortillas. Good times, my friend, good times.
7) Tyler’s – we love to hit this store every time we get to Austin. Lots of fun local gifts and t-shirts, but they also carry great brands of stylish casual and active wear.
8) Texas BBQ – ok so here is the sitch: Franklin’s BBQ is known as the best these days. It also takes standing in line half the day to acquire this food. I have not been in town long enough lately that I wanted to invest that kind of time in one place when other options were all over! For some yummy & cheap BBQ, hit a location of Rudy’s BBQ. Whatever you order, get the extra moist brisket too. There is also the OG BBQ that is Salt Lick. The original is a little bit outside of Austin in the sticks, but there are several in town locations now including a small one in the Austin airport. If you are looking for a sit down BBQ experience and don’t want to wait for Franklin’s, I highly recommend getting out to Salt Lick. Two words: “Burnt Ends”
9) After BBQ - If you happen to wind up at the Round Rock location of Salt Lick, drop by Round Rock Donuts for their famous Orange glazed donuts (not orange flavored, just orange colored). They are served warm, like a glazed donut should be. Haha. A note to people visiting Austin area with their families: A brand new location of the Kalahari Resort just opened in Round Rock recently. It is like a Great Wolf Lodge with an indoor/outdoor waterpark that comes with the price of the hotel stay. I personally would say it is even better though. If you are in another part of the city than Round Rock gettin’ your BBQ on, find the closest location of long-time local favorite, Amy’s Ice Cream. (And thank me later..)
10) Go Batty! - Finally, go visit the millions of bats & bat pups under the Congress Avenue bridge in Austin. They all fly out at once at dusk; and though you can find a spot on land to watch this happen, I highly recommend the inexpensive Capital Cruises Bat Tour. You show up about 730pm for a 8pm take off. The friendly tour operator shows you around a bit on the water giving you a brief history of the area and then positions the boat perfectly to see the bats when they fly out to go eat at dusk. It may sound simple or only mildly interesting, but it is worth your time and unique. So. Cool.
My friends, this list is just scratching the surface of this great city. I didn’t mention the cool murals to check out, the awesome campus of UT Austin (though I admit I am biased), the sculpture parks, or the beautiful Capital building. I didn’t give details of the many art exhibits around town or the funky bars on Rainey street. I didn’t touch on the 2 uniquely awesome watering holes (called “Jacob’s Well” and “Hamilton Pool”) outside of Austin that you should definitely check into ahead of your trip to snag a reservation for or point to the 2 rivers south of Austin, the Comal and the Guadalupe, that you can rent a tube to float on (that is, if you choose not to hit the world famous Schlitterbahn waterpark nearby)!
And by all means, catch some live music if you can during your stay in this the “live music capital of the world”, make a point to drive outside of Austin to go check out the ridiculousness that is “Buc’ee’s”, and get some “Migas” and strawberry banana oatmeal french toast for brunch at Kerbey Lane as well!!
It was in this eclectic Texas hill country city that Jesus got a hold of me and so it was a no brainer, coupled with all of its endearing weirdness, that it would hold a special place in my heart and years later, I would one day even choose to name a son after it. :)