Austin Texas Roundup

Howdy y’all ;) We had a blast in Austin and literally ate our weight in amazing food the entire weekend. It’s such a lively, walkable city with tons to do, a phenomenal coffee culture, and the food is some of the best I’ve experienced. I loved it so much that I obviously had to round up all my favorite spots we tried + those that were recommended, bringing you the comprehensive list below!

My main piece of advice is to MAKE ALL RESERVATIONS IN ADVANCE! Austin is poppin’ and it’s difficult to get into these good spots & activities without planning ahead.

WHERE TO STAY IN ATX

• Kimpton Hotel Van Zandt (Where we stayed)

  • Luxury, modern hotel in Downtown Austin with a fun pool. However, it’s located right next to Rainy street which can be quite loud during the night. Request a room facing Lady Bird Lake if you like sleeping.

• The Line Hotel (My Pick)

  • Trendy mid-century modern hotel with a fun pool and cool rooftop bar in Downtown Austin. Veracruz All Natural and Alfred Coffee are also both located inside The Line, making it my personal top choice.

• Hotel Magdelena

  • Super cute boutique style hotel in the heart of South Congress (amazing area) next to great shopping and dining options.

COFFEE

• Mañana Austin

• Two Hands

• Merit Coffee

• Houndstooth Coffee

• Revival Coffee

• Good Things ATX

• Flat Track Coffee

• Figure 8

Mañana coffee

Two Hands Coffee

BREAKFAST/BRUNCH

• Paper Boy-Trendy restaurant serving Merit coffee and good breakfast/brunch.

• Veracruz All Natural-Best breakfast tacos I’ve ever had. Add on a fresh juice or smoothie. Pro tip: Order online to avoid the insane lines.

• Two Hands-If I lived in Austin, I’d be here weekly. Beautiful restaurant (with a coffee shop inside) serving yummy food and cocktails from morning to night.

• Taquero Mucho

• Summer House on Music Lane

Veracruz All Natural

Paper Boy

Two Hands

LUNCH + DINNER

Where We Went and Loved:

• Aba-Upscale mediterranean restaurant with trendy vibes. Probably my favorite meal in Austin. Make a ressie weeks in advance OR try the day or two before or get on waitlist for cancelation. We thankfully had luck with the latter.

• Loro-Asian smokehouse and bar from the creators of Terry Blacks and Uchi. Cute/casual spot with lots of outdoor seating and great + unique food. No reservations.

• De Nada Cantina-Bomb Tex Mex, queso and slushie margs. Cute/casual environment.

• Torchy’s Tacos-It might be a chain but it’s a damn good one. Delicious and wide selection of tacos + bomb queso. You can find multiple locations across ATX.

Aba

De Nanda Cantina

Loro

Other Recommended Eateries:

• Luties-Chic fine dining

• Matties-Home style southern food in a cute house style building

• Perlas South Congress-Seafood and oyster bar

• Homeslice Pizza-Order at the counter order pizza joint

• Fareground Austin-Cool food hall downtown Austin with 6 eateries and all day coffee/cocktails. Casual/walk up.

BEST BBQ

• Terry Black’s BBQ

• Franklin Barbecue

• The Salt Lick BBQ

Terry Black’s BBQ

ACTIVITIES

• Rent a Retro Boat at Lady Bird Lake-I’m super bummed we couldn’t do this! Reservations need to be made in advance b/c these book up fast!

• Hang out at The Yard, a mixed use development with a brewery, winery, distillery, food trucks and businesses.

• Stroll the shops on SoCo

• Spend the day on the water at Lake Travis

• Dine and shop at The Domain

Lady Bird Lake

For additional ideas of things to do in Austin, check out this site!