Intro
Austin, Texas has long been a destination for food and it’s only gotten bigger and more famous. I’ve been to Austin quite a few times and always enjoy the blend of Texas weather, dive bars, Mexican influence, Asian influence, great lodging options, live music and walkability. It’s certainly not perfect. Gentrification and corporate takeover is real and sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference if you’re in Nashville/Miami/Seattle/Austin/Chicago or Denver by the development, design and architecture. American food cities have a corporate homogenization problem and Austin is not immune. BUT! It doesn’t mean it’s all bad. In fact, it’s mostly good! Just take the time to make sure you’re supporting local and independent, and chances are you’ll be eating much better.
Getting around & lodging
I like to rent a car in Austin. Especially if I’m staying outside of downtown at a cool spot like this, or wanting to visit a few places worth driving to, like one of these swimming options.
In the past I’ve stayed at The Carpenter Hotel and Arrive. Both were great but I think The Carpenter fit me better. There are so many great hotel options and Airbnbs. If you’re renting a car, make sure to look at a pretty large radius for Airbnbs. There’s some gems outside of town.
Itinerary
One of my first stops is Jester King Brewery. I love Jester King. The beer. The property. It’s a fantastic place to hang and I recommend allocating a few hours there (if you drink beer). They even have pizza and live music. Hard to beat that.
My usual haunts are:
Ramen Tatsu-ya for delicious tonkotsu ramen. Especially if I’m hungover. OMG it’s medicine (they have a few locations).
Uchiko is a must. We did a collabo dinner there a few years ago with my buddy Chef Ed and they just never miss. Not cheap, but absolutely worth it. Their fine dining sister restaurant, Uchi, is also a star and worthy of a visit.
Odd Duck Odd Duck. Back in early 2015 Sam and I did a cross country road trip for a month. We ate at over 70 restaurants getting inspired for Mabel Gray. Odd Duck was our favorite of the entire trip. An Austin staple at this point. Definitely worth a visit.
Saxon Pub is a great live music joint with cold beer and a laid back ambiance. I don’t even care who’s playing I’ll just get a seat and enjoy the scene.
@suerteatx Suerte is a fantastic masa-focused restaurant serving brunch and dinner. Comfortable, packed full of flavor with warm hospitality and a fun cocktail menu. I definitely recommend it.
A note on barbecue…
The obvious juggernaut in town is Franklin Barbecue. They need no introduction and if you’re a diehard barbecue fan you can definitely make a point to go. (They have 7k Google reviews!) This may sound crazy, but I don’t care about barbecue. Many, many people do. So I’m not naive. But if you love barbecue but hate waiting in hours long lines, you can ask your local bartender and server in Austin about their favorites and you’re likely to be referred to something I don’t know that is easier to get a plate at. La Barbecue is also pretty famous and Loro takes an Asian spin on barbecue that I enjoy. But honestly, there’s tons of barbecue content and lists and Reddit threads about Austin. So if you’re into Texas barbecue, give it some of your time to track down the right place for you.
I’m more of a taco Texas tourist. Nixta was dope and Sam and I had a great time crushing too many tacos and beers there.
A few other bangers for great meals and/or drinks are:
Canje - ‘traditional meets modern in this new-age Caribbean restaurant.’
Dai Due - hyper local, butcher focused
Launderette - café vibes in a converted laundromat/gas station
Whisler’s for cocktails
Gordon Green’s Perfect Sunday in Austin
Gordon, Mabel’s resident oyster aficionado, is from Austin. We asked him to chime in about the best way to spend your time there…
As an Austin native, my perfect Sunday back home would not include Texas BBQ, as my favorite BBQ is found 30 minutes outside of town in Lockhart, Texas.
My ideal Sunday would start with an excellent Tex-Mex brunch at Nuevo Mexico in North Austin. Think queso, enchiladas, breakfast platters and refried beans. This family-run restaurant makes all of their flour tortillas and salsas from scratch and, to me, represents what ideal Tex-Mex looks like.
After brunch, I would spend time swimming at Barton Springs. For lunch, I would go to Umarell in Hyde Park. Chef and owner Mike Graffeo has been working in restaurants since he was 15 years old and now serves New Jersey family cuisine out of a funky strip mall.
In the evening I would treat myself to some of Austin’s best sushi at Uchi. Uchi is an institution that made Austin’s food scene prolific, opening in 2003. They serve both traditional Japanese dishes as well as tasteful takes on Texas-Japanese fusion.
Ending my perfect day would be a night cap at Whisler’s, with a perfect mezcal old fashioned and perhaps some more food at Whisler’s food truck, Golden Tiger.
Activities
When you’re not eating or drinking you can check out a beautiful botanical garden or check out the Austin bats. An Austin summer staple would be to hike the Greenbelt hiking trail, which connects to Zilker Park and Zilker Pool. Take a dip and hike old, old river beds while working up your appetite.
Bring Austin to you
Listen to Slaid Cleaves album “Broke Down”
Watch Dazed and Confused
Watch Anthony Bourdain in Austin
Cook from Uchi: The Cookbook
Watch Johnny Cash’s concert at South by Southwest 1994
Listen to how Whole Foods started and blossomed into the (awful, soulless, antithesis-of-what-it-once-was) mega chain it is today.