WHAT TO DO IN AUSTIN?
Coming to Austin? Already live here and never know where to go? Well we are going to start posting reviews to keep you informed. Scroll down to see the complete listing of fun stuff to do in town!
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RESTAURANTS MEXICAN El Sol y La Luna (1224 S. Congress Ave) - Enchiladas Zacatecas. Who knew heaven had guacamole-cream sauce on it. Nice little band on Friday nights |
The Latest Reviews... Dee & Jim's Lounge 3808 S. Congress Avenue This could easily be my new favorite bar in Austin. Is it because the beer and pool is cheap? Perhaps the fact that it is within walking distance from my house helps? Maybe it is because the bartender and patrons seemed nice as can be? Nope. Its because there in the juke box they have The Best Little Hoar house in Texas soundtrack, oh I was in heaven. Any beer, even cheap beer is better with Dolly cooing through the speakers.
Red Fez 209 W 5th St I have been o this place 3 times now. The first two the crowd was pretty white, the ,music was pretty dancy and guys with lots of hair gel were buying me drinks. Third time was a charm. After an engagement with friends at The Alamo Draft house around the corner we all came over to the Red Fez for a drink. The key is it was on a Wednesday. Now the bar is very swanky, but you pay for the ambiance because the drinks are quite pricey. Wednesdays however it is worth it just to hear the DJ. I heard Joy Division, The Smiths, The London Suede, Nick Cave hit after hit. If I go back I will make sure it is on a Wednesday and the DJ of my dreams is going to be there.
China on the Avenue 908 Congress Let me just start this review with the fact that I do not like Chinese food. Majority of the time it is either swimming in some dark brown gravy or worse yet that clear gravy that I am convinced doubles in pornos for baby batter. I try to accommodate my boyfriend occasionally and eat Chinese food with him, since he is a big fan. On the night we went to China on the Avenue it finally paid off. The food was good, damn good. Now given I had the Singapore Vermicelli which tasted a whole lot like Paad Thai, but still at least I had the non-gravy option. Did I mention the sparse, but succulent shrimp. Chris got the Jalapeno beef. It was very spicy and damn yummy, I even liked it sauce and all. The building is nice and cozy, downtown with a big wooden bar. The tab was $30 and that included two mixed drinks, Singapore Slings to be exact.
The State Theatre 719 Congress Avenue I am not all that experienced in the theatre world. I saw Cats at The Globe Theatre in London once and A Tuna Christmas at the Paramount in Austin. So its not like The State Theatre had a whole lot to live up to, I am pretty easily impressed. With that said it comes as no surprise I had a wonderful time at my one and only visit to the State Theatre. I went and saw “The Gifts of the Magi” a play based on the story written by one time Austin resident O’Henry. The theatre was small and not as swanky as some, but I swear I could see the stage better here than at The Paramount. The seats were plenty comfy and you could buy drinks in the lobby and bring them in with you. Hell I might even get tickets to see Tennessee Williams “The Glass Menagerie” here in the spring.
The Driskill 166 E. 6th Street The Driskill stands proud and pristine on Austin’s 6th street. Probably the swankiest and most well known hotel in town. Stars stay here, rich people have their wedding here, the whole 9 yards. In other words people like me don’t frequent with this joint. There is also an upscale restaurant and a piano lounge bar. If you are down on 6th street and look half decent you might pop into the bar for a drink for a real taste of Texas. Austin is an exception to the Texas rule and The Driskill Bar gives you more of a Houston/Dallas feel. Sure there was a blind guy singing show tunes on a piano like a real lounge, but Dwight Yokum would have been more appropriate. There were cowboy paintings and sculptures everywhere, cow hide clad furniture, and mounted animal heads all over. The best part of this hotel I hear is the lobby and the bar so why fork over the money to stay the night when you could grab a gin and tonic and soak in the ambiance in under an hour. Romantic and charming, recommended with a date.
Nuevo Leon 1501 E. 6th Street. The only thing truly authentic Mexican about this place is that it is located on the East side of town, beyond that their food rates right up there with Ponchos. I have been here 3 times now and was never once impressed. They have moved to a larger location, almost encompassing a city block. A tale tale sign of good Mexican food, if there is not one Hispanic person in the joint and all you can see are Gringo’s that tells you something. My food was cold, mediocre and expensive. The service blew, it was my friend’s birthday and when we mentioned this our shitty waiter acted like he could have cared less let along cough up a complimentary praline or even a Happy Birthday. The food was also expensive. Now their margaritas are a force to be reckoned with and are almost worth the drive in and of themselves.
Curras 614 E. Oltorf I hate it when I do this. I go to a place I eat there I think it sucks and then I hear so many people give the damn place rave reviews I convince myself I just got the wrong thing so I go back and think it sucks again. This was my experience with Curras. Sucks is a strong word, but not far from the truth. The service was sub-par, they kept bringing us the wrong orders when they came to the table at all. I had the shrimp chiplote enchiladas which I was cautioned on y the staff was very spicy. I grow habaneros and jalapenos in my yard, the sauce was bland and the shrimp were tiny and of the frozen variety. I was drawn back to try their famous avocado margaritas, again I was not impressed. Two strikes against them, Curras is not on the highly recommended list.
The Whiskey Bar 303 W. 5th Street Doesn’t get much more white bread meat market than this place. That is par for the course in the warehouse district. Sure the place is nice enough, but it is always crowded (and I mean a line to get in), the drinks are expensive (their average clientele can afford it) and the people there are looking to mate. Why was I there you ask if the place was so bad (which really it wasn’t)? Well because my sister’s art is on the wall and that makes the whole trip worthwhile. Walking into the bar (which takes up three rooms) in the second or middle room you can find her work. Patrons of Emo’s familiar with the door staff and bartenders might recognize her subject matter, the piece is entitled “Who Shang?”.
Salvation Army 4216 S. Congress This place is right by my house and I had never frequented the joint, why. The clothes are cheap and the place is huge. I found some treasures here. My one complaint is that they seem to put any old thing out on the racks. By this I mean I picked up more than one item thinking I had found the score of the century and to my disappointment on closer inspection the garment was horribly stained beyond repair. Some clothes just need to be thrown away rather than resold. I did come home with a bag full of items, so all is not lost. See more reviews at the bottom of the page! |
BARS
6th Street Area (our equivalent of Bourbon St. in New Orleans) Casino El Camino's (517 E. 6th St.) - Where the hipsters on 6th Street go. 50's feel, and damn good bar food. If you're at Emo's and hungry run over there! |
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Taqueria Arandas #5 (S. 1st St.) - "This place is so cheap and yummy I get confused." |
Club Deville (900 Red River) - Austin's version of swanky. Nice patio. | |
| Chuy's (1728 Barton Springs Road)- Kind of an Austin tradition. Oh so yummy and appeasing to the eye as well as the palate. | Lovejoys (604 Neches St.) - Lot's of beer. Sound Exchange does the jukebox, so you can play pool and listen to The Birthday Party and The Minute Men. | |
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Hula Hut (3825 Lake Austin Blvd) - Picture Mexican food in Hawaii. Sit out on the dock and overlook Lake Austin. |
Jaime's (802 Red River) - Mexican food restaurant, but Jamie-a-ritas will f' you up. | |
| Nuevo Leon (2213 Tanglevine) - On the east side. Cheap mediocre food, that a lot of people seem to enjoy more than myself. | Tu-Shays or Cheers Shot Bar (somewhere on 6th St.) - When in Texas you have our native drink Dr. Pepper, here they have one on fire, a shot called a Flaming Dr. Pepper. | |
| Polvo's (2004 S. First) - It does not get any cheaper. The service sucks, but the food rocks. I have their al pastor and picadillo tacos almost weekly. | Iron Cactus (606 Trinity St) - Get there early and sit on the roof with a margarita and overlook all the people on 6th Street. | |
| Taco Express (S. Lamar) - great strawberry margaritas and breakfast tacos, not to mention a giant women with big boobs on the roof. | Dowtown/Warehouse
District
Elephant Room (Congress) - Smokey little club in the basement of a Sushi bar. Live jazz. |
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La Feria (1816 S. Lamar) - Cheap as all get out and Thursdays are discount margarita night with a Mariachi band. |
Cedar Door (910 W. Cesar Chavez St.) - Older crowd and Mexican Martini's. |
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| Guero's (1412 S. Congress) - 3 Kinds of salsa's. White man's Mexican Food. | Oil Can Harry's - If I were gay and into dancing this is the club I would go to. | |
| El Arroyo's (1624 W. 5th Street) - Kind of fratty, but a lot of people live there at happy hour time. | The Gingerman (304 W. 4th St.) - College Kids and business men and every kind of beer you can imagine. | |
| Curra's (614 E. Oltorf) - Everyone but me is ape shit about this place. | Fado's (214 W. 4th St) - The legend goes that it's an authentic old Irish bar some rich guy had moved to Austin. | |
| El Mercado (1302 S. First St.) - Yummy chicken burritos with garlic sour cream sauce. | The B-Side (Colorado St.) - Have a glass of wine and recline of the 50's furniture. | |
| Freebirds (1000 E. 41st St.) - The John Holmes of burritos. The thing is HUGE. Not terribly authentic, but scump-diddly-umptious. | Star Bar (600 W. 6th St.)- Older more sophisticated crowd. A little pricey. | |
| Trudy's (409 W. 30th) - Everyone here is nuts about their salsa! Coconut margaritas and Mexican martinis are better than the food. Several Locations. |
North Carousel Lounge (1110 E. 52nd St.) - Giant pink elephant and beer. |
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| Pato's Good Taco's (1400 E. 38th ½) - The Food is good enough, but be sure to go on a Thursday or a Saturday when its karoke night! | LaLa's Little Nugget (2207 Justin Ln) - Dance floor and Dolly Parton on the jukebox. Not to mention Christmas decorations up year round. Oldies and beer only. | |
| Z Tejas (9400 Arboretum Blvd) - Fancy smancy Mexican food. A little pricey. Choose the north location and eat out on their deck. | About-Time Bar - next to a porno store. "The scariest gay bar I ever accidentally walked into." | |
| Juan in a Million (2300 E. Caesar Chavez) - An east side joint, this place is packed all the time, so that must say something. The name alone cracks me up. | Jenny's Little Longhorn Saloon - this place is real nice..cheap lone star..and look out for "little bit and her country husbands" fine Texas swing music. | |
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Americana Hut's (807 W. 6th St) - Hamburgers and fries done right. Lot's of old Austin paraphernalia adorn the walls. |
C-Hut's - This place is dirty but cheap..i think the floor is covered in either rocks or maybe some kind of sea shell..maybe oysters? | |
| Fran's on S. Congress (1822 S. Congress) - It's worth it to see the giant plastic 50's waitress that sits on top of the joint. More burgers. | Poodle Dog Lounge - People here own bull dogs, not poodles. Rough and rowdy and shows that other people besides wealthy dot com 20 somethings live in Austin. | |
| Texadelphia (2422 Guadalupe St) - These big hot sammiches with tons of sliced beef and sweet peppers and stuff. Mmmmmm Good. |
East The Back Room (2015 E. Riverside) - Heavy Metal and really cheap beer. |
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| Texicalli (Oltorf) - same kind of sammiches, way more atmosphere. The walls of this joint are coated with Austin history. Dr. Pepper with real cane sugar, home brewed root beer, and run by the self proclaimed mayor of S. Austin. | Central/Campus
Area
Nasty's (606 Maiden Lane) - Go to the Fuzz Club last Saturday of every month and hear DJ Sue spin the 60's garage rock hits. |
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| Threadgills (301 W, Riverside) - Meat and potatoes. Where old Armadillo World Headquarters music venue used to stand. ACDC had their first US show there! | Crown & Anchor (2911 San Jacentio) - Really cheap beer on Monday nights. Older college kids, and a good place to practice reading sign language. | |
| Kerby Lane (Kerby Lane)- Austin favorite. 4 locations. Mighty yummy and lot's of vegetarian options. | Charlie's (1301 Lavaca St.) - Gay bar of choice for my friends. | |
| Sandy's (603 Barton springs) - Little walk up burger joint. Thursdays and Saturdays get the burger/fries/drink combo deal for $1.99, vintage neon sign and frozen custard. | Dry Creek Saloon - More than one person has mentioned the bitchy lady that owns this joint, but it's worth it for the rooftop view and the oldie-country hits in the juke box. | |
| Shady Grove (1624 Barton springs) - True Austin. Sit outside, the bathroom is in a trailer and they show old cartoons on a movie screen. |
COFFEE BARS Flipnotics (1601 Barton Springs) - Cuteness with Indoor Outdoor Seating. I like the aquarium inside the old TV frame. |
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| Thundercloud (EVERYWHERE) - Austin's homemade version of Subway. Get thundersauce on whatever you get. | Mozart's Coffee Bar (3825 Lake Austin) - Sit outside and sip your java with the rich people while overlooking Lake Austin. | |
| Magnolia Café (1920 S. Congress) - A lot like Kerby Lane. A little bit of this and that and plenty of BO and vegetarian stuff. |
Spiderhouse (2908 Fruth) - In Hyde Park, where the graduate students congregate. |
| Star Seeds Café (3101 N. IH35) - Where the scensters eat greasy food and the waitstaff smells as bad as its patrons. | Quacks (The Drag) - Wanna go where Linklater films, hit this spot on the drag. | |
| Frisco Shop (5819 Burnet Rd.) - Last of the night hawk chain. Diner style and old folks. | Gabby and Moe's (1809 Manor Rd) - Lots' of bands play here too! | |
| Dirty Martin's Kum-Bak Place (2808 Guadalupe St.)- As if this burger joints name is not reason enough to go. | Joe's (S. Congress) - Little hipster coffee stand in SoCo (South Congress) | |
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Avenue B Grocery (4403 Avenue B) - Its really a grocery store with yummy sandwiches. |
Little City (916 Congress Ave) - Two locations. I like the one downtown. | |
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Middle Eastern / Greek Marakech (Congress) - You will dream about their stuffed grape leaves. |
Momoko (705 W. 24th St.) - Well it's Japanese bubble tea and not coffee. They have food now too and lot's of Anime toys like the "I Kill Ninjas" girl. | |
| Ararat (111 E. North Loop Blvd) - Go on the weekend and check out the Belly Dancing. If you have a party of 6 you can sit in a pillowed opium den. Damn fun. BYOB. |
SNACKS Jim Jim's Water Ice ( 615 E. 6th St.)- 6th street exotic snowcones. |
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| Longhorn Po Boys (2801 Guadalupe St.) - Best damn falafel sandwiches in town. | Amy's Ice Cream (1012 W. 6th St.) - Shiner Back beer flavored ice cream. | |
| Kismet (411 W. 24th St.) - If your on the drag and Tahini sauce starts to call your name. |
Snowcones on Lamar - at the intersection of Lamar and Barton Springs grab a snow cone. |
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Vietnamese Kim Phung (7601 N. Lamar)- Cheapest Noodle Bowl this side of the Mason Dixon Line. BYOB and yummy as hell. I recommend the charbroiled pork and egg rolls. |
RECORD STORES Waterloo (600 N. Lamar) - It's rumored that Rebecca Gates of Spinanes fame claims this as her favorite record store in the nation. |
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| Pho Kong Li - Noodle Bowls on 6th Street, it's a franchise and a little pricey. | Tower Records (2402 Guadalupe St.) - It's the same in Austin as it is in every other town. | |
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Saigon Kitchen (4323 S. IH 35)- Right off the highway down south, I hear it's better than Kim Phung, but that is hard to believe. |
Thirty Three Degrees (4017 Guadalupe St.) - Where the white college kids shop. Thrill Jockey headquarters. | |
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Thai Bangkok Cuisine (9041 Research Blvd) - Yes it's in a strip mall, but it is one of the oldest Thai restaurants in Austin. |
Sound Exchange (2100 Guadalupe St.) - If you can stand the body odor and G.G. Allin playing good place for vinyl. Dollar records in the back room. | |
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Thai Noodle House (2602 Guadalupe St.) - Close to campus. Kind of sucky service, but really yummy dumplings. The owner is a doctor of food sciences, it has to be good. |
Antones (2928 Guadalupe St.) - Where you are going to find lot's of old blues records. Yes it is associated with the venue of the same name. | |
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Japanesse Kyoto (315 Congress Ave.)- You get to take your shoes off and sit on the floor. A little pricey, but worth it. |
VENUES Emo's (603 Red River) - Where the crème de la crème of Indie and punk play. |
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Musashinou Sushi (3407 Greystone Dr)- The best (and priciest) sushi in town. |
The Red Eyed Fly (715 Red River) - the first runner up to Emo's title, nice bathrooms. | |
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Chinese Suzi's (1152 Lamar Blvd) - There is a north and a south location. |
The Mercury - Just recently starting to hosts shows of interest like Spoon and The Sea and Cake. Pretty nice, and big! | |
| Shanghai River (2700 W. Anderson Lane)- Wed, Thurs, and Sun nights GIANT vegetarian buffet. | Hole in the Wall (2538 Guadalupe) - Old Hippies on the drag. | |
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Buffet Palace (1012 W. Anderson Lane)- If it's Asian and edible it's there, voted Austin's best buffet. |
Antones (213 W. 5th St.) - the famous blues club where the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughn have played. | |
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Cajun Old Alligator Grill (3003 S. Lamar) - 5 cent shrimp and 25 cent oysters on the half shell. Where Jennifer Anniston worked in that movie Office Space. |
The Ritz (320 E. 6th Street) - Plush upstairs stadium seating where the bands play. Above a giant pool hall down below. Grab a pitcher while you wait for the show to start. | |
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Italian Frank and Angies (508 W. Ave.) - quaint and cute, where Tarantino goes. Smallish portions. |
Flamingo Cantina (515 E. 6th St.) - Weird little place that is decorated rasta style and hosts bands from Aloha on Polyvinyl to Dj Spooky to 2 Live Crew. | |
| Pizza Nizza (16088 Barton Springs) - Tackiest Italian restaurant in town. A tree that grows straight through the middle of the joint, arty pizza is good. | Black Cat Lounge (309 E. 6th St.) - You need to go experience The Flametrick Subs and Satan's Cheerleaders at least once. | |
| Mangia (3500 Guadalupe St) - More yummy arty pizza closer to campus. |
La Zona Rosa (612 W. 4th St.) - Where the bigger bands play. |
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| Romeo's (1500 Barton springs Rd) - Supposedly Austin's most romantic restaurant. Yummy food, and I do typically get laid after I eat there so it must be true. |
SHAKE DAT' ASS Spiro's (611 Red River) - I have never been, but every time I am walking to Emo's the place is crammed pack |
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Brick Oven (1209 Red River) - A Little pricey, but good pizza. Chicken with pine-nut pasta is pretty damn good too. |
Paradox (311 E. 5th St.) - Typical frat boy dance place, retro Sundays. | |
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New York Deli Kats (6th Street) - "It Never Kloses". Expensive, but you can smoke here and they have friend pickles! |
Atomic Café (705 Red River) - Where I would go to re-live my Goth days. Lot's of kids in black patten leather. New Wave Sundays | |
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BBQ The Salt Lick (18300 FM Rd.1826) - Way the hell out in the sticks. BYOB. Yummy BBQ in a real down home feel. |
Polly Esters (404 Colorado St.) - I think this place is a chain. Like 3 different rooms of retro music. I hear the have retro Karoke on the back porch! | |
| Stubbs (801 Red River St.) - Where else can you see The John Spencer Blues Explosion play and eat ribs and potato salad all at once. Sunday Gospel brunch. |
SIGHTSEEING The UT Tower - Well dugh where they guy shot everybody. It's open again for tours. |
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| County Line (6500 Bee Caves Rd) - I hear they are a chain, but they are still goody. | Mt. Bonnel - Climb the never ending staircase to see one of the best views of Austin. Romance. | |
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Vegetarian Veggie Heaven (1914 Guadalupe St. #A) - Where good vegetables go when they die. |
The Capital (13th and Congress) - The prettiest in the country (and taller than the national capital). Not to mention Texas had the 1st woman governor in the USA, go see Ma Ferguson's bust. | |
| Muthers - A Vegetarian's wet dream in Hyde Park. Who knew there was vegetarian meat loaf. They don't have real cokes, and that really pissed me off. | Moon Towers - Austin's street lighting once upon a time were moon towers, 165 feet tall carbon street lamps. 17 still exist in town. | |
| Mr. Natural (1901 E. Caesar Chavez) - If there was ever such a thing as vegetarian Mexican food, they have concocted it here. | Lady Bird Johnson Wild Flower Center - The name says it all. | |
| West Lynn Café (1110 W. Lynn) - A little pricey and fancy side, but yummy. | Zilker Botanical Gardens (2220 Barton Springs) - Because plants are nice. | |
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Caribbean Calabash (2015 Manor Rd) Yummy fried plantains. Live music on Thursday's, voted best place to wear sequins. |
Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve (805 N. Capital of Texas Hwy)- They have guided star gazing tours on certain summer nights. | |
| Café Josie (1200 W. 6th Street) - 4 Stars in the Austin American Statesmen. | Umlauf Sculpture Gardens (Barton Springs) - Rock Sculpture Garden. | |
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Indian Star of India - Souper yummy buffet. Austin does not have a huge Indian population. |
ART MUSEUMS Women and their Work (1710 Lavaca St) - pretty self explanatory. |
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I'm Rich Mezzaluna (310 Colorado St.)- Best Italian food in town. Downtown location is the better of the two. Not much atmosphere. |
La Guna Gloria (3809 W. 35th St.) - If for no other reason than to go look around the grounds, and sit down by the water. | |
| Fondo San Miguel - Beautiful interior. Delicious Mexican food. Sunday Brunch. | Art on 5 th (1501 W. 5th St.) - Dr. Suess and Andy Warhol. | |
| Sullivan's (300 Colorado St.) - Upscale joint in the Warehouse district. Steak is good. | Austin Museum of Modern Art (823 Congress Ave) - Right downtown. Tuesday nights are half price. | |
| East Side Café (2113 Manor Rd) - Yummy gourmet food, souper fresh veggies and herbs from their own garden. In a little quaint house on the east side holmes. | O' Henry Museum (409 E. 5th St.) - Remember that story The Gift of the Magi, well O'Henry was once an Austin resident and we have the museum to prove it. | |
| Jean Luc's Bistro (705 Colorado St) - Hey this is where we went when I finally graduated from College! French food at it's finest. Great wine selection and the salmon in dill sauce is wonderful. |
Shopping Garb-a-go-go (1906 Guadalupe St.) - Used clothing on the drag. |
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| Basil's (900 W. 10th St) - More pricey Italian food, in an old house, my sister swears by it. | New Bohemia (1606 S. Congress) - Lot's of furniture and such too, but also lot's of vintage clothing. I got my very favorite sweater here. | |
| Castle Hill Café (1101 W. 5th St) - The menu changes every two weeks. | Emeralds (624 N. Lamar) - Damn pricey, damn pretty clothes. | |
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Breakfast Taco Express (S. Lamar) - come experience Chorizo, egg, and cheese breakfast tacos. Sometimes a long ass line. |
Book People (603 N. Lamar) - Gigantic locally owned and operated book store. Blows the doors off Boarders and Barnes and Losers. | |
| G&M Steakhouse (626 N. Lamar) - Little bitty diner. Yummy lunch and dinner food too. Weird (but good) breakfast tacos. | Book Women (918 W. 12th St.) - Austin's own feminist book store. | |
| Polvo's (2004 S. First) - the food Is just as yummy and the service is just as shitty at breakfast. | Buffalo Exchange (2904 Guadalupe St.) - A selective hip thrift store. They buy your clothes from you for money or trade. Pretty cool. | |
| Kerby Lane - Omelets that will jump up and give you a blow job as my mother says. | Tesoro's (209 Congress Ave) - Mexican import's downtown. | |
| Magnolia Café - Get there early! Three Alarm Taco's or Gingerbread pancakes! | Savers Thrift Store (4001 S. Lamar) - Damn cheap. I got an awesome leopard skin jacket for $5.00! | |
| Krispy Kreme (N. Austin) - You get to watch them make the doughnuts! The doughnut God's of the South. | Blue Velvet (2100 Guadalupe St.) - Voted Austin's best vintage clothing. | |
| El Nopalito (2809 S. First) - Little bitty dive. Get an egg and cactus breakfast taco. Dugh, what do you think Nopalito means in Spanish. | Toy Joy (2900 Guadalupe St.) - Weird toys. Lot's of Japanese imports. This place had Hello Kitty before the malls did. | |
| Round Rock Doughnuts (1732 N. Mays St. Roundrock, TX) - They are orange in color, but not in flavor | Lucy in the Sky - Costume store on SoCo. You can buy or rent. | |
| La Mexicana Bakery (1924 S. First) - More Mexican pastries than you can shake a stick at get some pumpkin empanadas and a Coke from South of the boarder. | Forbidden Fruit (513 E. 6th St.) - Want a piercing or some leather panties. Stop in and kill two birds with one stone. | |
| Crescent City Bienget's - Basically it's the New Orleans version of a doughnut. You dip it in honey. | Aqua (1415 S. Congress) - Their gorgeous 50's furniture makes my heart hurt. | |
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THINGS TO DO Bats - Austin has one of the countries largest congregation of bats. Congress St. bridge at dusk, be there! |
Uncommon Objects (1512 S. Congress) - Nice antique mall with stuff for all kinds of tastes and preferences. Nestled amoung several other goody shops in South Austin. | |
| Stevie Ray Vaughn Statue - Life size statue of the man in town Lake park. | Thrift Town (5726 Manchaca) - One of my personal favorite thrift stores in Austin. | |
| Paint it Yourself ceramics - Wednesday nights it's BYOB and you can drink and play with clay! | Amelia's (2024 S. Lamar) - Nicer vintage clothing and goodies. | |
| Rock-n-Bowl - Like every Friday night at every alley in town. Lights dim and fog machines crank up. | Flashback (2047 S. Lamar) - Vintage clothing sold out of a little house, constantly changing lawn displays. | |
| Dart Bowl (5700 Grover Ave.) - Where else can you bowl in a vintage alley, see a pop band from Japan play and eat greasy enchiladas all at once? Did I mention the home made bread? |
MOVIES The Alamo Drafthouse - Drink beer, eat food, and watch a movies like Tron or Urban Cowboy all at once. Mondays is dollar night. |
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| Playland Roller Skating Rink (8822 Mccann Dr.) - Tuesday's is adult night. Enough Rick James blaring to last you a lifetime.."She's a Super Freak". | The Paramount (713 Congress Ave) - Old restored turn of the century auditorium. During the summer they show movies. Sit in the balcony it makes it more fun. | |
| Frisbee Golf - 7 Locations around town. It's a college town, frisbee golf is big here. | The Dobie (202 Guadalupe St.) - Right next to campus. Arty movies. | |
| Austin Ice Bats - Our very own hockey team! Ice Bats fever, catch it! | Vulcan Video (609 W. 29th St.) - Another artsy-fartsy video rental establishment. | |
| City Wide Garage Sale - Austin's monthly indoor flea market. I have found some real treasures. | Waterloo (1016 W. 6th St.) -The employees write comments on stickers all over the boxes, pretty funny. | |
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FUN IN THE SUN Barton Springs Pool (2201 Barton Springs) - Spring Fed pool where people and salamanders swim together. The water is damn cold, but it's damn fun. |
FESTIVALS Spam-a-rama - Where we celebrate Spam, the better potted meat with an outdoor cook off and spam tossing contests. (March 31, 2001) |
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| Hippy Hollow - Austin's own nude swimming hole! I swear sometime I am gonna go. | Zilker Kite Festival - Annual Kite festival held in Zilker Park. Home made kite only! | |
| Deep Eddy (401 Deep Eddy Ave) - Another spring fed pool. On Saturday nights In the summer they show movies so you can wade and watch Goonies. | SXSW - Every March a million and one music fans descend upon our city and shows that usually cost us three bucks go up to a $100.00 wrist band. | |
| Schliterbaun - So it's about 35 miles S. on 35 in New Braunsfels. Huge waterpark in a German town. | Eoyers Birthday - So we give a party for the donkey in Winnie the Pooh, dosen't every town? | |
| Tubing - Go to San Marcos (20 min S), rent a tube at the Lion's Club and take a dreamy 3 hour trip down the Guadeloupe River. Be sure to get a cooler that floats for your cold beer! |
READ THIS The Austin American Statesmen - Our local newspaper |
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| Hamilton Pool (24300 Hamilton Pool Rd) - another natural pool. Lush, clear, cold water. Call before you venture out, sometimes it's closed depending on the sunken cave pool's eco-structure. | The Austin Chronicle - Hipster rags comes out every Thursday. Every town has their version of this, tells you what's up that week. Pick up one of these anywhere the minute you get to town! | |
| Pale Face - in Pace Bend Park on Lake Travis, one of Austin's best swimming spots according to Lake aficionados. | The XL - Thursday pullout from The Austin American Statesmen. |
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North Austin Animal Hospital 5608 Burnet Rd. Well now that I am a new mommy I had to find a vet for Lucy. Ya I live down south and this place is north, but you don’t screw around with doctors -you get a good recommendation you drive the extra mile. Lucy is worth it and so are the vets and technicians here. Everyone that worked here was very personable and affectionate with Lucy. Dr. Samon seemed to really know what he was talking about and unlike some doctors I didn’t feel like the whole experience was slam bam thank you mam, he took time with us and answered all our idiotic questions. Lucy’s favorite part was the dishes of complimentary pet treats all over the place!
Trudy's - Several locationsI had been to Trudy's early on in moving to Austin and was impressed, but as of late have a new respect for the place. Year after year the voted best this r that in various Austin publications. I think maybe I had the wrong thing. However, now that I have been introduced tot heir Mexican Green Chile Sauce I am quite fond of Trudy's. Whether I have the sauce on soft chicken tacos or a smoked chicken burrito I am a happy camper. My boyfriend and I both were very unimpressed with their migas, so steer clear of those. I plan on trying their stuffed and deep fried avocado next visit!
MARS (1610 San Antonio St) - For years I had heard of this local hipster eatery, but never had I graced it with my presence. Well this year for my 27th birthday this is where I chose to have my birthday meal. The ambiance is quite nice, the restaurant its self is an old wooden house very near the UT campus. The interior is ultra hip with very dim lighting and red walls. The wait staff was extremely helpful, nice and knowledgeable about wine. For an appetizer we had the pot stickers, which were delicious little fried dumplings. The cuisine’s on the menu ranged from Indian, Thai, Japanese, Greek, - all over the place and they all sounded good. I finally decided on the Kafta. When my dinner arrived I realized that Kafta is lamb meatballs on a bed of couscous sprinkled with tahini sauce. In the center of the plate was a mound of tarragon flavored green beans. Although, it was a little cold, it was wonderful. My date had the jasmine tea soaked duck which was served with some extremely aromatic basmati rice. There was also a nice array of steamed vegetables with his entrée. The tab was $75 (that included a bottle of Australian Merlot). For a special occasion dinner, Mars comes with a hardy recommendation.
RED RIVER CAFÉ (2912 Medical Arts St) - I can’t quite figure out what the fuss over this place is. Two different sets of people had raved about it to me before I decided to pay the establishment a visit. Sure it was good, but I have eaten at Kirby Lane and Magnolia café before and this was place was nothing more than a knock off of both of those. Healthy food with lots of sprouts, I swear the black bean tacos I had were exactly like the ones at Magnolia. The only difference was the food at Red River Café was a little cheaper. I had 2 black bean tacos that came with chips, salsa and a fairly large dinner salad for $5.
THE TREATY OAK (Baylor Avenue) - Yes, it’s a tree, but if your over record shopping at Waterloo you might as well walk the 15 extra feet to see this landmark. The damn thing is 500 years old and has its picture hanging in the American Forestry Association offices after all. It got its name because that is the spot where Stephen F. Austin signed a treaty with the local Texas Indians. There used to be 13 other trees there, and the whole group was called the Counsel Oaks, but you know Austin needed more lofts or something so we narrowed it down to 1 tree. Did you know in 1989 some crazy asshole tried to poison the tree, now what did that tree ever do to him? The Treaty Oak is all better now and just waiting for you to come sit on one of the many benches around it and bask in its glory.
ALVIN'S (12200 Research Boulevard, Suite 400) - Here is the story as I have been told…. There were these two guys and they were friends and they opened up all these sandwich shops called Alvin Ord’s. Well somewhere along the way the friendship was no more and one guy stayed with Alvin Ord’s and the other guy said, “fine I’ll go off and start my own sandwich shop and I’ll call it Schlotzsky's Deli and everyone will love me”. Well he was right. When I was in college there was one lone Alvin Ord’s left standing in San Marcos. My boyfriend who is a fellow alum, never forgot those sandwiches he loved so when I discovered Alvin’s right here in Austin he was elated. Somehow in this incestuous world of sandwiches they are related. The sandwich wasn’t called a “salvation” like they are in San Marcos, but they tasted just the same. They are basically mixed deli meats on these greasy buns that are all toasted and yummy. I hate to say I prefer Schlotzsky’s, but there is a reason why there are 2 Alvin Ord’s left in the Austin area.
MR. NATURAL (1901 E Cesar Chavez St) - Being raised on Mexican food, the thought of completely vegetarian Mexican food sounded really wrong to me. Then throw in that natural healthy bit and it sounds even more off base. Maybe they eat crap like that in other frou-frou cities, but here in Texas we take Mexican food very seriously. Well I take it all back Mr. Natural is yummy, healthy and tastes like real Mexican food. My boyfriend and I met another couple there for breakfast one Saturday and we were all pleased as punch. Between the 4 of us there was a meat and potatoes carnivore, a vegan, a vegetarian and me who will eat anything that sits still long enough. All 4 of us were happy. I had vegetarian chorizo and egg breakfast tacos in wheat tortillas. I also had a pumpkin empanada. Other dishes on the table included vegan migas and black bean and egg tacos. Good stuff.
THE FRISCO SHOP ( 5819 Burnet Road) - There was something about this quaint little diner with its neon sign that always beckoned to me. One day for breakfast my boyfriend and I decided to give it a whirl. The Frisco Shop is the last of the Night Hawk chain, and I can see why there are not any more left. Lets start with the fact that I am on a diet and there is no light, let along fat free salad dressing option. Beyond their sad little iceberg lettuce salads my options were: burgers, chicken friend steak and catfish. I finally went for a club sandwich, which was mediocre at best. I will say the place makes a mean pie. I only had one bite, remember the diet, but the apple pie was obviously home made. The place was expensive and full of cotton tops with clogged arteries and I shan’t be returning.
DIN HO BBQ (8557 Research Blvd Ste 116) - These are the two main things this place has going for it…1) It’s cheap I had the BBQ duck and pork noodle bowl for around $5. 2) There is a cute little Asian butcher behind Plexiglas at the front door chopping up various BBQ animals and there is a little hand made sign taped to glass that says something about how you have to specially request the head being cut off your duck. As far as noodle bowls go, I prefer Kim Phung. The pork was mighty tender. I hear the seafood is wonderful and if I go back here that is what I will try.
FAMILY THRIFT (208 E. Oltorf St.)- I had been to this ghetto ass thrift store on one other occasion and I swear there was a white trash mating ritual going on right in the long sleeved women's blouse aisle. I swore I would never return. This weekend when my sister informed me that there was a wiener dog broach with rhinestone eyes there, that promise I had made to myself evaporated quickly and we were on our way. Let me preface this with the fact that I love thrift store shopping I live walking distance from Thrift Land and Thrift Town and frequent them often – so do not think I am some prissy bitch with a Foleys card. Family Thrift is just nasty, dirty and crowded – not to mention they have no good clothes. My damn broach was gone by the time we arrived so that didn’t help them any either. I did score an obnoxious orange dinner ring from the 60’s, but beyond that I was in and out quickly. Although I love my new ring I was not reinforced quite enough to encourage me to return.
LET'S DISH (1102 S Lamar Blvd) - A vintage clothing and antique store I have not been to, how exciting. Well I wish I never had, because the damn store just made my heart hurt. Their clothing, shoes and jewelry are exquisite. I am not talking cheap vintage clothing that you might find at any old resale shop. Let’s Dish had beautiful classic clothing from the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. Most in pristine condition. They also had wonderful costume jewelry with enough rhinestones to throw someone into a seizure and Bakelite to make me drool. The clothes were expensive, but not over priced. They were quite reasonable for what they were and good quality vintage clothing should be expensive. I couldn’t afford a thing there, but if I won the lottery I would hit this place in a heart beat.
BIG BIRTHA’S (right by Let's Dish) - Well let’s start out with the fact that the first thing my mother picked up in this crammed little vintage clothing store cost $400. Who are they kidding? It wasn’t even that old. The place seemed to have a weird mix of retro wear and cheap hooker heels for drag queens (they were in men’s sizes). They had some cute clothes, but Let’s Dish is right around the corner and there clothes are much better. Flashback is the same neighborhood and their prices are more in my range. I will not be returning to Big Birtha’s to thrift shop. There is something really wrong abut paying hundreds of dollars for used clothing.
Pho Cong Ly - 3601 William Cannon Dr. #250 In a word, ass. Me no likey. I went there for the first time tonight and it was awful. The service was horrible and the food tasted like it had been sitting out all day. I had a vermicelli noodle bowl from hell. I will never stray from Kim Phungs again for Vietnamese food.
El Borrego de Oro - 2414 S. 1st St. -I have always been curious about this hole in the wall on S. First St. The name means "The lamb of gold", well I didn't get the lamb and maybe that is where I went wrong. The restaurant itself was a little small and hot, plus the Tejano jukebox was a tad loud for me (in their defense it was a Sunday morning and I was hung over). I'd rather go next door to Taqueria Arandas where the food is cheaper and better.
Bangkok Cuisine - 9041 Research Blvd. - A good friend of mine had been ranting and raving about this place so I decided to give it a try, and boy I was glad that I did. I went during the lunch hour and grazed the buffet. If you are an onion hater, don't go. There was a nice selection and my favorite part was the coconut chicken soup. I will be going again.
Phoenicia Bakery & Deli 4701-A Burnet Rd. - The best part about this place was the wait for the food. While you wait for them to call your number you can wonder the aisles. Phoenicia is primarily a Greek grocery store. The falafel was a little dry and the gyros were nothing to write home about. But to stand in awe of the olive bar alone was worth the trip.
Beerland - 711 Red River St - I approached this venue with some trepidation. First of all it was small and completely cement, ouch. Well thanks to my trusty earplugs it was not aversive. They have free Pac Man and it is run by the old proprietor of The Bates Motel (this place is a lot cleaner). For a place called Beerland I would expect a bigger selection than the few canned beers they have (PBR, does anyone in TX drink that). But this club is well on its way and is already booking some fine shows.