The Best Austin Tips From Our Readers

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We asked for your Austin tips and got 182 of them, in which we recommended Texas-Mex, local attractions, good and bad neighborhoods, and ways the light rail could go awry. Here are a few topics that have arisen.

Swimming

“Bathing pits are a real thing in central Texas, enjoy it if you can,” says jumbo76 . The most popular is the Barton Springs Pool, a public limestone pool filled with natural springs. “If you have a four-legged friend,” says Burning With Possums , ” sneak to the north side behind the pool wall and visit Dog Springs, where happy puppies frolic in the water all year round.”

Barton Springs is crowded in summer. “There are many more places to swim,” says a Man ‘s Tights activist :

Pools and Pools are Austin’s X Factor, especially for dealing with the summer heat. I like Gus Frouh as a swimming place. “Neighboring Pools” – free, city pools – cheap; both are scattered throughout the city.

“The best hole to swim is Hamilton Pool,” says jumbo76. “It’s far from the city, but worth a visit.” There are two Blue Hole parks with swimming spots in opposite directions from Austin. Island Feathers like the one in Georgetown; John likes the one at Wimberley.

Booze and nightlife

Downtown Austin, especially 6th Street, is famous for bustling bars serving specialties, live music and a mechanical bull. But there are several less obvious alternatives.

Eleven readers mention Jester King brewery, which specializes in sour. “Insanely beautiful,” says Katie Kyrig . “I won’t forget the sunset, even though I drank quite a lot of sour beer.”

Hypermark has several beers:

Austin has a thriving brewery. There are some great IPAs out there, but Austin is starting to shine in our sweet and sour drinks. Places like Blue Owl and Adelbert’s do a really great job with sour beers (Jester King is awesome too, but 45 minutes to town). The Live Oak Brewery near the airport is fantastic too, but more German-style beers.

Like Drew F :

Austin Beerworks is my personal favorite, but Hops and Grains is great too, and I hear good reviews about the new South Heights. I haven’t been to the new Live Oak tasting room, but there is very good beer there. Last Stand and Jester King are about a mile and a half apart near Dripping Springs, and if you get there, drop by Solara for wine or Treaty Oak for any of their spirits (all on Fitzhugh Road).

Like bulletproofcharm :

My personal favorites are Live Oak (Hefeweizen is a staple of any healthy diet), Zilber (Coffee Milk Stout is stupidly good), and Austin Beerworks (Pearl Snap is one of the most refreshing beers you have). You can spend a couple of days visiting different breweries.

Hypermark also offers mescal strips:

Mescal bars are kind of a thing and we have two that I really like. Whistler’s is neat. It sits above a real bar, and the tasting room is small, dimly lit and a little creepy. For some reason, this is the perfect atmosphere or mezcal. I hesitate to even mention the other because I don’t want it to be so crowded I can’t get in, but Techo Mezcaleria is my absolute favorite. It’s taller than Mi Madre, and everything from the atmosphere to the selection of mescals is on top.

Don’t settle for the default bar scene on 6th Street, says DrNerdLove :

Dirty 6th is overrated if you’re over 22. There are good bars on 7th (including the secret one near The Driskill) and 6th east that aren’t that bad. Rock Rose in the Domain is coming soon, but not quite * there yet.

Rainey Street is a more mature bar scene, says HuangDongJON . Peter agrees: “Rock Rose Domain is building very well. There is a bar that doesn’t quite look like Rock Rose. It is decorated in a nautical theme, with ropes and blue lights on the outside. ” Peter forgets his name, so now hunting him will be a fun adventure for you.

Dewmelon recommends The Good Life Bar, Hut’s (“or get your own hamburger with milkshake”) and Mort Subite, “sweet Belgian bar in Congress.” Boudboy loves Small Victory – “So hipster, so very Austin” – and karaoke at Ego’s.

Endlessshrimp knows how to have a good time:

The Sunday Chicken Bingo at Ginny’s Little Longhorn is the pinnacle of Austin’s cultural life and doesn’t even come close. If you’re lucky, Dale Watson will play, which is about a million times better than any cheesy hipster band you’ll see anywhere else.

And weluckyfew201 have two mediator for honky-tonk:

Legend – Broken Spoke, about 10 minutes drive from the city center. From the outside, it looks like one of those artificially old broken bars, but as soon as you walk inside, you realize that it is actually a real broken old bar. But it’s a great time: amazing live music (usually people who have been playing there for 40 years) and the dance floor is always full.

A more trendy, younger version of this is the White Horse, on the east side. I don’t say hipper in any derogatory way, the bands are still playing and the crowd is still going to dance and have fun. Basically, this is Broken Spoke: The Next Generation.

Coffee

Need.

  • “Good coffee can be enjoyed all over the city if you go local. Austin Java, Ruta Maya, Cuvée Coffee are great choices. ”- DrNerdLove
  • “Summer moon. Oh my God, Summermoon coffee of the same name is so good! “- baudboi
  • “For coffee, choose Houndstooth, Epoch, Cuvee, or Once Over. There is a tiny food truck next to Once Over that also sells delicious tacos for breakfast. ” – John
  • Mozart’s Coffee House . – vtboyarc

Tacos for breakfast

Tacos are the perfect breakfast food: not too much bread, a lot of protein, and you can taste vegetables until noon.

  • “I LOVE Taco Deli VERY. Go before 11am because their menu changes around lunchtime. Otto and Jess Special are two mandatory attempts. If you go to Lamar North, be sure to stop by the Houndstooth for a coffee! “- Peter
  • “Taco Torchi for great keso fillings and fun taco fillings” – Ekla
  • “Vasquez (my favorite tacos for breakfast in Austin)” – vtboyarc
  • “El Tacorrido (the best breakfast tacos in town, IMO, and get the Equinox)” – bassball1985
  • “Takodeli and Torchi are good for what they are, but this is what most native Texans would call Mexican food for white people. So I would recommend the oños Tacos in Powell Lane. Abuelita prepares tortillas in the kitchen. It’s basically a standing room with some seating outside. ” – STX2ATX
  • “Pretty much any roadside hut has decent tacos for breakfast. Get a few moments. I still think it’s weird to put potatoes in tortillas, but they are delicious. “- katie_keys

B-B-Q

Along with the Texas-Mexican cuisine, BBQ is Austin’s most important cuisine. Some readers recommend Franklin’s BBQ, but others call it overpriced due to its legendary wait times. “The point is, barbecue is a small profit game,” says Marcelo :

While Franklin is world class, you can get 90% of Franklin’s brisket quality in multiple locations, from Terry Black’s to Ruby’s, La Barkey, and Micklethwait. So the question with Franklin is, are you willing to go through all these challenges and time for that extra 10% that takes Franklin out into world-class territory.

“Franklin’s barbecue is overrated if you don’t dodge the line like Obama,” says Ainomiaka . “Go to Cooper’s Center. Delicious.”

  • “Valentina’s BBQ is far south of Austin, but worth it. Short lines (sometimes a maximum of 20 minutes waiting time) and reasonably priced. This is actually a place of Texan-Mexican descent, so they have both. Plus amazing breakfast tacos. “- Chalupa Batman
  • Try Micklethwait, Black, Terry Black, Cooper’s, Stiles & Switch, Brown’s, or Freedmen’s. – Drew F.
  • “If I want a quality barbecue, I prefer La Bar BBQ” – afijaymz1
  • “Rudy’s Country Shop and BBQ. Quite great to go to the gas station, which also has a decent barbecue. Also, people will fight me, but I really like the egg, potato and cheese tacos for breakfast with the standard Louisiana hot sauce they have on their tables. ” – bulletproofcharm
  • “Cooper’s isn’t the best barbecue, but it’s better than it needs to be drawn to the audience and has a lot of moments from Armadillo World headquarters.” – dewmelon
  • “Take a quick trip to Lockhart and have dinner at the Smitty. Smitty is what Franklin is modeled on. You might as well make a real deal. And if Smitty’s doesn’t do it for you, try Kreuz’s, also at Lockhart. ”- jumbo76
  • “The new guy in Plfugerville, Brotherton’s Black Iron BBQ, has a ban on brisket!” – RIMP
  • “For a good (if not better) barbecue, I’ve always thought it was worth driving to Driftwood for Salt Lick. They make my favorite coleslaw salad – it’s made with sesame oil instead of mayonnaise and habanero barbecue sauce. ” – katie_keys
  • “The Barbecue County Line in West Austin Hills is a ride, but the building and waterfront are great.” – Crocell

Sushi

Several people responded to our desperate call to buy sushi in Austin:

  • “If you absolutely need sushi, there is Uchiko right next to Taco Deli and Houndstooth in North Lamar. Great experience and great value. During social hours, go for a great selection of snacks for about half the cost of their regular menu. ”- Peter
  • “Musashino has been my favorite person for a long time” – SurlyJ
  • “Uchi – in Austin – was the top-rated sushi restaurant in America a couple of years ago. Do yourself a favor, place an order and give it a try. This is truly phenomenal food. ” – The best commentator in the world.

Hypermark has a variety of other restaurant recipes:

Urban farms are quite a popular thing in Austin if you love local organic food, so try visiting places like Springdale Farms, HausBar, or Rain Lilly. Farmer Müller’s market is pretty good too. Eden East is an open air restaurant on a Springdale farm, and it’s a beautiful place when the weather is nice and the food is always delicious (most of the vegetables come from Springdale itself).

Choice in social networks

We also asked for tips on our Facebook and Twitter accounts . Some points from Twitter:

And on Facebook:

  • “Overrated? Juan in a million. Where are we going? Amaya Taco Village – James Nichols
  • “Michi Ramen is amazing, but during rush hours can be packed with a long wait without any reservations. Bangers on Rainey – great food and beer, but take your time because the service is a little slower. “- Kelela Place
  • “Go to Habaneros. The real Austin Texas-Mex. “- Corey Bounds
  • “Luke’s Inside Out at Gibson’s, great food combined with great drinks.” – Catherine Bieber

Finally, we always love pinball, and the world’s best commentator :

Just down the street from Trudy’s Pole Star, there’s a pretty funny BYOB pinball (and arcade game) place called Pinballz. I’m just saying. ‘

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