We asked for your Austin tips and we got 182 of them, recommending Tex-Mex, local attractions, good and bad neighborhoods, and ways the light rail can go screw itself. Here are a few themes that emerged.
Swimming
“Swimmin’ holes are a real thing in central Texas, enjoy it if you can,” says jumbo76. The most popular is Barton Springs Pool, a public limestone pool filled by natural springs. “If you have a four legged friend,” says Burning With Possums, “sneak into the northern side beyond the wall of the pool and check out Dog Springs where happy puppies frolic in the water year round.”
Barton Springs gets crowded in the summer. “There are plenty more places to swim,” says Men’s Tights Activist:
The swimming pools and swim holes are Austin’s X factor, particularly to fight summer heat. I like Gus Fruh as a swim hole. “Neighborhood pools” are free, city pools are cheap; both are scattered all over the city.
“The best swimmin’ hole is Hamilton Pool,” says jumbo76. “It’s a ways out of town, but worth visiting.” There are two Blue Hole Parks with swimming spots, in opposite directions from Austin. Island Feathers likes the one in Georgetown; John likes the one in Wimberley.
Drinking and Night Life
Downtown Austin, especially 6th St. is famously packed with raucous bars with shot specials, live music, and a mechanical bull. But here are some less obvious alternatives.
Eleven readers mention the brewery Jester King, which specializes in sours. “Wildly beautiful,” says Katie Keurig. “I won’t forget the sunset there despite having quite a lot of sour beer.”
Hypermark has a few beer picks:
Austin has a thriving craft beer scene. There are some great IPAs, but where Austin is beginning to shine is in our sours. Places like Blue Owl and Adelbert’s are really doing a great job with sour beers (Jester King is also amazing, but it’s 45 minutes out of town). Live Oak brewery out by the airport is also fantastic, but they focus on more German style beers.
So does Drew F:
Austin Beerworks is my personal fave, but Hops and Grain is also great and I hear good things about the new Southern Heights. I haven’t been to the new Live Oak tasting room but their beers are very good. Last Stand and Jester King are about a 1/4 mile apart out near Dripping Springs, and if you make it out there drop by Solara for some vino or Treaty Oak for any of their spirits (all on Fitzhugh Road).
And so does bulletproofcharm:
My personal favorites are Live Oak (the Hefeweizen is a staple part of any healthy diet), Zilber (Coffee Milk Stout is stupidly good) and Austin Beerworks (Pearl Snap is one of the most refreshing beers you’ll have). You could spend a couple of days going to different breweries.
Hypermark also suggests mezcal bars:
Mezcal bars are kind of a thing, and we have two that I really like. The one at Whisler’s is neat. It’s above the actual bar, and the tasting room is small, dimly lit, and slightly creepy. For some reason, it’s the perfect vibe or Mezcal. I hesitate to even mention the other one because I don’t want it getting so crowded I can’t get in, but Techo Mezcaleria is my absolute favorite. It’s above Mi Madre’s, and everything from the ambience to the selection of Mezcals is on point.
Don’t settle for the default bar scene on 6th St, says DrNerdLove:
Dirty 6th is overrated if you’re over 22. There are good bars on 7th (including a secret one near The Driskill) and on East 6th that aren’t as bad. Rock Rose up at the Domain is up and coming, but isn’t *quite* there yet.
“Rainey Street is a slightly more grown-up bar scene,” says JuanDonJAWN. Peter agrees: “The Domain’s Rock Rose is being built really well. There’s a bar that’s not quite on Rock Rose. It has a nautical theme and has ropes and blue lighting on the outside.” Peter forgets the name, so now hunting it down is a fun adventure for you.
Dewmelon recommends The Good Life Bar Bar, Hut’s (“or get your burger with a milkshake”), and Mort Subite, “a sweet Belgian bar on Congress.” Baudboi likes Small Victory—“So so hipster, so very Austin”—and dive bar karaoke at Ego’s.
Endlessshrimp knows a good time:
Chicken shit bingo on Sundays at Ginny’s Little Longhorn is the pinnacle of Austin’s cultural scene, and it’s not even close. If you’re lucky, Dale Watson will be playing, which is about a million times better than whatever crappy hipster band you’ll see anywhere else.
And weluckyfew201 has two honky-tonk picks:
The legend is Broken Spoke, maybe a 10 minute Uber from downtown. From the outside it looks like one of those faux-old-broken-down bars, but once you get in you realize it’s actually an authentic broken down old bar. But it’s a great time: amazing live music (usually from people who have been playing there for 40 years) and the dance floor is always full.
The hipper, younger version of this is White Horse, on the east side. I don’t say ‘hipper’ in any derogatory way, the bands are still on point and the crowd is still very much there to dance and have fun. It’s basically Broken Spoke: The Next Generation.
Coffee
A necessity.
“You can get good coffee all over the city, if you go local. Austin Java, Ruta Maya, Cuvée Coffee are all excellent choices.”—DrNerdLove
“Summermoon. Oh god the eponymous Summermoon coffee is so good.”—baudboi
“For coffee hit up Houndstooth, Epoch, Cuvee, or Once Over. There’s a tiny food truck outside Once Over that sells amazing breakfast tacos too.”—John
“Mozart’s coffee shop.”—vtboyarc
Breakfast Tacos
Tacos are the ideal breakfast food: Not too much bread, plenty of protein, and a tasteful way to eat veggies before noon.
“I absolutely LOVE Taco Deli. Go before 11am because their menu changes around lunch time. The Otto and The Jess Special are two must tries. If you go to the North Lamar location, be sure to go to Houndstooth for some coffee too!”—Peter
“Torchy’s Tacos for great queso and fun taco fillings.”—Ekla
“Vazquez (my fav breakfast tacos in Austin)”—vtboyarc
“El Tacorrido (best breakfast tacos in town IMO, and get the Equinox)”—bassball1985
“Tacodeli and Torchy’s are good for what they are, but are what most native Texans would call white people Mexican food. So my recommendation would be Ñoños Tacos on Powell Lane. There is an abuelita in the kitchen hand making the tortillas. It is basically standing room only with some outside seating.”—STX2ATX
“Pretty much any roadside shack will have decent breakfast tacos. Get some or some migas. I still think it’s weird to put potatoes in tortillas but they are delicious.”—katie_keys
BBQ
Along with Tex-Mex, barbecue is Austin’s most important cuisine. Several readers recommend Franklin Barbecue, but others call it overrated, thanks to its legendary wait time. “The thing about barbecue is that it’s a game of little margins,” says Marcelo:
While Franklin is world class, you can get 90% of the quality of Franklin’s brisket at a number of places, from Terry Black’s to Ruby’s to La Barbecue to Micklethwait. So the question with Franklin is whether you are willing to go through all that trouble and time for that extra 10%, which is what takes Franklin into world-class territory.
“Franklin Barbecue is overrated unless you get to skip the line like Obama,” says Ainomiaka. “Go to Cooper’s downtown. Delicious.”
“For BBQ, Valentina’s is in far south Austin but well worth it. Short lines (sometimes a 20 minute wait max) and reasonably priced. It’s actually a Tex-Mex place so they have a little of both. Amazing breakfast tacos as well.”—ChalupaBatman
“Try Micklethwait, Black’s, Terry Black’s, Cooper’s, Stiles & Switch, Brown’s, or Freedmen’s.”—Drew F
“La Barbecue is my go-to if I want quality BBQ.”—afijaymz1
“Rudy’s Country Store & BBQ. It’s pretty awesome to go to a gas station that also happens to serve up some pretty good BBQ. Also, people will fight me, but I absolutely love the egg, potato, and cheese breakfast tacos there with the standard Louisiana Hot Sauce they have on the tables.”—bulletproofcharm
“Cooper’s isn’t the best barbecue, but it’s better than it needs to be given its captive audience, and it has a lot of momentoes from the Armadillo World Headquarters.”—dewmelon
“Take a quick drive down to Lockhart and eat at Smitty’s. Smitty’s is what Franklin is modeled after. Might as well get the real deal. And if Smitty’s doesn’t do it for you, try Kreuz’s, also in Lockhart.”—jumbo76
“The new guy in Plfugerville, Brotherton’s Black Iron Barbecue, has a brisket ban mi!”—RIMP
“For good (if not the best) bbq I always thought it was worth the trip out to Driftwood for Salt Lick. They make my favorite coleslaw ever— it’s made with sesame oil instead of mayo—and a habanero bbq sauce.”—katie_keys
“County Line BBQ in the west Austin hills is a drive, but the building and riverfront area is great.”—Crocell
Sushi
Several people answered our desperate call for an Austin sushi pick:
“If you absolutely must have sushi, there’s Uchiko right next to Taco Deli and Houndstooth on North Lamar. Great experience, and kind of pricey. Go during their social hour for some great choices in appetizers for about half the cost of their normal menu.”—Peter
“Musashino was my go-to for the longest time.”—SurlyJ
“Uchi—in Austin—was the highest rated sushi restaurant in America a couple of years ago. Do yourself a favor and make a reservation and try it out. It truly is some phenomenal food.”—World’s Okayest Commenter
Hypermark has some other varied restaurant recs:
Urban farms are a pretty big thing in Austin if you’re into local, sustainable food, so try to check out places like Springdale, HausBar, or Rain Lilly farms. The Mueller Farmer’s Market is also pretty great. Eden East is an al fresco restaurant on Springdale farm, and if the weather is nice, it’s a beautiful location and the food is always amazing (most of the veggies come from Springdale itself).
Social Picks
We also asked for tips on our Facebook and Twitter accounts. Some highlights from Twitter:
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And on Facebook:
“Overrated? Juan in a Million. Where we go? Amaya’s Taco Village.”—James Nichols
“Michi Ramen is amazing but can be packed with a long wait at peak times, and no reservations. Bangers on Rainey is great food and beer but don’t be in a hurry because service is a little slower.”—Kelela Place
“Go to Habaneros. True Austin Tex-mex.”—Corey Bounds
“Luke’s Inside Out at Gibson’s, great food combined with great drinks.”—Kathryn Biber
Lastly, we always love a pinball rec, and World’s Okayest Commenter came through:
There is a pretty fun BYOB pinball (and normal arcade) place called “Pinballz” right down the street from Trudy’s North Star. Just sayin’.