All about Austin, TX [master thread]
 

My buddies and I are headed to Austin next May for our semi-annual golf trip. We'll be there a solid 4 days. Our plans to golf 3 or 4 rounds, and perhaps go fishing. We plan to golf at Cimarron Hills and at Barton Creek. We're not sure where we will stay but most likely in town (perhaps at the IHG IC). Only one of us have been to Austin.

Any suggestions on:

Golf courses?
Hotel or Airbnb?
Dining? We're going to hit franklin bbq and day one.
Anything else we shouldn't miss?

Thanks in advance.

I waited 5 hours in line at Franklin BBQ (my wife and I got there 4 hours before opening time, on a Sunday...in January(!)...and we still had to wait an insane amount of time)...it's phenomenal (you have to get at least the brisket), but I question whether or not burning the entire morning - and then some - was worth it...

Austin is a wonderful city to hang out in. Make sure you head down to Rainey Street for a night of drinks. You can't go wrong with practically any bar there but Icenhauer's and Banger's Sausage House are my favorite. Banger's has something like 100+ beers on tap.

Instead of Franklin's, I'd head on a little drive down to Driftwood, Texas and go visit The Salt Lick. They let you BYOB and they're open for dinner unlike Franklin's.

Also for BBQ consider driving down to Lockhart. It's about 20 minutes south of the airport. Smittys or Kreuz are both good there.

Is The Salt Lick in Driftwood better than the one in Round Rock? Looks like it would be a bit closer to go to the one in Round Rock from much of the Austin area, unless you happen to be on the south/west side.

I think so. The Driftwood location is really fun: this sprawling complex in a rural area where you can hang out outside (or eat outside if the weather is nice). It feels like what rural BBQ should be like. The atmosphere is part of the reason to go.

I'd recommend the IC Stephen F Austin. Great location downtown!

Driftwood is much better. And go in the wine store first. Talk to the proprietor, he is pretty funny. And you can try the local wine if interested. Then walk next door for the BBQ.

That said, Franklins is the best, and Lockhart is really, really good. But you have to go for lunch, the close when they run out of Q. Salt Lick is open for dinner.

over a decade ago, long before Franklins, beforeJohn Mueller's resurgence, and the proliferation/Austinization of city-bbq, Lockhart was the mecca for TX BBQ (which, IMO, made it the mecca for BBQ countrywide)

i have however *never* been impressed with it. Kreutz, Blacks, Smittys, City Market (in nearby Luling), etc... utterly overrated.

my trek outside the city was to Louie Mueller* for brisket. (*of relation to John).

or to Salt Lick for the atmosphere

or even to Rudys for the utter convenience. [keep in mind this was before the scene exploded]



today, none of that is necessary. franklins is the temple but the line absolutely does not make sense, especially on a time-limited trip, and if in the sweltering heat. there are other good options like La Barbecue (owned by another Mueller progeny).

Thanks for all the tips...keep 'em coming.

I went to both Franklin BBQ and La Barbecue. Both are at the same level when it comes to the food but I found the line at La Barbecue to be much shorter.

It could be that tourists are flocking to Franklin because of the publicity. Just my guess...

Update:

We booked a newer 2 bdrm condo in downtown (Bowie St) via AirBnb. Sat night dinner at Uchi and Sunday dinner at Bartett's. Golfing at Twin Creeks and Cimarron Hills...2 more courses tbd. Not sure about which BBQ...will decide based on wait times.

don't bother with franklin's, lineups are crazy and thing about brisket is that sometimes it just sucks even at the great places (but not often). salt lick is great (byob) and there are a bunch of great ones out in the country. spend time and hit a few of those places up. don't spend your time waiting in line in a parking lot for something equal to what you can get in a shack in hill country. plus you get the drive and can see the towns and farmland. not the most stunning but still nicer than a parking lot near i35

i know more about iah bbq than aus but aus is indeed very good every time i tried out places there.
consult
http://www.tmbbq.com/

and realize a lot of those places in the top 50 are within 45min of austin

So are bbq recommendations still for Franklin's (everyone seems to agree?) and La Barbecue (some people seem to swear by it!) Any other place worth checking out? I also saw that the John Mueller place many seem to love is indefinitely closed? What happened?

Off to Austin in a few months and as a former Texas resident (though not Austin) I miss Texas bbq very very much!

And to diversify the food talk a bit, we're provisionally booked at the Doubletree Suites on 15th and Guadalupe and the "Texas chili parlor" nearby seems to have great reviews on other websites. Is it as good as people make it?

Drove out to Austin this past weekend to visit friends. Had dinner at Vox Table (just outside of the downtown scene) and it was amazing. It's located just down from Uchi (go if you can get in).

When are you going? I ask b/c if UT is in session then anywhere you go downtown is going to be a mob scene. If you want a bourbon street feel then go to 6th street. Same atmosphere just more homeless folk.

Rainey st has some great bars. In particular, the blackheart. Great bourbon / whiskey bar.

If you're renting a car keep in mind the traffic is horrible. And this is coming from someone who lives in Houston.

Thanks so much! I'm going in early April (hopefully, the students will all be on Spring break in Cancun or whatever! :D ) and at this stage not planning to rent a car. Houston is where I used to live in TX so you get my sympathy re-traffic!! Please say hi to the city for me!! :)

I'm pretty new to the Austin area and I'll be near downtown this weekend with friends. Does anyone have suggestions for a place to eat dinner on Friday night?
Looking for almost any kind of food, casual, and prices no more than $20 for dinner.

I found this place that seems to fit:
https://locu.com/places/la-condesa-austin-us/#menu

Has anyone been there? Thoughts?

Going solo or with others? VOX Table was amazing. It's more of a tapas/share style. Really high quality stuff and great drinks.

Go to Salt Lick for the BYOB or for the atmosphere; don't make that trip for the food, though. Salt Lick is not on Texas Monthly's most recent (2013) list of Top 50 BBQ joints. Several places in Austin (in addition to Franklin) do make the list--and that list was compiled before three heavyweights opened here (Black's; Terry Black's; and Cooper's). If your goal is to find great BBQ, a trip to Driftwood should be pretty far down your list.

Back in the day we used to say that in Austin you can get "both kinds of food in the world: BBQ and Tex-Mex." It was always in jest, and new locals of cosmopolitan Austin would probably be completely puzzled to hear it. Still, any short-term visitor should make BBQ and Tex-Mex (or interior Mexican, something quite different), their first and second priorities.

The Fearless Critic website's current "Most delicious in Austin"list (regardless of cuisine type):
Scores are for "food" only. See the website for other scores and price categories.

I asked some people in the office today; one has a friend who is a foodie and goes out to downtown Austin about weekly. The recommendation was for Banger's, and I think that's where we'll go. From their website (and Google satellite images), it looks like a perfect place (weather permitting), and the price is right too.


I have some good local Mexican, Tex Mex, pizza, Chinese, and a few other restaurants that I've found here....but they are all up in Round Rock, Cedar Park, or Georgetown. It is rather surprising that there's good food even out suburbia.

I first dined at Gloria's Restaurant when it was a hole in the wall in Oak Cliff section of Dallas. I've eaten in their new location as well as one of two others they opened in Dallas and was quite pleased with the food.

Now I see they have a location in downtown Austin as well. If it's as good as Dallas then I recommend this Salvadoran / Tex Mex establishment.

Other than downtown/6th street, does anyone have recommendations of other neighborhoods to either stay in or explore?

Rainey Street is absolutely worth exploring. I love killing an afternoon there, drifting from bar to bar drinking good beer and cocktails, checking out the food trucks that always cluster there, playing some games etc.

I'd consider Rainey downtown. Pretty much anything from the I-35 to the Mopac for about a mile either side of the river. And some goes to the east of the 35.

It really depends what you're looking to do. I'm not sure where you're from to give any comparisons... (I Googled, "Rahmistan," and came up with some Chicago neighborhoods).

The Domain area is nice, but it is basically just an outdoor mall. There are tons of shops, restaurants, and even a few hotels. But it is all chain stuff that you can find in nearly any American suburb.

I actually like downtown Georgetown. It has enough to fill an afternoon, possibly going into dinner and drinks. But there aren't any hotels in walking distance (the Hampton Inn would be a hike, not sure if they have a shuttle/transport).
Similar could be said about downtown Round Rock. Perhaps enough to fill a few hours, but not much more. There are some hotels not too far, you could check on shuttles.
Staying out here would be far less than staying in downtown Austin, but you'd definitely need a car.

You could go out near the lakes. Travis is the closest, and there are some restaurants and things nearby. But by far I really liked Marble Falls. Seemed more manageable, with a downtown area.

Thanks all. We ended up staying at the Hilton downtown, which was perfect as it was walking distance to East 6th, Rainey street, the Capitol, and SoCo.
We also visited Barton Springs and went out one night in Zilker. We used the RideAustin app (identical to Uber) to get around when not walking.
Great first trip to Austin!

(And yes, Rahmistan is Chicago - a reference to Mayor Rahm Emanuel) ;)

I know (but still can't believe) no uber or lyft in Austin. Do I need to rent a car for a 4 day vacation? Hotel's not set, but will be downtown. 4s-fine points, Hyatt Regency-points+cash, Hilton- points or pay are my tops, but am open for other ideas. Plan is relaxation and bar hopping, eating good food, etc. We have family there so will see them one day and I'm sure they'll come pick us up if we don't have a car.

Use RideAustin: http://www.rideaustin.com/

Exactly the same as Uber/Lyft.

I enjoyed a blowout dinner at Truluck's with freshly flown in stone crab claws (the medium to large seemed more flavorful than the larger ones) and Alaska king crab legs. Ouchy expensive, a couple of the servers can be pretentious, but oh my, what a sea feast we had.

RideAustin is one. A couple others are Fasten and Fare.

You can use RideGuru to see which rideshare would be cheapest for you.

Uber and Lyft officially resumed services in Austin on Memorial Day, May 29th, 2017.

I am hoping to play some tennis during an upcoming trip to Austin. Everything I have found so far in the downtown area seems to require a club membership. Can anyone recommend any public courts or clubs that permit guests to play? TIA for any input.

BBQ
 

Hello Austinites and AUS fans,

In short, I will unexpectedly be overnighting in Austin this Sunday, and want to maximize BBQ consumption. What are your top picks?

Appreciate any replies,
BmB

Do you have a rental car or will you be using Uber?

A full day in AUSTIN - what to do to get a feel for the city? Recommendations
 

Hi. The family and I will have a full day in AUS this week enroute to eclipse destination.

Goal is to get a feel for the city and bop around like tourists for the day, low key like!

I’m envisioning something like heading into the city or cultural center of some sort, parking the rental car and walking around for half a day exploring shops and stopping for lunch, unique treats, BBQ for dinner, etc. First time there and I know nothing :)

Me, Mrs K7, and two tween kids in tow.

Probably will be on Thursday that we are there.

Would appreciate any recommendations, or suggestions of where to start exploration from or places to go?

South Congress is good for Shopping and Restaurants close to downtown. I'd start there. You can street park and walk around. From there, you can drive downtown and see the Capitol and the UT campus.

This. Plus the bats under the bridge at Lady Bird Lake. Late March is the start of bat season, but it's likely too early? Austintexas dot org is a good tourist site. Keep in mind that "low key" and "Austin" do not go together! :-) Also keep in mind that "traffic" and "Austin" do.

awesome. thank you. Is there a particular cross street/area I should target to park on South Congress?

ahh. Thanks. I have heard about this traffic, thanks for re-emphasizing. Post eclipse I will head to airport and allow even more time to make flight. Staying in Georgetown- Round Rock Area.

I am hopeful the bats will be “in season”.

I usually go to the south end near the Kendra Scott store and walk down from there. Typically pretty easy to find free parking in the neighborhood a couple blocks off of the street.

Where are you coming from? How long will you be in the city?

I'd normally suggest visiting Barton Springs, but Thursdays are cleaning days... It is open 5am to 9am, then officially 6pm to 10pm. If they finish cleaning / refilling earlier they will re-open as early as 4-5pm. There is no charge to visit during those times.
If it is any other day, there is no charge from 5am to 8am, and from 6pm to 10pm. You could arrive at 7:55am and stay as long as you'd like (many people do that). Otherwise normal fees apply.

If you want something cultural, definitely visit the State Capitol building; there are tours and/or you can wander around on your own. If you want to visit the dome, you'll need to contact your representative in advance.
The LBJ Library is also worth a cultural visit. It isn't cheap, but it is exceptional.

You could walk around Town Lake / Ladybird Lake. There is a nice path that goes most of the way around (and you'd be very close to Barton Springs at one point). There are a few places where you can rent kayaks and/or SUPs, if you're into getting on the water.

Whenever I'm in town, I usually end up eating at Le Cafe Crepe, and have never been disappointed. Some people might suggest Hula Hut (it would be a very healthy walk, or you could get a ride); I've been there a few times and it is fine (nice location on the lake).

If you want bats, I've had much better luck viewing them from McNiel in Round Rock; they come out from under the I-35 bridge. But it is way out in suburbia, with really nothing of major interest nearby (downtown Round Rock is about 2 miles away, which has some restaurants, and I'd highly recommend Round Rock Donuts.)