This particular trip to Texas was to visit a dear friend, and along the way, we were able to try out many of the local food spots. In Austin especially, you will never be short on some good BBQ and taco trucks everywhere. The sheer number of food joints on a single road is astounding, so if you like food, this is the place to visit.
Day 1!
Polvos Interior Mexican Food
We flew into Austin in the later afternoon, and decided we should venture for some tacos! We did this one so quickly that I did not get pictures of all the items we had, but the street tacos here are wonderful to-go for a group of 6 or so! We opted to get four different tacos here (each order came with 6): shredded chicken, barbacoa, shrimp, and beef fajita. All were great and garnished with cabbage, pico de gallo, cheese, and avocado.
The best part of this restaurant was the large salsa bar! This is a serve-yourself, so we stocked up on the to-go sauces for our meal.
Day 2!
La Barbecue
La Barbecue was was on the MANY BBQ places in Austin that was recommended. We had looked into Franklin’s but with this trip, we decided we didn’t want to venture to a place with a line quite that long. La Barbecue did not disappoint, and the line was pretty doable compared to others. In total, we probably waited an hour….and I know that sounds long, but for Austin, this is apparently pretty standard.
pinto beans, slaw, & potato salad Brisket and pork ribs
The quality of the brisket here alone would bring me back in a heartbeat. Once we finally made it inside to place our order, we were each offered a large sample piece of that brisket, and it was AMAZING. You cannot come here without ordering brisket. The pork ribs are also fabulous and so tender. You can’t go wrong. We opted to get large sides to share with our group of 6 back at the house: macaroni & cheese (with a very mild kick to them), potato salad, slaw (also a mild kick), and pinto beans. We LOVED how the beans were pinto instead of the usual baked beans you get. Delicious.
One of the best parts of this place was the cups of cold beer waiting for you to grab on the counter once you are at the front of the line….FOR FREE. Needless to say, the beer tasted amazing (but it could have been the heat and the pricetag on them).
Dessert Stop #1
Churro Co.
Traditional churro w/ cajeta (Mexican caramel)
We decided to do what my friends and I have termed as a “bang bang”…which is essentially when you go to one place for one food item, and then go straight to another for a different food item. Sometimes you can even do a “bang bang bang”….but with desserts, that’s probably a bit too much.
Our first stop was the Churro co. I went with a traditional churro with cajeta, a Mexican caramel sauce…it was fantastic. I would eat these every day if I could. They are coated with so much cinnamon sugar, and piping hot when they are handed out the window! This churro food truck is very popular here, but luckily the wait wasn’t long at all! I would recommend checking out the different beverages they have here too! They looked amazing.
Dessert Stop #2
Lick Honest Ice Creams
Coffee cream & Caramel Salt Lick
I had read about this ice cream shop before getting to Austin, and the coolest part is how they don’t put any artificial colors/flavors, and they trace their ingredients to local sources. I love this. We got here pretty late, so the only downside was they were out of a good number of flavors. Luckily, I was able to try their caramel salt lick (a staple) and the coffee with cream. Both ice creams were rich with flavor, especially that caramel. No need to go large on the size…a small scoop was PLENTY for me…though the churros before may have had something to do with that.
Walk along the boardwalk
After a long day of eating, we ended up near the boardwalk along Lady Bird Lake. It’s a great long walk for a nice evening stroll to walk off all the BBQ and sweets!
Me and my friend, Hannah!
The Roosevelt Room
I’m a sucker for a great speakeasy style bar, and The Roosevelt Room is a new favorite of ours. We did not make a reservation for this place, but luckily the wait wasn’t too long for two people. The interior is cozy and feels like a bit of a time warp.
From what we could tell, you really cannot go wrong with any of the drinks here. If you can, get seats at the bartop where you can watch the bartenders create these amazing cocktails.
Cheese Board Cigar Box & Buck to the Future Pink Squirrel & The Pharaoh’s Dance
The libations and food here have a huge selection, so if you are looking to branch out with your palate, this is the place to go. Our first drinks were the Cigar Box and Buck to the Future. The Cigar Box is a mezcal drink with smoked black tea syrup and donned with a flaming cinnamon stick. I’m not a huge lover of mezcal, but even I loved this drink. The Buck to the Future is a nice whiskey cocktail with sherry, strawberry-basil purée, and some cracked pepper on top. The combination is fantastic. I want to take a bottle of that purée home.
We enjoyed the cheese board as well, but they have a ton more food items to try if you wanted to eat more of a full meal here. The Pharaoh’s Dance was an interesting drink – good, but a much different flavor. It has gin, St-Germain, IPA, absinthe, and some thai basil syrup…although a great drink, that syrup reminded us of pho a bit too much! If you want a nice dessert style finish, I would highly recommend the Pink Squirrel! It tastes like those cordial chocolate cherries…in liquid form. It is a vodka based drink with cream and other flavorings as well. Delicious.
Whataburger!!!
Would couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get us some late-night Whataburger while being in Texas. It’s a 24 hour place, but be clear that the dining room is NOT open all night. We may have had to walk ourselves through that drive-thru…
You can’t go wrong with a burger and fries here. Be sure to get some sweet tea as well! The chicken tenders are great with a side of gravy!
Day 3!
Elizabeth Street Cafe
This was probably our favorite restaurant in Austin we had a chance to visit. It’s a Vietnamese restaurant with a French bakery, and it’s as cute as can be. Try to make a reservation here to avoid a wait! I’ve heard they have a great brunch as well, but we came for their normal lunch hours.
Vietnamese iced coffee Fried Spring Rolls Bún – Broiled Niman Ranch Pork Belly
We have a restaurant back home with amazing Vietnamese food, so I love to explore these sorts of places when traveling to see what others are like. This one was AMAZING. The Vietnamese coffee was refreshing, and in a cooler time of year, I would to try it hot as well. The fried spring rolls were a great starter choice for the table, but know that they have a bit of a kick! We all ordered ourselves each on of the bún bowls – vermicelli noodle bowls. I got the pork belly for my protein, and I would highly recommend it! I can’t wait to make this a staple for me every time I happen to be in Austin!
Home Slice Pizza
This is a great pizza joint for a quick bite, or for some pizza to go! We went with individual slices, and the slide of the day was sausage and garlic…definitely my favorite. They also had slices of their white style pizza with broccoli, which was nice as well. I personally didn’t love the margherita pizza..not quite what I expected with it’s diced tomatoes and shredded style basil, so personally, I would avoid this one. Overall, not a bad pizza place and I loved the crust style of these thin NYC slices.
Radio Coffee and Beer
We were invited here by some friends who had recently moved to Austin, and it was a blast! They have live music, and this night was bluegrass. We enjoyed some beers out in their large patio area where we could enjoy the music and some pretty great evening weather.
Day 4!
Veracruz Tacos
If you get a chance to try Veracruz tacos, do it! They have some of the best breakfast tacos, and there are a few locations in Austin. I would recommend the one on Webberville Rd. This area has a couple of food trucks, two of them owned by Veracruz. We enjoyed some delicious fresh juices and some of the best horchata I have had.
If you ask people in Austin about the breakfast tacos, they will tell you to get the migas tacos at Veracruz…and they are UNREAL. They were also mentioned on Food Network as one of the best tacos in America! I can’t recommend these enough. Note that the tacos are larger than you think, so for breakfast, you may only need one of them. The queso here is vegan, and in my opinion, you can taste that. It’s not bad, but you can’t go wrong with their delicious guac and salsa.
green juice blend sides of guac, queso, & salsa El tradicional taco Migas poblanas taco
Amy’s Ice Creams
I’m a sucker for ice cream…do yourself a favor and check out Amy’s! They have a few locations in Texas, and they are delicious! I went with the Shiner flavor…their vanilla made with Shiner Bock (a native Texan beer) is out of this world. Top it with fresh strawberries and you will thank me later.
Shiner ice cream w/ fresh strawberries
