Howdy!! Austin Texas is one of my favorite cities in the US. It’s young, artsy, and has shopping and food that are out of this world. I was in Austin for a work trip last week, so we flew in early to spend the weekend. Keep reading to see our favorite stops, including my favorite, chicken shit bingo!
Where we stayed
We spent the weekend at this adorable AirBnB on South Congress. It was an insanely good price and a great location. Austin isn’t that walkable from neighborhood to neighborhood, so we took a Lyft every time we left the apartment, but it was never very expensive. The AirBnB was super clean and the management company it’s run through provided clear directions and was always responsive. The listing link wasn’t working at the time I uploaded this article, so you can see other listings by this same company here.
Where we also stayed
I normally stay at a run of the mill conference hotel when I travel for work, but this time was different so I had to include it here! If you’re not a fan of AirBnBs, I highly recommend the Hotel Van Zandt. It’s located right on Rainey Street (such a good location!) so you can walk to all the fun houses that have been converted into bars and restaurants (Make sure to check out Unbarlievable!). This boutique Austin hotel is so cute and comes with an in-house coffee shop, restaurant, and rooftop pool!
East Austin
Brunch at Launderette
Located in a converted laundromat and gas station, Launderette is an Austin brunch hot spot. We stopped in for coffee and their daily pastry special which was filled with chocolate mocha and salted caramel pearls. We were so tempted to get more, but we had a lot of eating ahead of us! If you can’t make it for brunch, their dinner and desserts are also highly rated!
Barbecue at La Barbecue
Right after coffee at Launderette, we walked over to La Barbecue to get some Texas style BBQ! We heard that Franklin’s is the best of the best when it comes to Austin barbecue, but some of our friends waited in line there for over 3 hours! Instead, we decided to try another top-rated spot: La Barbecue. It had a wait time of about 1.5 hours and it was totally worth it. The best brisket I’ve ever had AND we enjoyed some beer while waiting in line.
Shopping in East Austin
After our bellies were full of barbecue we kept walking around East Austin to do some shopping. If you want to skip the crowds of South Congress and still find some unique goodies, this is the area for you! I LOVED Solid Gold, Aro, and Powder Vintage. All three are pictured above in that order.
Local Austin Breweries
Still in East Austin, we walked over to a few local breweries to meet up with friends. Our first stop was Zilker which I loved being there were a bunch of IPAs on tap! Afterwards, we walked a few more blocks to Lazarus which has the coolest indoor/outdoor space. Both were packed with people being it was one of the first nice days after a series of gloomy weather, but don’t let the people stop you from going!
Last Straw
We randomly stumbled across the Last Straw cocktail lounge which was right next door to Lazarus. This spot had a 90’s Miami Beach vibe to it and served up delicious (but not cheap) cocktails. We pulled a few tables together and enjoyed a few more drinks together!
Downtown Austin
Coffee at Alfred
Alfred, the famous LA coffee spot, is located inside the The Line hotel in downtown Austin. We ordered an iced coffee and an apple turnover for breakfast and sat in the hotel lobby to enjoy. The space is super trendy and open, and the coffee and turnover were amazing. I’m usually not a fan of stopping into a coffee shop that sits inside a hotel, but this one was awesome!
Shopping on 2nd St
We were looking for a few more unique shopping spots in Austin and found 2nd Street. It’s located downtown so there’s a few stores you’ll recognize but it’s also filled with local shops as well. We loved Prize (accessories, art, and furniture), Austin General Store (gifts, signs, accessories), and the ModCloth showroom (not local, but super fun!).
Jo’s Coffee
There’s a few Jo’s Coffee shops around Austin, but we stopped by the downtown location to get a pick me up while shopping. The original is located on South Congress and is super cute (It’s where you can find the famous “I love you so much” mural). No matter the location, make sure to stop by and get the iced Belgian Bomber. It’s made with hazelnut and coffee and other goodness that I can’t remember. SO GOOD OMG.
Barbecue at Cooper’s
Also located downtown is Cooper’s Barbecue. This is another top rated joint, but you don’t have to wait in line for forever to enjoy! We walked right up to the counter and chose some meat from their insanely massive meat stash. They even dip everything in this broth to make sure it’s extra moist right before they serve it to you! We loved the casualness of this place and the huge pot of self serve bbq sauce. Cooper’s is a must try!
South Austin
Mellizoz Tacos
If you’re barbecued out, another must-try Austin dining experience is a food truck park. These are located throughout the city, but we chose the South Austin Trailer Park for Mellizoz Tacos. The space consisted of about 5 different food trucks with picnic tables for dining. The tacos hit the spot and the queso was some of the best I’ve had!
Still Distillery
Still Distillery and the next two spots on this list are all located right next to each other. If you want to try a distillery, winery, AND brewery all in the same spot, this is your place! Cole and I each ordered the cocktail flight (I’ve never seen something like this before!) which was full of fun whiskey concoctions that I would never think of myself, like whiskey and lemonade. And all drinks are grain to glass!
Austin Winery
The Austin Winery makes you feel like you’re walking into a friend’s big garage to celebrate an event and have a glass of wine. The industrial spot also feels really country chic, so I had to order a glass of the rosé. The winemaker was really friendly and helped us choose a few wines that weren’t super sweet, being that’s what you mainly find in Texas!
St. Elmo’s Brewery
Located right next to the last two spots on this list is St. Elmo’s Brewery. St. Elmo’s has some of the best beer in Austin (in my opinion) and also has the best food truck out back. Seriously, THE BEST. We ordered the fried chicken special and the wings. Both were amazing and so different from anything we’ve ever had. Just look at that sauce and peanuts on those wings!
North Austin
Chicken Shit Bingo
Ok guys, here it is, my favorite Austin find! Our Lyft driver told us about this and it was so random and fun! Every Sunday the Little Longhorn Saloon hosts chicken shit bingo in the afternoon. It doesn’t get more Texan than this! Basically, you buy a spot on a 50-spot bingo board and which ever spot the chicken poops on wins. Cole won the first round and won $115! Make sure you try this if you’re making the trip to Austin!
That’s a wrap on my favorite things to do in Austin. Enjoy! And as always, let me know if I missed something!
