I am headed to Austin for ACL in September. Originally it was just going to be for the festival but I scheduled some work out there and some time off and will now be in Austin for a little over 3 weeks. I have been there a few times before, but never for such an extended stay. Looking for suggestions on things to do. I will be staying downtown at the Driskill. On the list so far: Barton Springs Food: Salt Lick, Hudson's, Hula Hut, and Home Slice (when out on South Congress) Golf (at least one day at Barton Creek) ACL Probably some hiking Thought about renting a boat one day and maybe even heading over to San Antonio one day as well. Just trying to fill the calendar with some things most people might not know about. Thoughts?
Don't know what music you're into but a lot of good acts come to Stubb's downtown. Some good bbq there too. http://stubbsaustin.com/concert-listings/ Get a burger at Hut's on West 6th. Best burger I've had in Austin.
Yes, been to Stubbs for a couple shows before. Actually saw Sister Hazel there as a joke/to get drunk and had a blast. Never eaten there but love their bbq sauce. Will have to check their schedule.
FWIW a lot of the restaurants that you mentioned will have booths set up at ACL. It's usually a pretty good collection of the best local places and a few chains. Also, you need to hit up Juan and a Million for breakfast and order yourself a Don Juan. It's a giant breakfast taco with enough eggs, bacon, etc. to fill 3 tacos so order extra tortillas. Cheap as hell too. I'm assuming you'll have a car since you're in town for three weeks. If you do and don't mind making a 30 minute drive, head to Lockhart (the Holy Land of Texas barbecue) and try either Kreuz's or Black's. If you have any interest in seeing the campus area you can always check out the trophy room inside the stadium. Pretty decent shot you'll run into someone on the coaching staff while you're there.
Oh and San Antonio sucks. Wouldn't even waste your time unless you really want to visit the Alamo and be massively disappointed.
damn Jack staying at the Driskill for 3 weeks Food: burger - Casino el Camino tacos - Torchy's & Coreanos (have to look on their twitter feed to see where they are going to be) sushi - Uchi & Uchiko thai - Madam Mam's Entertainment: bar hop Stubbs Recreation: Town Lake Zilker Park Barton Springs
Cross Salt Lick off your list because it isn't very good and drive thirty minutes outside of town to Taylor, Texas for much better BBQ. Also go to Uchi at some point. If you want real Mexican food you should make a day trip to Houston You should also float the river in in San Marcos or New Braunfels; it will still be plenty warm for aquatic recreation.
I haven't stayed there before. Is it nice? I have eaten at the restaurant there (forget the name) but never stayed. Sometimes the old historic hotels seem nice and have a great location but turn out to be shitholes when you stay there. It was actually pretty cheap after some discounts.
floating the river is not my thing, but if you're going to do it go with the Comal River in New Braunfels. Jack you can always go to Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels too.
But go during the middle of the week because on the weekends that place is packed with day laborers from SA with 15 kids per family.
Hmmm...so which is it? I will have a car and am more than happy to drive 30 minutes for good bbq. I might try both. Can live without Mexican food and Houston.
Agree that Uchi, if you like sushi, is great. Forget about Hut's, it's one of those typical burger joints locals love but is really, really average. Not worth the time. Same with Salt Lick. Brunch at Fonda San Miguel is a really good one, and for some reason I really like the Mexican at Curras, just south of downtown.
Yeah definitely don't drive to Houston. If you haven't had a whole lot of Tex-Mex you probably won't know the difference anyways. Louie Mueller's is in Taylor and it is damn good (pretty sure Texas Monthly rated it the best in Texas). But Lockhart has 3 places that are pretty universally considered top 10 in Kreuz's (my favorite), Black's, and Smitty's. Just depends on what you want to do, but as a heads up, I'm pretty sure Louie Mueller's runs out quickly. You can also try Franklin's in Austin, but you'll need to be in line between 9-10 am on a week day and expect to wait 1-2 hours. Don't even bother on weekends.
Definitely agree with this. Also, if someone tries to tell you to go to Dirty Martin's near campus, run them down with your car because they don't deserve to live. I really like Your Mom's Burgers just east of 35. Also, Top Notch has pretty good burgers, but it's also the burger joint from Dazed and Confused.
This. I think most of the mexican food in austin sucks but this place is good and theres a good taqueria on cesar chavez next to your mom's burger bar. BTW the Tex-mex in Houston/SA shits all over tex-mex you've had anywhere else. Houston's got better food overall than Austin as well.
Thanks for all this info...very helpful. Also, is the golf course near Tarry Town (sp?) any good? I think it is either a municipal course or owned by the school? It is really close to downtown though so I thought about trying it out.
No doubt about the Tex-Mex. Overall food, you're probably right but I really like the fact that Austin has way more (or maybe just a much higher concentration) patio/grill places where you can sit outside for drinks and food. Jack, you might also want to try The Oasis on Lake Travis. Shit tier Mexican food but go at sunset because it's probably the best view in town. Haven't been there yet but I've heard the Iguana Grill is close to the Oasis and has similar scenery with way better food. Might be worth a try too.
You'll be fine either way. Like he said Lockhart is the Mecca of Texas style BBQ, but Taylor is probably a little closer. THe story of Kreutz and Smitty's is pretty cool as it's kind of a family rivalry thing. Haven't been to Black's.
the Tex-Mex scene in Austin isn't that great all, but foodies are revitalizing Tex-Mex in Austin with their unique spin on their food.
Where do I start. ACL is an amazing weekend. You must have booked the Driskell, which is a great hotel, way in advance, because getting a room within 15 miles of downtown is next to impossible during the festival. Luckily, my girlfriend went to UT so I stayed with her, but ATX is a clusterfuck and you will be right in the center of everything which will be nice. Definitely hit up Town Lake in addition to the festival and all the other activities you mentioned. You can go kayaking, paddle boating, and its just a relaxing experience overall and has great views of Austin. I'm also surprised no one has mentioned Mt. Bonnell, which is a must see. Best views of the multi-million dollar homes in the hill country from up there. I'll give you a lot of food and drink suggestions since you'll be there a while. 1. 6th Street - East (dirty) 6th is where all the college bars are but West 6th is where I like to go when I'm in town. Little less of a scene and better bars/lounges overall. 2. Abel's on the Lake - Next to Hula Hut and probably where you should go instead in my humblest. Better food and drink and less wait usually. 3. Salt Lick - Is good bbq, but Stubb's downtown is a plenty fine backup option if you want to stay close. 4. Moonshine Cafe - Good luck getting in the weekend of the festival but if you do, it's a treat. Upscale and trendy comfort food, just really good. 5. Bess Bistro - Sandra Bullock's restaurant. Similar to Moonshine so if you can't get in there, go here. 6. Home Slice - Best pizza in Austin. On South Congress which is a really cool street. 7. South Congress Cafe - Across the street from Home Slice. I recommend going there for brunch. 8. Kerbey Lane - Open 24 hours. Amazing pancakes. 9. Taco Deli or Torchy's - Both have better breakfast taco's than Juan in a Million and are less touristy 10. Alamo Drafthouse - One of the coolest things to do in the city. It's a local movie theater where you can also order awesome food and they bring it right to your seat. They also have a full bar. Definitely make a night out of that if you have the time. 11. Fonda San Miguel - Great mexican food. Order the queso with chorizo and thank me later. 12. Paggi House - A bit trendier than South Congress Cafe but they also do an amazing buffet brunch. Chicken and waffles are incredible 13. Whole Foods - Trust me it's worth the trip. Biggest one you'll see in your life since its their headquarters 14. Uchi - I'm not a big sushi guy but it's Mecca if you do. The Saki list is huge. 15. Flying Saucer - As another poster mentioned, great beer list. Go for Trivia Night on Tuesday if you have a group of people. As an aside, if you have nothing else, order a Hot and Crunchy Chicken Cone from the Mighty Cone stand at ACL. It's panko breaded chicken strips, ancho chile sauce, mango-jalepeno coleslaw, and fried avocado in a flour tortilla. It's probably the greatest single food item you will ever eat in your life and I'll fight anyone who disagrees.
I have nothing bad to say about the place. First restaurant I ever ate at in Austin and pound for pound could be the best.
Perkis, Magnolia Cafe is good too. If you've never heard of Magnolia Cafe before, it's like Kerbey Lane.
Lots of good info in here. ACL is the best even the city puts on, so it's a pretty great time to be in town. If you're looking for the best BBQ in the history of the universe, try Coopers in Llano. It's a bit of a drive, but worth it. East 6th is pretty fratty, but west 6th is a little chiller. Try South Congress just for the food trucks and to kick a hippy.
For bbq, you need to hit up Franklin's. I havent been yet, but it's all the buzz throughout the whole state and is supposed to have some ridiculous brisket.
Thanks for all the info. As for the hotel, booking 22 nights can help "bump" someone a few nights. I am pretty sure that is what happened. And when I was at ACL two years ago, I think I ate about 60 of those fucking cones...goddamn they are addicting. Then you need about 5 of those big canned beers to wash them down, then...it's just a vicious circle.
Gentlemen...a lot of great information here, really appreciate it. I am pumped just for all the great bbq...will likely put on about 20 lbs. I am little dissapointed in the lineup this year but can't wait for this trip. Need to plan out my "expense" so that I can write-off as much of this shit as possible.
Quoted for future use when I go down to Austin for 2 days before training to Dallas for the LSU game.
I'd highly consider giving Chisolm Trail in Lockhart a shot as well. It's top shelf. If you're feeling overly heated and you want to cool down, Sno Beach is a good shaved ice place in Austin. I know there are at least two locations where they have their food trucks set up (34th and Guad, 801 Barton Springs). I recommend the first location because there's a better chance that you won't have to wait in line with a bunch of Westlake kids. As for toobing, I'm gonna have to second the Comal recommendation even though I'm personally biased towards San Marcos.* The Comal always has a good flow, and it's a good experience for your money. If we weren't in the middle of a ridiculous drought, I'd recommend the Guadalupe, but right now it has to be too low to be any fun. *Let me know if you decide to make a day trip to San Marcos, and I'll be happy to give you plenty of recommendations on where to go.
Someone break down 6th st for me. I haven't been to Austin in years and years. All I remember is getting cutoff and tossed out of the Aquarium.
Yeah I get that. Any new spots with checking out? Old standbys that have gone to shit? Best deck for people watching? Best happy hr? Best beer selection? Best live music? Etc...etc...etc...
Not necessarily Jack, but people bitch about ACL's line up every year. People always float out retarded rumors of who will headline (fucking Radiohead every damn year) and then are disappointed when the names are released. Lollapalooza is C3's big festival so I don't think ACL always gets their A game when it comes to planning it out, but I've never left disappointed. This year looks especially awesome.
The only other song I know is Short People and I'm not really sure how to tie into this conversation.