Austin, TX

[The Critic]

I flew in this morning and will be here until Wed afternoon. This is a trip for personal vacation. So far, I have visited Terry Black’s BBQ, UT Austin and Austin’s downtown. Tomorrow, we are headed to Waco and Dallas but we will be back later in the evening.

Please provide your suggestions on places (especially food/drink venues) to check out.

Thanks!

 

[RichR]

Franklin BBQ is famous.
900 E 11th St, Austin, TX 78702

 

[CKN]

A walk through the Capitol building is nice.

Also, a bit of a drive but THE BATTLE OF SAN JACINTO Monument is interesting as well.

 

[97prizm]

I've heard Zocalo Cafe is the best Mexican food in Austin. They even make the tortillas.

 

[CarbonSteel]

Critic - there should be a Salt Lick BBQ around that is pretty decent.

 

[gfh77665]

The Oasis! Its a terraced restaurant overlooking Lake Travis. Go just before sundown and watch it set over the Lake.

http://oasis-austin.com/dining.html

Next day, go to historic Gruene Hall, and have dinner at the Gristmill before doing the Texas two step.

http://gruenehall.com/

http://www.gristmillrestaurant.com/

 

[rubberchicken]

Oasis is a cool restaurant. For BBQ I like Rudy's and Salt Lick.

 

[tightwad]

I forgot to mention places to go. I second the capitol building. It is impressive. It was the largest state capitol until Nebraska and Louisiana built skyscrapers.(lots of tradition there) If you have time, The Alamo in San Antonio is an awesome place. Texas will never split itself up as people sometimes theorize about, because only one of the pieces would be able to have The Alamo. If you want more BBQ, head over to Lockhart, TX, the BBQ capitol of the world. There's Smitty's, Kruetz Market, and the original Black's. The LBJ Library is on the UT campus, just off I-35. The LBJ Ranch is not too far away, in Rockwall, near Johnson City. It has been restored to be just as it was when it was the Texas White House. LBJ and Lady Bird are buried at the family cemetery there. Everything's bigger in Texas, including convenience stores. The Buckee's in New Braunfels is the largest in the chain and may be the largest in the world. One hundred and twenty gas pumps. (yes, I counted them) Imagine a Walmart full of knick-knacks, packaged food, truck accessories, and every kind of fresh fast food you can imagine. You want fresh-made candy. Watch 'em make it! Too much more to list. BTW, my future nephew is a grillmaster at the Black's BBQ in San Marcos. Small world.

 

[Andy636]

You gotta see Waxahachie on your way to Dallas. I loved that place with its gingerbread houses...

 

[BigD1]

I watched his TV show on PBS BBQ with Franklin. Would like to wrap my lips around some of that brisket.

http://www.pbs.org/food/web-shows/bbq-with-franklin/

 

[skyactiv]

My wife travels for her job and says Texans don't like change and being told how to their job.
I'd use Google instead of Bitog to find places.

Food & drink? https://www.therooseveltroomatx.com/menu

If your into Honky Tonk: https://www.thewhitehorseaustin.com/bomb-tacos

 

[MrHorspwer]

If you don't have half a day waiting for Franklin to open...

Kreuz Market, City Market, and Smitty's Market are all in Lockhart

Louie Mueller BBQ in Taylor

Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ in Austin (go early for the breakfast tacos)

 

[JHZR2]

Joe T Garcia’s in Fort Worth. Then go to the stockyards/rodeo.

I also like the bbq chop at rudy’s (multiple locations), and the tacos at Torchy’s.

 

[2009Edge]

Billy Bobs in Ft Worth, also Cowtown / Stockyards.

 

[robertcope]

The Harry Ransom Center at UT is pretty cool: http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/ Among other things, they have the earliest known photograph on display. Also one of the Gutenberg bibles.

There are some neat caves in the Austin area, as well: https://innerspacecavern.com/

If you've never seen the bats, that's a fun evening: https://austinot.com/guide-bat-season-in-austin

If you enjoy cold water, Barton Springs is a great place to hang out: http://www.austintexas.gov/department/barton-springs-pool

Enjoy dancing? Try the Broken Spoke: https://www.brokenspokeaustintx.net/

I'll try and think of some more today.

 

[RTexasF]

The Oasis is a must. You'll be glad you did and the food is good also.

 

[Mr Nice]

I'm getting hungry just reading these posts.

I do plan on visiting Austin some day in the future to eat and sightsee.

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: RichR
Franklin BBQ is famous.
900 E 11th St, Austin, TX 78702


Don't bother with Franklin's tourist-trap BBQ. If you want the best BBQ around the area, head south on Texas 130 (try out the 85 mph speed limit!) to Lockhart and stop at Kreuz's Market (on US 183 as you enter Lockhart). You can drive to Lockhart, eat better BBQ at Kreuz's, and drive back to Austin in less time than you'll spend standing in line at Franklin's.

You've already had Black's (which is based in Lockhart) so you've already had some of the better BBQ available. For some really good Tex-Mex, try Matt's El Rancho (closed Tuesdays) on South Lamar Blvd. Torchy's Tacos (multiple locations) for a quirky, creative take on tacos... the names of the tacos alone are hilarious and they are delicious. Best fish tacos are at Lavaca Street Bar (on Lavaca downtown, or the south location on South Lamar not far from Matt's and next door to a Torchy's). Jack Allen's Kitchen has incredible food of all varieties (Jack's brother is the taco creator at Lavaca St.) If you like old-school hole-in-the-wall Tex-Mex, try Rosies Tamale House (actually west of town on Tx 71 in Bee Cave), or El Patio on Guadalupe near 32nd st. Top Notch burgers (Burnet Rd.) isn't the best burger joint, but its very good and they have some 'Dazed and Confused' memorabilia. If you're a beer guy, there are a bazillion breweries. There's a whole cluster located around Burnet Road and Metric Blvd in North Austin: Celis, Adelbert's, Austin Beerworks, etc. One of the best is a nice drive out in the Hill Country to Blanco- Real Ale Brewing. Another which is a restaurant that happens to have good beer is Pecan Street Brewing in Johnson City, TX (up US 281 from Blanco about 15 minutes).

Non-food stuff: Drive down to San Marcos and see ****'s Classic Car Garage before they close December 31st... definitely worth the trip for the Tucker alone. http://www.dicksclassicgarage.com/ See the bats come out from under the Congress Ave. bridge at sunset, visit one of the state parks in the area (McKinney Falls, Pedernales Falls, Bastrop, Buescher). Visit the Bob Bullock Texas History museum, visit Texas Memorial Museum on the UT campus. Take a tour of the UT Tower observation deck if there's one happening while you're here.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Bodacious BBQ,Arlington,Tx. Best BBQ on the planet!!

 

[aquariuscsm]

My favorite Mexican food in Dallas/Ft Worth is Esparza’s in Grapevine.