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.