Boutique hotels
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Hotel Saint Cecilia
- Style
- Hip house and beatnik bungalows
- Setting
- Secluded SoCo estate
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Hotel San José
- Style
- Made-over motel
- Setting
- Deep in downtown Austin
Austin Eating, drinking and dancing
Restaurants
+1 512 653 1187
Franklin Barbecue
Stop by this turquoise and white food trailer for a paper plate full of ribs, baked beans and slices of white bread. Feeling adventurous? Go for the espresso barbecue sauce.
900 E 11th, Austin, TX 78702
+1 512 444 7437
Home Slice Pizza
This casual pizza bar is the perfect pit-stop between shops on South Congress strip. The Margherita slice is heaped with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, garlic and basil and the perma-queue snaking outside speaks volumes.
1415 South Congress Avenue, Austin, Texas 78704.
+1 512 385 2900
Justine’s
If you go on the right night, you may catch a lady swinging in the dining room of this local favourite. Serving rich French fare and old-school cocktails, Justine’s brassiere is the perfect spot for a sexy night out. Be sure to book ahead, tables fill up fast.
4710 East 5th Street Austin, TX 78702
+1 512 499 0300
La Condesa
Street food is given a sophisticated rethink at this hip Mexican restaurant, which also boasts over 80 varieties of blue agave tequila. The food is fresh and flavoursome, and the Margarita La Condesa (a muddle of spirits, pineapple juice and lime, with a cactus-salt rim) is a dangerously tasty thirst-quencher.
400-A West 2nd Street, Austin, Texas 78701
+ 1 512 494 1500
Lambert's
This is the place for what locals call ‘fancy barbecue’ (if that’s not a contradiction in terms). The exposed brick interior and sleek green leather booths provide a stylish backdrop to the regular live music events hosted here.
401 West 2nd Street, Austin, Texas 78701
+1 512 291 7300
Perla’s
Head here on a sunny day or balmy evening and sit under the striped parasols, on the butter-yellow chairs, with a bowl of bouillabaisse and saffron rouille before you.
1400 South Congress Avenue, Austin, Texas 78704
+1 512 827 2750
Second Bar + Kitchen
Pick a patio table and order up black truffle fries, blistered shishito peppers and goat cheese ravioli at this Second Street dining den. After dinner, make a beeline to the bar for a refreshing Moscow mule served in a copper mug.
200 Congress Avenue, Austin, TX 78701
+1 512 480 8341
Stubb’s BBQ
For southern hospitality, slow-smoked meat and sauce with a following, head to Stubb’s BBQ. After dinner, catch a live show in the outdoor amphitheatre.
801 Red River, Austin, Texas 78701
+1 512 858 4959
The Salt Lick
As you sink your teeth into the legendary barbecue, you won’t remember the 45-minute drive to Driftwood. Known for its smoky-sweet sauce and perfectly smoked ribs, the Salt Lick is a local favourite. Visit the ATM before you go, this is a cash only spot.
18300 FM 1826 Driftwood, TX 78619
+1 512 916 4808
Uchi
Escape the meat-fest with sushi at Uchi. This eatery, with its sexy decor and lengthy wait list, is a shot of Manhattan glam in cowboy country. Reservations are a must if you don’t want to wait an hour in line. There’s also a dark and romantic champagne bar.
801 South Lamar Boulevard, Austin, Texas 78704
+1 512 916 4808
Uchiko
Uchi’s offspring distinguishes itself with a wildly creative menu such as sea bass crudo and inventive sushi such as the ham and eggs roll with pork belly, custard and espelette. This is Japanese farmhouse dining at its finest.
4200 North Lamar Austin, TX 78756
+1 512 441 6100
Vespaio
The Italian offerings at this casual eatery are delicious, and its owner, Scott, has an encyclopaedic knowledge of Austin and can tell you the best place to go for live music on any given night.
1610 South Congress Avenue, Austin, Texas 78704
Bars
+1 512 444 7322
Hotel San José
Sit in the pretty courtyard of the Smith-approved San José Hotel and sip one of their fabulous cocktails. Every Wednesday, the house DJ Waxploitation scratches up a storm and there are Rock n’ Reel nights, where you can enjoy live music followed by a movie under the stars.
1316 South Congress Avenue, Austin, Texas 78704
+1 512 442 6189
Broken Spoke
Follow in the cowboy boot-clad footsteps of Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson and while away an evening here, listening and line-dancing to lively country music, and sampling the home-style Texan cooking.
3201 South Lamar Boulevard, Austin, Texas 78704
+1 512 478 6200
Scoot Inn
This former railroad saloon hosts country gigs, to the delight of cowboys, tattooed bikers and trendy locals, who all congregate here for casual beers and gigs.
1308 East 4th Street, Austin, Texas 78702
+1 512 441 2444
The Continental Club
Navigate your way past the lively locals at the bar, the red neon signage and photos of famous faces covering the walls, and make for the mellow upstairs Gallery Bar. This dark and dirty (in the best possible way) blues club has hosted Stevie Ray Vaughn, Sheryl Crow and Bonnie Ray.
1315 South Congress Avenue, Austin, Texas
Cafés
+1 512 416 1601
Bouldin Creek Coffeehouse
Admire the work of local artists over a freshly made taco or steaming cappuccino, at this bohemian coffee shop.
1501 South 1st Street, Austin, Texas 78704.
+1 512 444 3800
Jo's Coffee
Across the parking lot from the San José Hotel, Jo’s is a peppermint-green coffee shack, to which long-haired, guitar-strumming types are drawn as irresistibly as teens to Topshop. There’s also a downtown branch on West 2nd Street.
1300 South Congress Avenue, Austin, Texas 78701.
