Austin Good Eats

Part of the fun of visiting a new place is, of course, trying new food. Here is a listing of all the places I tried during my one week stay in Austin, Texas.

Where possible, I link to the restaurant’s web site, and the restaurants are grouped roughly by geographical location.

Austin Convention Center area

The Iron Works Barbecue - 100 Red River

This restaurant is a stone’s throw from the Austin Convention Center. I ordered the beef ribs ($11.95) from the menu, and my partner, James, had the Sampler Plate ($10.95), which includes sliced beef, “IWB Sausage”, and a beef rib.

The beef ribs are the best I tried in town, and portions are quite generous; they’re the kind that tipped Fred Flintstone’s car over. Be sure and collect hot sauce when you ring up, the cashier keeps bottles behind the counter. I loved it so much I neglected the extra BBQ sauce at our table and opted for the whole hot saucey ribs experience.

We got there a bit early in the evening, before the lines started. You order, they fix your plate right there in front of you, and you pay at a separate cash register. Casual, easy, fun—and tasty.

Stubb’s Bar-B-Q - 801 Red River (I’ve left the Austin Convention Center on the map as a reference point.)

Not quite as good as The Iron Works, but they set a pretty high standard. This is decent barbecue; I liked the pork ribs ($9.95), and especially the pulled pork sandwich ($6.95). They have a lot on the menu, including veggie plates. Get an order to go and take it back to your hotel room if you want a change from eating out.

I would revisit Stubb’s if I were in Austin again.

Katz’s Bar and Deli - 618 W 6th Street

If you are attending a conference at the convention center, first lunch break you get, hike over to Katz’s on West 6th Street. Hurry, now, if you’ve only got one hour! Katz himself greets you at the door and boy will he be happy to see you.

The roast beef sandwich is superb and the corned beef put me in nirvana (James and I sampled each other’s sandwiches). Be sure and slather lots of mustard on the corned beef.

I give it a big thumbs up, but some reviewers feel otherwise. There’s a Katz’s in Houston as well.

Hut’s - 807 W 6th Street

Nearby Katz’s is Hut’s, a hamburger joint that also serves veggie burgers. I would highly recommend this place, and regret that I could only fit in one visit this trip.

The menu lists hamburgers by celebrity, so you have the “The Big Bopper”, the “Richie Valens”, and so on. I think I got the “Chubby Chuck’s” (pickles, onions, grated cheese and hickory sauce) and it was delicious! The onion rings are tasty—there’s pepper in the batter—and absolutely huge.

Hut’s is very busy at lunchtime, so get there a bit before the rush, or be prepared to wait. Wave hello to the novelty steer for me.

Guadalupe Street (“The Drag”)

Little City Espresso Bar - 916 Congress Avenue, or the 2604 Guadalupe Street location, which is the one I visited

The Guadalupe location has a relaxed, bohemian vibe about it. Lots of students, lots of laptops, and some sofa chairs for lounging, of course. There’s also an outside patio area partially shaded by some trees. I got a latte that was good, if a bit lukewarm. James got an excellent mocha.

Ken’s Donuts - 2820 Guadalupe Street (I changed the reference point to the Texas State Capitol.)

What a dive. What heavenly donuts. We bought six for something like 65 cents each, scarfed them down in one sitting, and entertained the notion of buying six more.

Highly recommended: chocolate glazed, plain glazed, strawberry-filled, raspberry-filled (any of the fruit fillings, really), and any of the cream-filled.

I know these are really good donuts, because I don’t normally like cream-filled donuts. Similarly, I don’t usually like fruit-fillings, but the fruit wasn’t cheap and nasty—it was quality stuff.

I wasn’t so wild for the double-chocolate (chocolate pastry topped with chocolate icing). It was a bit like a Krispy Kreme donut, which I don’t like.

Easy to spot. Just look out for Ganeesh.

Toy Joy - 2900 Guadalupe Street

Load up on sugar at Ken’s Donuts and head straight for Toy Joy (photo: store front). This is a giant toy shop on Guadalupe, near some taco eateries we tried. A must for people of all ages. They’ve got everything here; I even found a small rubber ducky with blonde hair and blue eyes. Some footwear as well in the far corner of the shop. You’ll want to spend some time here—and perhaps drop some cash on a few silly items you don’t need.

Lots of fun.

The Taco Shack - 2825 Guadalupe (There are other locations - notably, one near the Convention Center.)

Another yummy taco joint on Guadalupe. I was able to sample all the taco possibilities: taco meat, beef fajita, chicken fajita, and carne guisada. I lost track of which was carne guisada and which was beef fajita, but they were all good so if you throw a dart and pick one you’ll be fine. The cheap and cheerful eating area is open to let a breeze in.

They seem proud of their breakfast menu, which I unfortunately didn’t have the opportunity to try.

Thumbs up.

Chango’s Taqueria - 3023 Guadalupe Street

Walk a bit further along Guadalupe from Taco Shack, and you’ll hit Chango’s Taqueria. Outstanding fish tacos—but get the breaded ones, not the plain grilled fish. Plus they make their own tortillas by hand—an employee was using a wood tortilla press when we visited.

A bit pricier, and this is reflected in the decor, which is much more trendy and sleek than the other taco places listed here. Iced tea lovers will appreciate their self-serve drinks station: very decent iced tea, a never-ending flow of ice, and loads of fresh-cut lemon wedges. Just the ticket on a hot Austin day.

Tip: A great place for excellent, cheap iced tea is Jack in the Box (believe it or not). Great rest-stop if you’re poking around the shops along Guadalupe. Plus you can get one last fill before you leave and take a leisurely stroll along the drag with your iced tea. Ahhhh, this is the life, eh?

Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard

Taco Cabana - 517 Martin Luther King Blvd W (short hike from the UT campus)

What a disappointment. Avoid, avoid, avoid. I had high hopes for this place - it was busy, smelled good, lovely salsa bar, and they had a tortilla-making machine. A quick glance around at people’s plates assured me that everything looked promising. Where did it go wrong?

I have no idea, but I had a so-so taco. And you don’t come to Austin for mediocre tacos. There’s better grub to be had, right there on MLK West.

The best part was the tortilla chips, some of which were dyed red and therefore sort of a novelty. Also, there is a nice patio area shaded by trees which is pleasant enough, despite nearby traffic. I wouldn’t waste a meal here during your stay in Austin, but I have to say, it was doing very brisk business.

East University (past the Interstate)

El Chilito Tacos y Cafe - 2219 Manor Road

Across the other side of campus and the Interstate is El Chilito Tacos y Cafe. You’ll spot its distinctive sign. The architecture and ordering set-up reminded me of Fosters Freeze.

Fantastic fish tacos! And the pork something or other was very good too. A strange brown sauce is served with your tacos; I don’t think it’s mole. I don’t know what it is, but it’s good. And the prices are very good, too.

If El Chilito is out of your way, make an effort to visit it.