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| Photo: Stuart Mullenberg |
MORNING: PATIKA COFFEE. The
Patika coffee cart, a mere four blocks from the Austin Convention Center,
offers first-rate coffee and espresso from local roasters Cuvée and Flat Track,
as well as freshly baked sweet treats from Flour Bakery. Opened in 2010 by
friends Andy Wigginton and Nick Krupa, this caffeinated kiosk will fuel you
through whatever awesomeness SXSW has in store.
402 Congress Ave.,
512-535-3955, patikacoffee.com
BRUNCH: DRINK. WELL.
elevates neighborhood spirits with inventive cocktails, domestic beers and a
whiskey collection more than 75 bottles strong. Plus, they open early on
weekends for all your pre-meet up/panel discussion/screening boozy brunch
needs! Start the day right with a killer Bloody Mary and a kim chi Reuben.
207
E 53rd St., 512-614-6683, drinkwellaustin.com
LUNCH: FRANKLIN BBQ. Texas is barbecue country, and no Texan bastes up better brisket than Lone Star native Aaron Franklin. Since opening his namesake Franklin Barbecue in East Austin back in 2009, Franklin’s pulled pork, sausage and beef brisket (slathered in his top-secret espresso barbecue sauce) draws daily crowds that often wind around the building and down the street. Once inside, order a two-meat plate with a side of beans, crack open one of the local craft brews on offer and dig in—Texas barbecue doesn’t get better than this. And click here for our Q&A with Aaron Franklin.
900 E. 11th St., 512-653-1187, franklinbarbecue.com
LUNCH: ANTONELLI’S. Opened
in 2010 by cheese-loving husband-and-wife team John and Kendall Antonelli, this
shop stocks hundreds of cheeses (including an impressive number from local
creameries), domestic and imported charcuterie, upwards of 40 bottles of mostly
Texas craft brews and another 40 bottles of wine. Add to that fresh-baked
bread, single-origin honeys and bean-to-bar chocolate and consider your picnic
packed. Pack a picnic and soak up some sun between meetings, or grab some
provisions for later. Nothing like a 2 a.m. salami sammie to cure the
one-too-many-cocktails blues.
4220 Duval St., 512-531-9610,
antonellischeese.com
LUNCH: HILLSIDE FARMACY.
This East Austin pharmacy-turned-café charms with its vintage décor (think
antique apothecary cases, beehive tiled floor and pressed tin ceiling), while
its afternoon tea service, old-fashioned soda fountain, farm-fresh foods and
cocktail cures makes it the perfect lunchtime escape.
1209 E. 11th St.,
512-628-0168, hillsidefarmacy.com
LUNCH: HOPDODDY. Every town
needs a good burger joint, and Hopdoddy takes tops honors for a menu that
highlights Texas-raised beef, buffalo and lamb, locally grown produce and an
entirely Texas-brewed beer list.
1400 S. Congress St., 512-243-7507, and 2438 W.
Anderson Lane, 512-467-2337, hopdoddy.com
HAPPY HOUR: FRANK’S. Housemade
hot dogs. Cold craft brews. Super close to SXSW. What more could there be? How
about a fully stocked bar and a killer cocktail menu with rotating seasonal
sips and mainstays like the Dirty South with rye, pecan-infused maple syrup and
sarsaparilla? Hit up happy hour for $3 pints, half-price waffle fries and an
order of Lil Smokies smothered in homemade Dr Pepper barbecue sauce.
407 Colorado
St., 512-494-6916, hotdogscoldbeer.com
DINNER: LUCY’S FRIED CHICKEN.
From deviled eggs to chicken gizzards, this South Congress favorite fires up
the fryer for some finger-licking southern feasting. Best yet? You can wash it
all down with their wholly Texas tap list, homemade sweet tea and house
cocktails like the Bee Sting with reposado tequila, citrus, honey and jalapeño. Click here for the recipe.
2218 College Ave., 512-297-2423, lucysfriedchicken.com
DINNER: CONTIGO, a mile to the
east, offers a taste of country life in the city, modeling its flavors and down-home
hospitality after its namesake, family-run ranch in south Texas. Its light-strewn
patio is just the place to park it on a warm Austin night for bar snacks and charcuterie
as well as wine, local brews, and cocktails like the El Pepino with tequila, cucumber
and fresh mint.
2027 Anchor Lane, 512-614-2260, contigotexas.com
DINNER: HADDINGTON’S serves
up elevated pub grub and pours drinks morning, noon and night. Wash down a
burger with a local draft brew, pair a cheese plate with a bottle from one of
the best wine lists in town, or settle in with some signature sips like the
Fernet Me Not cocktail with Fernet-Branca, sweet vermouth and honey syrup. Click here for the recipe.
601 W.
Sixth St., 512-992-0204, haddingtonsrestaurant.com
DINNER: FOREIGN & DOMESTIC
keeps neighborhood bellies filled with a small, focused food menu and will keep
SXSW-goers cool and refreshed with drinks like the beer-topped Cyclist cocktail
with preserved lemon and ginger beer and the So Long Summer with Prosecco, pomegranate
and lime juice.
306
E. 53rd St., 512-459-1010, fndaustin.com
DRINKS: MIDNIGHT COWBOY. This
“massage parlor”-turned-cocktail bar opened this past summer to well-deserved fanfare
for its deliciously executed drinks mixed tableside.
313 E. Sixth
St., 512-843-2715, midnightcowboymodeling.com
DRINKS: HANDLEBAR is primed
for downtown drinking with a menu of Boilermakers and cocktails like the Doc Holliday
with Old Tom gin, Carpano Antica and Campari, and the Magnum P.I. with dark
rum, pineapple syrup and ginger beer.
121 E. Fifth St.,512-344-9571,
handlebaraustin.com
DRINKS: THE EAST SIDE SHOW ROOM
has long helmed Austin’s cocktail scene with its eclectic, steampunk-like
atmosphere, a list of two dozen classic cocktails, and a small corner stage
that hosts live music.
1100 E. Sixth Ave., 512-467-4280, eastsideshowroom.com
DRINKS: WORKHORSE BAR is co-owned
by two beer-geek buds and their suds and spirits menus read like a who’s-who of
Austin’s craft brewers and distillers, offering a taste of city craftsmanship
at its finest. Perfect for a post-Food + Tech meet up. 100 N. Loop Blvd. E., 512-323-5700,
workhorsebar.com
DRINKS: BAR CONGRESS. South
of Sixth at Congress and Second, you’ll spy Bar Congress, which offers a respite
in the form of lower-proof cocktails, lesser-known classics and a 400-bottle wine
list that it shares with its adjoining restaurant Congress.
200 Congress Ave., 512-827-2755,
congressaustin.com
DRINKS: LA CONDESA AND TACOS & TEQUILA. Austinites love Tex-Mex, and the James Beard-nominated La Condesa
on West Second downtown takes tacos and tequila to new levels. How to wash down
the citrusy ceviche, decadent tortas and housemade tacos? We recommend an
agave-fueled flight featuring selections from the 100+ tequilas and mezcals or
a house cocktail like the Alma Blanca with habanero-infused blanco tequila,
pineapple juice and fresh corn. And a mile away on West Fifth, the aptly named Tacos
& Tequila pairs seared ahi-, corn-crusted chicken- and pulled pork-filled
homemade tortillas with tequila on tap and a dozen tequila-spiked cocktails,
including a lime sherbet-infused frozen Margarita.
La Condesa, 200 W. Second St.,
512-499-0300, lacondesa.com; Tacos & Tequila, 507 Pressler St., 512-436-8226,
tacos-and-tequila.com
For even more
recommendations on where to drink in Austin and elsewhere in Texas, pick up our
March/April 2013 Texas Issue on newsstands nationwide. Click here to purchase online.