Eat & Explore Austin: A Local's Guide for Newcomers and Visitors 🤠
Experience Austin Like a Local: A Resident's Guide to Eating and Exploring
Hey Y’all!
We (my wife, Colleen, and I) are excited to share our Austin adventure since moving here in April 2023.
Exploring a new city for me is all about discovering the best places to eat and immersing in unique experiences. I'm also on the lookout for quality personal care services like haircuts and massages.
The challenge with Google searches is they often highlight places that are more about algorithms and self-promotion than genuine quality.
So, we took a different approach. We connected with locals and friends who’ve been Austinites for a while. My wife and I then embarked on a journey of taste-testing and experience-hopping.
The result? This handpicked list of our personal favorites in Austin – no affiliations, just honest recommendations.
This Guide Is For You If:
You’re new to Austin and want to dive into its culture.
You’re visiting for a few days and seeking must-try eateries and activities.
You’ve got friends or family visiting and need ideas for memorable experiences.
You have clients or business associates visiting Austin and want to share a curated list of things to do and places to eat.
Stay tuned for our top picks on where to eat, relax, and explore in this vibrant city!
☕️ Coffee + Beverages
#1 Cosmic Coffee & Beer Garden [South Austin, East Austin]
Why We Love It: Great coffee, lots of outdoor seating, food trucks, beautiful ambiance in the evening under the trees with the string lights. Great for hanging out with friends, creative thinking, reading, and writing.
Location: (South) 121 PICKLE RD STE.111 AUSTIN TX 78704, (East) 1300 E. 4TH STREET AUSTIN, TX 78702
#2 Merit Coffee [South Lamar]
Why We Love It: Really good coffee. They have multiple locations, but our favorite location is on South Lamar, which is very cute and charming.
Location: 1105 S Lamar Blvd, Austin TX 78704
#3 Radio Coffee & Beer [South Austin]
Why We Love It: They have good coffee, sometimes live music, food trucks, cool vibes, and beer selections. Pet friendly. Great for chilling with friends and date night. We loved seeing a couple play cards while enjoying the vibe, food, and beverages.
Location: 4204 Menchaca Rd, Austin, TX 78704
#4 Carpenter Coffee Bar [Barton Springs]
Why We Love It: Really good lattes (the Ladybird Latte is unique with orange blossom and lavender) and breakfast tacos. Limited seating. The Outside has some tables, and the inside feels like a living room, which is cool. Great for creative thinking, reading, and writing.
Location: 400 Josephine St, Austin, TX 78704
#5 The Perch Cafe [Downtown]
Why We Love It: It’s by the water and has a great view of Ladybird Lake (or Town Lake, as the locals call it). Very peaceful vibe, but gets busy on the weekends. Great for meeting friends, reading, working, and creative thinking. Pet-friendly patio.
Location: 74 Trinity Street, Austin, TX 78701
🍳 Breakfast + Brunch
#1 Tacodeli [South Austin]
Why We Love It: We love Tacodeli, but this particular location is our favorite. It’s conveniently located across the street from the Spyglass trailhead, where we hike on the weekends with our dog. After the hike, we celebrate with breakfast at this Tacodeli. My favorite order is Egg, Papas, and Cheese Tacos. Colleen loves the Freakin’ Vegan.
Location: 500 Spyglass Dr Suite B, Austin, TX 78746
#2 Hillside Farmacy [North-East Austin]
Why We Love It: The place used to be a pharmacy. It’s an experience to eat here. The interior is very cool.
Location: 1209 E 11th St, Austin, TX 78702
#3 Phoebe’s Dinner [Multiple locations]
Why We Love It: It offers a great breakfast and awesome service. Colleen’s favorite is the blueberry pancakes.
Location: 408 W 11th St, Austin, TX 78701
🍽️ Lunch + Dinner
#1 AustinMed Foodtruck [South Congress, Mediterranean]
Why We Love It: A hidden gem for Mediterranean delights in Austin. The Falafel over rice is exceptional. The owner's passion and friendliness make every visit memorable.
Location: 343 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704
#2 Whip In [Riverside, Indian]
Why We Love It: As an Indian, I’m usually not impressed by many of the Indian restaurants in the West, but this one is an exception. It’s definitely a hole-in-the-wall and looks like a liquor store, but don’t judge this place by its look; try the food. The food has impressed both Eastern and Western appetites. We go pretty much every other week. We also took my in-laws, and they loved it too. My favorite order is Chickpea Curry on Hottness level 5. 🔥
Location: 1950 S I-35 Frontage Rd, Austin, TX 78704
#3 Luv Thai Food [Sunset Valley]
Why We Love It: This is our go-to place for authentic Thai food in Austin. The people are very nice. My favorite order is Pineapple Fried Rice.
Location: 5207 Brodie Ln Ste.200 Austin, TX 78745
#4 Velvet Tacos [Downtown]
Why We Love It: Austin is Taco Town. And this place has very unique varieties and flavors of tacos. My favorite order is Nashville hot tofu and Mediterranean mushrooms.
Location: 522 Congress Ave. Suite 100, Austin, TX 78701
#5 Tarka [Indian]
Why We Love It: This is our second favorite (the first is Whip In) Indian food. The taste is good and authentic, and their menus are fun.
Location: They have multiple locations. We usually go to Sunset Valley: 5207 Brodie Ln, Austin, TX 78745
#6 The Well [Downtown]
Why We Love It: It has a great ambiance, and of course, the food is delicious too. Very creative, healthy, and fun menu. It has a nice date-night vibe. I also go to this place with my buddy (Jeremy) for some creative thinking.
Location: They have multiple locations. I have only been to 440 W 2nd St, Austin, TX 78701
#7 Casa De Luz [Barton Springs]
Why We Love It: This is one of my favorite places for a zen vibe. Relaxing atmosphere with low lighting and quiet music. They serve a vegan, organic & gluten-free meal that includes a soup, salad, and main dish. You don’t get to choose what’s on your plate, but it’s very healthy and tasty food. More than the food, this place itself is an experience. If you are into yoga, meditation, spirituality, holistic healing, or veganism, you will love this place.
Location: 1701 Toomey Rd, Austin, TX 78704
🚵 Expereinces + Attractions
#1 Mount Bonnell
Why We Love It: The view is amazing. You are overlooking the Colorado River and can see the beautiful homes lining it. It’s <15 mins from downtown and great for sunset or sunrise. You can also hike, but it’s not that long. We take our friends and family who are visiting town, and they love it.
Location: Mt Bonnell, Austin, TX 78731
#2 Duck Tour
Why We Love It: A combined land and water tour that takes passengers on a downtown sightseeing tour before splashing into Lake Austin. The tour guide was informative and entertaining, offering a humorous narration of the city. Even on a drizzly day, Colleen and her family had a blast!
Location: 602 E 4th St, Austin, TX 78701
#3 Mini Golf [Barton Springs, Domain]
If you love mini-golf, Austin has a few cool mini-golfing spots. We have been to these two, and had a lot of fun.
Dirdie Birdie at Domain | 10910 Domain Dr. #120, Austin, TX 78758
Peter Pan Mini Golf | 1207 Barton Springs Road Austin, Texas 78704
#4 Disc Golf
Why We Love It: I didn’t know that Disc Golfing was a thing until I moved to Austin. We went to Live Oak Brewing with a few friends, which was a lot of fun. Here is the place you might like if you want to experience this.
Location: 1615 Crozier Ln Del Valle, TX 78617
#5 Saturday Walk
Why We Love It: I highly recommend joining the 8 AM Saturday walk. It's a scenic 5-mile, approximately 2-hour walk along the Lady Bird Lake trail. You can leave at any time if you don't want to complete the full 5 miles. This walk provides an excellent opportunity for newcomers to Austin to connect and make friends. I have personally met several people during this walk who have become good friends. Additionally, if you tend to be more introverted, like me, you'll appreciate this low-pressure and enjoyable way to socialize while taking in the beauty of Austin.
Walk starts and ends at: Bennu Coffee on Congress, 515 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704, USA
🚵 Outdoor Adventures
#1 Spyglass Trailhead
We’ve seen rock climbers, mountain bikers, hikers, dogs, and kids on this all-purpose, mostly tree-covered trail.
Location: 1601 Spyglass Dr, Austin, TX 78746
#2 Water sports on Lady Bird Lake
We’ve rented kayaks a couple of times on Lady Bird Lake. It’s a great way to get some exercise while enjoying a different perspective of the skyline. Colleen loves seeing the turtles swim around us. There are a handful of places to rent kayaks and stand-up paddle boards. We’ve rented from Capital Cruises.
#3 Onion Creek Metropolitan Park
About 15 minutes from downtown, this park has an open grassy area and multiple trails that are lined with trees and cacti.
Location: 8652 Nuckols Crossing Rd, Austin, TX 78744
💆🏾Personal Care + Miscs
#1 Massage
i Foot Massage Spa: The place doesn’t look fancy, and it’s located in a strip mall, but they give a great massage. Their prices are great, and it’s super easy to get same-day or walk-in appointments.
Location: 2410 East Riverside Drive, STE C8, Austin, TX 78741
#2 Haircut
Ulta Beauty Hair Salon: Though it sells beauty products, it also has a full salon. My wife and I both get our haircuts here. I tried 3-4 places, some of which were super fancy and expensive, but I loved the service and price here. Tiffany does Colleen’s hair.
Location: 5207 Brodie Ln Suite 180, Austin, TX 78745
#3 Carwash
Barton Springs Car Wash: We have the Tesla Model Y. Tesla recommends only hand washing and avoiding certain chemicals, so we found this place that hand-wash every car. On Sundays, they only accept cash and Venmo so they can pay their employees more.
Location: 500 South Lamar BoulevardAustin, TX 78704
#4 Dry Cleaners
Capitol Cleaners & Tailors: They do a good job, and turnaround is usually quick.
Location: 1408 S 1st St, Austin, TX 78704
#5 Chiropractor
South Austin Chiropractic: Forest runs the practice himself. He is a gentle soul and a great chiropractor. Love that he offers a flexible schedule - even working on the weekend. Same-day appointments are very easy.
Location: 1708 S 1st St Austin, TX 78704
A special shout-out to my friend Jeremy Fremont for introducing us to many of the gems featured in this guide. I’ll be regularly updating this list with new discoveries, so don't forget to bookmark it for future reference.
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