When in..Austin, TX

A friend and I recently took a long weekend trip to Austin, TX. This city is amazing & I cannot wait to go back! Below is the list of where we stayed, what we did and the places we ate and drank at:

STAY

We stayed at the Club Wyndham Austin and our little studio was perfect. The hospitality at this place had was beyond expectations. From the moment we checked in, everyone was super friendly and very attentive. I would highly recommend staying here if you find yourself planning a trip to Austin, Texas. The club is equipped with a 24-hour gym, a pool and BBQ grills in case you want to stay in for the night and cook. This resort is also a 5-minute walk to 6th Street where you’ll find so many great bars and lounges.

EAT

We ate and drank our way through Austin. There were a few spots that we didn’t get a chance to try but there’s always next time. Here are a few of our favorites:

Elizabeth Street Cafe – this cute little cafe is located on the corner of South 1st Street and Elizabeth Street. We had brunch here and the food was absolutely delicious and the drinks were equally as tasty! Some things to try are the ginger sausage & poached eggs, the breakfast Báhn mì – it is HUUUGE, and the green mango & cucumber salad.

Magnolia Cafe – if you’re looking for some late-night Tex-Mex or some savory breakfast sandwiches or omelets before calling it a night, then this is your spot. They’re open 24 hours and they have quick service.

Café No Sé – This Café is located inside the South Congress Hotel. They serve seasonal dishes and offer weekend brunch. We stopped here for some brunch and we had the blueberry violet kouign amann, the quinoa bowl, and the avocado toast.

Walton’s Fancy & Staple – what started off 50 years ago as a flower shop and nursery is now a chic deli co-owned by Sandra Bullock. Of course, they still sell fresh flowers and succulents but the food is why we came here. It was located right by our hotel and the food was so good. Compared to our other breakfast spots, this place was cheap and quick. Definitely give it a try! You cannot go wrong with their avocado toast or their “Staple Breakfast” and of course they have some really good coffee.

Sway – we came here for dinner since as it was a highly recommended Thai restaurant by a friend of mine.  This is such a cute, romantic place with family-style seating. The service was a bit slow but other than that the food was very tasty. They recommended we shared plates but because I don’t eat meat, my friend and I got our own meals. We did share a the banana split and it was to die for!

Italic – this cute little Italian restaurant had some of the best pizza I’ve tried. It is a short walk from the Capital so we came here after our visit there. We ordered a bottle of wine that we later took with us on the boat ride to watch the bats. (In case you didn’t notice, I wrote everything in italic since that’s the name of the restaurant haha.. you see what I did there!)

Terry Blacks – this is the place to go if you want to have some BBQ! We thought about going to the famous Franklin Barbecue however since we were pressed on time, we didn’t want to wait in line for nearly three hours BUT if you have time to wait, then you should definitely give Franklin Barbecue a try.

DRINK

We bar hopped on Saturday night and we also stopped at a few coffee shops throughout our trip to grab a quick cup of coffee, so here’s a list of a few places you should try:

June’s, Jo’s Coffee – make sure you take a picture with the “I love you so much” mural, Juan Pelota Café, Green Light Social, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Icehouse, Pop, Bufford’s, and basically every bar on Rainey Street.

THINGS TO DO

UMLAUF – this is an outdoor sculpture garden exhibiting Charles Umlauf’s works. They’re open Tuesday through Sunday but they close at 4pm so I would suggest this making it an afternoon activity.

Barton Spring Municipal Pool – this outdoor natural spring stays at 68º Fahrenheit all year round so it is a perfect place to take a dip and cool down. Admission was only $9 per person.

Lady Bird Lake – we rented a kayak from Rowing Dock and we explored Lady Bird Lake. It was such a beautiful and peaceful thing to do. We also did a sunset cruise Bat tour. We booked our tour through Lone Star – they were so amazing! If you book a tour through them, I highly recommend getting there at least 45 minutes before the boat leaves so that you can get a nice seat. Also, make sure to BYOB!!

The Continental Club– I don’t think our visit to Austin would have been complete if we didn’t watch a live band. After much research, we finally settled on the legendary Continental Club. They have a band performing every day so be sure to check out their events page to see who’s playing.

I hope you enjoyed this post. If you’ve been to Austin or if you live there, let me know what places to visit next time…

Xo,

Ingrith ♥