SXSW09 – 29 Days Till SXSW – 3 Great Places Close to the Austin Convention Center (All Are Short Walks)

Here are links to three great places all within walking distance (short) of the Austin Convention Center.

Moonshine

Iron Works BBQ

Cedar Door

All three places are very special, and represent Austin in their own unique way.  Moonshine is a cool restaurant, with a great/interesting menu.  Iron Works BBQ serves delicious BBQ and cold beer – enough said.  Last, but not least, the Cedar Door, one of my most favorite places in Austin to drink and visit with friends….and the food’s not bad either.  The Cedar Door is home of Austin’s original Mexican Martini (MM).  The Cedar Door’s MMs = DD (delicious danger).  Friends (bartenders, go figure) from other states tell me it would be illegal for them to serve the MM in their bars.  I think it is appalling that some states have such hatred toward fresh lime juice that they would criminalize its use.  WARNING:  MM are served in the shaker glass, MMs are not a cheap drink, MMs have a time release impact (taste wonderful/so easy to drink…hits like a hammer later), and multiple servings of MMs allow you to do and/or say many stupid things.  Did I say I love this place… Be safe and enjoy…

Take care, and comments are welcome…

I knew this was a bad idea… I’m hungry now…

I like to eat, and I feel lucky to have access to so many great places in Austin that serve tasty food. The following list (with links) provides a nice sampling of my favorite places:

Breakfast

Kerbey Lane Cafe – great breakfast, expect to wait

Magnolia Cafe – great breakfast, expect to wait

Katz’s – good breakfast, big menu – great sandwiches too

Manny Hattan’s – tasty, good quality, many choices – great lunch and cheese cake too

Comfort/Home Cooking

Hoover’s - unbelievably good, great desserts too

Threadgill’s – great food and music – home of the chicken fried steak

Burgers

Mighty Fine – Burgers, Fries, and Shakes  – Currently my favorite – no beer

Huts – the standard by which all burger joints are judged – huge onion rings

Phil’s Ice House – regular burgers and little baby burgers – beer and wine – very kid friendly

Billy’s on Burnet – great selection of beer too – I hear the veggie frito pie is very good – nice selection of pub grub

Five Guys Burgers and Fries – new joint in town – great burgers, cajun fries, and bacon-cheese dogs – no beer

Casino el Camino – you better be hungry – these are great big burgers – think Texas BIG – great bar too

Frans – the one on South Congress – tasty – great hangover burgers

Doc’s Motorworks – cool outdoor place, good menu choices

Shady Grove – sit under the trees and enjoy, great menu, the queso fries are the real deal

Pizza

Home Slice – simply the best, stopped ordering delivery after tasting this pizza – this is a special place

Reale’s – this is also a great pizza

Mangia Chicago Stuffed Pizza – the double crust pizza stuffed with goodness is great

Mexican

Guero’s – one of my favorite places of all time, great good, tons of choices, great drinks – stay away from the wine

Fonda San Miguel – a wonderful place to celebrate special events in your life

Chuy’s – fun place, great food

BBQ

Rudy’s Country Store – great BBQ, ice cold drinks, that damn cream corn – great breakfast tacos too

There are tons of great BBQ joints across Austin and the surrounding communities.  Ranking BBQ is a state sport, and I’m not packed for a BBQ discussion.  I don’t eat that much BBQ because it is so damn good and it has become so difficult to choose between brisket, ribs, chicken, turkey, links (sausage), cole slaw, potato salad, onions, pickles, the sauces, and that damn cream corn from Rudy’s, so we eat it all and way too much and generally need a nap afterwards.

Italian

Vespiao and Enoteca – Vespiao is another nice place to celebrate something special in your life, great food – Enoteca is more comfortable, less formal, great bar

Botticelli’s – new kid on the block – great food – the Italian beef sandwich tastes like my Mom’s recipe

Mandola’s Italian Market – great food, great desserts

Seafood

Perla’s Seafood and Oyster Bar - New on South Congress (in Mars’ space) – great oysters and seafood… cold beer…

Different

Wahoo’s Fish Tacos – I love this place – I could eat there everyday – great healthy food, good beer selection, they serve Pearl Pomegranate Flavored Vodka, Hideous Liqueur, 32oz CB in the paper bag

Cuators – another new kid on the block – fun place that brings the outside in – great beer selection, good fun food – dog friendly

Screaming Goat Tacos y Cerveza – Cool Austin vib… tasty tacos and daily cold beer specials…

Texadelphia Texas Cheesesteak - unbelievably good

Dog & Duck Pub – great beer selection and great pub grub – the best fish and chips

Mother Egan’s Irish Pub – great beer selection, very good food – fun places to sit alone or with friends

Opal Divine’s – fun place, great menu, lots of choices, great beer selection and other drinks

Boomerang’s Pies – not your frozen pot pie – great food – I live on these pies during the Austin City Limits Music Festival

Galaxy Cafe – great food – love eating lunch at this place – get there early parking can be tuff

Ranch 616 – fun place, cool small bar, great creative food – pure Austin vibe

Dessert

Amy’s Ice Cream – invented fun – tasty – an Austin original

Hey Cupcake! – way too cool to describe – wonderfully tasty – they help turn the dial to 11

I will continue to update this post overtime. Please let us know your favorite places to eat in Austin through the comments…