Last week we took a short trip to Austin to finish off the last days of summer. A lot of people were probably wondering why Austin?
We were supposed to take a road trip from RI to Cali, but we couldn’t go because of COVID and some other inconveniences. So instead, we were able to get our money back from the flight and chose one of our warmer road trip destinations, Austin. We had a great time! Here’s a glimpse of our trip and some recommendations if you ever decide to Visit Austin, TX.
![stace mendes in a blue dress at a restaurant in Austin Texas.](https://www.stacemendes.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/austin-things-todo-featured.jpg)
Food
If you’re a foodie like me, most of the things I’m most excited about when I travel is the food! Austin did not disappoint. We tried a variety of foods from food trucks, fancier restaurants, and casual restaurants and bars. Some honorable mentions are:
Aba is a Middle Eastern restaurant with a Californian influence. This place was gorgeous, and I had the best hummus I’ve ever had in my life! Heder is not even a fan of hummus, and he LOVED it! We also ordered beef and lamb kebobs and chicken kabobs. Both meals were delicious! Pro Tip: Make a reservation because reservations fill up quickly. They do allow walk-ins, but the wait could be over an hour.
Phoebe’s is a classic American diner, but it’s far from average! The menu options were more interesting than the average classic diner with choices like fried chicken and grits, crepes, and smoked brisket burrito. We tried the fried chicken and grits made with goat cheese and the fried French toast. Both of those weren’t healthy options, but they were so worth it! I’m honestly still dreaming about the fried chicken and grits. It was to die for! I also tried their Vietnamese coffee, and it was also delicious. This was the perfect place for brunch because it was reasonably priced, and the mimosas were only $4 a glass!
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Black’s Barbecue is the barbecue spot that everyone kept suggesting, so we had to check it out. I’m not a fan of American Barbecue, but I felt like we couldn’t leave Texas without trying what they’re known for. Honestly, it was pretty good when compared to most barbecue places I’ve tried. There were many sides to choose from, and the meats were very fresh and cut right in front of you. If you’re a meat-lover, this place is worth checking out.
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Loro is an Asian Smokehouse Bar and the first place we tried in Austin. It was a cool vibe with outside seating. We were there just in time for happy hour, so it was perfect. Our favorite item here was the Chicken Karage, a crispy chicken with chili aioli and Thai herbs. It was delicious! We also tried the Oak smoked beef brisket sandwich and the Brisket tostadas that were also really good.
Four Brothers is a Venezuelan food truck. We each got the four brothers’ arepa with pulled pork, sweet plantains, tomato, cheese, black beans, avocado, and sauce. It was seriously AMAZING.
Fresh Gyro Hallal is a middle eastern food truck, and their gyros were really good! We got chicken gyros, and they were perfectly seasoned with lots of flavor!
Little Lucys is a food truck with mini donuts, so if you have a sweet tooth you’ve gotta try it. The donuts are so soft with a variety of different toppings named after other dog breeds.
Daytime Activities
Zilker Park was probably our favorite place to go during the day. We have island blood and are from the Ocean state, so we love most water activities or anything to do with water. At Zilker Park, there’s Barton Springs, an outdoor recreational swimming pool filled with the nearby natural springs. The pool was beautiful, clean, and refreshing, not quite like any pool I’ve seen before. There was plenty of room for everyone to lay out and be in the pool without feeling crowded.
![Barton Springs](https://www.stacemendes.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/E88AB2F9-10DF-42E5-88DB-EE44EC58149D-e1632098683779.jpeg)
On the other side, you could go paddleboarding for $18 per person per hour and kayaking for $18 for solo or tandem. We did kayaking one day, and we tried paddle boarding for the first time the next day. I thought it was pretty easy because the water was calm, and I’m pretty good at balancing myself. Heder, on the other hand …. haha, just kidding, he liked it as well, but he paddle boarded sitting down, which is also an option. There were no beverages or outside drinks allowed on the Barton Springs side, but you could bring your drinks on the paddle boards or kayaks, which was cool.
The Nightlife
The nightlife was pretty fun! We spent most of our nights at the bars on Rainey st. There were all different bars up and down Rainey street right next to each other, so it was easy to bar hop. The price of the drinks were pretty average. Most places were serving around $10-$12 drinks. Most of the bars were inside and outside, which was pretty cool. One night we got to attend a silent party, and that was dope. It’s a party where they have two DJs, and everyone has headphones on to listen to the music. The DJs are playing different songs on two different stations, and you could toggle between what song you wanted to listen to. There were also designated food truck areas on Rainey St, which I was thrilled about because it was a 2 min walk from any bar.
Store Hopping
Our favorite place to browse unique shops was definitely on South Congress. All of the stores had great souvenirs and lots of artsy things to buy. There were great bars, ice cream, coffee shops, restaurants, and even a great chocolate shop to try. While on South Congress, be sure to stop by Home Slice for a quick, great slice of pizza!
Transportation
Since our Air BnB was right downtown, we didn’t think it was necessary to rent a car. Everything was usually within 20 minutes of us. So we mainly relied on Ubers. There were also bikes and scooters everywhere. The scooters and bikes were so fun to ride to the air BnB if it was still light out, but I wouldn’t say they were cheaper than the Ubers. They came out to be around the same price.
Austin is a city filled with culture and lots of great food. I’d love to go back Texas and explore some other cities like Dallas and Houston. The other thing we loved about Austin was how dog-friendly everywhere was. You can bring your dog anywhere. We even saw a German Shepard at the club, lol. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see or experience many other things, but I hope this guide gives you an idea of what to do when you visit Austin!
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