Where to eat in Austin?

[stangin4lyfe]

Anyone been to County Line BBQ? It's right next to where we're staying. We're planning on Franklins on Friday.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

I ate at the County Line in SA on the riverwalk and even for all-you-can-eat BBQ, it sucked!

[Silverback]

There is a Stubb's BBQ near 6th street. They have decent BBQ and live music.

No they have BBQ and live music, I wouldn't call the food decent at all. It used to be back in the day, but it's gone to shit. Roll over to ironworks BBQ on 1st and red river instead.

[hotrod66stang]

Chuys sold hula hut over a year ago. Michael Young founded chuys, shady grove, and hula hut. Young still owns shady grove.

With John Zapp, as I understand it.

Brent, after trying Salt Lick BBQ, I think it's better than anything in Dallas that I've tried. I'm anxious to try Franklin's BBQ on Friday.

That's a point of contention among central Texans. It's more about the atmosphere and scenic drive when you go there. I can't stand Salt Lick and don't think it's all that great. They smoke their meats on gas smokers, and it shows (NTTAWWT). What's worse is that it's all young kids that work there, and they always just let their friends and family cut in the hour-long wait. So you have to wait even longer to get shitty service. They have a pretty decent rub that's for sale at major retailers (WM, HEB, etc.), but that's about as much money as I would give them.

No they have BBQ and live music, I wouldn't call the food decent at all. It used to be back in the day, but it's gone to shit. Roll over to ironworks BBQ on 1st and red river instead.

Agreed 100%. IronWorks isn't quite in the top echelon, but it's consistently underrated by hack food "journalists."

[FreightTrain]

Brent, after trying Salt Lick BBQ, I think it's better than anything in Dallas that I've tried. I'm anxious to try Franklin's BBQ on Friday.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

You like BBQ cooked on an electric smoker.

[hotrod66stang]

You like BBQ cooked on an electric smoker.

Gas. They got rid of their electric smokers (read the comments at the bottom- http://fcg-bbq.blogspot.com/2009/01/salt-lick.html). FWIW, I've had some great BBQ from an electric smoker, just not from Salt Lick.

[Treasure Chest]

If you go for dinner, either walk across the street to Mean-Eyed Cat for a beverage or go like 3 doors east and hit up Donn's Depot, which is made partly from a train car and caboose. Both are cool dive bars. Mean-eyed is a Johnny Cash tribute bar, and has a kick-ass Johnny Cash cover band that plays there a lot, Donn's has live music most nights and Donn, who used to play all over the U.S. and had a steady gig in Vegas, plays 2x a week. Most of the time it's really cool crowds in both places. M.E.C. is beer and wine only.

Hula Hut is owned by Chuy's and is located on Lake Austin. I've never been there, but it is very popular.

^This
When you go to Donn's, make sure to get the tour of the Ladies' room. You'll look at every bathroom after with complete disdain. Sit on the patio, the server crowd hits it up about 11ish, but they're good people and the conversation is always interesting. Tammi cocktails on the patio. She's the curly-haired waitress with the lisp. Robert and I only manage to swing by Donn's about once or twice a year, but she's never forgotten our names, faces, or our "regular." She has a pitcher of Fireman's No.4 and birthday cake shots on order before we settle into the table. I've never seen her take down an order in the years I've been there, but she has an uncanny ability to remember every open tab, and can calculate it in her head, on the spot, with 100% accuracy. The woman is incredible.

Donn's Depot and the Mean-eyed Cat are both worth the visit. MEC was dangerously close to becoming a piece of Austin history several years ago, but an overwhelming petition won it a stay of execution. The land where Donn's Depot sits is actually leased and last I heard, their lease set to expire within the next year, or so. From what his son was saying, he and Donn are a bit worried that the Depot may be in danger of succumbing to developers. I hope that's changed in the last year. :-(

[hotrod66stang]

I've still never actually been in the ladies' room. I've had a few gfs tell me how awesome it is, and something about climbing up to look out of a window. lol.

Tammi is amazing, and so is Michelle, the main bartender. Johnathon is a great bartender as well, and I've seen Matt play the drums up there more nights than working behind the bar. I started going there when I worked at El Arroyo about 6-7 years ago, and in all that time there hasn't been a single new bartender/server there. There was one blonde waitress that you would see sporadically, but I haven't seen her in a while. That's pretty remarkable considering the industry. I know that Willis is still at MEC also, and he's the only one I know there.

I was just in Donn's about a week ago and didn't hear anything about closing. I'll ask next time I'm down there.

[Treasure Chest]

It's not imminently closing. Matt was worried about it's future with all of the development--especially the Commons, the new noise ordinances, the fact that their long-term lease was expiring, and the culture shift away from the weirdness and into the mentality that has people buying houses in Hyde Park to tear them down and build post modernistic monstrosities. We had that conversation well over a year ago, so hopefully things have changed.

And how the fuck have you never seen the ladies room?!!? Even Yale has seen the ladies room...well, that's really not out of the ordinary....

[hotrod66stang]

I hope so. This whole McMansion thing in Tarrytown (just down the street, outside of the loop) and Hyde Park is just as bad as all the Californians moving there. I truly believe that my hometown is circling the yuppie drain

[Treasure Chest]

I hope so. This whole McMansion thing in Tarrytown (just down the street, outside of the loop) and Hyde Park is just as bad as all the Californians moving there. I truly believe that my hometown is circling the yuppie drain

I'm afraid so. The sister and little brother live right in the middle if Hyde Park in a great Bungalow neighborhood that has so much damn character. Be damned if another few houses haven't sold and been replaced by McMansions every time we visit. It's sickening. If you were one of the El Arroyo crowd and a regular at Donn's, you may know the siblings. She's a bartender at La Cucaracha and Hula Hut and he's a manager at Torchy's (would've been a server at the original Kirbey Lane when you were there). If they're not at work, they're on the patio at Donn's.

[Sick88lx]

I live down the road from the Salt Lick and I literally haven't been there in 5yrs. The atmosphere is the key but IMO there is better bar b que in central Texas. Haven't tried Frankins due to the wait but I will here soon. I really like Lamberts and yes the sides are great. I don't care for the County Line either. It's hard for me to get past my local bar b que guy which is oddly enough a trailer right down the road. You will see Salt Lick workers pick up food from there if that says anything. He only uses the best prime brisket and pork shoulder. They are served as a taco in huge plate size homemade tortillas. The pork with mustard chipotle is out of this world as is his brisket. We had them cater our house warming and went thru 12lbs of meat between 25 people and we had a ton of other food as well.

As far as burgers there is a place on 6th and Lamar called 24 Diner. I love the burgers they serve there even though they only have a few because it's not their specialty. They are served on buttery challah buns and cooked medium. They also serve Chicken and Waffles and it's the best fried chicken I've had. I believe they use a deep fry pressure cooker as I've never had fried chicken taste like that.

Hula Hut is nice especially when you can get a to go order and get back on the lack.....although its hard to leave with all the eye candy at that place.

As far as pizza is concerned hit up Home Slice on Congress for that New York style slice.

[hotrod66stang]

It's hard for me to get past my local bar b que guy which is oddly enough a trailer right down the road.

Shugabee's?

[Sick88lx]

Shugabee's?

Yes exactly.

[hotrod66stang]

My parents live off of 150, so I pass by there all the time when we take the back way into and out of Austin. I've really wanted to stop in there because it's always busy during their business hours. My brother was telling me that he's heard great things about it. That's it, I guess I HAVE TO stop the next time I'm in town.

[Sick88lx]

My parents live off of 150, so I pass by there all the time when we take the back way into and out of Austin. I've really wanted to stop in there because it's always busy during their business hours. My brother was telling me that he's heard great things about it. That's it, I guess I HAVE TO stop the next time I'm in town.

Yeah I'm right off 1626 so ill stop by there whenever I'm craving it. It's just a simple place that only serves a few things and 1 side of potato salad and that's it unless u want banana puddin which is good too. I gave up goin there before work since I work nights, his hours are till 7 but he will be sold out usually before 5. The earlier you go the better and that mustard chipotle he serves on the pork would taste good on a boot. The tacos are served in 1/4 or 1/2lb increments. My friend who is impatient and hard to impress has tried to go a few times and they are sold out or closed every time he's stopped by as he's craved them since we had them cater our house warming party.