Queso, Patios, and Margarita's: Helloooo Austin, Texas

Woah, guys. Austin is amazing.

From the cheesiest queso dips to the sprawling outdoor patios and endless tacos, Austin is a haven for a great time.

I just got back from a quick weekend trip and as my boyfriend and I were in the airport about to fly back (and snacking on our last taco), we declared that we must return. And soon.

We stayed in an Airbnb, near South Congress Ave. which is a great area for strolling through boutique stores and finding a tasty place to eat.

The first day, I wanted to stop at Jo’s Coffee to take the quintessential Austin picture near the “I Love You So Much” graffiti that is sprawled on the side of their building. So we swung by and stood in line next to other couples and a group of eagerly awaiting teenagers girls - much to the chagrin of my boyfriend.

Afterward, we wanted to grab a few coffees and decided upon their specialty “Iced Turbo” drink, which consisted of whole milk, half and half, sweetened condensed milk, coffee, espresso, chocolate and hazelnut...with that much sugar and cream, you can imagine just how delicious it was.

Throughout the trip we made a stop here almost every morning, sometimes accompanied by their hangover curing bean and cheese breakfast tacos.

For lunch, we headed to Torchy Taco’s, filled up on their queso and brisket, fried chicken and pulled pork tacos. Afterward, we decided to walk (/rolled) it all off along the “River Walk”. We really wanted to try this Hula Hut bar we heard about, so we walked a little over 3 miles to get there - but it was along the beautiful river and by the time we got there, we were more than ready for a few margaritas near the water.

At night, we hit up Rainey Street, which was a ton of fun. It used to be a row of houses that is now converted into bars with an array of live music, food trucks and dancing. A few of our favorite spots were Container Bar, which was made out of huge shipping containers, Parlor Bar which had a live band and a giant Jenga set and Bangers, a german-style indoor/outdoor bar with live music as well. Throughout the night, we made a few stops at the food trucks to fuel our debauchery.

The next day, we started off with an Iced Turbo and breakfast tacos and then decided to take advantage of the sunny day (and try to rid ourselves of a hangover) at Barton Springs. This is an amazing huge outdoor pool, filled entirely by nearby natural springs. It stays at about 70 degrees year round, which was a bit cold for early March, but made for a refreshing float.

We were in town for a wedding which was later that night and held at a beautiful outdoor venue, so we danced the night away and filled up on...more tacos.

The last two days were a blur of food, drinks and dancing. Some of the highlights include The White Horse bar on 6th Street, devouring BBQ at Cooper Old Time BBQ, having dinner at Moonshine Patio Bar and Grill, the one and only Yeti cooler store (which also has a great little bar in it) and Spiderhouse Ballroom - an odd name, but a great outdoor patio bar/coffee shop/food truck spot near the University.

I also had to make a stop at Lucy’s Fried Chicken (as we share the same name) and we had a basket of some crispy fried chicken, fried okra and deliciously crumbly mac-and-cheese. The chicken was so good, we brought home an extra order for late night cravings.

Most of the places we visited were great though and the people were very friendly albeit a bit odd, but hey “Keep Austin Weird”.

I might need a break from tacos for a month or so, but I’ll definitely be returning soon. We left with a list of other places we want to visit when we do and I’m especially looking forward to trying the Electric Jellyfish beer at Pinthouse Pizza.

Until next time, Austin!

- The Captain