East Austin

East Austin is a host to a huge array of entertainment – from coffee, to gourmet restaurants and bars, food trailers, thrifting, art galleries, annual Austin events…need we say more?

If you’re a coffee fiend, you are in luck when in East Austin. Some of the coffee bars include Figure 8 Coffee Purveyors, Wright Bros. Brew & Brew, Cenote, Flat Track Coffee, Fleet Coffee, Flitch Coffee (what’s with the alliteration?), Houndstooth Coffee, and Cherrywood Coffeehouse. These shops thrive on customers who support local business and love sipping a delicious brew. The Cuvée Coffee brand, founded in the late 90s, has been roasting beans from around the world with a custom-dial and now has a brick & mortar location on E 6^th – enjoy a cup of joe or a light snack. If you’re a student and have an awful long term paper due, Bennu Coffee East is the place for you. Open 24/7, this mom and pop joint serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner in addition to their extensive drink menu. Go for the comfy chairs and WiFi, or just for a pastry if you’re peckish (seriously, the alliteration!) For the last notable coffee mention, Sa-Tén Coffee & Eats off of Springdale Road is Japanese inspired offering salads, toasts, and bowls among their coffee beverages – great for studying quietly or meeting a friend for lunch.

Some of Austin’s most delectable plates can be found in the restaurants of East Austin. Upscale dining includes Jacoby’s Restaurant & Mercantile, Launderette, Justine’s, Dai Due, and Juniper (date night!). More casual dining options are Sour Duck Market, La Barbeque, Bufalina Pizza for artisanal pies, Revelry Kitchen + Bar, Counter Culture for innovative vegan fare, and quite opposite of the former, Salt & Time, a meat-centric American restaurant. A few other East Austin Favorites are Blue Dahlia Bistro for their French open-faced, “tartine”, sandwiches (cue the capers), Hillside Farmacy which used to be a drugstore in the 50s and has since been lovingly restored, the wildly popular Franklin’s BBQ (owned by one of the most influential pitmasters in the U.S.), Buenos Aires Café serving thoughtful Argentinian food, Hay Elotes offering Mexican street style desserts and snacks, and finally – Mr. Natural: restaurant, bakery, health food store (vegan/gluten-free/vegetarian).

If you aren’t the type to dine in, food trailers such as The Vegan Nom, Arlo’s, DEE DEE Thai Street Food, Veracruz, Kebabalicious, Baton Creole, Mission Dogs, Thai-Kun, Micklethwait Craft Meats are all located in East Austin. If being healthy makes you feel really sexy, Curcuma, a plant-based Ayurvedic inspired truck, makes superfood drinks using reishi, maca and cacao, Tea Tonics using matcha, CBD oil, and ashwaghandha, and also a selection of smoothies, bowls, broths and treats (stuffed date bites – yum!)

After all of your efforts detoxing with Curcuma’s fancy elixirs, it’s time to party again. Some great nightlife spots are, The Lost Well, for you rock & roll types, Full Circle Bar (you can join their Skeeball League), Whisler’s and Nickel City, featuring handcrafted cocktails, Stay Gold, and Haymaker. Lustre Pearl East is a perfect spot for cocktails, snacks, sandwiches, and trivia on Tuesdays at 8pm. Another cool spot, The White Horse, is known as “the champagne of bars” and has live music every night, two pool tables, whiskey on tap, and a patio. Yee-haw!

Fiesta Gardens hosts many of the largest annual festivals in Austin. Located at on Jesse E Segovia St, right off Lady Bird Lake and just outside of the Holly neighborhood. Events include Austin PRIDE, Hot Sauce Fest, Texas Craft Brewers Festival, Cinco de Mayo and Texas Vegfest. Check the website to stay informed about upcoming events!

If you’re interested in boutique shopping, a few places to check out include Take Heart, Solid Gold, Corocoro, Byron & Blue, Black Butterfly Bath & Body, Altatudes, and Olive secondhand apparel.

If like food in the fridge, there is an H-E-B on E 7^th St for regular items. There is also a local urban grocery called, The Bee Grocery, on E 6^th that has prepared foods, deli case, produce, beer cooler, an extensive wine selection and other Vietnamese and French inspired items. Royal Blue Grocery, a local chain, is a specialty market with prepared foods and other items. Great for an after-work snack!