Over Memorial Day, my friend Evalyn and I decided that we needed to escape Chicago for awhile and venture down south for a few days. Our goal was to soak up some sun, drink too many cocktails and try every taco stand in the city of Austin. And despite being in the city only a few days, we got pretty darn close to completing all the above!

Over the course of 3.5 days, we hit almost all the spots on our itinerary, some of which were recommended to us by friends, and a few others that were some “must sees” from locals we ran into during the trip. Between amazing food, sampling as many margaritas as possible {we definitely had a few…} and walking from one end of the city to another, it was a pretty epic trip and I became a huge fan of Austin. I get why people get sick of the Midwest winters and fly down south to live in Austin to avoid the winter – spending a few days in Austin makes that sound very tempting!

Since I took WAY too many photos, here’s a little guide to Austin with my favorite spots to eat and drink! I’ll plan on sharing a few more of my favorite spots to shop and explore next week too – I couldn’t fit it all into just one post!

To Eat:

Austin is known for having incredible restaurants, and we took eating out in the city very seriously. Here are a few of our favorite spots, even though all of them were pretty darn delicious 😉

For Brunch – Café No Sé

I loved staying off South Congress so we could take full advantage of all the amazing restaurants, coffee shops and bars in the area and South Congress Hotel. Café No Sé in the South Congress Hotel had the most amazing pastries and brunch dishes, including avocado toast, killer pancakes and this delicious poached eggs dish that was totally incredible. We also may have also had brunch margaritas because that’s totally a thing when you’re in Austin.

Sweet Treats for Breakfast – Gordough’s Donuts 

Theres definitely a reason they call them “big fat donuts” {especially when your lightest option is the cinnamon sugar donut below, served with melted honey butter on the side!}. Gordough’s is an Austin staple, and they have some serious donuts that you can’t miss when you visit. I’m already planning on sampling “The Puddin'” next time I come to Austin! 

For Lunch – Elizabeth Street Noodles and Banh Mi

Elizabeth Street was always a place I knew I wanted to swing by {especially because everyone had Instagramed that pretty door so many times!}, and it was definitely worth the trip. If you’re a fan of Banh Mi, Bun, or pretty much any Vietnamese food, you have to make the trek! Evalyn and I split the ginger chili oil dumplings, flank steak spring rolls and the drunken noodles – all of which were amazing. I definitely wish I could teleport back there right now to try the whole menu!

For brunch or lunch – Perlas

Evalyn and I loved this spot so much – we actually went twice! A few locals recommended swinging by for their brunch/lunch, and the food {and ambiance} was absolutely gorgeous. The nautical-chic spot is located right on South Congress {perfect for a day of shopping and exploring} and their known for their delicious cocktails and seafood. We split parmesan grits {still dreaming about those…} and a shrimp po’ boy that I could eat every day for the rest of my life. And while we did extensive testing of all the margaritas in Austin, I think Perla’s was actually our favorite of the whole trip. And believe me, we drank A LOT of margaritas 😉 

Other Favorites:

While I managed to take photos of most of our favorite spots, here were a few places that were amazing but didn’t get photographed!

• Uchi – By far the best sushi I’ve ever had in my life – even after a 1.5 hour wait… With combinations like tuna pear and tempura shrimp with grapes, I was skeptical, but I was so pleasantly surprised how well all the flavors went together. This would definitely be the first place on my list to make reservations to if I ever went back to Austin!
• Launderette: My friend Lauren recommended this spot to me, and it was one of my favorite dinners while we were in Austin! As you might have guessed from the name, this restaurant was a restored old laundry mat, and the menu was absolutely incredible. We split brussels sprouts {so good!}, a few cocktails, and the most delicious brick chicken that I wish I could recreate in my little kitchen in my condo. Plus, the decor was so adorable, it’s worth the trip alone {it’s a little out of the way, but definitely worth it!}
• Food trucks! I’m pretty sure every food truck in Austin can only stand the test of the time if it’s freaking awesome, so make sure to stop by and try as many as you can! Some {like Hey Cupcake} are iconic, but other hole in the walls are just as good in Austin too!

  To Drink – Coffee!

If you’ve been kind enough to follow Charmingly Styled to awhile, you know that I have a pretty serious addiction to caramel lattes – and I only have a little shame about it! Of course when I travel I have to load up on the good stuff, so I dragged Evalyn {willingly, I may add} to as many coffee shops as we could to test out the best lattes in the city. Here’s a little recap of our faves!

Joe’s on South Congress – Home to the iconic “I Love You So Much” wall, this little coffee shop and breakfast taco spot is an Austin staple – and the lattes are just as good as you’d think! Even if there’s a little line, it’s definitely worth the wait to try out their coffee and other treats.  

Mañana Coffee & Juice – I fell in love with this little coffee shop the moment I spied the white and blue tile {can I put them everywhere in my kitchen, pretty please?} and the lattes/coffee did not disappoint. Their vanilla latte was one of my favorites of the trip, and they also had a pretty killer local cold brew on tap too.  We went so often that the baristas started to know us, which is a pretty big accomplishment after a 3.5 day trip.

Seventh Flag Coffee – Worth the trip for the ambiance alone, this home turned coffee shop is a hipsters paradise {in the best possible way}. The main cafe is full of cute artwork, the nicest baristas {who give very good restaurant/travel advice!} and some seriously good brew. It’s also nice that they have an extensive side patio with picnic tables to rest up after a long morning of adventuring the neighborhood. Their slogan is, “All Welcome All Ways”, which couldn’t be more true.

To Drink – Cocktail Edition   

Cocktails are a necessity when visiting Austin, and we took our tasting experience very seriously during our trip 😉 I’m always in the mood for a margaria, and Evalyn likes a mix of cocktails and beers, so between the two of us, we tried quite a few things on the menu. Here’s a few of our favorite spots that are must-sees when you visit!

Perlas – Best Margarita 

As I said  before, I take my margarita testing duties very seriously, and although we tried well over 8 while we were there, La Perla defintiely had my favorite. The inside even has the cutest bar where you can watch the magic unfold over a fresh plate of oysters.

Central Standard –  Best place for fancy drinks

I mean, can we all take a moment to appreciate just how jaw dropingly beautiful this bar is? I actually came in to take a photo after seeing their bar from the street, but it looked so fancy that I had to stop and give one of their cocktails a try. They have a pretty incredible house cocktail menu, and I loved my pear and sage cocktail I sampled while oogling the bar.

South Congress Hotel Bar –   Best Place For Happy Hour Drinks

Granted, I award this the best place fro Happy Hour drinks, but I didn’t go for happy hour – so don’t hold me too accountable if there aren’t too many drink specials happening 😉 But just look how adorable and happy this cute little bar is! The drinks are amazing, the staff is super kind and your Instagram account will thank you. Triple win!

So, while I could go on and on and on about the food in Austin, this should definitely be a good start for any upcoming trips you might have 😉 And I’d love to know your favorites as I’m sure I missed a handful of other amazing places too. I’m already planning my next trip, so any suggestions are welcome! xx