Happy Monday, friends! I hung out with my sister, Cara, over the weekend. She texted me last week and asked if she could come visit us, and I was like, “HECK YES!” I’m loving being able to host people in our new house. Our old house was built in the 1960s, so it only had one bathroom upstairs for all 4 bedrooms. This new house was built in 2007, so we have a master suite downstairs, and guest rooms and a guest bath upstairs. I can’t even express how much of a difference this small change makes when hosting people!
So, she drove down from Fort Worth on Friday night and we bopped around the city all weekend. If you ever visit me in Austin, you’re going to eat a lot of food….and this weekend was no exception. Here are a few places I checked out over the past 3 days!
Friday lunch: Batch Craft Beer & Kolaches
I was running errands on Friday afternoon and realized it was 4:00 and I still hadn’t eaten lunch! This happens almost never… I was near Batch, so I stopped in and had 2 kolache and a beer for lunch. Um, holy yum! This place lives up to its hype. I was especially please with the brisket kolache with Micklethwait Craft Meats BBQ inside!
They have a big patio out back, so I need to go back sometime when I’m not flying solo. Would be the perfect place to hang out with a big ol’ group of friends.
Saturday breakfast: Patika Coffee
Cara and I took an 8:30 am barre code class, and we were pretty hungry afterward. We went to Patika and camped out for a while to get some work done. I hadn’t ever tried their food that’s made in the food truck out back, but oh-my-word. It’s amazing! This dirty breakfast sandwich is made of bacon, fried egg, spaghetti squash, and caramelized onion on toasted ciabatta, and the whole thing is smothered in queso. Yes.
Saturday coffee: Halcyon
I’m a sucker for cute spaces, so I knew I wanted to check out Halcyon’s new Mueller location. Here’s the thing, friends: Halycon’s coffee is meh. This is not the place to go if you’re looking for a perfectly brewed cup of joe.
It is, however, one of the prettiest and brightest places I’ve ever seen. The blue tile under the bar is darling, and the whole space is lit up with giant windows lining the wall. Even though my coffee drink left something to be desired, I still think the space wins major points for cuteness overload.
Saturday lunch: Aviator Pizza
The folks at Aviator Pizza asked me to stop by and try one of their new pizzas, so Cara and I had a lunch date there with pizza + beer + salad.
Let me just say this: Cara is one of the sweetest and most accommodating people I know when it comes to food pictures! Part of the job means sometimes waiting to eat something the perfect shot is taken, which means the food gets a little cold. I kept apologizing, and she just laughed it off and said, “no big deal!” (Psst sister are the best!)
Downtown drinks: Seven Grand and Las Perlas
Two new cocktail bars opened on 7th street downtown, so we went to check them out on Saturday night. Seven Grand is a whiskey bar, and it’s beautiful. Think: dark wood, carpet, pool tables, and tall shelves with far more types of whiskey than I could name! They have an inexpensive happy hour that lasts until 8:00 every night; that’s hard to find anywhere!
After hanging out at Seven Grand, we walked next door to Las Perlas, a mezcal bar that’s owned by the same hospitality group. This bar was equally impressive, but entirely different in feel. I felt like I walked into Mexico for a moment with the cement floors, colorful walls, and rows and rows of tequila and mezcal lining the shelves.
I’ll be back at both of these places.
Sunday brunch: Contigo
Contigo is one of my favorite brunch spots in Austin for a group, so we made reservations for a late Sunday morning brunch. The beef tongue hash was everyone’s favorite entree, but this apple butter donut with red wine glaze and toffee stole the show! I ordered one to start so everyone could have a taste, but I tasted it and immediately wished we had all gotten our own.
Sharing is the worst. 😉
Happy Monday to you! Wishing you a calm, productive, meaningful start to your week.
Kelsey
What a yummy weekend! I’ve still got to try Batch and Aviator! I guess I’ll have to try Seven Grand and Las Perlas after April. 🙂
🙂 🙂 🙂
That donut! 🙂 I love Contigo’s brunch and I’ll need to try that donut next time! Yay for sister time!
That donut looks amazing! I’m a little obsessed with donuts lately and we’ve got a handful of places with some of the most delicious donuts. It’s dangerous, really.
I’ll need to check in with you on those places if I ever go to Richmond!