Plezzure Island organizer Ashley Marshall suggests Bouldin Creek Cafe, which offers a mostly vegan menu and she said is “definitely family.”įourth Street is Austin’s unofficial gayborhood, lined with LGBTQ nightclubs and bars like city staple Oil Can Harry’s. Vegans, Austin is more friendly than you might think.
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She also recommends The Urban Cowboy, a food truck owned by out trans man Chris Trapani offering what Donato called “the best hangover food in town-greasy tacos, beer mac and cheese, praline bacon sticks avocado fritters.” “The beef rib and chipotle slaw are to literally die for,” said filmmaker Lisa Donato. When you’re looking for lunch, married couple LeAnn Mueller and Alison Clem‘s La Barbequeis a sure thing.
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“The story being that a local musician named Amy Cook spray painted it on the wall after her and, her girlfriend, got into a fight.” Jo’s Coffee via Facebookĭuring SXSW, Jo’s parking lot is home to South by San Jose, a free party that anyone can attend, featuring “live music, local vendors and good times.”
“The famous ‘I love you so much’ Austin mural is on the side of this cafe,” Doyle offered. Liz is also the owner of Jo’s Coffeewhich not only serves Stumptown Coffee and banging breakfast tacos, but its original location next to Hotel San Jose is also the site of many an Austin photo op and “a cool, sweet part of Austin’s LGBTQ history.” (Bonus: Dogs welcome!) Hotel San Jose via official site You’ll want to take pieces of the experience home with you, and you’re in luck-both places sell carefully selected local items from the mini-bar and apothecary in their gift shop. Hotel San Jose and Lambert’s other Austin spot Hotel Saint Cecilia are colorful, cool and modern: sleek and chic with a tasteful touch of rock ‘n roll. Their garden courtyard patio is where you will drink the best michelada in town.” “She’s known for renovating Hotel San Jose on South Congress. “She’s basically Austin’s most famous and badass lesbian around,” said Austin dweller and writer Krista Doyle.
We asked some Austin locals to give us the lowdown on where to eat, stay, shop and play while in town for SXSW, or any other time you might want to make the trip to the queerest town in Texas.įirst thing’s first: You’ve gotta know Liz Lambert. The out hotelier owns several different businesses both in and outside of Austin, but she’s a fixture of the city, and her hotels are the coolest places to stay or stop in for a drink in the Lone Star state. Notwithstanding Austin’s regular LGBTQ events and options during the year, SXSW is one of the best times to visit, as during the festival, the city not only bustles with interesting people looking to meet new faces, but serves up Southern hospitality in its everyday haunts. In a city known for its love of live bands and BBQ, Austin-philes also hail this musical mecca for its wonderful weirdness, which certainly speaks to its queerness. If you’ve never been to the famous festival (happening March 10-19 this year), South By (as locals and regulars call it) overlaps a week of Interactive (read: Internet and app-based panels, events and parties) with its film and comedy offerings (screenings, shows, even more parties) and its line-up of respected musicians and buzzed-about new acts, with every record label, lifestyle company, podcast and YouTube channel clamoring to cover who’s next. Every year, musicians, filmmakers, creatives, techies and the people that love them flock to Austin, Texas for SXSW.