Dance halls, dives, Tex-Mex and a spring-fed pool that never changes. A lived-in guide to Austin, from two people who still call it home—the ever stylish Lauren Mahoney and Matthew Owen of Lauren Owen of Texas.
EAT & DRINK
COMMODORE PERRY ESTATE The most glamorous address in Austin, full stop. This 1928 estate-turned-hotel pours its cocktails poolside beneath live oaks, and the bar feels like it was designed for people who arrived by seaplane. SOUR DUCK The neighborhood spot East Austin didn't know it needed until it couldn't live without. An all-day café where the pastry case competes with the natural wine list and the patio quietly becomes your entire afternoon. MATTIE'S Lunch in a Gilded Age garden. The 1869 Green Pastures estate hosts an airy, light-drenched restaurant where deviled eggs and Gulf Coast fish share a menu as lovely as the peacocks wandering the lawn. TINY BOXWOODS The restaurant anchor to a trio of vibey shops, come for the ambiance and amazing turkey bacon club, grab a cookie from the cafe, and check out Thompson+Hanson on your way out. SKI SHORES Cold Lone Stars, fishing boats drifting past, and a burger on the deck of Lake Austin's oldest waterfront café. The dress code is whatever you wore on the water and the vibe hasn't changed since 1954. STILES SWITCH The Alright, Alright, Alright of Austin BBQ. A North Austin institution serving Central Texas-style smoked meats in a converted filling station—the kind of place where the line moves slow on purpose and nobody minds.
JEFFREY'S Austin's original fine dining institution—the table where deals were made, dates were sealed, and the Texas intelligentsia quietly impressed each other since 1975. The Dover sole endures. So does the impeccable service. MURRAY'S TAVERN A no-fuss neighborhood tavern on the east side where the regulars outnumber the newcomers and the pool table gets more action than any rooftop in town. Austin as it actually is. MATT'S EL RANCHO Bob Armstrong dip. That's all that needs to be said — but also: four generations of the Martinez family, a perpetually packed dining room on South Lamar, and the definitive argument that Tex-Mex is its own religion. SCHOLZ GARTEN Since 1866, the oldest operating beer garden in Texas has been the unofficial living room of Austin politics, UT football, and anyone who believes a cold beer is best served outdoors with zero pretension. MEAN EYED CAT Johnny Cash on the jukebox, cheap beer in hand, and a room full of regulars who'd rather be nowhere else. The most beloved dive in a city that takes its dives seriously. TOP NOTCH Before Wooderson ever cruised The Drag, he was probably here. This drive-in relic from 1971 still slings hand-pattied burgers and soft-serve to a loyal congregation that includes everyone from UT students to former governors.
SEE & DO
LAGUNA GLORIA A 1916 Italianate villa on the shores of Lake Austin that became one of Texas's great art museums. Wander the sculpture garden, catch a contemporary exhibition, and remember that culture in Austin has always run deep. LBJ LIBRARY One of the great presidential libraries and a reminder that Texas produced one of the most complicated figures in American history. The exhibits don't flinch—neither should you. BUTLER PITCH & PUTT Nine holes of par-3 perfection off Lady Bird Lake—but the real reason to come is the Hank's food truck parked inside, serving what may be the best burger in Austin without a single parking lot in sight. BROKEN SPOKE The last of the true Texas dance halls, and the only place in Austin where you can learn the two-step from someone whose grandmother danced here too. Willie Nelson has played here. Wear your boots. UMLAUF SCULPTURE GARDEN The quietly magical outdoor museum tucked into Barton Creek Greenbelt, where Charles Umlauf's bronze figures emerge from the garden like old friends. Best visited on a weekday when you have it mostly to yourself. BARTON SPRINGS POOL Three acres of spring-fed water held at 68°F year-round in the middle of Zilker Park. The civic soul of Austin — where every generation of the city has gone to cool off, convene, and remember why they live here.