Welcome to the 31st edition of Austin Eats Round-Up! These little foodie recap blogs highlight the food, drinks, and general Austin things I’m loving right now.
This edition features several new establishments, one expansion (hello, to the NEW Bird Bird Biscuit location), and a grocery store! Be sure to follow me on instagram at @DiscoveringATX to see my Austin foodie adventures in real-time.
And with that, let’s get into it!
Previous editions can be found here: Austin Eats Round-Up
Fierce Whiskers Distillery
5333 Fleming Ct, Austin, TX 78744
Welcome to the neighborhood, @fierceWhiskers! Their modern tasting room offers cocktails made with the unaged, new-make whiskey, along with craft gin, rum, and agave spirits distilled in-house. Fierce Whiskers began distilling its first batches of straight rye and straight bourbon whiskey in September 2020, with the goal to release the Fierce Whiskers Straight Rye by 2023 and a premium four-year-aged Straight Bourbon by 2024, as well as plans for a highly exclusive single malt. Want to be the first in line for those releases? Check out the memberships – The Cut and the premium Barrel Club. @fiercewhiskers’ southeast Austin location has ample indoor and outdoor space to spread out, lounge, and enjoy the evening. I will say – drinks have been hit or miss. I’ve been twice and the first time, they were pretty good. The second time, they were extremely weak. It was a little disappointing, because they’re still pretty pricy! The inconsistency makes me a little nervous… BUT they’re still a brand new establishment.
5333 Fleming Ct, Austin, TX 78744
Welcome to the neighborhood, @fierceWhiskers! Their modern tasting room offers cocktails made with the unaged, new-make whiskey, along with craft gin, rum, and agave spirits distilled in-house. Fierce Whiskers began distilling its first batches of straight rye and straight bourbon whiskey in September 2020, with the goal to release the Fierce Whiskers Straight Rye by 2023 and a premium four-year-aged Straight Bourbon by 2024, as well as plans for a highly exclusive single malt. Want to be the first in line for those releases? Check out the memberships – The Cut and the premium Barrel Club. @fiercewhiskers’ southeast Austin location has ample indoor and outdoor space to spread out, lounge, and enjoy the evening. I will say – drinks have been hit or miss. I’ve been twice and the first time, they were pretty good. The second time, they were extremely weak. It was a little disappointing, because they’re still pretty pricy! The inconsistency makes me a little nervous… BUT they’re still a brand new establishment.
The name for the distillery comes from an 1849 quote from 19th President of the United States Rutherford B. Hayes: “Austin is an inconsiderable village with large expectations…full of discharged ‘Rangers’…costumes of every variety…Fierce whiskers, gaming, and drinking very abounding in all quarters.”
@FierceWhiskers is also home to brand new yakitori food truck – @char.ATX! @Char.ATX offers a menu of chargrilled meats and vegetables by Chef Chris Burnett. Grilled steak skirt, chicken thighs, oyster mushrooms, tomatoes, cabbage… all of it is SO DANG GOOD. So creative, I absolutely love it.
The Salty Donut
2000 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704
The Salty Donut’s new location on South Congress is officially their flagship store! @TheSaltyDonut has several locations in Florida, one in Dallas, and now, one right here in Austin. Artisan donuts are all the rage right now, so The Salty Donut fits right in. They make brioche donuts and cake donuts, so everyone’s sure to find something they like! They also serve Intelligentsia Coffee, so you can snag a chef-made, small-batch, craft donut, a good cup of coffee and chill with your donuts! The Salty Donut has plenty of indoor seating along with some tables outside as well.
2000 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704
The Salty Donut’s new location on South Congress is officially their flagship store! @TheSaltyDonut has several locations in Florida, one in Dallas, and now, one right here in Austin. Artisan donuts are all the rage right now, so The Salty Donut fits right in. They make brioche donuts and cake donuts, so everyone’s sure to find something they like! They also serve Intelligentsia Coffee, so you can snag a chef-made, small-batch, craft donut, a good cup of coffee and chill with your donuts! The Salty Donut has plenty of indoor seating along with some tables outside as well.
Tiny Grocery
1718 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704
On South Congress, there’s a little spot called Tiny Grocer. @Tinygroceratx is a small grocery store that sells a TON of local Austin products. As they say, they’re “a tiny grocer with a not-so-tiny selection.” They actually carry over 3,000 hand-selected every day food and specialty items. In addition to dry goods, they have fruits and veggies, soft serve ice cream (from Sweet Ritual!), and a tiny delicatessen that has breakfast, sandwiches, and salads. I perused the aisles, but was really there for one thing – a bottle of Kinship Milk Tea! I saw them on instagram (@kinshipmilktea) and thought it was such a cute little brand. I got their original earl grey milk tea, which is black tea and oat milk. I love the look of the bottles as well! I repurposed it later on to hold flower from Brian’s garden.
1718 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704
On South Congress, there’s a little spot called Tiny Grocer. @Tinygroceratx is a small grocery store that sells a TON of local Austin products. As they say, they’re “a tiny grocer with a not-so-tiny selection.” They actually carry over 3,000 hand-selected every day food and specialty items. In addition to dry goods, they have fruits and veggies, soft serve ice cream (from Sweet Ritual!), and a tiny delicatessen that has breakfast, sandwiches, and salads. I perused the aisles, but was really there for one thing – a bottle of Kinship Milk Tea! I saw them on instagram (@kinshipmilktea) and thought it was such a cute little brand. I got their original earl grey milk tea, which is black tea and oat milk. I love the look of the bottles as well! I repurposed it later on to hold flower from Brian’s garden.
Two Hands Coffee
1011 S Congress Ave Suite 170, Austin, TX 78704
Looking for a new brunch spot this week? Check out @twohandsrestaurant. It’s located in the @musiclaneaustin area of @southcongressatx. If you’re like me and freak out about parking, use the Music Lane garage – $6 for 2 hours. Inside is super chill, bright, and airy. I got a pot of peppermint tea and their avocado toast (I added an egg, because obviously). It was all super tasty! During the week, it wasn’t crowded at all. I felt totally comfortable sitting at the table by myself working on my computer while I ate. I haven’t been to South Congress in a while and barely knew Music Lane existed! What other spots in that area do I need to try?
1011 S Congress Ave Suite 170, Austin, TX 78704
Looking for a new brunch spot this week? Check out @twohandsrestaurant. It’s located in the @musiclaneaustin area of @southcongressatx. If you’re like me and freak out about parking, use the Music Lane garage – $6 for 2 hours. Inside is super chill, bright, and airy. I got a pot of peppermint tea and their avocado toast (I added an egg, because obviously). It was all super tasty! During the week, it wasn’t crowded at all. I felt totally comfortable sitting at the table by myself working on my computer while I ate. I haven’t been to South Congress in a while and barely knew Music Lane existed! What other spots in that area do I need to try?
5280 Burger & Taphouse
7032 Wood Hollow Dr, Austin, TX 78731
The mile-high city has come to Austin! @5280burgerbar recently opened off Far West and I was able to check it out during their soft opening! 5280 Burger & Taphouse offers gourmet, hand-crafted burgers, a robust tap list, and house made ice creams.Here are a couple of things I really appreciated:
– The price-points of the burgers. I found them very affordable! The 5280 Burger was $9, the What the Guac? was $12, and The Perfect Burger was $13.
– Their tap list is equally balanced between Texas and Colorado breweries!
– They have an ice cream bar in house (and even serve up some alcohol-infused frozen treats)
– Service was excellent! Even on their soft-opening night.
– The murals! They have some really great Denver/Austin mashup designs. (I didn’t take a photo of the artists’ signature! 5280 Burger & Taphouse – who painted these wonderful murals??)The one thing I didn’t like was how loud it was. I felt like I had to yell across the table just to have a conversation. I’m pretty sensitive to loud noise, so that was a bummer for me.
7032 Wood Hollow Dr, Austin, TX 78731
The mile-high city has come to Austin! @5280burgerbar recently opened off Far West and I was able to check it out during their soft opening! 5280 Burger & Taphouse offers gourmet, hand-crafted burgers, a robust tap list, and house made ice creams.Here are a couple of things I really appreciated:
– The price-points of the burgers. I found them very affordable! The 5280 Burger was $9, the What the Guac? was $12, and The Perfect Burger was $13.
– Their tap list is equally balanced between Texas and Colorado breweries!
– They have an ice cream bar in house (and even serve up some alcohol-infused frozen treats)
– Service was excellent! Even on their soft-opening night.
– The murals! They have some really great Denver/Austin mashup designs. (I didn’t take a photo of the artists’ signature! 5280 Burger & Taphouse – who painted these wonderful murals??)The one thing I didn’t like was how loud it was. I felt like I had to yell across the table just to have a conversation. I’m pretty sensitive to loud noise, so that was a bummer for me.
Bird Bird Biscuit
1401 W Koenig Ln, Austin, TX 78756
Looking for a new brunch spot to take family this holiday season? Maybe you just need to pick up something quick and delicious to bring back to your home? Bird Bird Biscuit is it, baby. They’ve been operating on Manor Road for a few years now and they’re easily (easily) my favorite biscuit in town. I’m pretty dang picky about biscuits and let me tell you – these are the best out there. Their chicken and biscuit breakfast sandwiches are massive servings of sweet/savory chicken, cheese, eggs… my mouth is watering as I type this. My go-to order is the Queen Beak: spiced and breaded chicken breast, cayenne black pepper honey, bacon-infused chipotle mayo, all smashed between the halves of a biscuit. The main reason I’m featuring Bird Bird Biscuit in this edition is because they just opened a second (!) location on W. Koenig Lane! It’s got some cute outdoor patio seating and a good amount of parking. Everything is ordered online, so place it ahead of time is it’s hot and ready when you arrive, or use the QR code or kiosk to order from one of their patio tables.
1401 W Koenig Ln, Austin, TX 78756
Looking for a new brunch spot to take family this holiday season? Maybe you just need to pick up something quick and delicious to bring back to your home? Bird Bird Biscuit is it, baby. They’ve been operating on Manor Road for a few years now and they’re easily (easily) my favorite biscuit in town. I’m pretty dang picky about biscuits and let me tell you – these are the best out there. Their chicken and biscuit breakfast sandwiches are massive servings of sweet/savory chicken, cheese, eggs… my mouth is watering as I type this. My go-to order is the Queen Beak: spiced and breaded chicken breast, cayenne black pepper honey, bacon-infused chipotle mayo, all smashed between the halves of a biscuit. The main reason I’m featuring Bird Bird Biscuit in this edition is because they just opened a second (!) location on W. Koenig Lane! It’s got some cute outdoor patio seating and a good amount of parking. Everything is ordered online, so place it ahead of time is it’s hot and ready when you arrive, or use the QR code or kiosk to order from one of their patio tables.
That’s it! The 30th edition of Austin Eats Round-Up is in the books. Follow me on instagram at @DiscoveringATX to see my Austin foodie adventures in real-time! I’ve got plenty more round ups to come, so give the blog a follow too! That way, you’ll get an email when I post something new.
