Guides
Our curated, evergreen guides to Austin.
Best Things to Do in Hyde Park
Two independent bookstores and an upscale sushi spot — the best of 12 rated venues.
Best Things to Do in the Domain & North Austin
Upscale chains and a genuine museum — the best of 12 rated venues.
Best Things to Do in Mueller
A planned neighborhood with a real park at its center — the best of 20 rated venues.
Best Things to Do on South Lamar
A brewery corridor with real food to match — the best of 21 rated venues.
Best Things to Do on South Congress
Gelato, donuts, and one of Austin's most-reviewed restaurants — the best of 32 rated venues.
Best Things to Do in Zilker & Barton Hills
Austin's outdoor living room, plus what's around it — the best of 42 rated venues.
Best Things to Do in East Austin
BBQ trailers, a comedy club, and a record shop — the best of 66 rated venues in our database.
Best Things to Do in Downtown Austin
168 real, rated venues in our database call Downtown home — this is the best of them across food, drinks, and activities.
Best Vintage & Thrift Stores in Austin
Ranked by real Google rating.
Best Record Stores in Austin
A city with a live-music identity has a real record-store scene to match — ranked by real Google rating.
Best Bookstores in Austin
Indie shops, a comics institution, and a Japan-based import retailer — ranked by real Google rating.
Best Spas in Austin
Head spas, med spas, and day spas — ranked by real Google rating.
Best Disc Golf Courses in Austin
Free, public, and scattered across the city's parks — ranked by real Google rating.
Best Golf Courses in Austin
From a course founded by a Masters champion to a 9-hole municipal course dating to 1899 — ranked by real Google rating.
Best Mini Golf in Austin
Including a course operating since 1948 — ranked by real Google rating.
Best Escape Rooms in Austin
One spot has nearly 18,000 reviews — an unusually large number for this category anywhere.
Best Bowling Alleys in Austin
Old-school lanes and a modern pin-bar hybrid — ranked by real Google rating.
Best Museums in Austin
From presidential history to a toy arcade — ranked by real Google rating.
Best Parks & Hiking Trails in Austin
One guide, not two — Austin's best trails run through its best parks, so splitting them would just mean listing the Greenbelt twice.
Best Speakeasies in Austin
Hidden entrances and invite-only booking — ranked by real Google rating.
Best Dance Clubs in Austin
From a nearly-40-year music legend's stage to a goth-industrial sunken dance floor — ranked by real Google rating.
Best Karaoke Bars in Austin
Private rooms and open-mic dive bars — ranked by real Google rating.
Best Sports Bars in Austin
TVs, wings, and a chain famous for its waitresses — ranked by real Google rating.
Best Cocktail Bars in Austin
Including one bar that takes reservations by app only — ranked by real Google rating.
Best Dive Bars in Austin
Jukeboxes, pool tables, and no pretense — ranked by real Google rating.
Best Breakfast & Brunch in Austin
One guide, not two — the same restaurants dominate both searches, so splitting them would mean two nearly-identical lists.
Best Sandwich Shops in Austin
Delis, subs, and a converted-home cafe with yard seating — ranked by real Google rating.
Best Donut Shops in Austin
From a giant-donut Austin institution to no-frills counter-serve spots — ranked by real Google rating.
Best Italian Restaurants in Austin
Sit-down trattorias, distinct from our separate pizza guide — ranked by real Google rating.
Best Mediterranean Restaurants in Austin
Lebanese, Greek, and halal spots — ranked by real Google rating.
Best Korean Restaurants & Korean BBQ in Austin
All-you-can-eat tabletop grills and Korean fried chicken — ranked by real Google rating.
Best Thai Restaurants in Austin
Ranked by real Google rating, review-count floor applied.
Best Chinese Restaurants in Austin
Sichuan, dim sum, and a hipster spot with craft drinks — ranked by real Google rating.
Best Seafood Restaurants in Austin
Landlocked but not lacking — ranked by real Google rating.
Best Steakhouses in Austin
From a 1899 municipal course clubhouse-adjacent chophouse to a Lake Travis view — ranked by real Google rating.
Best Rooftop Bars in Austin
Pools, fire pits, and skyline views — ranked by real Google rating.
Best Vietnamese Restaurants in Austin
Pho, banh mi, and vermicelli bowls — ranked by real Google rating.
Best Fried Chicken in Austin
Nashville hot, Korean fried chicken, and Southern classics — ranked by real Google rating.
Best Burgers in Austin
From a 1926 Austin mainstay to a Mexican-Jewish mash-up food trailer — ranked by real Google rating.
Best Indian Restaurants in Austin
Including the single most-reviewed Indian restaurant in the city, at nearly 20,000 reviews.
Best Sushi & Japanese Restaurants in Austin
Austin's upscale sushi scene, ranked by real Google rating — this is one guide, not two, because the same restaurants dominate both categories.
Best Pizza in Austin
From Neapolitan wood-fired to NY-style slices with a beer garden attached — ranked by real Google rating.
Best Bakeries in Austin
Fresh bread, pastries, and lunch fare — ranked by real Google rating.
Best Ice Cream & Dessert Spots in Austin
Gelato, soft-serve, and local ice creameries — ranked by real Google rating.
Best Mexican Restaurants in Austin
Interior Mexican cuisine, distinct from the Tex-Mex list — ranked by real Google rating.
Best Bars in Austin
Rooftop lounges, dive bars, and a Johnny Cash-themed patio — ten real bars ranked by Google rating, not a downtown-only list.
Best Breweries in Austin
Real taprooms and beer gardens, ranked by Google rating — from a farmhouse-ale outfit outside city limits to an East 6th taproom you can walk to.
Best Coffee Shops in Austin
From a 15,000-review downtown institution to five-star neighborhood roasters most visitors never hear about.
Best Tex-Mex Restaurants in Austin
Seven real, currently-open Tex-Mex spots ranked by Google rating — not the same five chains every list recycles.
Best BBQ in Austin
Ten real barbecue joints, ranked by actual Google ratings and review volume — not a personal top-10 pulled from memory.
Free Things to Do in Zilker & Barton Hills
Austin's outdoor living room doesn't cost a thing — here's how to spend a free afternoon in Zilker.
A Local's Guide to Live Music on Red River
Six clubs, one street — the beating heart of Austin's live music scene, block by block.
The Best Dog-Friendly Patios in East Austin
Where to bring your dog for a beer and a sunset in East Austin — sprawling lawns, water bowls, and zero side-eye.