Banger’s

I’ve had my eye on Banger’s from several reviews I read and I was stoked to finally give them a try. We met up with my niece who lives in the area and attending UT. Warning – This place will get busy in a hurry when the weather is nice! We happened to go on a Sunday when they had brunch. There’s a live band and it’s also known as being packed for brunch. Parking is limited in the area so plan on hiking a little or get there super early. We stood in line at least 30 min before getting a table which they won’t let you save seats so be sure your whole party is there!

We sat outside to listen to the band (Boss Street Brass Band). If highly recommend following this group they are AMAZING!

During their brunch they are most known for The Manmosa $15 (a liter of behemoth of champagne with a splash of orange juice) and there is a limit of 1 per customer and you must order food! I’m picky when it comes to mimosas, but I was pleasantly surprised at how good this one is which leads me to see why it’s so popular. 

D ordered the Stone Mikhail’s Odd $7.50 which was also really good.

The food does take a while to come out, so I advise bringing a small game like Left, Right, Center.

For the food D ordered the Bratwurst $8 (comes with sauerkraut and whole grain mustard on a kolache bun) They’re sausages are all house made and really good!

I ordered the Banger’s Benny $13 (Braised pork belly, poached egg, and hollandaise sauce on an English muffin, topped with chipotle-dusted shoestring potatoes.) Highly recommend it’s so good!

If in Austin this is a must stop! Highly recommend this place and would love to visit again to try some other dishes!!

Salty Sow

I happened to come across this place a few times in searches and we finally got a chance to try it out while visiting my niece. The Salty Sow doesn’t look like much from the outside, but they have lots of indoor space and a fantastic outdoor patio space, which is also pet friendly.

While we waited for my niece to arrive we started out with a few cocktails and appetizers. D got a Maple Glazed Old Fashion $8 and I ordered a Sow Rita $8 which was one of the best margaritas I’ve ever had! Be sure to hit them at happy hour like we did and get $2 off all signature sips, beer and wine. 4:30-6:30pm everyday.

From the happy hour menu we got Truffled Deviled Eggs ($5 for happy hour or $6.50 on menu) and Duck Fat Fries with 110 minute egg and cold bearnaise ($5.50 on happy hour and $8 on menu) and Pork Belly Taco $5 on happy hour menu. The taco wasn’t anything special, but the others are for sure worth the order. D thought I was crazy ordering deviled eggs, but it was one of the items I kept reading about over and over again and I see why now.

For the main dishes I ordered a kids portion of the crispy chicken (I forgot the price).The chicken was really moist and crispy we tried to not eat all of my son’s food.

I ordered the Genuine Blackened Redfish (quinoa, lentils, smoked tomatoes, chipotle Tabasco lemon butter) $24. The sauce was so good! Highly recommend this dish for seafood lovers.

Petite Bone-in Filets (mushroom, bone marrow red wine sauce) $23 add a third filet $33. The sauce was so delicious. Everything about this dish is a winner!

Crisp Chicken Thighs (all-natural chicken, fried smashed potato, neck bone gravy) $15.50. My niece really loved the dish and mentioned how moist the chicken came out.

As if we didn’t have enough food we got an order of Crispy Brussels Sprout Leaves (golden raisins, Pecorino) $7. Wow where these good! Plenty for 4 people to share.

I don’t care if you are so full you are about to burst, but this Bananas Foster Beignets (cane syrup, honey & nutmeg ice cream) $7 are to die for! Oh….sooo….goood!!

I truly loved this place and can’t wait to come back and try some of their other dishes. The staff is wonderful and they even ring a bell to give you a warning happy hour is about to end.

Little Barrel and Brown

A friend of ours told us about this little place called Little Barrel and Brown. He said they have good food, but most known for their burgers.

The place is tiny, but huge plus they are on Open Table so you can make a reservation ahead of time. We sat on the side near the kitchen which my son loves watching all the action.

Since there’s no kids menu they did do a cheese pizza for him and only charged $5. I loved how accommodating they are! They had a flatbread of the day which they charge $12 for so this is a steal!

D ordered the Burger $12(Marrownaise, fixins, pickle), added sharp cheddar $2 and bacon $2.

I had the House Made Fettucine $18 (asparagus, oyster mushrooms, truffled cream, shaved parmesan). Wow was this dish amazing! You could taste each individual flavor along with the delicate pasta it was a perfect combination. I would love to order this every time we drive through Austin!!

Overall, I can’t wait to go back and try another dish. The attention to detail is spot on and the service was really good.

Crown & Anchor Pub

So you can’t always believe what you read online. Shocker I know! Crown & Anchor Pub was listed as pet and kid friendly, although when we walked in it wasn’t as kid friendly as I thought. Thankfully we went right when they opened and the place was dead. Soon after college kids started to trickle in and the games where on all the big screens.

The food was good just not the best burger I’ve ever eaten. Luckily it’s a cheap eat.

Cheeseburger and Fries $5.75

Bacon Cheeseburger and Fries $6.50

I won’t be rushing back here. If I was younger and wanted a sports bar it would be a great hangout spot, just not the family joint I was hoping for.

Pinthouse Pizza

Pinthouse Pizza is a great find! Their pizza is amazing and wood fired, and their beer is really good too!

Be sure to ask what seasonal beers they have on tap. They’ll even pour you a little shot to try them if you want. We picked out 5 for a sampler – Cousin Eddie, Oatie Man, Bearded Cereal, Luscious, Pilot IPA #7. And by the way I loved their chalk board idea on the front of the sampler so it’s easier to remember what you ordered.

We settled on a glass of Cousin Eddie and Bearded Cereal. Let me just said the cereal one sounds strange, but it was amazing and not a normal thick heavy stout it was nice and light.

Oh and for the pizza we went with a traditional medium Pepperoni and Basil $13.50. We also added on a side of jalapeno ranch for 50 cents. All are made to order and tasted really fresh.

They have a great lunch special - 10” Personal pizza, a side salad and a drink
or Pizza roll, full salad, and a drink for only $9.50* *Upgrade To A Beer For $2.75. Next time I’ll give this a try because their salad looked really good.

Can’t wait to come back!

Tiny Pies

What’s not to love about a cute little shop called Tiny Pies? Even better I can eat a couple and not feel guilty about it right? We happened to stop in right before Thanksgiving and what they had in stock was almost slim pickings.

We got a 6 pack which was $24. Now it’s a little pricy and the pies are good, but not sure if it’s an OMG you have to stop place. I’ve had good pies at other places for less. The crust is a little on the thick side for me. Otherwise they look amazing and smell amazing. They tasted pretty good too, a little on the rich side, but not life changing. We went with the Pecan, Chocolate Cream, Coconut Cream, Pumpkin with Chai, Key Lime, Chocolate Pecan, TX 2 Step.

Blue Corn Harvest

Upon heading up to the lake we came through Cedar Park around dinner time and decided to stop in at Blue Corn Harvest.

We ordered drinks from the bar while we waited for a table to be ready. The waitress also brought use some chips and salsa. The salsa was really good and had a nice chunky texture to it.

Mojito $6.50. Could have used some more mint otherwise it was ok, I would probably order a different drink next time. 

Chili con Queso with steak $5.99 (our signature queso, and organic ground ribeye with house pickeled jalapenos on the side) Really good and worth an order.

Top Shelf Margarita $7.50 No complaints it was really good.

They brought out some whipped butter and hot corn muffins which are to die for. We ate 3 baskets while we where there.

Blue Crab Stuffed Chicken $14.99 (Grilled chicken breast, stuffed with crab meat, jack cheese and sweet roasted peppers with Cajun cream sauce, cheddar seared potato cake and farm fresh vegetables.) I really enjoyed this dish and also that the vegetables where juliened instead of the usual sliced coins. I just wish it was a little larger chicken breast instead of being a small thin one.

Steak Enchiladas $12.99 (Seared beef tenderloin, carmelized onions and mixed cheese served with guacamole) D said it was good, but no better than any other restaurant he’s ever had.

We probably won’t be back since there are many places in the area to pick from, but it’s worth checking out since they have a nice variety of dishes.