South Congress

After all day in the kitchen (and in front of the smoker in the backyard) on Thanksgiving, we were ready to get out for some fresh air the Friday afterwards. (No, I'm not calling it by that retail name that everyone's adopted this year.) Since moving to north central Austin a few years ago, we've missed the funky vibe of our old South Austin places. So we decided to spend the day poking around on South Congress (or "SoCo" as the hipsters call it), South Lamar and South First.

I sat down for a few minutes in the morning and starting putting together a list of shops, eateries and places to add to our list. But it quickly got way too long. Way too long. So we ditched the list, drove on down to South Congress, parked, and just started walking with the camera and poking around with no agenda.

Thought I'd share a little of our walk with you and especially, some of the food highlights...

We started with a mocha for my hubby at Jo's.







Perla's is on my ever-expanding list of new restaurants to try next.






The infamous Austin Motel sign and their new patio Snack Bar.








Guero's Taco Bar was packed as usual with folk spilling out on to the sidewalk. Their homemade tortillas and salsa bar (among other things) are worth waiting in line for.






You can do all kinds of vintage and groovy shopping along SoCo. But there are feasts for the eyes as well as the tummy and pocketbook. I love this mural outside of Tesoros Trading Company.



There are fine dining options all up and down South Congress, but it's also a hotspot for street food offered by vendors in trailers and trucks.





Our favorite was the avocado cone from Mighty Cone from the folks at Hudson's on the Bend. The sesame crust was fried to a crispy crunch but the avocado was hot and steamy inside. The perfect street snack for a chilly day. Try the shrimp cone, the chicken cone and the sliders too.



If we hadn't been on the hunt for tacos, we'd have succumbed to one of our favorite pizza joints, Home Slice.



Hungry yet? Next time you're in Austin, check out SoCo.