The Ultimate Girls' Guide to Austin, TX: Where to Eat, Drink, Shop & Explore!
Coming to Austin this fall? Consider this your party girl's cheat sheet!
Festival season is one of our favorite times of year in ATX. The music is loud, the patios are packed, and while the weather is finally starting to cool down...it's usually still hot enough for a dip in Barton Springs. And with ACL bringing party people from all over the country to our hometown, we figured it was time to share a few of our favorite places to eat, drink, shop, snap a pic, and soak up everything Austin has to offer, beyond just the best BBQ!
Packed Party has called Austin home for years, so consider this your local-girl-approved guide to Austin—with plenty of pizza, matcha, BBQ, queso, and good times along the way.
Bookmark it. Screenshot it. Send it to the group chat!
Welcome to Austin, party people! 🎉
First Things First: Coffee + Matcha
Because we're not doing anything before caffeine! Did you know we've recently been crowned by Food & Wine for being the best coffee city in the United States!? It's true, and you can read about it here!
But to save you time, here's where we would start! Head down South Congress and grab a drink from Jo's Coffee before exploring the neighborhood. Bonus: Jo's is home to the iconic "I Love You So Much" mural, so your morning coffee run doubles as an Austin photo op.
Matcha girlies, we've got you too! Grab your favorite iced green situation from either La La Land or the adorable Magick Matcha window and prepare for a full day of exploring and epic shopping!
PARTY GIRL TIP: Start early if you're exploring South Congress - you'll beat some of the crowds and some of that Texas heat.
Spend a Morning on South Congress
If you only have time to explore one neighborhood, South Congress is a must.
With a coffee in hand, pop into the shops, take entirely too many pictures, stop for lunch, and make your way toward some of Austin's most recognizable landmarks. It's one of the easiest areas to experience a little bit of everything that makes Austin Austin!
While you're there, grab a slice at Home Slice Pizza, find the Willie for President mural, and snap the obligatory pic crossing the street with the Capitol in the background...iconic!
Shopping + pizza + Willie Nelson? That's basically the Austin starter pack.
🍕 Grab a Slice
Austin might be famous for breakfast tacos and BBQ, but don't sleep on the pizza!
Home Slice is an essential South Congress stop and perfect for grabbing a giant slice between shopping. If your group is looking for something a little different, make pizza part of the itinerary and turn lunch into its own event.
Because walking around Austin requires carbs. We don't make the rules.
🔥 Eat the BBQ
You simply cannot come to Texas and leave without BBQ. One of our absolute favorites? LA Barbecue!
Go hungry. Bring friends. Order more than you think you'll need.
And if you're planning a full-on Austin BBQ crawl, some other names worth having on your radar include Franklin Barbecue, Terry Black's, LeRoy & Lewis, and Two Goose.
🌮 More Queso! More Tacos.
Breakfast tacos. Tacos for lunch. Late-night tacos. There's really no wrong time, but be sure to pair it with queso!
Our fave and must-try are breakfast tacos from Veracruz (get the migas, you're welcome!) Add Fonda San Miguel to your list if you're looking for a sit-down meal with major Austin history and atmosphere, or explore the endless taco options you'll stumble upon throughout the city.
And whatever you order... Get the queso for the table. Always!
💦 Take a Dip in Barton Springs
Yes, even in the fall!
Austin's weather tends to hang onto summer, which means an ACL weekend can still be perfect for throwing on a swimsuit and heading to Barton Springs.
It's one of those places that immediately makes you understand why people fall in love with Austin.
Swim, sunbathe, people-watch, then head out for tacos. That's a pretty perfect Austin afternoon if you ask us.
🌳 Hang at Zilker Park
Speaking of ACL...You might already be heading here!
Zilker Park is home to Austin City Limits Music Festival, but outside of festival weekends it's one of our favorite places to slow down, picnic, hang with friends, and take in the city.
Grab snacks, bring a blanket, and stay awhile.
📸 Take the Austin Pics
Did you even visit Austin if your camera roll doesn't prove it?
Austin is packed with colorful public art, and some of the city's most recognizable murals are concentrated around South Congress and South Austin.
Add these to your photo-op list:
I Love You So Much — Jo's Coffee on South Congress
Willie for President — South Congress
Greetings From Austin — South First Street
Love From Austin — South Congress
Hi, How Are You — the iconic Daniel Johnston frog near UT
The vintage-postcard-style Greetings From Austin mural is one of the city's longtime signature photo spots, so get the group together and get the shot.
🎸 Hear Some Live Music
We're the Live Music Capital for a reason.
Check who's playing at The Continental Club, catch a show at Moody Theater, wander into a smaller venue, or simply follow the sound of live music while you're out.
Especially during festival season, something is happening just about everywhere.
Our best advice? Leave a little room in the itinerary for spontaneity. Some of the best Austin nights aren't planned.
🍸 Party Girl-Approved Austin Bars
If you're coming for a girls' weekend, bachelorette party, birthday trip, or ACL weekend, you're obviously going to need somewhere for a cocktail.
For a few very different flavors of Austin nightlife, put these on your shortlist:
Swim Club - fun, colorful, poolside energy.
Broken Spoke - iconic two-stepping
Dirty Sixth - chaotic? Yes. An Austin rite of passage? Also yes.
West Sixth - when the group wants a FULL night out.
The Roosevelt Room - for the cocktail girlies who want something a little more elevated.
Only The Wild Ones - vinyl, cocktails, and a gorg outdoor setting (major plus, it's also on SoCo!)
Then decide whether your group is a one fancy cocktail and home by 10 group or a somehow we're eating pizza at 1 a.m. group. We support both!
🪩 Get a Little Weird + Shop + Explore
Want the Austin experiences you won't find everywhere else?
Go two-stepping at Broken Spoke.
You can't go wrong shopping on South Congress, but if you want more of an Austin charm, go vintage shopping on North Loop - drop your pin at Room Service Vintage and enjoy shop hopping!
Find the Austin Troll at Pease Park (also where you'll find a super cool TREE HOUSE!)
Walk around the Texas State Capitol.
Visit Top Notch Hamburgers for some serious Dazed and Confused nostalgia, don't skip the inside for some real movie set props!
Check out First Light Books. It's special, trust us.
Spend hours wandering the Blanton Museum.
Kayak in Town Lake for the best views of Downtown and to work off the drinks + BBQ!
Walk or bike the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail around Lady Bird Lake.
Or hunt down one of the city's countless weird little gems simply because somebody told you, "Trust me."
That's usually where the fun starts!
💖 A Little Packed Party Austin History
Austin isn't just where we like to party- it's home.
Our Packed Party HQ sits right here in ATX, not far from one of our favorite pieces of local movie history: Top Notch, the iconic burger spot featured in Dazed and Confused.
So yes, we take our responsibility as your unofficial Austin party girls very seriously.
From Barton Springs swims and South Congress shopping to BBQ, matcha, live music, and one more round of queso, there's a lot to squeeze into a weekend.
Our biggest advice? Don't try to do everything, just plan to come back!
Pick a neighborhood. Grab your girls. Eat something really good. Jump in the springs. Take the cheesy mural picture. Hear some music. Stay out a little later than planned.
That's Austin.
Alright, alright, alright. 🤠✨
Save Our Austin Party Girl Map!
Keep our Packed Party Girl's Guide to Austin handy while you're exploring and use it to build your own perfect Austin weekend itinerary.
And if you're visiting for ACL, a bachelorette party, girls' weekend, birthday trip, or just because, tag @packedparty in your Austin adventures - we want to see where the party takes you!
