Waterloo Ice House at Sixth and Lamar in Austin Texas

If you like shopping for music at a world class record store and then walking a few steps away for lunch and a couple of brews, there may not be a better place in the world in which to do it than the corner of Sixth Street and North Lamar Boulevard in Austin, Texas. The Waterloo Ice House is a music venue by night and a very cozy and casual dining establishment by day. Parking is sometimes scarce but that is only because both the music store and restaurant are so popular. The menu is basically of the burger, sandwich and salad variety but the service is good and the prices are reasonable. Once night falls the restaurant transforms itself into a music venue where some very fine Austin based folk type acts perform. I've never seen the place empty and I've seldom seen it very crowded either. They appear to have found the perfect balance and who could ask for more in the hectic world that is Austin, Texas. Right across the street is a sporting goods store called REI and an excellent bookstore called Book People. Kitty corner is the flagship location of Whole Foods Market and, of course the strip shopping center where they reside is shared with Waterloo Records, the King of all music stores in the world. If you come to town for SXSW and don't drop into Waterloo Records you might as well have stayed home. http://www.waterlooicehouse.com

Draught House Pub and Brewery on Medical Parkway in Austin Texas

This place has Old World charm and lots of neat stuff all over the walls. They have dozens of beers on tap and they give out goldfish crackers during happy hour. It qualifies as a neighborhood bar but a lot of the patrons are people who work in the immediate vicinity who stop in for a couple of beers after work before heading home. They have their own small brewery in a corner of the bar and you can look at it through a glass window. The tables are full of names carved into the wood over the course of several decades and there are dart boards if you feel so inclined. It used to be called the Draught Horse but somewhere along the line, fairly recently, they changed their name to the Draught House. Draught Horse, Draught House, either way it is still the same place it has been for at least twenty years and probably a lot longer. It is located at 4112 Medical Parkway which becomes Burnet Road about another half a mile to the north, in North Austin. I've been in there a few times in the past but this was the first time in a long time. Not to be confused with the Alamo Drafthouse, a movie theater that serves food and beer.

http://www.draughthouse.com/

Stubb's BBQ at 801 Red River in Downtown Austin Texas

What goes better with a cold one than a plate of Barbecue? I'm sure there are a few things but not many and when it comes to Texas Style Brisket and Ribs there are very few places that serve it up any better than Stubb's on Red River in the heart of downtown Austin, Texas. This place is named for C. B. Stubblefield a BBQ chef originally from Lubbock. You might have heard Joe Ely talk about him on film or video, at least I have. Stubb's had a nightclub and BBQ joint in the bottom floor of a rundown motel along Interstate 35 in the middle of town, during the eighties, before lending his name and reputation to this place but he passed away shortly after. Apparently somebody was taking notes though, because the way they prepare the meat in this place does the old boy proud. The building has a long history and once housed The One Knite, a music venue where Stevie Ray Vaughn honed his chops. It went through some rough times where it was a used furniture store and then a hang out for bums but those days are long gone and it has been restored to its originally glory, plus some. There is a bar upstairs, a bar downstairs and a couple more outdoors in an amphitheater that can hold a few thousand people. It's a popular destination during SXSW and almost every other night of the year. So much about Austin is changing before my eyes so it does a body good to see that some things remain the same or have even gotten better. Stubb's is one of those places that fits that description well.

http://www.myspace.com/stubbsbbq http://www.stubbsaustin.com/index.php

Home Slice Pizza on South Congress in SoCo Austin Texas

How fortuitous that my favorite pie in the city comes from a pizzaria in my favorite part of town. Located deep in the heart of SoCo South Austin, a yuppie term (of which I am not), is Home Slice Pizza on South Congress Avenue near Guero's and Continental Club. Be aware that they are closed on Tuesday, that could be a bummer if you were planning on going to the Continental or Guero's but were really craving a pizza, as I once was. Yeah, I was bummed and ended up going home hungry. It takes a while to get a pizza, which is why most people including myself call up the best delivery pizzaria in their area, but sometimes I want more. Home Slice gives me more and reminds me of a Western New York Style Pizza. It probably reminds everyone in the place of some other type of pizza but it is obvious that they have something going, that much cannot be denied. When I don't mind driving across town and then arriving home with a lukewarm pizza you know you are serving up a winning product. http://www.homeslicepizza.com/

Shoal Creek Saloon on North Lamar Blvd. at Ninth in Austin Texas

I've always liked this place and it just keeps on getting better and better. They have a bar area with a shuffleboard and seating. There is also live music area with a pool table and lots of seating and an additional bar. The deck in the back is pretty large and the fact that it is enclosed in the winter, (for an Austin, Texas winter that is) is a big bonus. They have a sports theme of sorts although they are all over the map. There are skis and wakeboards, bicycles and sports memorabilia, huge fish both mounted and faux and even a ski lift chair.
About half of the building they occupy now was formerly an Irish products only store with Emerald in its name. I bought stuff in there for my Irish wife's birthday and Christmas a couple of times until Shoal Creek flooded again, like it has done so many times before. But, that was the low side of the building and it sits four or more feet below the main bar and restaurant. There isn't much parking in the lot and I don't like pulling in because I have a land cruiser type car that is difficult to maneuver, so I approach from the backside and park on the street. They have music frequently and the service and food are great. http://www.shoalcreeksaloon.com/

Phil's Icehouse on Burnet Road in Austin Texas

What could possibly go better with burgers and beer than ice cream? Uh, fries maybe? Never fear they have those too. This is a family friendly place on Burnet Road in North Austin that caters to adults with kids. Sure McDonald's can fill the kiddie portion of the bill but do they serve wine and beer? Hell no, and that's where Phil's steps up to the bat. On one end of the building you can order food and drinks and on the other end you can get some of Amy's Ice Cream, the best in Austin. In between the two businesses is a common seating area with one of those old timey photo machines that used to cost a quarter when I was a kid. I remember when they were everywhere and now they are almost nowhere. How times change, this one cost me three bucks and after waiting twenty minutes I never did get my little strip of pictures. Oh well, I reported the malfunction so maybe they will have it fixed by the time you visit, if you ever do. Besides, it was worth the money just to sit in that little box and relax for a minute or two.
I've seen many bars with regular old shuffleboard tables but this is the first joint I have ever encountered that had one like you might find on a cruise ship. It's a bit far away from where I live to make it a regular stopping point for a cold one but if I was in the area anyway and felt the pangs of hunger I could envision myself dropping in again. There is just something special about sitting in a vinyl covered booth that can't be matched by tables and chairs.

Iron Gate Lounge on East Sixth in East Austin

This is a decent sized one room bar that has been an Eastside fixture for more years than I can remember. I've been in there a few nights in the far distant past when the place was packed and the plywood floor felt so spongey that I was afraid I might fall through it. It has had some major renovations since then and looks pretty decent now. The bartender didn't mind me taking video and some pictures and since I was about the only person in there at five in the afternoon I was able to cover it from almost any angle in the place. The jukebox is almost totally Tejano, Cajunto, Norteno and Tex Mex but what's wrong with that? I imagine this place could get rowdy on a Friday or Saturday night but the same could be said for almost any bar in town. I liked the ambiance, the music and the general feel of this place and I recommend it to anyone who wants to check out someplace different than what they are used to. It's not real fancy nor is it a dive. It's pretty much just another East side neighborhood bar that has been doing business for longer than I can remember.