Best Activities and Restaurants for an Austin Bachelorette Party

My texts and emails have slowly changed from “what is your favorite restaurant in NYC or Austin” to “where should we go for dinner and out during a bachelorette party in Austin?” Well, here are a few options for all genres of the big weekend from affordable and casual local spots and some spicy fancy pants restaurants. In addition, I have a 15 page guidebook with 3 day weekend itineraries detailing activities, eats/drinks, and boats for bachelor and bachelorette parties which you can find here. Feel free to email me to get a copy of the PDF as well chekmarkeats at gmail.com which also includes more breweries and trips outside of Austin.

BRUNCH/LUNCH:

Quick:

Chances are you want to know a good place to get breakfast tacos and queso. Since most are counter service or located in food trucks, you can get in and out quickly and even bring them with you on a hike or day on the water. Try Veracruz All Natural, Tacodeli, or Fresa’s for something simple and easy. If you want classic breakfast tacos, but would rather sit somewhere with margaritas and more service, head to Taco Flats in Clarksville.

As for sandwiches, salads, and baked goods, head to one of the Swedish Hill locations or go to Texas French Bread near the UT campus. Gati would also be a great option for a group with allergen-friendly options and ice cream after the meal. Need to grab something on your way out of town? Local Foods, now downtown and on North Lamar, has fresh and healthy bowls, plus you can’t miss their Chocolate Chip Cookie.

Sit-Down:

Head to the rooftop at El Alma, one of my favorite Mexican restaurants, on Barton Springs Road. Don’t miss the mango margarita or ceviche with those thick and fried, handmade tortilla chips (go ahead and ask for extra when you originally order).

Launderette is an East Side option that has nice outdoor seating and is in an old laundromat space.

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES:

It might be a little hard to walk the trail at Lady Bird Lake with a handful of bachelorette goers, but no fear, you can still partake in some lovely festivities in the sunshine.

Umlauf Sculpture Gardens – A fun little outdoor getaway if you want to see something different that won’t take up too much time.

Walk South Congress Avenue and pick up some cheap trinkets, fancy vintage clothes at Feather’s, hats at Maufrais, local loose fitting and high-waisted clothes at Esby, boots at Allen’s, some costumes at Lucy in Disguise, designer wear at By George, a coffee at Jo’s or a nutella pretzel milkshake at Hopdoddy.

Walk Music Lane which is the newest build to the northern part of South Congress. None of these VC/ out of town stores have been present in Austin until 2020 and everything South of these stores is all locally owned. You can pick up a last minute outfit at Reformation, grab a salad at Sweetgreen, or a drink at Mediterranean spot Aba which I recommend mostly for booze! Soho House is also right above it if you are a member.

Barton Springs – Lay out on the grassy hill and enjoy the cold springs that stay the same 70 degree temperature year round. A dip in here is a great way to shock your immune system after a late night out. You’ll find all the older locals swimming early in the morning and chatting on the north side of the pool later in the day. All kinds of people hang throughout the day whether it’s the yogis, hula hoopers, hippies, or friends just catching up to get away from the heat. No food or alcohol allowed or you’ll be thrown out.

Rent a Boat on Lake Austin- You can rent pontoon boats that come with drivers. lil pad floats to all lounge on, coolers, ice, and hang out on the water in a nice/ hoppin’ party cove while earning yourself a tan. Use Float On.

Deep Eddy Pool– It’s like a country club pool, but natural! Same story here it’s always around 68- 70 degrees year round, and it’s located right off Town Lake by the Mopac bridge. Grab a burger and a tiki drink after at Pool Burger right in the same parking lot.

Swim and Hike at Sculpture Falls– If you haven’t been to Austin before I’m sure you’ve heard that you can “hike” the Greenbelt. The thing is you can actually just walk the Greenbelt as there is no elevation or mountain views like you might be hoping. However, it’s hot in Texas and there are plenty of fun water sources in the green environment and dirt paths that get your booty moving and blood pumping. Head to the Hill of Life and park on Camp Craft Road. You’ll walk down some rocky area so wear closed toed shoes. Bring a towel, a few Ranch Rider bevies which are made here in Austin, and enjoy sitting in the Sculpture Falls area with the waterfall flowing.

Stand Up Paddle Board – Get some activity in on Town Lake where you can rent your own board and have a ball on the water at your own speed. Rent for $15 per hour or $35 all day.

DINNER:

June’s All Day is full of delicious bubbles, ever changing wines by the glass, and has a whole Zine dedicated to making you feel comfortable ordering wines you don’t know about. A jukebox and live DJ’s fill the room on Friday and Saturday night, and the Fried Chicken Sandwich, Catch of the Day with Leeks, Citrusy Snapper Carpaccio, and hot, homemade sourdough steal your heart. This is also a great brunch place, and don’t miss the Monster Cookie with M&M’s, pretzels, peanuts, and chocolate chips. They also won a place on Food & Wine’s Best New Restaurants of the Year in 2017 list which includes only 10.

Emmer & Rye is another new popular restaurant and on Rainey Street so you can hit the bars after. Skip the dim sum cart service but go for the Farmer’s Cheese, Carnitas with Roti, and any of the greens offered that day. Also, I love their orange wine.

Kemuri Tatsuya is the first ever Texas Japanese Izakaya with a menu that I guarantee you’ve never seen before. It’s in an old BBQ restaurant space, so they kept the smoker to make Fish Collar, BBQ Eel, Brisket, and Duck Breast in. I love the back patio that’s airy, and indoors it is pretty comical with Japanese paraphernalia and Texas twang. P.S. Only beer, liquor and sake here.

If you really want to ball out on some modern Mexican food, then I’d go to Comedor which has Mexico City and LA atmosphere vibes and was designed by high-end architect Tom Kundig. They have high top tables in the main dining room area that make it cozy and fun for your group. I like the Smoked Tuna, Octopus, Shrimp Tostada; Carrots with Mole, do NOT miss the Quesadilla or bone marrow tacos (yes, even if you don’t like bone marrow they change your mind and there is plenty of kale!).

CASUAL MEXICAN: At Polvo’s  (make sure you go to the original on South 1st instead of downtown), you can order pitchers of margaritas and plates of enchiladas and fajitas. I know you are thinking this is what you are supposed to eat in Texas. Licha’s on the East Side is a little higher up in atmosphere, and they have a great Mexican menu that is more interior than Tex-Mex. Or if you just want to drink and have some Mexican food on the side, go to Baby A’s and get the purple margaritas which contain Everclear and an order limit per person.

TRENDY YET AFFORDABLE: Elizabeth Street Cafe is colorful, cute and trendy without being too cool. People go crazy for the spring rolls, and I prefer the steamed rice rolls. They have a small indoor, larger patio, and a separate private area called the Croissant Room that has backyard access. This is a girl’s design dream come true. This would also be a good brunch option for a big group.

BARS/OUT:

You might want to check out Dirty 6th if you want to relive my UT college days. However, it’s gotten pretty ratty and super packed since then, but Iron Cactus still has their amazing frozen cactus juice and $2 “you call its.” Dance your face off and sweat the night away at Barbarella which is truly the only late night dancing spot.

If you want to hang out at bars that are casual and a little more classy, I say go for the East Side across I-35. Check out Whisler’s, Nickel City (great tater tots here, y’all), Easy Tiger, the wine bar Lolo, Central Machine Works which has a huge open beer garden, outdoor music stage, weekend markets, and lots of events.

Rainey Street is very popular for bachelorette and bachelor parties, so it could be fun to run into another group there. You can pick any bar there seriously. They will all be equally as the same and loud. This goes for West 6th the one bar I’d recommend there is Dirty Bills for dancing on tables with music videos in narrow back of the bar. Also, the sushi restaurant TenTen would be perfect beforehand.

For live shows or concerts, check ahead to see what is playing at Moody Theater (below) or ACL Live. You can always walk into Antone’s, Continental Club, C-Boys, or Mohawk. Hit up White Horse for some Texas country music and dancing and hang out at Donn’s Depot in Clarksville for my favorite old Austin dive bar which has 80 year-olds and 21 year old hanging around under one roof.

In addition, if you are sticking around on Sunday afternoon, check out the live music at Güero’s taco courtyard on South Congress.