subject: Austin Restaurants : A Few Austin Texas Originals [print this page] It's the joke around Austin that no one is actually born and raised here; it's just a great place to end up. But when it comes to the restaurant business, there are some unmistakable Austin originals. Here is a sampling of just a few of the restaurants that keep Austin weird and well fed.
Hut's Hamburgers
This West Sixth Street restaurant's art deco architecture dates back to 1939. Homer Hut Hutson opened Hut's Hamburgers in 1969 and it's been going strong ever since. Hut's does hamburgers like Austin does live music: plenty of them with unusual twists to the terrific basics. Among the 20 different kinds of hamburgers are the All-American Buddy Holly and the Fats Domino.
Hyde Park Bar & Grill
The Big Fork is one of those unmistakable quirky Austin landmarks. University of Texas alum Bick Brown opened Hyde Park Bar & Grill in 1982 in a funky pink house on Duval Street. And it really does have a huge fork as part of its sign. The restaurant not only showcases high quality cuisine, but also the work of local artists adorns the walls. The restaurant is loved in particular for its unique fries and wide array of wines by the glass.
Magnolia Cafe
Magnolia Cafe has the tag line "Everybody knows. Everybody goes." This seems fitting for this restaurant that gives its own enigmatic glamour to breakfast food. From the "Sorry--We're Open" sign to the promise of 24/8 service, Magnolia Cafe is completely Austin. People are lined up out the doors around the clock at both locations for food that is comforting and delicious.
Schlotzsky's
This little sandwich shop with locations across the globe got its start in Austin. Yes, a chain of restaurants around the world would normally be against the grain that gives Austin its originality, but Schlotzsky's has been doing something special with sandwiches since 1971. There is something deliciously unique about sour dough bread oozing with cheese that makes this place worthy of its Austin original inclusion.
Shady Grove
Not too many restaurants aim to look like a state park built in the 1940s, but that is just what you get at Shady Grove on Barton Springs Road. Complete with its campy stonework building and literal camp of Airstream trailers, Shady Grove does its part to keep Austin weird. There is actually more seating under the shade of the pecan trees on the patio outside than there is inside this circa 1992 restaurant.
Shady Grove has it all, from fabulous food to live music. There is the Unplugged at the Grove weekly concert series and classics like the chili cheese fries that make Shady Grove a place you have to experience to fully appreciate. Unlike other Austin originals that have replicated elsewhere, there is only one Shady Grove location. Some magic just can't be duplicated.
Threadgill's
This healthy home cookin' restaurant started as a country music jammin' gas station in 1933. Only in Austin and only with Threadgill's inviting hippies to sing along with its country crooners could Janis Joplin hone her style and voice to blur the lines between country and rock music. And there is the food. Threadgill's opened its doors as a restaurant in 1981, serving southern cuisine with a healthy Austin twist.
