This weekend (November 12-14) I will be sharing a table at Austin Comic-Con with Randy from Something*Positive (Randy will only be there Saturday and Sunday). Saturday night after the con we are going to have a joint reader meetup at [location to be determined by you!].
If you are an Austin local, please feel free to suggest a good place for the meetup within general walking (or short driving) distance from the Austin Convention Center (which is located at 500 East Ceaser Chavez). It’s right in the heart of downtown so there should be plenty of choices.
We are looking for a place that serves food and drinks (preferably BBQ), has more of a “hang out” atmosphere than a bar atmosphere and can accommodate medium to large crowds comfortably. Make a comment below with your suggestions and Randy and I will pick a winner.
These locations have already been suggested. Feel free to comment on these as well:
- G’raj Mahal
- Frank
- Moonshine
- The Hideout
UPDATE: Looks like we are going to Iron Works BBQ which is right outside the convention center. The show officially ends at 7pm, so let’s meet there between 7:30 and 8pm.
I really hope to see you there. Reader meetups are always super fun times.
In that area? My initial response is to suggest Casino El Camino, which serves GIGANTANORMOUS burgers and features a punk&metal filled jukebox, but then I remembered that this is happening on Saturday night, and Casino is on 6th Street (home to collegiate hooker-lookalikes & stabby hobos).
If folks don't mind a bit of a walk, Fado is an awesome Irish pub on the other side of Congress Avenue. Fish & chips and Guiness w/ Blackcurrant, plus it's in the Warehouse district, which means fewer fratboys going WWOOOOOOOOOO and more hipster gays.
Opal Divine's is within 3 minutes driving distance on West 6th Street, near Lamar. Decent food, giant hangout spaces, and whiskey on tap for those who're into that sort of thing.
Those are my personal faves :9 Out of the choices above, Frank sounds like the best option. Moonshine closes at 11pm.
All nice suggestions. Moonshine is a little pricey and might have trouble if you had more than a dozen people or so. The food's amazing. Frank is good food and pretty relaxed. I was going to suggest something new, but I don't know another downtown place that's good for big groups.
Hmmm.. I was gonna suggest Iron Works (BBQ) which is in the shadow of the Con Center.
It is smallish, but good.
Haven't been there in a while. Being right outside the south entrance, it would prolly be packed.
I love this idea, though! I can't afford the Con, but wanted to see you guys!
(Car just died, they wanted $780+ to repair. Hauled it to another place who will do for $300-ish)
I'm actually huge fan of Indian food so G'raj Mahal makes me a happy girl 😀 I just moved to Austin from NC so I have no idea where anything is downtown and will pretty much go where ever you guys end up! Super excited about this!
Casino El Camino. (http://www.casinoelcamino.net/). They have a great patio area in the back to hang out and arguably the best burger in town. Not exactly BBQ but big chunks of red meat none the less. The owner Casino, yes that is his real name, is a pretty cool guy and would probably be willing to accommodate you. Regardless of where you choose, I'm a fairly new reader and Austin local and look forward to hangin out.
The Highball is only a few streets away: great staff, food, booze, skeeball, and even some bowling lanes. Don't know how late y'all want to stay out, but you can celebrate your facial hair w/the Movember 70s themed karaoke party at 11:00PM!
FYI – the Highball is more than "just a few streets away" from the Convention Center.
I'd love to meet up with you guys, but it's not in the cards. Good luck finding a meet-up place! Y'all will bring the fun no matter where you go.
There are loads of nerdcore shows in Austin this weekend, too. We do BBQ with them when they're in town, and Green Mesquite BBQ has lots of room, and are usually super nice about accommodating large crowds, and it's fairly close to downtown.
Casino el casino is pretty awesome. Great burgers and dogs, decent room for handout, great beer selection. They serve Real Ale, which makes me happy.
Mugshots, has a back patio and cheap drinks and eats. Fado's if you like the more Irish pub feel, also has a nice patio, Opal Divine's
Parking is nigh impossible for G’raj Mahal.
I was planning on going to see MC Frontalot at Emo's Friday. Yeah it's on 6th with the stabby hobos and frat boys, it also happens to be really close to the parking garage I was going to use, so I'll be parked close-ish to stumble out. The best BBQ places are away from downtown Austin. I've been to downtown Austin once about 10 years ago, stayed at the Hilton then walked to 6th then stumbled back w/o getting stabbed, but that was 10 years ago.
Iron Works sounds like a good choice to me for Saturday. I'm gonna be hella hungry, convention center food is expensive.
OK, I initially suggested G’raj Mahal as an open space close to the convention center. There are hundreds of restaurants around the area, however the prices may be a bit high for some of these. So here some other suggestions:
Koriente – http://www.yelp.com/biz/koriente-austin | Good oriental food, good space, located 2 blocks from convention center. Fair prices. Try the green tea ice-cream!
Quattro Gatti – http://www.yelp.com/biz/quattro-gatti-austin | Usual Italian stuff. Good sitting arrangements. May be a bit far, about 7 blocks from convention center.
Frank – http://www.yelp.com/biz/frank-austin | I can recommend this place. Hot dogs with a punch. They have good seating arrangements. I recommend our visitors to try Fireman's 4 and Live Oak Big Bark.
Manuel's http://www.yelp.com/biz/manuels-downtown-austin | I don't have an opinion about this restaurant. I make my own Mexican grub. I've heard it is good and has great seating arrangements. It is close to the convention center (2 blocks).
Moonshine's http://www.yelp.com/biz/moonshine-patio-bar-and-g… | This place is great for brunch. It has a great seating area and decent prices. It is straight behind the convention center.
This are my best options, depending on distance, budget and diverse cuisine. I hope it helps.
Graj mahal is BYOB, and with a coldfront slated to come through austin this weekend, outdoors might be chilly if you're not drinking.
Lustre Pearl & Clive are in the same area and have some indoor space.
Iron Works BBQ is right next door (just across the creek) to the convention center. In my rarely (if ever) humble opinion it's the best in Austin. They have indoor and outdoor seating, and in cool weather the curtains in the outdoor section roll down and they have heaters. Beware the "hot" version of the BBQ sauce. It even lights up this old Texan.
that sounds pretty great. how is the price and can they deal with large groups?
I love Iron Works. I've seen them deal with 15 or so people, don't know about more than that. They are fairly spacious but they might be packed that night. Price is good. Menu is MEAT. This place is how my graduate advisor introduced me to "real Texas barbecue"!
I remember Jay Leno giving a shout out to Iron Works on his show (when Bill Kirchen and Nick Lowe were on).
It's very good! Most of you will prolly be moseying over from the con. I'm gonna hafta find parking in the same hemisphere. Hope my Parking Fu is with me.
I was hoping I could make it but family stuff has brought me to the Houston area. Have fun you Fancy Bastards!