Situated in a beautiful building with a real art (biased here), Elizabeth St. serves the best breakfast báhn mî and makes you feel good just being there.

One of the best places in Austin for some uncomplicated Tex-Mex nestled in the old growth heart of Austin's charming Hyde Park neighborhood. Great chicken soup, enchiladas, or Mexican Martinis and perfect atmosphere. Ideal for porch sitting and people watching. Cash only, but there's an ATM on premises.

A recent addition on the far edge of Austin's over-gentrified East Side, this converted gas station offers tasty small eats and a reasonable drink menu (though a bit light on taps), but anything it lacks in selection it makes up for in good vibes and a nicely mixed clientele. A bit on the pricey side, but they have an exceedingly pleasant outdoor seating area and a 'convenience store' of refrigerated products and odds & ends.

Wheather starting or ending your day, this near East coffee shop / taproom has some of the best of whatever you're after. One of the first establishments to brave a then-emerging neighborhood, it's now surrounded by walkable shops and restaurants. A great porch for chilling and a pretty good spot to plug in a laptop and get some work done.

The Okay Mountain boys is where they build their own monstrosities, rent me a studio along with other artists and designers, and will eventually exhibit other people's work in this east side hive of activity.