Listed here as a bar, this is actually a brewery offering up a diverse selection of highly original sour-mash beers. I've yet to have something I didn't like in their tight and bustling tasting room, which is surrounded by great East Side eateries, but standouts are the Spirit Animal (sour pale) and the Professor Black (sour cherry stout). They also have a fun, short brewery tour on the weekends that's worth checking out.

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.

Casa de Luz is a macrobiotic cafeteria nestled behind a learning center, a series of alternative medicinal practices, and yoga studios. I like to go there in the summer after a swim at one of Austin's spring-fed pools, Deep Eddy or Barton Springs.

There's plenty of debate in Austin about the best breakfast tacos, and you can get them almost literally anywhere, but I personally love Taco Deli's fresh, local, high-quality ingredients and unfussy style. You can make cases for more authenticity, but TD's hard to beat for convenient, consistent, delicious tacos. My pick is the Migas Royal plate (local-tip: beat the crowds by calling in your order on the way and skipping the line)

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.