All You Can Eat
Buffet Palace
This sumptuous pan-Asian buffet just refuses to let diners go home hungry, earning the readers' devotion year after year. Sample the stunning array of Asian salads, stuff yourself with fresh sushi, sate your appetite from the list of entree specials, and settle it all with several dessert selections.1012 W. Anderson, 458-2999
Bakery
Upper Crust
Once again the undisputed victor, this Rosedale neighborhood treasure is the object of many pastry lovers' affections. Legions of loyal fans line up daily for the divine cinnamon/sugar-dusted sweet rolls, the flaky croissants, the rustic Paraguayan cornbread. Grab a good cup of coffee and relax on the mismatched tables and chairs. Chat with old friends or make some new ones; people love this place because it makes them feel at home.
4508 Burnet, 467-0102
Barbecue
The Salt Lick
Bring the beer, bring the family, and belly up to the picnic table for family-style servings of Texas BBQ and side dishes in a rustic country setting. The victuals will keep coming until you tell them to stop. The Roberts family has been smoking stellar brisket, ribs, and sausage for more than 20 years, and it's no wonder they have devoted fans all over the world.
18300 FM 1826, 512/858-4959
http://www.saltlickbbq.com/
Bar Staff
Club DeVille
This popular downtown joint refers to itself as a "cocktail lounge," and the staff appears dedicated to the proposition that patrons are there to enjoy expertly prepared mixed drinks. Here's our toast to Mendy Frolich, David Dart, Davis Comeau, John Nordstrom, Jamie Schroeder, Kevin Radican, Michael Nowlin, and Sam Williams. Salúd!
900 Red River, 457-0900
Bar Snacks
The Dog & Duck Pub
Where else but Austin's only London-style pub will you find burgers, quesadillas, and nachos on the same menu with Bubble & Squeak, Fish & Chips, Bangers & Mash, and a Ploughman's Lunch? Nowhere else on planet Earth that we know of. Y'all grab a Shiner Bock and some Scotch eggs and stay awhile, mate!
406 W. 17th, 479-0598
www.citysearch.com/aus/dogandduckpub
Breakfast
Kerbey Lane Cafe
Years of breakfasts here have not dampened our ardor for the gingerbread pancakes. The coolest thing about Kerbey? Breakfast isn't just for breakfast -- it's for daylight, nighttime, and late night. Whenever you need it, it's open. They are ready, willing, and 24-hours-able to flip your lid with those mammoth flapjacks.
3704 Kerbey, 451-1436
http://virtual-restaurants.com/kerbeylane/index.cfm
Cake Decorators
Lucy's
The decorators at this campus-area cake shop aim to please. Famous for their signature creamy whipped frosting, they'll adorn cakes with butter cream flowers, chocolate-covered strawberries, Austin Powers lettering, pictures of Bevo, or your very best girl.
2803 San Jacinto, 472-6612
http://members.tripod.com/meriweather/index1.html
Caterer
Word of Mouth
Picture this: You're an Austin ad executive, and the President of the United States is coming to your house for dinner with a few hundred friends. You'll need a caterer with style and sophistication, of course, but also an organization that can deal with mountains of red tape, security clearances, and last-minute schedule changes resulting from natural disasters. Who do you call? Why, Word of Mouth partners Rebecca Wallace and Leslie Moore, of course. As the song says, they're the top.
919 W. 12th, 472-9500
Coffeehouse
TIE: Austin Java Co.; Little City
From its humble coffeehouse beginnings in the former home of the Terminex bug, Austin Java now seems poised to take over the world with locations both downtown and in the suburbs. We're still partial to the original Java near the ACC Rio Grande campus, where a serious student or a slacker can sip an espresso in funky comfort. We love the fresh roasted coffee and light fare in both Little City outlets, but we also find them to be fascinating places to appreciate local culture. Seated at a sidewalk table on Austin's main thoroughfare, coffee lovers can observe downtown's ever-changing nightlife. The view from the front window at the Drag location offers a whole different pageant altogether.
Austin Java Co., 1206 Parkway, 476-1829; Little City, 916 Congress, 476-2489, 3403 Guadalupe, 467-2326
http://www.littlecity.com/
Diner
Star Seeds
The stubborn funkiness of this roadside motel diner endears it to students, Gen X,Y, & Z night crawlers, and trend-spotters alike. With reliable, no-nonsense food and service that borders on the belligerent, Star Seeds exists in its own little world, and so many of our readers love to visit it.
3101 N. I-35, 478-7107
http://austin.citysearch.com/E/V/AUSTX/0005/12/24/
Drink Specials/Happy Hour
Trudy's
After more than 20 years of success in Austin, it's no secret that Trudy's has lots of things going for it: wonderful burgers, stellar margaritas, award-winning hot sauces, the list goes on and on. Trudy's is especially the place to be at happy hour, when their exemplary house margaritas are cheaper by one American dollar and they knock 50¢ off the price of the fancy drinks and all the beer. What a deal! All this and award-winning hot sauce to go with the chips. We're there.
409 W. 30th, 477-2935
http://austin.citysearch.com/E/V/AUSTX/0004/51/57/
Grocery Store
Central Market
We're downright smug about the fact that there aren't any grocery stores like our beloved Central Markets anywhere else in the world. Visiting chefs and out-of-town shoppers leave with wistful sighs and longings and we know why. It's a grocery store, it's a cafe with a live music venue, it's a bona-fide tourist attraction, but most of all, it's ours.
4001 N. Lamar, 206-1000; 4477 S. Lamar, 899-4300
http://www.centralmarket.com/export/ CentralMarket/publications/Austin/index.html
Lunch Deal
TIE: Pizza Nizza; Kim Phung
Hate that mad dash to get a good midday meal and get back to the office? Our readers know that picking up the phone and having Pizza Nizza deliver specialty pizzas (heavenly white sauce with artichoke hearts rules!), salads, and pastas, with plenty of ice-cold beer equals: no driving, no crowds, no problem! A deal that can't be beat. Kim Phung's overwhelming popularity is directly related to the concept of value received for the dining-out dollar. College students with insatiable appetites are elbow to elbow with hungry, harried business folks here at lunchtime. It's fresh, it's healthy, and the price is right. Those in the know slurp up the pho.
Kim Phung, 7601 N. Lamar, 451-2464;
Pizza Nizza, 1608 Barton Springs Rd., 474-7470
Produce
Central Market
Just when we're convinced they've thought of everything, the folks in the Central Market produce department come up with something new to entice us. We're fascinated with the custom-made mushroom shelves at the Westgate location, keeping the selection of exotic fungi fresh and delicious. We love the convenient packages of pre-cut stir-fry veggies and fresh juices pressed to order. We can't wait to sink our teeth into delicate champagne grapes or voluptuous elephant heart plumcots. If there's a produce section in heaven, it's probably like this.
4001 N. Lamar, 206-1000; 4477 S. Lamar, 899-4300
http://www.centralmarket.com/export/ CentralMarket/publications/Austin/index.html
Pub
The Dog & Duck Pub
Whether it's trolling for celebrities like Quentin T., a stop for a pint of Guinness, or the occasional need for a little bagpipe music, the Dog & Duck Pub is a dark little haven worthy of praise. (Except for their TV commercials. Oh lordy, do those things grate! If you're smart and you mute before that demented singing starts, you can just get a look at some local near-celebs like Steve Chaney and Hunter Darby.) But mostly, the Dog & Duck is great ale, good burgers, low ceilings, bad lighting, and poor ventilation -- just like a real limey pub!
406 W. 17th, 479-0598
www.citysearch.com/aus/dogandduckpub
Retail Beer & Wine
Central Market
The enormous selection of singles (you might as well try the Fat Tire Ale when you're not in for a six-pack) make this the candy store of beer retailers. Informal and witty notes on featured wines ("So dry and unfiltered it'll make you cry") lead neophytes and connoisseurs alike to the new and undiscovered in the fruit of the vine.
4001 N. Lamar, 206-1000; 4477 S. Lamar, 899-4300
http://www.centralmarket.com/export/CentralMarket/publications/Austin/index.html
Waitstaff
Trudy's
We Austinites thrive on diversity, which may be why we love the Trudy's waitstaff so darn much. From the waiter in khakis and glasses schlepping 'ritas and Coronas to the happy hour suits, to the waitress discussing her intimate piercings with two equally be-holed drinkers of Mexican martinis, this eclectic staff is quick with the chips and the smiles. With such swift service and titillating tales, we can't help but leave a fat tip.
409 W. 30th, 477-2935
http://austin.citysearch.com/E/V/AUSTX/0004/51/57/@cutline:
