Credit: Illustration by Leah Lovise

Downtown & East of I-35

Credit: Illustration by Leah Lovise

Start your day at Trailer Perk (1602 E. Sixth, 474-7400, www.facebook.com/trailerperk) with hot breakfast sandwiches and bialys (picture a ham, egg, and cheese bialy), hot and cold Texas Coffee Traders coffee drinks, and a variety of gourmet sandwiches and cool drinks for lunch. Down the block, Asian fusion treasure East Side King (1618½ E. Sixth, www.eastsidekingaustin.com) is located in the back patio of the bar Liberty. It has incredible steamed buns filled with crisp fried pork belly, hoisin sauce, cucumber kimchi, and green onion and also a dish called Tori Meshi: deep-fried chunks of chicken thigh with sweet & spicy sauce, fresh basil, cilantro, mint, onion, and jalapeño served over steamed jasmine rice infused with ginger and garlic oil. A veggie meshi is made with fried brussels sprouts. I could eat the beet fries all day. Be sure to check for a daily special; we loved the beef tongue buns with peanut-butter curry.

DownTown Burgers Credit: Photo by John Anderson

DownTown Burgers (350 Trinity, 476-7100, www.downtownburgers.com) serves breakfast tacos, coffee, and pastries beginning at 8am during the Festival and its locally famous burgers from 11am until 4am (it’ll go back to 11am-9pm after South by Southwest). Chi’Lantro (www.chilantrobbq.com) offers the coolest Korean Tex-Mex around. Amazing burgers that change daily (Hawaiian bulgogi with pineapple, for instance), plus beef, pork, or chicken tacos, quesadillas, and burritos filled with Korean-style marinated meats spiced with Chi’Lantro salsa (a Korean chile soy vinaigrette with onions, cilantro, and green onions) and topped with shredded lettuce and roasted sesame seeds. The concept is genius, and the flavors over the top. The usual lunch spot is the parking lot at Second & Congress, but dinner venues vary. During SXSW it’ll be part of a few events on Sixth Street as well. Follow Chi’Lantro on Twitter (@chilantrobbq) to find out where it is.

Kebabalicious Credit: Photo by John Anderson

Kebabalicious (www.austinkebab.com) has opened a second, daytime trailer at Second & Congress, serving the same European-Turkish street food that’s made it wildly popular among late-night partiers in the Red River district (Seventh & Trinity). After 8pm, Austin Daily Press moves from 1207 S. First to its late-night location (Ninth & Red River, 644-2959, www.austindailypress.com) and even delivers hot-pressed sandwiches to nearby bars. Word has it that the grilled-cheese sandwich has brought more than one hard partier back from the dead. Down the street, Frietkot (Seventh & Neches, @austin_frietkot) is a new purveyor of Belgian-style fries served with a variety of sauces, from house-made mayonnaise and ketchup to ancho barbecue sauce and horseradish mustard. “Dust” toppings like Madras curry, dill pickle, and spicy Creole cost an additional $0.75. The friendly folks at BBQ Heaven (519 E. Seventh, 299-7461) in the Twin Liquors parking lot dish out delish ‘cue staples like brisket sandwiches, sausage wraps, and other meaty delights until the wee hours. The popular fried chicken and waffles from Lucky J’s have a new location at Sixth & Waller (296-9914, www.luckyjs.com), which is still serving the same crispy, mouthwatering chicken and homemade waffles, plus waffle tacos(!) and other whims. It’ll be open expanded hours during SXSW, so check Twitter for details (@luckyjsaustin).

The happiest news for Mexican food lovers is the opening of El Naranjo Mobile Austin (85 Rainey, 474-2776) from internationally known chef Iliana de la Vega, who formerly had an acclaimed restaurant of the same name in Oaxaca, Mexico. Look for Oaxacan street staples like molotes, tostadas, tacos fritos, and more, plus daily specials like mole and tamales. Just down the street, G’raj Mahal (91 Red River, 480-2255, www.grajmahalcafe.com) serves a big menu of tasty Indian specialties with many vegetarian options. These dishes from Goa – the western Indian state colonized and long occupied by the Portuguese that is known for its outstanding seafood curries – are unique. This place actually has table service – it’s one of the fanciest trailers I’ve seen – and delivers to the busy bars in the immediate area, with plans to cover more locations. – Claudia Alarcón

This article appears in March 19 • 2010.

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Mexico City native Claudia Alarcón has made Austin home since 1984. She worked her way through college in the local restaurant industry, graduating from the University of Texas in 1999. She has been a Chronicle contributor for 15 years and presents lectures and workshops on topics related to the foodways of Mexico, both locally and internationally.

Mick Vann is a retired Austin chef who is a food writer and restaurant critic, cookbook author, restaurant consultant, and recipe developer. He moonlights as a University of Texas horticulturist with a propensity for ethnic eats and international food, particularly of the Asian persuasion, but he also knows his way around a plate of soul food or barbecue.

Rachel Feit is an archaeologist by trade who worked her way through college in kitchens in Chicago and Austin before discovering that dishing up words was more satisfying that dishing up meals. She has been writing about food and restaurants for The Austin Chronicle for more than a decade, but still loves to cook.

Kate Thornberry worked in renowned Austin restaurants for 30 years while pursuing a reasonably successful career in music. She began contributing to the Chronicle in 1988 and became a regular contributor to the food section in 2006.