Cover Story

Best Comics/Fandom

Dragon’s Lair not only has the friendliest staff I’ve ever known at a comics store, its dedication to providing a safe space for everyone – kids, woman gamers, LGBT+ gamers, etc. – makes it an amazing hub of the community as well. – Gwen Sanger

by Chronicle Staff

Best Pet Store

I walk into the Four Points location and say, “Hi honey. I’m home.” I know every single one of them by their first name. – Samantha Stevenson

by Chronicle Staff

Best Breakfast

Again, Jesus had Kerbey Lane at the Last Supper. What many don’t know is that he also had it for the Last Breakfast. Fact. – Robbie Phillips

by Chronicle Staff

Best Patio

People-watching on the patio at Shady Grove during ACL Fest should be on everyone’s bucket list. – Joe Ballato

by Chronicle Staff

Best LGBTQ Club

More than any other queer bar in Austin, everything about Cheer Ups says, “You’re welcome here no matter who you are.” – Evan Garza

by Chronicle Staff

Best Radio Show

Bringing the best statewide coverage of Texas news and politics. Solid investigate work from a top-notch staff. – Jamie Gump

by Chronicle Staff

Best Community Healing

We tried everything to rid ourselves of chronic insomnia, from prescription drugs to not-so-prescription drugs, but nothing ever seemed to work for the long run. But after a few sessions at the Neighborhood Acupuncture Project, we were sleeping like a baby. It seems the ancient practice still works for present-age anxieties. And with a sliding…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Way to Raise Eyebrows

Science says eyebrows are the most important facial feature, so if you’re working with 1995 Drew Barrymore arches, permanent makeup via microblading might just bring those window-to-the-soul treatments up to speed. This guru’s superpower is mimicking individual hairs with precision, but she’s got an arsenal of other techniques to enhance your natural you.

by Chronicle Staff

Best Way to Prepare for Festival Season – Men’s Edition

When you are considering what to wear for Austin’s endless stream of festivals, don’t take a cue from the dudebros who still think Make America Great Again caps are funny. Instead consider the collection of goods assembled by Weathered Coalition owners Tyler Guinn and Ben Woods. Not yet a year old, the Domain Northside shop…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Return of the Austin We Miss

The Out of Bounds Comedy Festival made a splash in September when Austin Stories stars including Laura House, Chip Pope, Howard Kremer, and Heather Kafka came together to remember MTV’s odd 1997 experiment in slackerish sitcomfoolery that created such catchphrases as “neckfurters” and “diaps.” Both reviled and admired during its 12-episode run, the show now…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Dessert Science Project

So you flunked Chemistry 101 and only recently realized the periodic table wasn’t a piece of occasional furniture, but that doesn’t mean you have to practice scientific denialism. Made with liquid nitrogen and local seasonal ingredients, SPUN’s ice cream uses our favorite scientific method, topping a base of dark chocolate and horchata with mix &…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Taste of Italy

Initially we were awed by Gemelli’s classy interior and pastel display of frozen treats, but then our eyes were drawn to the gelateria’s array of amari. We recommend the olive oil gelato (neutral in flavor does not equate to boring) to pair with any number of the aromatic liqueurs. And if you’re in need of…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Metal Bar

Three years is all it’s taken for this doom metal clubhouse to establish a close-knit scene of bikers, punks, metalheads, and neighborhood drinkers, joining old Lovejoy’s patrons who followed Marcello Murphy and Tasha Halverson over after the closure of that beloved Downtown bar. That they host some of the nation’s best underground metal acts, like…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Craft Beer Revolutionaries

You might have heard that the craft beer scene in Austin has some nice things going for it: shiny new taprooms, national awards, maniacal line-standing weirdos … and a quartet of beer media champs bringing all that self-congratulatory, back pattin’ hype to you in a clever, semi-annual glossy reminiscent of those rad Nineties post-punk fanzines…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Women’s Health Truth-Tellers

State spin and legislator lies abound in the quest to destroy women’s health care in Texas, but thanks to UT-Austin based Texas Policy Evaluation Project, pro-choice advocates have the facts on our side. The multi-year research project tracking the damage done by the Lege’s reproductive health laws have given a barrage of peer-reviewed proof to…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Smile in the Face of Adversity

Earlier this year, UT pre-med student Beth English survived a harrowing nightmare. While riding her bicycle home, she was hit by a truck and dragged for half a mile. The trauma cost English her right leg, and the subsequent medical treatment has already eclipsed the million-dollar mark. Yet she still resolves to get back on…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Costume Shop

How can anyone else compete with a fixture on South Congress for 32 years, jam-packed with every costume, wig, and piece of vintage clothing you could ever want? – Jerry Durham

by Chronicle Staff

Best Local Video Game Developer

BioWare makes my favorite games. Their storytelling and characters are so compelling, it feels real – like you actually have space alien friends and are in love with a space alien boyfriend even though he looks like some kind of weird raptor-bird. – Tabitha Thompson

by Chronicle Staff

Best Pizza

There’s nothing better than sitting at the bar with a PBR and feeling the heat from those ovens. – Joe Ballato

by Chronicle Staff

Best Farmers’ Market Photo Booth

Photo booths have evolved from private two-person boxes to open-air decorated sets able to accommodate even the most sizable of groups. So when HOPE Farmers Market added all the fixtures to capture you, your family, and your furry friends, it seemed only natural. Happy moments aren’t meant to be captured in secrecy behind a curtain;…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Everything but the Kitchen Sink

We may never compete on Iron Chef, but we sure like pretending. Luckily, we have Métier owners Todd Duplechan and Jessica Maher (you know them as the pair behind Lenoir) to outfit our personal Kitchen Stadium. From Togiharu knives to Tilit chef jackets and vintage cast iron, the charming space has everything we need to…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Space Energizer

The air just feels different around a work by Beili Liu, as anyone can tell you who recalls The Mending Project, her stunning installation at Women & Their Work with 1,500 pairs of iron scissors suspended overhead; or Amass at Texas State University, where 16 10-foot spears were held in space by floor-to-ceiling threads like…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Drink of the Summer … and Beyond

It’s an Austin tradition to complain about the dog days of triple-digit weather, but this year we were praying for a few more days of sun. That’s because this season gave us “Piney Cides.” Refreshing with a pineapple kick, but without the sticky sweetness you might expect, Austin Eastciders’ latest variety is the perfect drink…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Taste of Kyoto

For nearly five decades, this North Austin institution has brought the classic Japanese konbini store experience to Texas. Now it’s doubled in size, and added fresh lunchtime delights in onigiri corner. From katsu sando Monday to ichigo daifuku Thursday, and home-cooked treats all through the weekend, it’s a taste of home for Austin’s Japanese population,…

by Chronicle Staff

Best New Bar Design

Classy does meet trashy in this Seventies-inspired bar. From the white leather details to the flamingo wall-papered bathroom, Kitty Cohen’s is the perfect place to embrace your inner Palm Beach divorcée. Did we mention there’s a swimming pool? Go ahead – the water is fine.

by Chronicle Staff

Best Drag Mother

If RuPaul Charles needs a seasoned girl for the next Drag Race, we encourage him to look to Austin City Hall. This year, our mayor turned it out as Ballet Austin’s guest star. With a face beat for the gods, our municipal mawma may have mopped some style tips from the kweens who came before…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Women’s Rights Warrior

After battling on the front lines of the state’s war on women as the Texas Latina Advocacy Network’s policy director for the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, DeFrates brings her repro rights warrior creds to the Austin Commission for Women (nominated by D3’s Pio Renteria). This year, DeFrates, along with a host of dedicated…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Sports Hybrid

The name footgolf may sound a little goofy, but they could have called it “folf” or “goccer” or some other equally terrible portmanteau. Whatever the name, it has been our 2016 obsession. Combining the precision of golf with the athleticism of soccer, it’s one of the healthiest (and most affordable) ways to while away the…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Movie Theatre

I mean, come on, Adele sing-alongs, movie quote-alongs from my childhood, and hosting Jaws on the Lake? This is a no brainer. Alamo is what makes Austin. – Marshell Bastidas

by Chronicle Staff

Best Burger

I didn’t eat hamburgers before coming to Hopdoddy. Now I’m going once a week to make up for lost time. – Erin Anderson

by Chronicle Staff

Best Service

If I could afford it, I’d eat there every day. For now, once a year will have to cut it. – Karen Phillips

by Chronicle Staff

Best Pool Hall

The Grand Craaaazy things happen at the Grand. In the best of ways. – April Kling Meyer Buffalo Billiards Truly I tell you, my favorite pastime in Austin is beers and shuffleboard at BB. – Joe Ballato

by Chronicle Staff

Best French Hairstylist

Ever seen a French woman with a bad haircut? Probably not, and there’s a reason: The French know best how to style hair to flatter the face (and bone structure) beneath it. French native and -trained Thibault de Monterno moved to NYC two decades ago, working there with the bold-face stylists featured in the glossies.…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Feminist Subscription Box

Who doesn’t want to receive a surprise in the mail every month – especially if it’s a goodie box that includes everything from feminist pins, patches, or stickers, to “herstory” postcards offering a mini lesson on a female historical figure, to fair-trade snacks? Curated by entrepreneur and blogger Katie Kronbergs, each box celebrates the power…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Way to Share Your Good News

You can buy a pretty-enough Hallmark card to tell someone “thank you,” or announce your wedding with a flat rectangle of card stock. But your feels should be expressed with feeling, and off-the-rack greetings just don’t do the trick. Bonne Nouvelle Design ensures your announcements, invitations, and any other non-digital communication are worthy of a…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Speller

Bravo to 11-year-old Nihar Janga from River Ridge Elementary School for becoming the youngest student to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee. It was a tense few moments last May as the ESPN cameras zoomed in on the final two competitors, Janga and Jairam Hathwar, 13, of New York. After the word warriors stumbled twice,…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Gas Station Parking Lot Food

The bright yellow and red of the Manor Express convenience store may not have the same allure as the tasteful beiges and whites of trendy dining rooms, but that doesn’t seem to matter one bit to the folks lining up for Abo Youssef’s shawarma and falafel. With an attention to customer care, killer baklava, and…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Tea Party

It may seem odd to begin a recommendation of a tea house by raving about the coffee, but when that coffee is a tiny miracle of sea salt creme, we have to take a detour – and then swerve a little more to praise their signature basil fried chicken and strawberry brick toast. Whatever you…

by Chronicle Staff

Best New South Austin Hangout

Hanging out at your favorite neighborhood bar should feel a little like hanging out in your own backyard. Housed in the former home of La Fuente’s, the Darlin’ is the perfect place to get together with 100 of your rowdiest friends. Spin a yarn in the blessedly dark interior, sit down for chef Russell Dougherty’s…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Graceful Exit

For nearly a decade, City Manager Marc Ott quietly but steadily managed the business of the city, a major enterprise with roughly 13,000 employees and no “products” beyond energy, water, transportation, public safety, public health … the entire range of city services, where every “customer” is an expert. Ott helped weather the Great Recession as…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Wonks

Who chairs the Planning Commission? What’s the fate of Lone Star Rail after the most recent CAMPO meeting? What’s happening with the city’s arts bond? Where did Travis County Commissioners go for lunch? (We’re half kidding about the last one.) Austin’s big, and Travis County’s even bigger. We’re grateful to the Monitor for their commitment…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Sportsmen

Austin is a perfect fit for the high-flying sport of ultimate (Frisbee) and the Sol received a warm welcome from the ATX in their inaugural season. SportsCenter-worthy highlights, self-imposed penalties, and high fives represent the spirit and integrity of the game.

by Chronicle Staff

Best Mani/Pedi

You get the best service and prices here, and Lord knows we all need a 30-minute leg massage. – Anastacia Uriegas

by Chronicle Staff

Best Toy Store

Their wide selection of toys for boys and girls of all ages is dizzying. There’s some well-known toys as well as some really nice homemade ones too. Every toy will bring a smile to every tot (or adult)’s face. – Dwhitney Shaw

by Chronicle Staff

Best Muralist

Xavier brings an exciting style and energy to the Austin mural scene. This guy is going to be HUGE! – JM Ledesma

by Chronicle Staff

Best Cheap Date

I went on my first date with my now-husband to Torchy’s back when we were poor. It will always hold a special place in my heart. – Ellen Bond

by Chronicle Staff

Best Furry Friend Finders

Almost all of Austin is animal-friendly, but Austin Lost & Found Pets goes above and beyond. Stephanie Martens and her street team do extraordinary work to reunite lost pets with their families and educate the community about resources for your furry ones. Whether you’re panicking about your missing Mastiff or you’ve found a wandering Weimaraner…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Force of Nature

We don’t mean to call you basic (although don’t think we don’t see that pumpkin spice latte), but that sad clump of sedum you have growing in a terra cotta pot doesn’t exactly give us home design #goals. It’s time to raise your plant game, son. Perch a tillandsia in a minimalist blackbird, hang a…

by Chronicle Staff

Tightest Tights

Everybody knows that sitting is the new smoking. But spending eight hours on your feet is no walk in the park, either. Just ask Austin entrepreneur Alex Reyes, recently named by People en Español readers one of its annual 25 Most Powerful Women. Reyes drew on her experience as a hairstylist and salon owner to…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Summer Soundtrack

Netflix summer obsession Stranger Things may have launched a thousand internet odes to its ill-fated heroine Barb, but what’s stuck most with us is its doomy, retro score, courtesy of Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein of Austin synth band Survive. It has a sound you can’t quite put your finger on – bar to bar…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Licuados

There are many good things to be had at La Fruta Feliz: the obligatory breakfast tacos, fiery menudo, and some of the best barbacoa in town. But whatever you order, washing it down with a licuado is non-negotiable. Creamy and thick enough to eat with a spoon, they’re lushly sweet – the perfect treat to…

by Chronicle Staff

Hottest Restaurant Staff

We don’t mean to diminish the artistry behind the small plates on chef Kevin Fink’s dim sum carts or the interplay of finishes in architect Kevin Stewart’s bright and airy space, but – danggggg – it’s difficult to notice anything other than the gorgeous men and women who populate the house. We could rhapsodize about…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Off Menu Shot

Now that you have upgraded from Urban to Anthro, it’s probably time you brought a little sophistication to your hump day debauchery, too. Before agonizing over which dry cocktail goes best with juicy office gossip, get tongues wagging with a shot from your college nights. The Townsend’s version of the venerable Dirty Sixth classic starts…

by Chronicle Staff

Best House Grinder

Having served in the Lege for a decade, Rep. Howard has endured the progressive long march under GOP domination with patience and determination. On her signature issues of education and health care, she has done her best to blunt the edge of relentless budget-cutting, and has been one of the foremost defenders of women’s reproductive…

by Chronicle Staff

Most Crucial History

Here’s a complicated question: Having once been a slave city, can Austin ever completely heal? One of the best places to ponder this question is the Sneed Plantation, a ruin in Southeast Austin that was funded by slave owners and built by slave hands. The plantation was torched in the Eighties but its skeleton is…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Team You’ve Never Heard Of

We wouldn’t blame the Austin Crows for feeling a bit like Rodney Dangerfield. While dealing with broken-down buses and near anonymity in their own hometown, they have quietly racked up back-to-back national titles in the United States Australian Rules Football League with four titles overall, and remain mainstays on the top of national polls. If…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Movers

These guys moved us last year and simply amazed us. I don’t ever want to move again, but if I do I have found my guys! – James Tessmann

by Chronicle Staff

Best City Trail

Every non-motorized transport; variety of pet; kid conveyance; size, shape, age, ethnicity, gender of runner, loper, limper, or rider; language; deciduous flower; insect, reptile, and bird resident even temporarily in Austin shows up and has a good time. – Davida Charney

by Chronicle Staff

Best Video Store

I went back to Vulcan after some time away, and found the answer to “Why do we need video stores any more?” – Shannon Kelle

by Chronicle Staff

Best Museum

SoundSpace and other multidisciplinary events expand the role of museums in our lives and engage a larger community. – Tara Barton

by Chronicle Staff

Best Chef

Tyson is so real. Love to see him at the restaurants and chatting with guests. His creations are incredible. – Daniel Allen

by Chronicle Staff

Best Vegan/Vegetarian

The only thing that would make this place better is if they served the Renedict at all times, always. I could drink the chipotle pecan pesto. – Antonia Gales

by Chronicle Staff

Best Activist

We don’t always agree, but you won’t find a more dedicated activist than Dave. He’s got more passion for social justice in his pinky than half the state of Texas has for literally anything. – Kristina Puerto

by Chronicle Staff

Best State Official

Lloyd has never changed his stripes and definitely stands out among a weak to embarrassing group of members of Congress from our state. – Jeff Baloutine

by Chronicle Staff

Best Gurus for Your Garden

From makrut limes to flourishing flowers, Seedlings knows how to plant the plants that thrive in Austin’s 325 days of summer. That surely has something to with the owner – native Austinite Liz Baloutine – who has seen Austin during both floods and drought. Sustainability isn’t just a buzzword for the small staff at Seedlings,…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Gift Box

This tiny Eastside shop is full of beautifully made objects that will impress even your most demanding aunt. Showcasing artisans from around the world and our own backyard, and Japanese design without any Sanrio Surprises, the space is all about details, like the grain of bird’s-eye maple on a spreader or the seed head of…

by Chronicle Staff

Best (and Worst) Video Game Ideas

Indie game developer Saam Pahlavan told the Twitterverse in early September he would post a video game idea for each like his tweet received. Last we checked he was up to 194 – and while there’s impressive quality in the ranks, they’re not all gold. The surprisingly broad scope includes everything from “a racing game where…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Thought Experiments

Sometimes they’re staging wacky deconstructions of spiritual enlightenment and guru-merchandising as characters Dr. Louis-Apollo Childress and his main acolyte Joey in the fully improvised The Reason. Other times they’re exploring roles of creativity and self-actualization under extremely rigorous circumstances in their brilliantly performed Subject to Control, a scripted show made delicious with flavors of Samuel…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Local Food Boosters

Most people know them for their parties – Live Fire!, Wine & Swine, and Official Drink of Austin – all highlights on our town’s culinary calendar and known for their unique ability to attract the best chefs and mixologists from Texas and beyond. But some still don’t know the reason why so many pros say…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Downtown Demo

In the early Nineties, City Hall on the river was new millennial sci-fi. Only Liberty Lunch anchored Cesar Chavez west of Congress until Direct Events dusted off an abandoned warehouse and opened 2,000-plus-seat Austin Music Hall in 1995. Portishead to Pantera, Outkast to Ozzy Osbourne – Clapton, Dylan, Springsteen – the steel box functioned like…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Party Promoter for Every Body

As far as typical pairings go, naughtiness and “safety first” aren’t your average peanut butter & jelly, but together, they sure make being bad feel good. Illicit, risqué, and gender-f*cking party promoter Corinne Loperfido is all about striking the right balance for Austin’s queer and gender ambiguous audiences. Whether it’s a DIY strip club or…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Life Preserver for Austin’s Musical History

Hamblin wasn’t born in Austin (or the United States for that matter) but is a force in keeping the city’s musical legacy alive as the Austin History Center’s video archivist. The AHC’s YouTube page’s breadth of Austintatiousness is both grin-inducing and sigh-creating: Daniel Johnston warning not to drink and drive; Greezy Wheels performing at the…

by Chronicle Staff

The Coolest Campaign for Safer Sex

AIDS Services of Austin’s Mpowerment Project, The Q, has always been devoted to making safer sex cool, but their latest campaign is downright frosty. Paleteria Póntelo is an ice cream cart with a mission, serving playfully-illustrated bilingual pamphlets, condoms, lube, and all your favorite paletas. Through cultural consciousness and levity, it elegantly provides sexual health…

by Chronicle Staff

Best of Austin 2016

The Personal Is Political Best of Austin 2016 BRANDON WATSON, NOVEMBER 10, 2016 There’s a certain anxiety in deciding what is “best” in 2016. Almost everything that happened this year – David Bowie and Prince dying, Brexit, the ascension of the alt-right and a certain orange-hued nominee – could more accurately be described as the…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Vintage/Antiques

A tough category to pick a winner. They’re all awesome. Giving the edge to Uncommon because I think they have the highest jackalope count. – Joe Ballato

by Chronicle Staff

Best Nonfiction Writer/Memoirist

Spike isn’t just a writer, she embodies everything that is wonderful about Austin. Spike promotes all the local museums, musicians, artists, writers, and local restaurants. She doesn’t compete, [but] instead promotes. Also, Spike officiated my wedding! – Melissa Zone

by Chronicle Staff

Best City Official

Big job to be Austin’s Mayor. Steve Adler is pragmatic and visionary, a perfect combination for a leader of the times. – Mary Jane Monsivais

by Chronicle Staff

Best TV Anchor/Reporter

From “Does It Work Wednesday” to hard news, Ms. Culpepper tells it like it is with professionalism and a candor that I just cannot stop watching. – Pamela Frasier

by Chronicle Staff

Best Integrative Medicine Physician

Please give us more of Dr. Julie Reardon’s newfangled medical practice! If you yearn for a family physician who offers more than four-and-a-half minutes and a script for antibiotics or steroids, this enlightened medical model is for you. An initial consultation with Dr. Reardon, Harvard-educated and a Fellow of Dr. Andrew Weil’s University of Arizona…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Goody Two-Shoes

Remember when David Bowie and Mick Jagger broke into a warehouse yard to dance in the street? We can’t help but think they would have looked a little less awkward if they were wearing the proper shoes. If we were around, we would have suggested Austin-made Suavs – classic, lightweight, flexible slip-ons that go with…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Art for the Masses

In this pop-up world where things seem to change daily, the city of Austin has added a new wrinkle to the art landscape – short-term art installations in city parks that may stay a couple of months or as short as a few days. The sculptures are subtly political (large donkey piñatas), evocative (a cube…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Truly Odd Comedy Venue

When improv vet Tom Booker founded the Institution Theater in 2007, it didn’t quite live up to its name. Heck, it didn’t even have a dedicated performance space. But nine years later, not only does it still survive, it has become an indispensable part of Austin’s comedy landscape – emerging as an incubator for the…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Local IPA

Pinthouse Pizza and its renowned IPA program is at the epicenter of Austin’s hop-delirium. But the one beer that lords over this brewpub’s entire beer board – as well as any other hopped-up contenders city-wide – is their Electric Jellyfish IPA. Bright with juicy, citric, and tropical fruit hops like Equinox, Galaxy, Calypso, and Citra,…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Splitting of the Club Atom

June 2015: East Seventh clubhouse Holy Mountain succumbs to closing due to Downtown’s gentrifying rents. The following month, its side wall, indie rock venue Red 7, loses a similar battle. Unbelievably, the latter loss of one of the live music capital’s central meeting places splits the live music atom, its owners both teaming with Red…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Place to Meet a Gal Pal

If you wanna find the KStew to your Annie Clark look no further than Ladies’ Night every second Friday at Highland Lounge. (Please take heed and note the emphasis on ladiez … and queers of all colors here.) It’s true, the babes behind Lesbutante & the Boss have mastered the art of throwing the elusive…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Lifetime Achievement

After fighting the good fight for decades, at the Capitol and City Hall, the Man Known as Smitty is ready to step down from his leadership role at Public Citizen Texas, pass the baton on to other folks, and take a break from tireless advocacy for clean air, clean energy, clean government, and a sustainable…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Ambassador of Body Positivity

Every body needs to get physical sometimes. But all bodies are not necessarily comfortable in all gyms. That’s why Erica Nix’s brain baby, Transform Fitness, is such a breath of fresh air. Catering to trans, gender-nonconforming, and queer folks with humor and warmth, it’s our favorite place to get our blood pumping.

by Chronicle Staff

Best Pet Services

The best pet service ever! Our dogs go here twice a week and have for many years. With Mud Puppies, I have no reason to even think about worrying about my dogs. They love my dogs and my dogs love them. – Glynda Cox

by Chronicle Staff

Best Outdoor Festival

ACL got me fucked up the day after, but the experience was so incredibly worth it. ACL chooses the greatest lineup every year, making it a really magical experience for every festivalgoer. – Holland Dorgan

by Chronicle Staff

Best Desserts

Honestly, I used to be pretty ambivalent about cupcakes. But when I first tasted that cream cheese frosting on a Sugar Mama’s cupcake, the heavens opened up to me. I will never be the same again. – Katelyn Alexander

by Chronicle Staff

Best Bartender

There isn’t a kinder, gentler, more caring human being on the planet than Billy. He makes a mean drink and is a fountain of knowledge to boot. – Claudia Alarcón

by Chronicle Staff

Best Weatherperson

Jim earned my affections when, during a particularly wild storm/tornado season, he told the viewing audience to beware of cows flying through the air. – Genie Glade

by Chronicle Staff

Best Lifesaver

You know you’ve done it – drank that last whiskey & whisky because you thought the boy sitting in the corner might be giving you eyes. Even though you are giving a presentation the next day and your boss gave you side-eye when you said you had it covered. But they’ll never suspect a thing…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Help for Your Garden

In September, Tillery Street Plant Co. began to offer free Saturday classes on prepping and planting fall gardens. Later in the season, they’ll offer complimentary and comprehensive instruction on harvesting and protecting your garden from the freeze. If you missed your chance to plant edible vegetation this season, the passionate folks at this homegrown nursery…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Austin Film Scene Tipster

Remember Yahoo Groups? If you thought those online discussion forums had gone the way of MySpace, GeoCities, or Wreckx-n-Effect, tell that to the current 10,426 members and counting of Austin Film Casting. Dan Eggleston, a retired middle school teacher whose cotton candy beard has since popped up in 50-plus Austin-made films, created the group in…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Unstoppable Comedy Dynamo

Hard times in the Motor City couldn’t do it. Tough crowds at the Velveeta Room couldn’t do it. Even chronic kidney disease couldn’t do it. Nothing could stop Lashonda Lester from building a career in comedy and making sure everybody knows she’s as funny as funny gets. Lester’s just too strong to stop – the…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Nepalese Morsel

Cauliflower would be the undisputed star of the produce department if more people tried Saffron’s Gobi Manchurian. It’s a dry version of the Indo-Chinese specialty, but the tomato, garlic, and soy-based sauce is expertly spiced and proportioned to keep it moist and delectable. It’s a surefire antidote to this town’s parade of boring brassicas. Who…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Venue Offspring

ACL Live at the Moody Theater became the state capital’s premier concert venue the day it opened in 2011, the last seat in the balcony somehow still looming over the stage. In March, as SXSW nabbed the First Couple, someone rolled up a garage door down in its street-level basement to reveal one of the…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Secret Mezcaleria

It’s one of Austin’s cruel jokes that so many of our mezcalerias require navigating stairs. But we would gladly climb 10 flights to get to Techo’s tiny rooftop bar. If you are planning a seduction, arrive when the sun has fully set and grab the tiny alcove by the bar (buy the lingering couple still…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Local DIY, Collaborative, Women’s Zine

Inspired by the riot grrrl movement, Hysteria Zine is a semiregular publication created by and for women that brings the punk feminist ethos of the Nineties into the present day. In addition to the print issue highlighting literary and visual works, Hysteria hosts events “for female-identifying people to share their art without judgement,” including artist…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Beards on the Flat Track

Call it men’s derby. Or merby. Or even dangle derby. For years, Roller Derby – invented in Austin, natch – was solely the domain of female players. So of course, once men started lacing up their skates, Austin would always hit heavy in the pack. After making it to this year’s Men’s Roller Derby Association…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Psychic/Tarot

Angeliska is a magical being. She’s guided me through many chapters of my life by being an empath to her core, with a wild intuition and deep wisdom. – Ashley Halligan

by Chronicle Staff

Best Gym

There is a real community there. Every time I go, I feel better – not just my body, but my mood. – Chris Jenkins

by Chronicle Staff

Best Actor/Actress

Kaci is simultaneously the most unique and relatable actor I’ve had the pleasure of seeing. She brings so much depth, joy, and passion to her work and I genuinely believe, with all my heart, that she’s changing the world with her craft. – Caiti Ward

by Chronicle Staff

Best Party Place

Zoodust, Motown Mondays, comedy shows, Nineties parties, Eighties parties, and so many other forms of entertainment all in one place. – Gaby Garofalo

by Chronicle Staff

Best Cocktail Bar

Great vibes and tasty craft cocktails. Then the added bonuses of Mezcalería Tobalá and Thai Kun make this the perfect bar! – Ashlyn Allison

by Chronicle Staff

Best Bowling Alley

Dart Bowl went out of their way year after year to really be welcoming, and affordable, to my kids and staff when I used to coordinate a summer camp for kids with special needs for a local nonprofit. I will be forever appreciative of that. – Shireen Connor

by Chronicle Staff

Best Motorcycle Repair Shop

Paying for a new clutch is never a cause to pop open the champagne, but we’d still like to share a beer with Flash Motorbikes owners Jeremy and Tiffany Wolf. Every time we visit, we learn something new about our bike. And their fair pricing and friendly conversation make you feel like you’re a regular…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Jewelry for City Witches

If your style leans more Morticia than Melania, simulated sparkle just won’t do. Instead of throwing some banal bauble on top of your black velvet maxi, layer a few pieces molded in silver or gold from bat skulls, cat jaws, or hawk talons. Sure, some folks may think you’re creepy and you’re kooky, but you’ll…

by Chronicle Staff

Best “Not a Museum” Museum

By writing this blurb, we are violating one of the tenets of the mysterious Museum of Human Achievement: “Do not share this on print or web media, as it’s not something we desire to be public knowledge.” Their social media presence may be practically nonexistent and their website doesn’t waste much time in telling you…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Word Warrior

Not all warriors fight to hurt. Some fight to heal, and that’s the kind Ebony Stewart is. A poet-performer of uncommon fire and fearlessness, she confronts the wrongs and pain in her life – suffered as a daughter, as a woman, as a black woman – and through her words and the voicing of them…

by Chronicle Staff

Best New Fast Food

Although we realize that Chick-fil-A has stopped all that nonsense of giving to anti-gay causes, we still prefer to get our chicken fix closer to home. The folks at Flyrite offer us feel-good fast food made with no artificial ingredients, high fructose corn syrup, or antibiotics. And unlike at that fast food giant, you can…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Vinyl Matchmaking

The Armadillo World Headquarters closed in 1980. A year later – initially down the road in Zilker Park and then just blocks away on Barton Springs Road at the Palmer Auditorium – the Austin Record Convention began selling rekkids to unsuspecting youth. Said longhairs congealed into cranky collectors over 35 years, until this June when…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Sole Train

Somewhere in between a dance party and sacred ceremony, Body Rock ATX has become a monthly magnet for hip-hop heads and funkateers who want to drop their inhibitions, shake off their stress, and uplift your soul by getting down. Emceed by Tiger Lily and Chaka Mpeanaji of Riders Against the Storm with beats and grooves…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Long-Term Legislator

It’s hard to think of Austin Democrats without Elliott Naishtat. Yet after 26 years the soft-spoken, hardheaded dean of the Travis County delegation is headed to a well-earned retirement. A principled pragmatist that even hard-line conservatives could never ignore, he authored literally hundreds of bills that have improved the lives of Texas’ most needy and…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Bird’s-Eye View

You’ve no doubt seen the shocks of bright green dappling our city’s canvas of nattering grackles, but do you know where they came from? Luckily, Austin wildlife biologist Dr. Janet Reed’s Facebook page can answer just about any question about our delightfully odd monk parakeet flocks. There you can find word of new nests, melt…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Realtor

The most personable, honest Realtor around. No detail left undone. Goes beyond what is expected and watches out for the good of her clients always. – Elaine Carty

by Chronicle Staff

Best Performance Space/Theatre

I know this seems kind of silly but I love their bathrooms. In the women’s there is like a “powder room” area with just lights and seating. I imagine it like in the early 1900s when women would go to freshen up. Like you read in a book. – Shireen Connor

by Chronicle Staff

Best Dance Club

There are always drag queens in the women’s bathroom at Tuezgayz, Wednesdays are for anyone, anything is possible at oldies night …Eighties night gives me my weekly dose of When in Rome, and Saturday nights are just plain fun. – Antonia Gales

by Chronicle Staff

Best Local Instagrammer

This site covers it all, whether you are an Austin lifer or an out-of-towner. You can always find something to do and ways to give back. – Kate Owen

by Chronicle Staff

Best No Sweat No A/C Eco House

Mixing indoor and outdoor elements – the entire living room opens up on a bright blue lap pool – MF Architecture’s Main Stay House is certainly easy on the eyes. But it’s also easy on the environment. The six-year-old firm’s design embraces nature in a way that makes us wanna be outdoorsy from the moment…

by Chronicle Staff

Best No-Fuss Bath Time

Gettting your kids to eat their broccoli is difficult, but maybe you can get them to put it on their heads. Little Roseberry operates under the philosophy that what we put on our bodies is just as important as what we put in them. “Mom cosmetologist” Brizy Tait created the skin and hair care line…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Curative Curators

Before “curate” became a thing the in crowd did with party appetizers and Spotify playlists, it was what academics did in museums and galleries, often with a gimlet eye toward deciding what art had merit and what didn’t. It could be – and still can be – dry, dusty, and insidery. Fortunately, Austin has Los…

by Chronicle Staff

Dancer Most Likely to Be Mistaken for an Alien Lifeform

We can only imagine the amount of Bikram yoga-honed control necessary to create the illusion that a dancer has actually ceded control of her fresh, still-living corpus to some otherworldly force that’s now carefully testing the boundaries of potential human movement. But we can witness the results whenever Nasky performs her distinct kinetic miracles. She…

by Chronicle Staff

Best New Instagram Opportunity

Yes, yes. Austin loves you so much, and, despite your shortcomings, considers you her butter half. But she might start getting jealous if she sees one more photo of you and Irene. The hedge wall with the pink neon sign in front of the ELM Group’s latest restaurant proved to be this summer’s can’t-skip snap.…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Bear-tenders

Roger Rozell and Bengie Beshear are partners in every sense of the word. And though we’re super smitten with their behind-the bar love, we love them more for their behind-the-bar work. The couple co-own Iron Bear, Austin’s only – and beloved – bear bar. Though feasting is always an option, Rozell and Beshear have curated…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Tree Hugging Tour

Indie folk songwriter Dana Falconberry followed the release of her mystical 2016 LP From the Forest Came the Fire with a novel tour concept: a series of performances at America’s national parks. Falconberry and her band, Medicine Bow, played their vibey, melodically complex arrangements amongst redwoods in Sequoia National Park, in the dunes of White…

by Chronicle Staff

Best New Voice

Fresher than Will Smith circa 1991, Azra Siddiqi – founder of Wise Up TX – is werkin’ hard to increase voter engagement through social media and through her podcast. With the perfect mix of sass and well-timed snark, Azra’s mission is simple: to educate South Asians, millennials, and anyone willing to listen about what’s going…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Dirt Alley

Something magical happens when you go off the beaten path. Take the stretch that runs from East 56th to East 45th in the Hyde Park/North Loop area. Trees on either side of the alley hang over and shade the caliche, dirt, and crushed gravel. If you walk them at the right time of year, you…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Furniture/Accessories

I learned about RSV even before living in Austin. On my first visit 12 years ago, it was my first stop immediately after leaving ABIA. I have now lived here nine years, and nearly every single item in my house has come from RSV. We are so lucky to have Room Service! – Jen Venzke

by Chronicle Staff

Best Burlesque Performer

Ginger Snaps keeps the weird in Austin burlesque, from the best, weirdest troupe (Black Widow) to mentoring, teaching, and bringing up the next generation. She also is an amazing aerialist and aerial burlesquer, bringing the art to new heights! – Eve Richter

by Chronicle Staff

Best Repertory Theatre

The absolute Mecca for film aficionados! Obsessed with this place and totally tell all my visitors about it. Really appreciate how they cater to movie fans and the entire movie-going experience. – Alison Alcantara

by Chronicle Staff

Best Old Friends

Two legs or four, getting old is tough. Through Classic Canines and Cats, the Friends of Austin Animal Center make sure senior fuzzy buddies have somewhere and someone to cuddle in their golden years. Sometimes that forever home comes from an older human, so the AARP helps animal re-housings through Seniors Helping Seniors, while Meals…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Personal Art Objects

Sometimes – like Ariel says – we want more … than luridly anatomical jellies and glittery dolphin vibes. Q Toys can’t help but stand out with their well-curated strap-ons and sculptural dildos. You probably won’t frame it, or arrange it into a tablescape, but you’ll definitely think twice before tucking it behind your bed.

by Chronicle Staff

Best F. U. to Dan Patrick

Our Lite Guv may be obsessed with which restroom people use to take a leak and our governor equally obsessed with suppressing gay rights, but there’s still lots of folks left in Texas who we can all be proud of. Carina Magyar’s sets bring the house down with her tales of dating as a trans…

by Chronicle Staff

Muralist Most Likely to Bring Back the Age of Aquarius

Whether it’s his actual wall-sized outdoor murals – as on East Seventh’s Nasha or Drifter Jack’s Hostel on Guadalupe – or his gallery-enhancing smaller works, the round-spectacled Hamilton’s paintings radiate like the second coming of all that was good and colorful about them ol’ hippies back in the day, making sure some lucky parts of…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Pick-Me-Up

You can almost set your clock by it. At around two in the afternoon, we invariably have a sneezing fit due to the gazillion allergens floating around in our town’s air. But even after downing a fistful of Allegra, we still need something to break through the fog. Dee Dee’s om gai has everything we…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Bring Your Own Vinyl Night

Gush all you want about the convenience of listening to music streaming services and YouTube; we still think there is something lacking – namely the connection built on sharing music IRL. That’s why Tuesdays at the Wheel feel indispensable. Their BYOV night brings back the thrill of discovering new music and the excitement of discovering…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Use of a Thelonious Monk Song Title

Austin’s indie-centric landscape of roadshows leaves huge blind spots in the vocations of free jazz, avant-garde, and world music. That’s where Epistrophy Arts comes in. The grassroots cultural group, founded in 1998 by Pedro Moreno, imports unorthodox bands, adventurous composers, and improvisational performers from all over the globe and presents them in a flattering setting…

by Chronicle Staff

Best News 411

Daniel, the weekday afternoons guy on 96.3 FM RnB, has the kind of voice that balances apathy with fascination, and adjusts on nearly every word. He can sound impassioned while rushing through a segment or damn near careless when talking slowly. It’s a gift that plays out most effectively when he’s delivering the 411, his…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Exercise for People Who Hate Exercising

It seems to us that step class was invented by sadists. And we know if the knights of the Crusades had stationary bikes, they surely would have given up on the rack. But as much as we hate anything related to cardio, we still love Step N’ Roll at the MYEC. We don’t quite have…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Game/Gaming

You want to try out games? They have tons of them already opened up so you can see how they work and if you enjoy them before you buy them. Can’t beat Dragon’s Lair! – Tammy Cox

by Chronicle Staff

Best Choreographer

Allison’s portfolio of work across an amazing spectrum of different communities – from sanitation workers to arborists to Goodwill employees – demonstrates that her choreography transcends dance, changes lives, and strengthens community. – Michele Martell

by Chronicle Staff

Best DJ

DJ Mel is an institution. Nobody rocks the party like he does. He’s like the Mickey Mantle of music. – Amanda Gorence

by Chronicle Staff

Best Pet Bonding Experience

Colorado made a name for herself by training cinematic creatures of all shapes and sizes for major movies including Secondhand Lions and Spy Kids. Then in 2003, she and husband Ken Beggs started Bobbi Colorado’s Canine Camp, quickly becoming an Austin pet owner’s Mecca. More than a decade later, it still has few peers in…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Place to Get Your Goth On

It’s been a dead dreadful year for daring dark rock – RIP David Bowie, Lemmy Kilmister – but Austin’s only women-owned goth/punk/horror boutique can salve the savage beast within via their terrifyingly huge selection of clothing, footwear, badges, patches, stickers, and oh!, Bela Lugosi’s not dead corsetry. Owners Cassandra Davis and Mary Milton know the…

by Chronicle Staff

Best International Passport

Celebrating underdog filmmakers and voices, Indie Meme’s first festival was a successful passion project that opened Austin’s eyes to South Asia’s exploding cinematic scene. Repping every genre and age demographic, plus a solid cross section of more than 40 regional languages, the lineup was as expansive as the subcontinent. We can’t wait to see what…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Ambassadors of Fungi

“Beer dirt” and coffee grounds may seem like the unfortunate remnants of a late-night blowout, but in Ryan Sansbury and Jeremy Bastian’s hands, they are just the beginning. With a focus on sustainability, the childhood friends grow delicious oyster mushrooms using spent brewer’s grains from neighboring Jester King Brewery in their unique formula. If you…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Place to Dadcore (Two Kid Maximum)

There is no place better to feel like a seasoned combat veteran of adolescent affairs than at the scopious brewhouse and beer garden of Austin’s finest German-style beer maker, Live Oak Brewing. The wide-open plot allows for everyone from helicopter parents to cool dads (and moms), while also not impeding too much on the carefree…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Concert Promotions Comeback

When news broke in May that Transmission Events’ partnership with Stratus Properties, owners of the W Hotel and ACL Live at the Moody Theater, had dissolved, not only did Fun Fun Fun Fest go down as collateral damage, so did Graham Williams’ concert promotions business. Emo’s booker in the club’s Nineties heyday, the native Austin…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Vandalism

A couple of days after the Starman departed for Mars, the Bowie Street sign crossing Fifth Street in western Downtown Austin was changed to read “David Bowie Street.” Austin’s police and public officials were clueless as to who’d executed the professional-looking vandalism until SXSW Creative Director Roland Swenson came clean later that week. Swenson, a…

by Chronicle Staff

Best NSFW Podcast

Our bodies are the vehicle through which we experience the world, so naturally, exploring the way we talk about them can lead to great insights. At least that’s the hope of podcast host Jené Gutierrez. Her provocative interviews dive deep into topics like insecurity, dieting, dating, and self-love, chewing the fat with distinguished authors, comedians,…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Facebook Public Group

The brainchild of the brilliant Eastside socialite Becca Hyatt, the public Facebook group answers the question that every outdoorsy Austinite has when they wake up on a clear and hot summer day. In our sun-loving city, it doesn’t have to do anything more.

by Chronicle Staff

Best Happy Hour

The first time I met friends at this happy hour, I almost cried. What a delicious and deal-friendly place. Hope they don’t win so our favorite place stays quiet! – Morgan Hendrix

by Chronicle Staff

Best Replacement for Uber and Lyft

When Uber and Lyft severed their ties with the city, plenty of transportation network companies came out of the woodwork, but only one was built specifically for locals by locals. Nonprofit Ride Austin operates with the community in mind, allowing its users to round up their fare to support Central Texas charities and recently adding…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Place to Sell Your Records

Bad taste is a consequence of being human. We’ve all had copies of an Aaron Carter (or some similarly coiffed twink) record under our bed at some point or another, but when we come to our senses it can be painfully embarrassing to cash in on our past mistakes. Unlike some other record stores that…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Li’l Drive-In in Texas

Originally a parking lot pop-up, owner/founder/visionary Josh Frank’s 24 frames per second dream child has since evolved to an honest to goodness drive-in, complete with Fifties-era speaker poles, a candy and popcorn filled refreshment stand, and one heck of a nifty view of the dusky Austin skyline. Frank’s mission has been so successful that satellite…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Bar With Heart(s) and Soul

Neighborhood bars may not be the first place we would look for skewered chicken hearts, but Royal Jelly isn’t your typical neighborhood bar. In addition to that churrasco, served with an electrifying strawberry chimichurri, Royal Jelly expands your pub grub horizons with charred octopus panzanella, sweet potato fettuccine, and merguez sliders. The taps are no…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Place to Embrace Gluten

Some days you just want to drown yourself in a pool of noodles and eat your way out. But after eating the pumpkin tortelli, grilled shrimp rigatoni, and wood-roasted mushroom lasagna at L’oca d’oro, not just any im-pasta will do. L’oca d’oro can satisfy the craziest of carb craving, making your cheat day actually worth…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Elementary School Elective

Instead of being stuck singing kiddie-choir standards like “Over the Rainbow,” this collection of third through sixth graders gets to harmonize on Judas Priest, David Bowie, Foo Fighters, and Belle & Sebastian. Led by Gavin Tabone and backed by local pros, the group of Barton Hills Elementary School students has performed at ACL Fest and…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Beauty Campaign

Skin-lightening cosmetics like “Fair and Lovely” have been anything but for the millions of people who have bleached their skin in an effort to fit racist and colorist standards of beauty. So UT student Pax Jones decided to flip the narrative. Unfair and Lovely started as a breathtaking photo series with classmates Mirusha and Yanusha…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Poker Face

In the great 2016 battle over ride-hailing, a City Council majority stoutly defended Austin’s authority to regulate transportation network companies, but as chair of the transportation committee, Council Member Kitchen took far more than her share of heat. Uber and Lyft tried viciously to turn her into the face of counter-tech-revolution, and through it all…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Feel-Good Bike Ride

As if riding your bike didn’t already offer enough benefits, this Monday night ride pairs cyclists with visually impaired schoolchildren and a fleet of tandem bicycles to give them the opportunity to experience something they couldn’t do on their own. The delight that this social ride bestows to these kiddos is as palpable as the…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Tattoo

The staff at Atomic Tattoo went above and beyond to make my first ink something special. They spent hours getting the design just right, understood my pain tolerance, and went out of their way to make me comfortable. – Gwen Sanger

by Chronicle Staff

Best Local Bridal Shop

Most unique selection of dresses for Austinites with prices for everyone. Super nice employees. They’re not pretentious [and there’s] no pressure to buy. Awesome selection of accessories too. Love this store. – Meghann Flynn

by Chronicle Staff

Best Dancer

Lindsey’s movement is so genuine and inspiring. She beautifully shines her truest light through her graceful and gesture filled movements. – Lorie Young

by Chronicle Staff

Best Late-Night Dining

Again, Jesus had Kerbey Lane at the Last Supper. What many don’t know is that he also had it for the Last Breakfast. Fact. – Robbie Phillips

by Chronicle Staff

Best Intimate Live Music Venue

One of the best places to get up close and personal with some of your fave artists. I sat maybe five feet from Hayes Carll while he played one of the most amazing acoustic shows I’ve ever seen. – Ashton Roberts

by Chronicle Staff

Best non-Chronicle Journalist

I love that Michael Barnes reminds us what made Austin Austin. He keeps our shared history at the forefront of the conversation as we rapidly grow, which I believe is very important. – Stacey Kaleh

by Chronicle Staff

Best Time Warp

With a year filled with so many horrors, it’s hard not to long for a more elegant time. Luckily, Sophie and her mad hatters are housed here and they’re serving up more than just tea. Borrowing from the more classy (and sassy) decades of the Twenties through Fifties, these vintage-style soirees are absolutely marvelous.

by Chronicle Staff

Best Roll of the Dice

For four years, Whose Turn Is It? Games has sold tabletop, card, and miniature games. Now expanded, the store still boasts a solid collection of retail games, with more space dedicated to actual gaming. Their big draws are Magic the Gathering and miniature tournaments (think Warhammer 40K and X-Wing), but they’ve also got shelves of…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Life Changer

Barry Maxwell knows the power of the written word to transport people in need. Reading helped him get through his own stint of homelessness, providing connection to the greater world. Now a fiftysomething UT creative writing student, Maxwell has transformed an Austin Community College class project into a permanent source of community good – providing books…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Barbecue Without the Wait

No one refutes the dominance of Franklin or la Barbecue in the hearts and minds (and tummies) of barbecue lovers both local and nationwide. But what if you need to quench your meat craving and you don’t have time for the long lines? The mom-and-pop team at Kerlin (just a hop and a skip away…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Restaurant Interior Design

Local diners already know Spencer’s eclectic work at East Side Show Room, Hillside Farmacy, and Sawyer & Co., but this year she outdid herself with a pair of stunners. Ah Sing Den replaced the Show Room’s metallic steampunk with luscious 18th century velvet and fringe. Eberly somehow manages to transition from midcentury modern to Victorian…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Festival Makeover

2002’s first ACL Fest headlined the Arc Angels. ATX-loving roots followed, baby boom rock (Elvis Costello, Van Morrison, Bob Dylan) and meaty bones for their grown offspring (R.E.M., Pixies, Foo Fighters). Then, in 2010, EDM rodent DeadMau5 gave way to both Skrillex and Kanye West in 2011. Enter Kendrick Lamar (’13), followed by Eminem, Drake,…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Behind-Closed-Doors Rant

Acevedo was reportedly peeved that one of his commanders secretly taped an Aug. 10 meeting, in which he went off on the February David Joseph shooting and spoke his mind about what sort of awesome responsibility it is to be a cop, but the public surely appreciated it. The Chief of Police was the talk…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Pony Express

City of Austin communications staff walk a delicate line between public information and policy advocacy, All-Info-to-All-People and Are-You-Kidding-Me? David Green has been a breath of very fresh air in an official culture accustomed to extreme caution and self-protection. He (and several of his PIO colleagues) have followed the march from At-Large to 10-1 with long…

by Chronicle Staff

Best LGBTQ Sports League

To paraphrase a perhaps not unrelated movie, there’s no crying in softball. So when heavy rains interrupted this year’s Gay Softball World Series, host league Softball Austin made the most of it, enlisting volunteers to help clean the fields and making sure the games went on. But even when not handling a crisis, the young…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Veterinarian

One of the best nonprofits around and their mission is amazing! Much like education, they attack the issue of animal overpopulation from the inside out, which results in exponential lives being saved! – David Reimherr

by Chronicle Staff

Best Local Jeweler

When my husband was at his daily chemo treatment at Texas Oncology, Kendra sent lovely gift wrapped earrings to all the female patients, which numbered about 150. She’s tops in my book. – Leea Mechling

by Chronicle Staff

Best New Restaurant

Interesting menu and great cocktails. The staff is super friendly and the concept is warm and inviting. Irene must be a pretty awesome lady. – Carlos Pasculado

by Chronicle Staff

Best Jukebox

The best part about this jukebox is how many of the songs inspire the regulars to share stories. Some of the songs have become inside jokes with the bar staff and patrons. – Craig Ries

by Chronicle Staff

Best Swimming Pool/Hole

This place should be lauded based on its magical hangover-curing properties alone, but it’s also the most beautiful place on Earth. – Lia Crockett

by Chronicle Staff

Best Toy $ Saver

Ever wonder where exactly Buzz Lightyear’s infinity and beyond was? We think the Space Ranger most likely meant Austin’s Toybrary. This lending library houses the most spectacular array of dolls, Legos, games, and trinkets most adults don’t realize exist – and the best part is it’s all for rent! Take the toys home and bring…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Secondhand Tchotchkes

If you want something eclectic for your home, it’s a well-known fact that you go to a thrift store. Of course, in a city more impressed with the hairpin legs of your boomerang table than your Hepplewhite, there are few places left undiscovered. But walk past the furniture and light fixtures of ReStore, and you’ll…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Mopar Poet

What do you get when you mix a card-carrying Mopar Muscle Cars of Austin member with a poet? A red-bearded wordsmith growling with steel and smoke. The Austin Community College professor originally came from Michigan, but he quickly became an essential part of Austin as a Blue Plate Poets member and a Michener fellow. He…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Beer Can Design

The folks behind Austin Beerworks take a lot of pride in making their limited edition beers distinctive, so when a recent expansion allowed them to can those beers for the first time, it called for something special. Local brand design studio Helms Workshop is no stranger to the craft beer game, having worked with Boulevard…

by Chronicle Staff

Best So What if It’s Not in Austin Brewery

Austin is lucky that it has a surfeit of breweries in our urban core, but sometimes it’s nice to take a day trip. On a crisp autumn day (you know, the two or three autumn days we get before our two weeks of winter), there’s nothing that takes the edge off of city living like…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Guitar Utopia

Not only does Austin Vintage Guitars own Austin’s largest guitar with the 15-foot-tall Telecaster mounted in their parking lot, the shop also has the best selection of axes in the city limits. The six-stringer’s paradise – owned by ultra talented blues guitarist Steve Fulton – offers a constantly changing selection of vintage guitars, with an…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Breaking News Reporter

You know those reporters who rarely sleep? Who never eat? Who only exist to write, report, and fire off new tweets? That, it seems, describes the composition of Texas Tribune reporter Patrick Svitek, whose byline shows up endlessly on the political site’s pages. Take Oct. 13, for example. Svitek had a hand in the production…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Real-Life Superheroes

Superheroes do exist, but in the real world they tend to look more like the staff of Austin’s SAFE Alliance than Wonder Woman. The umbrella nonprofit that now connects SafePlace and Austin Children’s Shelter works tirelessly to offer shelter and emotional and legal support for domestic violence and rape survivors. And as if that wasn’t…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Place for Adults Who Miss Chuck E. Cheese

From the free Skee-Ball – that’s right, we said free – to the cornhole out back, Full Circle Bar is the best place to feel and act like a kid again. So what if there’s no cardboard pizza, and if the creepy mice are only likely to show up on Halloween? There’s ample amounts of…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Adult Store

These guys have been fighting the good fight and stocking good toys since before most readers were born! – Cranston Vincent

by Chronicle Staff

Best Noodles/Ramen

I’ve had some pretty heated arguments with close friends about this, and I feel firmly that other ramen shops in Austin can’t touch Tatsu-Ya. Their broths are the most hearty and flavorful, and that’s what makes it my go-to. – Ashley Gallagher

by Chronicle Staff

Best Karaoke

The varied-sized rooms are themed and are as much fun to be in as to sing badly in. Wait service at the touch of a button. And when time runs out, you’ll try to bribe your waiter to let you stay … or at least sing one more song with you before you go! –…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Yoga

The energy shared by the instructors is the biggest takeaway from BSW. You don’t have to be an amazing yogi but they sure do make you feel like one. – Gustavo Manzur

by Chronicle Staff

Best Unexpected Beauty

If you’ve spent much time on the Eastside, you have probably noticed the extensive murals along the longstanding Austin Metal & Iron Co. If you’ve been lucky, you’ve seen the gates opened to the visual cacophony of glittering spikes and tumbling refuse of their scrap pile, lifted in massive, threatening heaps. It’s thrilling and industrial,…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Souvenir Mug

We’ve always been of the mind that, when buying a souvenir, you should steer clear of anything that screams, “tourist” – you know, like those generic keychains and shot glasses you can find at any airport newsstand. That’s why a mug from Star Seeds Cafe is the perfect alternative for people back home (or your…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Moving Image Memorial

This August, the University of Texas erected a monument to memorialize the victims of Charles Whitman’s mass murder spree from on top of the UT clock tower 50 years ago. Documentarian Keith Maitland and his extraordinarily talented team of Austin creatives have erected a different kind of monument in memorial. Tower explores the events of…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Coffee Innovation

We all know the coffee shop staples: Americanos, breves, and cappuccinos. But Fleet Coffee co-owners Patrick Pierce and Lorenzo Perkins go well beyond the caffeination ABCs. Here, your morning ritual isn’t a burnt latte choked down through a green straw; it’s espresso mixed with Fruity Pebbles-infused milk and served with a crispy treat or reimagined…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Sweet Nothing

Fluff’s weightless clouds are like your first crush – beautiful and effervescent on the outside, but deep and complex once you get to know them a little better. Like a high school cheerleader smoking a joint between classes, or the bookworm band nerd with the killer abs, these dollops of sugary goodness strike the perfect…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Iron Man Soundman

Here’s the rub about being a music venue audio engineer: When everything sounds good, the band gets the credit; when it sounds bad, you get the blame. The Saxon Pub always sounds fantastic and you can thank Richard Vannoy. The Abilene native’s been behind the board at the South Lamar club since shortly after it…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Call for Police Reform

Fatima Mann wasn’t supposed to speak at the Capitol memorial for the Dallas police officers killed in mid-July. In all likelihood, the Austin Justice Coalition co-founder wasn’t even supposed to be standing with event organizers. But there she was, beckoned to the front and provided the opportunity to speak by Austin Police Association President Ken…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Referee in the Taco War

As the former Austin American-Statesman food critic, Sutter handled the beat with style and depth before parting ways and concentrating on his likable blog Fed Man Walking. He’s now at the San Antonio Express-News where, on National Taco Day, he diagrammed Austin-born Torchy’s: reasons it both sucks and doesn’t. If there is to be a…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Place to Get Lost

A bizarre mixture of illegal dumping and beautiful trails, Springdale Park sometimes shows up on maps, and sometimes doesn’t. But the single-track dirt trails will lead you out to surprisingly breathtaking vistas if you’re cool with passing some molding mattresses and shattered TV frames along the way. The trails are a maze of dead ends,…

by Chronicle Staff

Best DWI Lawyer

Rick Flores: Rick is not only experienced, effective, and professional, but he’s not hard to look at either. – Zooey Cuilla Mary Ann Espiritu: She’s like an attorney you’d see in a movie – beautiful, demure, perfectly coiffed, and deadly as hell in the courtroom. – Bronwen Butler

by Chronicle Staff

Best Bookstore

Hands down. If you can get Supreme Court justices to come and speak to a crowd when their book is published … you’re the best. – Edward Snider

by Chronicle Staff

Best Barbecue

Awwww, the pleasant drive, beautiful country serenity … the vineyards, the intoxicating smell of the barbecue … true Texas rawness. – Melvis Lara

by Chronicle Staff

Best Biker With a Law Degree

If we’re ever in need of a personal injury lawyer, we know who we’re rolling with. Lenore Shefman of Cyclistlaw not only talks the talk, but walks the walk as an “unapologetic beast of a litigator,” a fixture and friend of the Austin bike scene, and a fierce advocate for countless victims of bike/pedestrian/vehicle collisions.…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Way to Mind Your Own Beeswax

Austin didn’t know how much we needed micro-apiaries until Tara Chapman set up shop and started her beekeeping training courses and tours. Specializing in bees’ foraging patterns and Austinites’ curiosities, Two Hives provides a chance to build a sustainable skill set, and maybe even score some honey along the way.

by Chronicle Staff

Best Vessel for Your Succulent

It’s an Austin habit to place our succulents in anything from plastic dinosaurs to old soup cans. But we like our spaces to be extra, so not any container will do. Lindsey Wohlgemuth’s mugs and bowls are meant to hold things like chamomile tea and sage granita, but we are shipping them hard with a…

by Chronicle Staff

Best New Look for an Old Play

Whether created by some talented amateur that a company’s lucky enough to have among its members, or by a longtime professional who’s generous enough to work a pro bono gig, the visual components promoting shows in this town are almost as important as the show itself. To wit: Sarah Presson’s stark, stunning design for Present…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Coffee Liqueur for a White Russian

We can’t help but think if the Dude lived in Austin, he would have had much less to abide. Certainly he wouldn’t have had to fill his favorite drink with syrupy dreck. When you are being chased by nihilists, you need something more – Austin Roasting Company beans, pure cane sugars, Madagascar vanilla, and filtered…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Tap Wall (to Enjoy While Waiting for Takeout)

We’re all about that spontaneous takeout life. Only problem is, you gotta wait 46 minutes drinking mudslides at Chili’s while your mozzarella-stuffed lamb bladders crisp to the perfect snap. That’s just awful. This is why we almost always defer to Michi Ramen for impromptu dinners, as it boasts the most woke beer wall in Austin…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Jack-of-All-Basses

Appearing on Leno, Letterman, and Good Morning America; plugging in his bass opposite Levon Helm and Ringo Starr; producer of the Band of Heathens, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Mastersons, and Shinyribs; even a pastry chef once at Jeffrey’s: George Reiff measures out one degree of separation not only from the Austin music scene, but possibly the…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Community Warriors

Some talk the talk, but GAVA walks the walk, quite literally when they go door to door engaging residents to learn and address the needs of two of Austin’s most marginalized areas. Focusing on the health of their neighbors, they have made significant strides in developing park spaces and introducing neighborhood farm stands. But their…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Snapchat Game

Yes, we all love swapping faces, and those voice-changing animal filters are a delight, but the Texas Tribune proves Snapchat can also be serious. Their coverage of the anniversary of UT’s Tower Shooting used archival shots to show how the events unfolded in real time, illuminating history for a new generation, while simultaneously reflecting on…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Secret Science Oasis

The Barton Springs area hosts a slew of well-known stops for the outdoorsy type, but one of the best recreational hot spots is too often overlooked. The Austin Nature & Science Center is home to a collection of rescued animals, including birds of prey and Texas-native reptiles and amphibians. Water features and native plants line…

by Chronicle Staff

Tomorrow Never Knows

Election night for me started in South Austin. I was at Trudy’s, there to report on a second election victory for District 2’s Delia Garza. She’s my council member (I live in the district), and I was proud to endorse her in this paper; to vote for her in this election; and to congratulate her…

by Chase Hoffberger

Page Two: Where Do We Go From Here?

This is not the first time the presidential candidate I supported lost. Still, though dismayed at the elections of Nixon, Reagan, and the younger Bush, none had me worried about the republic’s survival. Rather than just concern over what will happen during Trump’s presidency, I’m truly scared it will do lasting damage to this country.…

by Louis Black

Headlines

Apocalypse Comes Soon: In the Department of Small Comfort, President-elect Donald Trump “underperformed” in solid red Texas, winning only 52.7% of the vote – the smallest GOP margin since 1996, when Bob Dole won by five points. Hillary Clinton took 43.4% of the vote. Zim Zooms Out: City Council races went much as anticipated, with…

by Chronicle Staff

District 4: Very Mixed Emotions

“I was proud to celebrate my victory beside so many supporters, social justice and labor activists,” Casar told the Chronicle, “but it’s difficult to do so in light of the results nationally.”

by Michael King

Soccer Watch

One of the world’s great soccer rivalries is revived this Fri., Nov. 11, in Columbus, Ohio, as the U.S. hosts Mexico to open the final round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying (6:45pm, FS1 and Univision), and keep up their recent dominance over El Tri (“Dos a cero!”). Elsewhere that same day, it’ll be Honduras-Panama, and…

by Nick Barbaro

Mr. Smarty Pants Knows

108, the number of years between World Series wins by the Chicago Cubs, is also the number of stitches in a baseball. They’ve got kosher marijuana in New York. The last surviving border marker for the Republic of Texas is 10 miles southeast of Deadwood, Texas, on FM 31. Dating back to 1840, the granite…

by Mr. Smarty Pants

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