OT Half a day in Austin, how to use it...?

JacksDad

 Hi all -

Thought to pick the collective hive mind of this forum. I'll be in Austin in a couple of weeks, for just one evening and one weekday morning/afternoon. Been thinking about trying the Franklin's experience obviously, but will be with my wife and two little boys who are not as enthusiastic about waking up before dawn to wait hours before eating lunch, no matter how good. So... I've read other suggestions on here...Valentina's? La barbeque? Other hidden gems? 

Would also love to hear any other suggestions for family friendly things to do for a few hours while there.

Thanks all! 

JacksDad

lousubcap

Regarding Austin - I made the pilgrimage last Dec.  The Franklin's line is an event unto itself.  I hit the place up at 1:30 PM on a Tuesday afternoon and ate by 2:30 PM -still had plenty of brisket.  You can get in line whenever and then the family can join you later.
Valentina's is definitely worth the stop-no line and great brisket as well.  I prefer Valentina's bark.  Hopefully some locals will be along.  If you want to experience the taste and texture of great brisket (so you know the target) then go for it.  How many opportunities will you have down the road???

Legume

Valentina's is great, but it's outside for now with picnic tables in a parking lot.  There are family-friendlier places depending on where you're staying, I can't imagine hitting a 4 hour line at Franklins with kids.

I don't know how old your boys are, but Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum is great.  Pretty interactive, my kids loved it when they were young and they still go back occasionally.  There is a Stevie Ray Vaughn exhibit there now and always plenty of cowboy kind of stuff.

Bullock Texas State History Museum

1800 Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78701

(512) 936-8746

https://goo.gl/maps/m5wgtjAuGix

JacksDad

Legume said:

Valentina's is great, but it's outside for now with picnic tables in a parking lot.  There are family-friendlier places depending on where you're staying, I can't imagine hitting a 4 hour line at Franklins with kids.

I don't know how old your boys are, but Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum is great.  Pretty interactive, my kids loved it when they were young and they still go back occasionally.  There is a Stevie Ray Vaughn exhibit there now and always plenty of cowboy kind of stuff.

Bullock Texas State History Museum

1800 Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78701

(512) 936-8746

https://goo.gl/maps/m5wgtjAuGix

This is an excellent idea, thank you! 

Legume

lousubcap said:

Regarding Austin - I made the pilgrimage last Dec.  The Franklin's line is an event unto itself.  I hit the place up at 1:30 PM on a Tuesday afternoon and ate by 2:30 PM -still had plenty of brisket.  You can get in line whenever and then the family can join you later.
Valentina's is definitely worth the stop-no line and great brisket as well.  I prefer Valentina's bark.  Hopefully some locals will be along.  If you want to experience the taste and texture of great brisket (so you know the target) then go for it.  How many opportunities will you have down the road???

Well crap, I didn't know Franklins was that accessible during the week, that would be fantastic.

fwiw @JacksDad if you want a quick breakfast, find a place with breakfast tacos, ask someone near where you are staying, lots of good places.  Valentina's has them as well (insanely good).  

The Cen-Tex Smoker

JacksDad said:

 Hi all -

Thought to pick the collective hive mind of this forum. I'll be in Austin in a couple of weeks, for just one evening and one weekday morning/afternoon. Been thinking about trying the Franklin's experience obviously, but will be with my wife and two little boys who are not as enthusiastic about waking up before dawn to wait hours before eating lunch, no matter how good. So... I've read other suggestions on here...Valentina's? La barbeque? Other hidden gems? 

Would also love to hear any other suggestions for family friendly things to do for a few hours while there.

Thanks all! 

JacksDad

go to Valentina's and enjoy the rest of your day. Franklin's is a total ass whip for people who are not really in to it. Your kids and wife will be pissed if you wake them at the asscrack of dawn and then spend 5 hours in line for a bite of brisket. Austin is about way more than Franklin's

The Cen-Tex Smoker

valentina's moved to a brick and mortar building a few months ago

lousubcap

@Legume - I think another factor is the college vacation schedule.  It seems that over the Xmas break the lines were consistently long.  I may have just been lucky but I rolled into Austin around lunch-time on a Tues-planned for Franklin on Weds and went straight to Valentinas.  Decided to run by Franklins and check out the line-quite short and the remainder of the day was spent in a true Texas brisket meat coma.  A great time, for sure.

Legume

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

valentina's moved to a brick and mortar building a few months ago

They're not in the building yet, still remodeling. same setup they've always had, just different parking lot and no vape shop.  

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Legume said:

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

valentina's moved to a brick and mortar building a few months ago

They're not in the building yet, still remodeling. same setup they've always had, just different parking lot and no vape shop.  

I just noticed that. Because I'm here  

The Cen-Tex Smoker

They are half way to San Antonio! Apparently the word is out. We are 30th in line. 

lousubcap

@The Cen-Tex Smoker So, if I'm reading this right-Valentina's has left Austin... Any word as to drivers for the major move?
Glad I made the trip when I did.  

Legume

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

They are half way to San Antonio! Apparently the word is out. We are 30th in line. 

Slow line too!  Was there 3 weeks ago, slooooow.  Lots of flannel, big beards and tiny dogs on leashes.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Legume said:

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

They are half way to San Antonio! Apparently the word is out. We are 30th in line. 

Slow line too!  Was there 3 weeks ago, slooooow.  Lots of flannel, big beards and tiny dogs on leashes.

Yeah- it's more local today but I've never seen it this busy. The line is super slow- then you have to wait for them to bring the food. It's a bit more of an ass whip than it was before franklin called them out. 

Legume

They had a smoked  lamb shank special the day we were there.  Figured they must be testing for an expanded menu once the building opens.  I regret not trying it.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Line was slow but food came out really fast. 40 min from parking to grub. 2lb beef rib, 1 lb brisket and sausage and a Real Deal Holyfield taco. 

thetrim

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

Line was slow but food came out really fast. 40 min from parking to grub. 2lb beef rib, 1 lb brisket and sausage and a Real Deal Holyfield taco. 

Nice pic!

The Cen-Tex Smoker

My pics are all screwed up. They won't embed and I thought I posted the 2lb rib somewhere. Maybe it's just my phone. 

Anyway- didn't mean to hijack. I'll post some fun things to do in Austin when I wake up from my nap. 

The Cen-Tex Smoker

There is the Dino bone- 1.9lbs-(sorry about the fork)

and...to the victor go the spoils. Happy pup

The Cen-Tex Smoker

depends on what part of town you are staying. Let me know and I'll give you some idea. How old are the kids?

JacksDad

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

depends on what part of town you are staying. Let me know and I'll give you some idea. How old are the kids?

Thanks everyone! The boys are 10 and 6. 

I think we'll plan on Valentina's, but may just give a quick drive-by to Franklin's when we get into town, on the off chance that it's not busy. It will be a Tuesday, same day that @lousubcap got so lucky.

We haven't picked a place to stay yet, again any suggestions welcome! 

Thanks all.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

lousubcap said:

@The Cen-Tex Smoker So, if I'm reading this right-Valentina's has left Austin... Any word as to drivers for the major move?
Glad I made the trip when I did.  

They are still in Austin- just way way south. They were already south but they are out there even more now.

There is a huge upswell of building activity where they are. They were really smart to get in while it's still affordable (relatively speaking). Neighborhood is totally flipping and they are in a killer spot. 

nolaegghead

I would, at all costs, avoid highways.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

nolaegghead said:

I would, at all costs, avoid highways.

Especially I35 no bueno

JacksDad

Thanks again all. We are in Waco today. Hit up Rudy's last night and it was really good! 



Went to the Magnolia market this morning with the wife and kids. Food trucks for lunch shortly.  Then on to Austin later tonight after seeing some more family. Franklin's tomorrow will be a game time decision! I'll post pics if it happens...

THEBuckeye

You can look up my ex-boss and slap him around for a while 

The Cen-Tex Smoker

If you liked Rudys in Waco you are going to love Austin BBQ. That is the worst of all the rudys (owned by a franchisee). Rudys can be good in a pinch but it is not what you are seeking. 

You may get lucky at franklins tomorrow. We are expecting nasty weather until early am. Could keep the line down. Might be worth a fly by. 

If if the weather sucks I would recommend hitting up The Salt Lick in Driftwood (not the one in Round Rock). It's byob and cash only so come prepared. Not the best q but definitely the best overall BBQ experience. Very old school tx
joint and plenty of room for the kids to run around.  It's about 30 minutes from downtown. 





If if the weather is good and the franklins line is huge, go to Valentina's in south Austin. It won't be too busy on a weekday. You should be able to get in and out in 30 minutes. 

You could also zip out to The Oasis on Lake Travis. This is the most touristy spot in Austin and the food
sucks. Still worth a visit. The Oasis Brewing Co. turns out some great beers and a margarita on the deck of The Oasis overlooking the lake is a rite of passage around here. We were out there 2 weeks ago. This is taken from the brewing co toward the restaurant. 

. 

JacksDad

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

If you liked Rudys in Waco you are going to love Austin BBQ. That is the worst of all the rudys (owned by a franchisee). Rudys can be good in a pinch but it is not what you are seeking. 

You may get lucky at franklins tomorrow. We are expecting nasty weather until early am. Could keep the line down. Might be worth a fly by. 

If if the weather sucks I would recommend hitting up The Salt Lick in Driftwood (not the one in Round Rock). It's byob and cash only so come prepared. Not the best q but definitely the best overall BBQ experience. Very old school tx
joint and plenty of room for the kids to run around.  It's about 30 minutes from downtown. 





If if the weather is good and the franklins line is huge, go to Valentina's in south Austin. It won't be too busy on a weekday. You should be able to get in and out in 30 minutes. 

You could also zip out to The Oasis on Lake Travis. This is the most touristy spot in Austin and the food
sucks. Still worth a visit. The Oasis Brewing Co. turns out some great beers and a margarita on the deck of The Oasis overlooking the lake is a rite of passage around here. We were out there 2 weeks ago. This is taken from the brewing co toward the restaurant. 

. 

This is great, thank you! Yes, we drove through a big rainstorm this afternoon. Just had dinner at Guerro's, really good! 

Also, having driven all over Texas these past 4 days, I have discovered the wonder that is Buc-ee's! 

Foghorn

Buc-ee's is indeed a wonder. 

JacksDad

So... It's happening! 

lousubcap

@JacksDad -  how's the line??