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South Congress Ave, also known to us locals as SoCo, is my favorite neighborhood in Austin Texas. I love walking up and down the trip and looking at the shops and eating at the restaurants.
SEE ALSO: 45 Top Things To Do In Austin, Texas, Updated 2021
Table of Contents
Best Restaurants On South Congress
For coffee:
- Cosmic Coffee – coffee shop & beer garden with a big backyard
- Manana – chic coffee shop at South Congress Hotel with housemade pastries
- Jo’s Coffee – a walk-up coffee shop with the iconic I Love You So Much mural
- The Meteor – coffee, natural wine, Roman-style pizza with bike shop vibes
- Little Brother Coffee – a walk-up coffee shop inside Maufrais
SEE ALSO: Best Coffee Shops In Austin, Sorted By Neighborhood
For breakfast:
- Café No Sé – all-day cafe located inside South Congress Hotel
- Magnolia Cafe – 24-hour cafe loved for its breakfast, Tex-Mex, & pancakes
- South Congress Café – daily brunch & drink specials at this retro cafe
SEE ALSO: 27 Best Breakfasts In Austin Worth Waking Up For
For lunch:
- Home Slice Pizza – New York-style pizza by the slice or pie with a walk-up window, curbside pick up, or opt to sit down next door
- Hopdoddy – burger joint known for its all-natural meat patties, housemade buns, & shakes
- Lucky Robot – Japanese restaurant focused on Tokyo-style street food & sustainable sushi
- Vinaigrette – big, hearty salads & healthy cocktails
For dinner
- Leroy and Lewis – smoked meat food truck specializing in unusual cuts of meats & side dishes
- Otoko – 12-seat Japanese omakase restaurant hidden inside South Congress Hotel
- Thai Fresh – authentic Thai dishes, homemade ice creams, & gluten-free bakery
- Enoteca – my favorite spot for fresh Italian pasta
- Guero’s Taco Bar – Tex Mex restaurant with queso, tacos, frozen margaritas, and live music
- Perla’s Seafood & Oyster Bar – big outdoor patio for fresh seafood & people watching
For dessert:
- Amy’s Ice Cream – order scoops of ice cream & milkshakes from the walk-up window
- Big Top Candy Shop – whimsical circus-themed candy shop
- Hey Cupcake – airstream trailer that serves cupcakes
Best Local Shops On South Congress
- Limbo Jewelry – modern, architectural gold & silver jewelry, and gifts
- Triple Z – custom tees, and gifts for men
- Noah Marion – handmade leather goods shop
- Parts & Labour – gift shop with handmade gifts exclusively from Texas-based artists
- Odessa – beauty and home goods
- Allens Boots – iconic store in Austin with more than 4,000 cowboy boots
- Maufrais – custom hats and apothecary
- Prima Dora – local gift shop that celebrates that authentic small-town “Old Austin” vibe with local artist goods
- Stag Provisions For Men – trendy men’s boutique with classic and modern styles
- South Congress Books – a local bookstore that sells used, collectible, and unique books, vintage posters, and records
- Lucy in Disguise with Diamonds – iconic costume shop with vintage clothing, boas, masks, wigs, and everything you need to glam up your look
SEE ALSO: My Favorite Local Shops To Go Shopping In Austin
For live music on South Congress
Austin is the Live Music Capital Of The World and you will hear live music playing on South Congress from these music venues but also by street performers.
- The Continental Club – this traditional blues club has been the launching point of many musical careers since the 1950s
- C-Boy’s Heart & Soul – bi-level club hosting weekend performances on the main floor with a Japanese-American bar upstairs
- Guero’s outdoor pavilion – order a margarita and head to the outdoor pavilion to hear from local acts
Murals on South Congress
I Love You So Much – 1300 South Congress Ave.
Hotelier Liz Lambert and musician Amy Cook were drunk, got into a fight, and broke up. Amy spray-painted “I love you so much” on the side of Jo’s Coffee so Liz could see it when she opened up the next day. The couple has been together ever since.
Willie For President – 1315 South Congress Ave.
Love From Austin – 1912 South Congress Ave.
South Congress Mural – 1800 South Congress Ave.
SEE ALSO: 24 Most Instagrammable Murals In Austin
Best Hotels On South Congress
Click here for my list on the best hotels in Austin
Austin Motel
- 41 guest rooms
- rooms start at $120
- restaurant & pool
- dog-friendly
Hotel San Jose
One of my favorite boutique hotels in Austin to stay at.
- 40 guest rooms
- rooms start at $190
- courtyard & pool
- dog-friendly
Hotel Saint Cecilia
If you’re feeling splurgy, Hotel Saint Cecilia is gorgeous.
- 14 guest rooms
- rooms start at $500
- lounge, pool, & Shinola bikes
- dog-friendly
South Congress Hotel
- 71 guest rooms, 10 suites, & 2 suites
- rooms start at $190
- three restaurants (Café No Sé, Central Standard, Otoko), coffee shop, pool, bar, and lobby bar
- dog-friendly
Parking can be a pain on South Congress, so I’m excited to share that you can rent a BirdOne electric scooter for a half-day from FLASH! These fully-charged escooters are available for $20 half-day rentals, and $5/ hour after that (12 hours max). Located on a docking station inside the parking garage at 823 Congress Ave, is a fleet of FLASH scooters. We parked inside the parking garage, booked our scooters, and scooted through downtown Austin, over the Congress Avenue bridge, to South Congress! After our adventure, we returned the scooters to the dock. So easy!
If you’re new to town, South Congress Avenue is just south of downtown Austin past the Congress Avenue bridge over Lady Bird Lake but not as south as south Austin. This is the ultimate neighborhood guide to South Congress by a local Austinite.
Visit FLASH.com to learn more!
Did I miss a spot on South Congress? Comment below!
