Guide to Austin’s Great Late Night Bites
Craving some hearty and flavorful bites well past dinnertime? We’ve rounded up seven restaurants, bars and food trucks in Downtown Austin and East Austin that will keep your belly full and your taste buds happy at midnight or even later.
Velvet Taco
522 Congress Ave.
Late-night tacos feel like a very Austin-appropriate snack, and Velvet Taco in the heart of downtown offers bold, global-fusion versions to revelers until midnight every night and until 4 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Spice fiends shouldn’t miss the Spicy Tikka Chicken taco with chicken tenders, tikka sauce, buttered cilantro basmati rice, raita, and Thai basil on a flour tortilla, and plant-based taco fans will love the Mediterranean Mushroom (grilled portobellos, French fries, tzatziki, chimichurri, cucumbers, tomatoes, queso fresco, and dill on a flour tortilla).
Casino El Camino
517 E 6th St.
For huge, juicy, legendary burgers in one of Austin’s most beloved dive bar spaces, be sure to visit Casino El Camino on Sixth Street. The ¾-pound burger patties are made with Angus beef and are cooked to a flawless medium temperature, so you’ll get a nice exterior crust and a tender pink inside. As for toppings, you can opt for classics like cheese and bacon or you could try one of Casino El Camino’s signature burgers, like the Amarillo Burger (with roasted serranos, jalapeno Jack cheese, and cilantro mayo) or the Madison Burger (with beer-braised pork belly, Shiner Bock gastrique, jalapeno Jack cheese, sauteed onions, and bacon mayo). If you’re not feeling a burger, you can go with a hot dog, Italian sausage, sandwich, or a platter of loaded fries. Casino El Camino serves food until 1:30 a.m., 7 days a week.
Manny’s
301 W 5th St.
Manny’s, a chic coffee and cocktail spot in downtown Austin, serves Cuban-inspired staples from morning to late night. Early risers can grab breakfast empanadas and mojo chicken biscuits from 7 to 11 a.m., while the all-day menu features yuca fries, picadillo croquettes, fresh salads and sandwiches. With a lush garden patio and a connection to the Powder Room speakeasy in back, Manny’s works just as well for a morning coffee as it does for late-night bites. It’s open daily from 7 a.m. until 1 a.m. Sunday through Wednesday and until 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.
Halcyon
218 W. 4th St.
A stylish coffee shop/cocktail bar on West 4th Street, Halcyon Downtown is a reliable all-day stop. Comfort-food dishes made with fresh ingredients that pair well with both coffee and booze are Halcyon’s wheelhouse. From 6 p.m. to midnight — and until 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday — you can order snacks like hummus and grilled pita, spinach artichoke dip and tuna salad sandwiches with cucumber, fresh herbs, tomato and rye bread.
Delray Cafe
1133 E 11th St.
Many of the best events and parties happen on the east side of Interstate 35. That’s why it makes sense to pay attention to the late-night dining landscape in East Austin, and one of our favorites is Delray Cafe, the Detroit-style food truck at Nickel City. Coney dogs, hot wings, crinkle-cut fries and sliders can all be found here until 2 a.m. every day, along with perfectly crisp onion rings.
Uptown Sports Club
1200 East 6th St.
From the great mind of Aaron Franklin comes Uptown Sports Club, a cocktail bar and restaurant that specializes in NOLA-inspired bar food with plenty of Cajun flair. In true Louisiana fashion, Uptown Sports Club has a late-night offering of seasonal oysters at market prices, ideal for refreshing yourself after a long day and gearing up for nocturnal adventures (and they go great with Uptown’s cocktails, too). Uptown Sports Club serves their late-night menu until 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
Golden Tiger
1816 East 6th St.
Exploring Austin’s unique and thrilling cocktail scene? If your wanderings bring you to Whisler’s in East Austin (and they should, as it’s one of the city’s most celebrated cocktail bars), don’t forget to grab a bite at Golden Tiger, Whisler’s on-site food truck. The Golden Burger with double smash patties, American cheese, lettuce, pickles, red onion and special sauce is Golden Tiger’s best-known dish, but the tofu sandwich with lettuce, pickles, onion and gochujang mayo and the Tiger Fries with chili, queso, BBQ sauce, a sunny-side-up egg, pickled peppers, dill pickles and red onion are also popular options. Golden Tiger serves food until 1:30 a.m. every night.