Best for: Post-wedding hangover cure
The diner was busy – a good sign – but the wait was half an hour. Time to kill browsing records then! Luckily the range at Waterloo is extensive, with both used and new vinyls as well as an equally large CD section, a small DVD corner and nerdy/pop culture toys (Star Wars and Dr Who fans – we’re all catered for here). I don’t always have the patience to sort through rows and rows of records, especially when I only went to bed that same morning, but half an hour passed quickly and we were summoned next door to our table.
Austin is a gold mine for new eateries, restaurant concepts, cult BBQ joints and food truck mecca. My sister knows her way round and everywhere she’s recommended has been exceptional, so I had high expectations. On their website, 24 Diner (which, as per the name, is open 24 hours should brunch cravings come post-party at 4am) boasts a ‘CIA-trained chef’, but unfortunately none of the waiters were in stealth-spy-mode when we visited. Shame. As a rule their produce is organic, local and farm-to-table, with a lot of items ‘house-cut’, ‘house-made’ or ‘house-cured’, and the menu changes with the seasons. For the first time ever, I hovered over the ‘unch’ part of the brunch menu, before coming to my senses and moving back to the ‘br’ section – divided into Classics, Frittatas, Hash, Belgian Waffles, and Specials. God, I wish the girls were with me.
- Antonelli’s Cheese Plate – selections change weekly
- BLT Sandwich – sourdough, Beeler’s bacon, local tomatoes, roasted garlic, arugula, basil, oregano with house-cut fries
- Veggie Hash – house-cut Idaho Burbank potatoes mixed with onions and jalapenos and set with two runny eggs, spinach, mushrooms, avocado (no Swiss cheese), rye toast
- Side of house-made veggie sausage
- Reuben Sandwich – rye, house-cured pastrami, Swiss, sauerkraut, 1000 island with house-cut fries
- Side of bacon-braised green beans
- Mimosa
- Fresh orange juice
- Drip coffee (bottomless)
The table service was second to none, although the manager and some other guy – deputy manager? – kept checking on us when we just wanted to be left well alone with our food, but that’s just an American service thing. The décor was a cement, exposed light bulb, hipster warehouse kind of vibe and the music was my favourite classic, all-American rock ‘n’ roll. Passing through Austin? You’d better visit this place.
- Betsy’s Veggie Burger – pain au lait bun, Havarti, spicy pepper relish, avocado, house-made veggie patty (beets, mushrooms, lentils, rice, pumpkin seeds & golden flaxseeds) with choice of side
- Oatmeal – steel-cut Irish oats, cream, brown sugar, apricot-peach chutney with two eggs and choice of toast
- Fried Chicken Biscuit – buttermilk biscuit, choice of white or dark meat, red chilli flakes, honey, brown sugar butter, side of fruit
By Annelise S.