Texas is famous for Tex-Mex, mixing the spice of Mexico with the milder tastes of America. (Stock.xchng/Shyle Zacharias)

Austin is a food-lovers' town with restaurants serving every style of food. Both fine dining and family friendly places are widely available. It is also easy to act like a local and shop at Whole Foods or Central Market for picnic makings, or to grab a bite in the café there. Expect to find lots of reasonably priced Tex-Mex, barbeque and hamburger eateries for the kids throughout the city.

  • Chuy's. This fun Tex-Mex restaurant near Zilker Park offers large platters of saucy enchiladas, giant burritos and sizzling fajitas. The creative retro décor includes hubcaps on the ceiling and a shrine to Elvis. The service is fast and the food is great.
  • Threadgill's. Home-style Southern comfort food draws crowds, with chicken fried steak, Southern fried chicken and meatloaf on the menu. There are also burgers, salads and homemade pies. Walls crowded with music memorabilia and photographs set the stage for live music many evenings.
  • Mangia Pizza. Austin's best pizza is deep-dish Chicago-style with lots of gourmet toppings, so it doesn't come cheap. But the dinosaur mascot, Mangiasaurus Rex, is pure Austin fun.
  • Katz's Deli. New York style deli with an Austin bent, such as jalapenos as an ingredient in an omelet. This popular restaurant is open 24 hours serving up huge deli sandwiches, burgers, and dinner platters. Vegetarian options are available for every meal.
  • Iron Works BBQ. A local downtown favorite for BBQ, this casual eatery offers tender beef ribs, brisket, pork, chicken, turkey and sausage. There is even an all-you-can-eat salad bar.