Austin, Tex., is the kind of place where a barbershop hands out a bottle of a classic Texas brew with each haircut.
“We give a free Shiner beer to every customer,” says Michael Portman, co-owner of Birds Barbershop, a popular string of independent shops. “We keep the music loud and really varied. It will jump from Dolly Parton to something you’ve never heard of.”
The city, he says, is all about quality of life, about having fun and making room for all tastes. “Austin, for a certain breed of Texan, is the mecca – where you want to end up.”
Here, Portman shares five things that every visitor must do before leaving the city limits.
Broken Spoke
“It really is a real piece of Texas. A lot of people come here and think they’re going to see a bunch of cowboy boots and rodeos. And that is not Austin at all. Austin looks just like Brooklyn [N.Y.] or Silver Lake [Calif.] in many respects. But right nestled in between all this gentrification is this old plywood dance hall. People come in their absolute Western best. There’s cheap Lone Star pitchers and just good fun.” 3201 S. Lamar Blvd., brokenspokeaustintx.com
The Cloak Room
“It’s nothing to look at. It’s dark. Same bartenders have been there for a million years. But it’s right next to the Capitol. It’s where all the state congressmen and state senators go and all their staff. Nowhere else do you hear that other part of Austin. It’s a real trip just to see some sort of backdoor Texas government stuff going on. You can get a pretty stiff drink there.” 1300 Colorado St., baraustintx.com
Maria’s Taco Xpress
“Maria used to run a shack that was torn down to make room for a Walgreens [drugstore]. Huge uproar. They paid to build her a new place next to it. It’s awesome. It’s got a big plaster statue of her reaching her arms to the sky. Real quirky. The breakfast tacos are cheap and awesome, specifically the migas. Everybody has their favourite migas taco. It’s eggs, onions, red peppers and tortilla strips –
everything you need wrapped in a tortilla.” 2529 S. Lamar Blvd.
Polvos Mexican Restaurant“It’s a restaurant with a full bar. It’s cheap, fun and right in the middle of everything in South Austin, which to me is the most fun part of Austin. They have a thing called a Mexican martini – don’t order more than one. It’s basically a martini with sweet-and-sour sauce and tequila. It tastes like a margarita on steroids.” 2004 S. 1st St., polvosaustin.com
East Austin
“I wouldn’t let anyone leave without experiencing a night on the East Side. It’s the Brooklyn of Austin right now. We opened a shop there about five years ago, and it was us, some bars and an amazing view of the skyline. Everybody’s there now: bars, art galleries, great restaurants, particularly a restaurant called Launderette. They serve Southern food, but refined. There’s a bar called the White Horse saloon. I would say that’s the epicentre, but there’s a whole bunch of bars around it.” Launderette: 2115 Holly St., launderetteaustin.com; White Horse Saloon: 500 Comal St., thewhitehorseaustin.com
This interview has been edited and condensed.