Week One: South Congress Adventure

As a student, making time for the fun things in life is quite difficult. It is my goal to take advantage of all the delightful activities, restaurants, concerts and more that Austin has to offer, especially given that Austin is not my hometown so I am only here during the school year.

My first adventure was South Congress with my roommates. Even though it is a touristy site, it still has its Austin charm and local feeling. We went on a Sunday morning, so there were not too many crowds to push off.

Of course, our first stop was at Jo's to get the infamous picture in front of their "I love you so much" graffiti wall. The atmosphere was very relaxed, but fun. It definitely had an Austin vibe to it. Even the personalities of the staff had the same vibe. I ordered an Iced Turbo, which was absolutely delicious. I am a huge coffee fan so this stop was very exciting for me!

 Annika, Emily and I outside of Jo's coffee shop.
Photo by: fellow South Congress explorer

Next, we went to this wonderful place called Snack Bar. Their menu is organic, healthy, and comes from local growers. It was fabulous! We had a wonderful meal on the patio, which is located right on South Congress. The environment was awesome. It was the perfect place to eat lunch if you are looking for a true Austin experience.

At Snack Bar I ordered the Avocado Quinoa Salad. It was great. The salad consisted of organic quinoa, avocado, grilled pineapple and arugula. It was topped with a roasted pepper-pineapple vinaigrette that gave the meal so much flavor. Writing about it now makes me want to go order it! I cannot recommend this salad enough. If you are looking for a healthy option that does not lack flavor the Snack Bar is the place to go. It was also relatively inexpensive, so it definitely could work for students on a budget.

Snack Bar's delicious Avocado Quinoa Salad.
Photo by: Kate Kutilek

Until my next adventure in the best city of Texas, Kate.