Mandola’s Italian Market and Restaurant

Mandola's Italian Restaurant

So, breakfast and chocolate are at the top my favorite foods list. Something that is not too far behind is good Italian food.

The chains are good (Olive Garden and Macaroni Grill), but a few months ago, I was introduced to Mandolas, a little Italian Market which also has a restaurant in it.

Located in the Triangle, down Guadalupe, Mandola’s is easy accessible by car or bus (1L/1M).

The menu boasts authenticate Italian cusine, and the best thing is, it doesn’t leave you feeling like you ate a lot of food. The portions are a little pricey, but can also last two meals, if necessary.

What’s even better than the restaurant, is the bakery (you knew it was coming) which has chocolate cake, cannoli, and gelato. The restaurant is amazing.

Two thumbs up!

Halcyon and other good date places

So this past week I was chatting with some of my friends, and we got on the topic of good, low-key places to go on dates.

One of my girl friends mentioned how she hated Spiderhouse, (located just off of 30th), a typical Austin hangout. It combines three things Austinites seem to gravitate to, coffee, music and the outdoors. The reason my friend hated it was because she felt it was dirty. (She’s not from Austin).

Spiderhouse is a chill atmosphere, with a wide variety on its menu. It’s a nice place to go to get away from campus and just relax.

As we talked more and more, I brought up Halcyon. For me, Halcyon is just one of those places I have only looked at in awe from a distance. I have never actually been inside, but I hear it is amazing. If you go for a visit, here is a look at the possibilities.

Thai Kitchen

I’m a big fan of Thai food. The spices, the flavors are two big factors that make me appreciate it. A Thai restaurant, which I recently tried is Thai Kitchen.

I went with my mom, which made it even better. I got the Vegetarian #17 and she got the Indian Curry Fried Rice with Tofu. I really like the #17, it had the perfect amount of sweet and spicy. My mom really liked her dish too, she’s really picky when it comes to food, and she really likes her food spicy, so Thai Kitchen had the perfect combination for her.

Check out their menu.

We also got the dumplings, which I didn’t enjoy as much. I prefer the dumplings from Thai Noodle House, located just off of 26h street.

Both of these places deliver and offer the option of calling-in a to-go order. Thai Noodle House definitely has better dumplings, and an amazing peanut sauce.

Mother’s Cafe and Garden

With more and more people jumping on the Vegan bandwagon, Austin has definitely  been ahead of the game. In a previous post, I mentioned Veggie Heaven, a restaurant located on Guadalupe that caters to the vegans and vegetarians around the area.

Another restaurant that is purely vegan is Mother’s Cafe and Garden. Even though it is strictly vegan, Mother’s appeals to everyone with their  diverse menu.

They offer:

• salads
• soups
• sandwiches
• pastas
• weekend brunch
• an Austin staple: enchiladas.

Mother’s is one of the few places where you can get a vegetarian Mole sauce. The sauce, especially over enchiladas is AMAZING.

Mother’s also offers a great atmosphere, with their garden patio and live music.

After dealing with a fire that took out the entire back patio two years ago, Mother’s is back and in full swing,  ready for anything.

Whole Foods

One of the great things about living in Austin, is the variety of food you can be exposed to. What’s even better is the one-stop shopping different places, like Whole Foods offers.

Whole Foods offers Austinites a variety of food, which it might be on the steep side, it is healthy for the health conscious.

Open from 8am- 10pm, the Whole Foods on Lamar features not only the normal store, but also a place to sit down and enjoy breakfast lunch or dinner.

OU Weekend PSA

Hey Austinites headed to Dallas for the game/state fair, stay safe.

The Texas Wranglers, a UT-Austin spirit organization,  station themselves at exit 345 on IH-35 on the Friday before the game to provide fellow classmates and longhorn fans with an opportunity to get free food and energy drinks on their way to Dallas.  We help promote safe and sober driving through the effort, and enjoy providing a fun atmosphere for fans to take a break on their trip.

Drink plenty of water, the heat has been turning up the past few days, so drink plenty of water.

Have fun at the State Fair.

Torchy’s Tacos

Last year, I discovered this wonderful taco place right off of Guadalupe. Torchy’s Tacos keeps with the “Keep Austin Weird” trend, by offering out-of-the-box tacos names.

With such tacos like Fried Avocado, Baja Shrimp, The Republican, Ranch Hand, Trailer Park and more, there is something for everyone. They also give you the opportunity to build your own taco.

Besides the location off of the Drag, there are two other locations around Austin.

Each month, Torchy’s features a different taco as its specialty. This month, the taco is “The Scarecrow.” It has pumpkin crusted chicken, roasted poblanos, escabeche carrots, cotija cheese & cilantro. Torchy’s vistors have the choice of having their taco on flour or corn tortillas. It also comes with creamy chipotle salsa.

Also in time for the Halloween season, Torchy’s Trailer Park has a pumpkin patch.

Torchy’s also has a wonderful green chile queso and burritos. To round out your meal, get little nookies, fried dough covered in powdered sugar.

**Special shout out to Torchy’s: they won Best Mole at the 2009 Austin Chocolate Festival!

Pizza Places around Town

Staying with the trend of keeping Austin Weird, Austin has a wide variety of pizza places that live up to this name.

Here is  a list of five pizza places around Austin.

Mangia’s

Boasting its Chicago  stuffed Pizza, Mangia’s a recognizable place on the Drag, with the giant alligator as its mascot.  With four locations around Austin, Mangia’s offers. Mangia’s also recently opened a new location in Round Rock, right out of North Austin.

Mellow Mushroom

Newly painted, Mellow Mushroom has a “groovy” theme that is evident in its pizza titles, along with the inner atmosphere. With names like “Kosmic Karma” and “The Casear,” Mellow Mushroom has something for everyone.

Slices and Ices

This New York-Style pizzeria, offers pizza by the slice and by the pie. Slices are heated up when you order, so they don’t get cold. With a few tables inside, it is the perfect balance between fast pizza to-go, and a sit down dining facility.

Austin’s Pizza

With 11 locations around Austin, Austin’s Pizza offers a sports bar atmosphere with pizza.  It was established in 1999. They offer 29 different toppings for you to experiment with for your pizza. With a location conveniently located on the Drag, it’s a popular spot for college students on away Longhorn football games, and to watch any other sports game in general.

Mellow Mushroom

Newly painted, Mellow Mushroom has a “groovy” theme that is evident in its pizza titles, along  with the inner atmosphere. With names like “Kosmic Karma” and “The Casear,” Mellow Mushroom has something for everyone.

Conan’s Pizza

Like  Mangia’s, Conan’s Pizza boasts Chicago style pizza. Right off of campus, Conan’s is a small sit down or carry out pizza  place.

Learn which some college students prefer: Mellow Mushroom or Slices and Ices.

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Besides these “Austin-ish” pizza places, Austin also features the chain restaurants, Pizza Hut, Papa Johns, Mr. Gattis, Dominos Pizza, and Little Casears.

Kerbey Lane Cafe

When I moved to Austin eight years ago, one of the first places I visited was Kerbey Lane Cafe. When I entered the University of Texas at Austin, having a Kerbey Lane Cafe, right across the street became the best and worst thing.

Best: It is open 24 hours a day, with a 24 hour menu: When you’re feeling hungry you can walk over and enjoy any meal, no matter what time of day it is.

Worst: It is open 24 hours a day, with a 24 hour menu: When you should be asleep at 2 a.m, it’s the place to go for a quick late night snack. The wait is not that bad either, depending on the size of your party and how late it is.

Breakfast is one of my favorite meals ever, and to be able to get pancakes whenever I want, is amazing.But the pancakes are not the only thing on the menu that is noteworthy. Kerbey Lane also carries  Texas staples, queso and salsa.

Original Kerbey Lane

Also, with more and more people becoming vegan and gluten free, Kerbey Lane has adapted their menu, offering seasonal specials, along with their regular entrees that meet these needs.

Kerbey Lane Cafe’s pancakes are so popular,  they sell  their  pancake mixes at the cafe. If you can’t make it to one of their locations, you can also purchase their Gingerbread, Pumpkin, Apple Wheat or Buttermilk mixes at many local Austin supermarkets, like HEB.

Next time you are feeling hungry at 2 am, don’t just sleep it off, visit one of the four locations around Austin.

Welcome!

Welcome to Keep Austin Full! I will be exploring different restaurants around the Austin area, as well as quick and easy recipes you can do from home.

Please leave comments and suggestions for future posts.