The ACL Eats Food Court is back and better than it’s ever been at the Austin City Limits Music Festiva, offering some of the best festival food, drinks and sweets from around city.
If you’re headed out to Zilker this weekend, you’ll do best to prepare yourself for a few long hard days on your feet. There’s no way around it, you WILL be worn to pieces when it’s all over, but there’s absolutely no reason that you should starve yourself on crappy festival food.
Grab your cash, and prep your appetite for some of Austin’s best local fare to ever be served at the festival. In fact, if you can’t find something delicious to shove in your mouth, then you probably just don’t like food and have absolutely have no business attending any other festival in Austin ever again.
If you’re one of the lucky few that spent an astronomical price for VIP passes, you’ll be well fed with unlimited premium food, drinks and the spoils of the high life along with a cool comfy spot to sit on your ass. If you’re like most of us common folk, take heed in our guide to eating your way through ACL with 15 of our must-have vendors.
Eats
Micklethwait Barbecue
When I heard Micklethwait would be present at ACL Eats this year, I couldn’t help but jump up in the air (in my head because I was in a coffee shop) and I’m already planning my strategy of attack on their delicious smoked protein, although you should probably avoid the full meat coma strategy so you’re able to survive the entire festival.
Chilantro
Chi’lantro BBQ, which started in 2010 in Austin, TX serves Korean BBQ inspired comfort food and is most widely known for The Original Kimchi Fries. Created accidentally on a slow night of service in downtown Austin, The Original Kimchi Fries are now served at every Austin event and festival throughout the year and have become the food synonymous with a good time.
Peached Tortilla
The award winning Peached Tortilla is once again bringing their signature Asian cuisine with a Southern flair. Go for the Brussels sprouts salad, mixed together with cabbage, basil, cilantro, mint, onion, and jalapeños or their signature fried chicken. Speaking of fried chicken, we hear pray-tell there will be a tasty fried chicken sandwich they’ll be offering for the first time ever. We’re already salivating.
Mighty Cone
These hot ‘n’ crunchy, meaty cones became the mainstay of ACL for years and has top honors as one of the most ordered entrees of all time at the festival. Grab it, add it to your Instagram feed and devour it.
Way South Philly
Way South Philly, who has served their delicious Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches at SXSW, and Circuit of the America’s is now making it’s debut at the Austin City Limits Festival!
Lonesome Dove
Chef Tim Love is more or less the defacto head-honcho of food at ACL. He’s known as much for his vibrant personality as he his for his signature urban western cuisine. We can’t wait to see what he’s got cooking up for us this year. I think I smell grilled quail!
P. Terry’s
ACL would be incomplete without P. Terry’s involved. This classic Austin burger joint provides fresh, clean, land ow costs burgers and fries for a bargain and it’s easy enough to eat while you’re walking from one stage to the next.
Wholly Cow Burgers
These local grass-fed beef burgers will be on full display and ready for your starving, sweaty bellies boasting their local organic pasture raised hormone and chemical-free grass-fed beef along with locally-grown organic produce.
Burro Grilled Cheese
Balkan burro cheese is the finest cheese produced worldwide will be on full display for your belly’s pleasure at the festival once again.
Sweets
Skull and Cakebones
Skull and Cakebones and NadaMoo! have teamed up for this awesome Birthday Cake Ice Cream Sandwich, or Cakewich if you will, which will be offered in honor of ACL’s 15th anniversary!
Snowie
Snowie is a local, eco-friendly shaved ice company. From summer events such as Blues on the Green, Levitation Music Festival, to snowball happy hours at some of Austin’s trendiest hotspots.
Amy’s Ice Cream
Amy’s is classic Austin and hits the spot when you need to cool down or fulfill that sweet tooth of yours during the festival.
Bananarchy
Since its inception this new banana stand, known as Bananarchy, has been fighting the strongholds of ice creamism, cakeism, and cupcakeism
Drinks
High Brew Coffee
Getting great coffee used to mean waiting in line at a coffee shop… not anymore. High Brew puts expertly crafted cold brewed coffee in a can to enjoy whenever and wherever you want it. It’s bold, smooth and packed with natural caffeine to pick you up with nothing artificial to let you down.
Shade Tree Lemonade
Shade Tree Beverage Co. is excited to serve their refreshing lemonades at Austin City Limits Music Festival once again this year since 2002.
Juiceland
The key to the entire festival is to stay hydrated. There’s so much to eat you’ll never run out of options but for God’s sake you need to drink plenty of good clean fluid. Why not fill up on fresh juices made by local favorite Juiceland? It’ll help you power through a few sets or in between performances and will keep you dancing through the rest of the night.