Forget what you thought you knew about East 12th.
These days, it's a bustling neighborhood with an astounding number of delicious places to eat and drink. From the mirror mosaic entrance to Dozen Street to the insanely effective slogan of "Don't Need No Teef to Eat My Beef" at Sam's BBQ - East 12th is an eclectic, evolving neighborhood with plenty to eat, see and do. Check out our picks for where to hang out on East 12th in this Austin Neighborhood Guide.
1808 East 12th St.
If the mirror mosaic peacock entrance wasn't enough to entice you into Dozen Street, surely the friendly staff, craft cocktails and live music every night of the week would be. The inside of Dozen Street is as eclectically designed as its front door, with all manner of creatively placed knick knacks adorning its walls. A guitar shaped stage and piano fence complete the picture that this bar proudly conveys.
1810 East 12th St.
Right next door to Dozen Street is Full Circle Bar, home to the Austin chapter of Brewskee-Ball, the first ever national Skee-Ball league. If that's not enough, the bar hosts weekly cornhole tournaments in their cornhole garden. Yes, that's a thing. There's also food at Full Circle Bar, so you pretty much won't ever need to leave the bar again once you step inside.
1906 East 12th St.
Pizza and beer is a tried and true combination and one which King Bee Lounge proudly continues. This East 12th bar is dark, cool, and relaxed - a fairly ideal place to duck out of the hot sun into. The bar offers a variety of freshly made pizzas and paninis with which you can enjoy with their delicious cocktails. Their signature cocktail is called the Bees Knees and it earns that name by being totally and completely awesome. A mixture of gin, honey, and lemon make up the basis of this classic frozen drink, and if you don't order it while you're at King Bee you have made a grave error. By the way, you can catch some fantastic comedy at King Bee on the first of every Wednesday of the month. Read more about The Sting! Free Stand Up Comedy with Chris Cubas.
1812 East 12th St.
Inspired by Stanley Kubrick's classic film, A Clockwork Orange, MOLOKO Bar is a shotgun dive bar located right by King Bee, Full Circle, and Dozen Street. It's a bit of a different scene from most of the bars in the area, but that plays to its advantage. MOLOKO Bar is enjoyably strange, that's for sure. A place where you can enjoy a craft cocktail AND remark on how odd the decor is.
1203 Chicon St.
Neighborhood hang outs don't come any better (or comfier) than Rio Rita. The inside of this bar/cafe has more comfortable couches than you have in your own home, a jukebox, and trivia games under every table. Basically, Rio Rita feels like home, but with a full bar and huge back patio.
1806 East 12th St.
Yes, you can get a taste of The Crescent City on East 12th. The Original New Orleans Po-Boy and Gumbo Shop is a mouthful, and a delicious one at that. With great New Orleans-style food and seafood, this shop is widely recognized for being one of the most authentic Cajun experiences in Austin. mouthful, and a delicious one at that. With great New Orleans-style food and seafood, this shop is widely recognized for being one of the most authentic Cajun experiences in Austin.
2000 East 12th St.
Sure, you could stand in line all day at Franklin's BBQ but you really don't need to. After all, Sam's is right around the corner. "Don't Need No Teef to Eat My Beef" is the motto at Sam's BBQ, and we certainly won't argue. Tender brisket, cold drinks, and friendly company is what you'll find at Sam's. Plus, they're the only BBQ joint we can think of that's open till 3:00am on Friday and Saturday nights.
1818 East 12th St.
Known as one of the best authentic Mexican cookery's in Austin, Pakal Autochthonous Mexican Cookery is a food truck that serves traditional Mexican food and drinks. They also cater at many events around Austin so their location will vary around the city. What's a Mexican cookery without tacos? Pakal does not disappoint. They have a variety of equally delicious tacos served best served with an agua fresca or Mexican Coke.
1914 East 12th St.
East 12th has a variety of food options and at Galloway's Sandwich Shop you find some of the delicious southern soul food variety. Although sandwich is in the name of this restaurant, it is very much not all about the sandwiches. With the menu changing daily, it's any ones guess what delicious brand of soul food Galloway's will be serving up.
2512 East 12th St.
Cultivo Cafe & Kitchen serves up handmade dishes and has a variety of salsas to choose from. On their must-try cafe menu you'll find everything from baguettes to quiche. They can also cater for breakfast, lunch or dinner with many food choices available from breakfast tacos, pastries, sandwiches and much more.
1817 East 12th St.
Previously located in the back patio of Hotel Vegas, Crazy Ricky's is revered around Austin for their delicious cheeseburgers. Other menu highlights include hot dogs, fries, and frito pies. The food truck also has a fantastic veggie burger option for all the non-meat eaters on 12th street. You can't go wrong with the American classics.
4140 E 12th St.
With a name like Country Boyz Fixins, you should know you're in for some seriously tasty down home cooking. Shrimp poboys, macaroni and cheese, okra, greens - you pretty much can't go wrong with anything on their menu. Oh yeah, they have chicken wings as well. Just be sure to wash it all down with an iced tea.
1208 Chicon St.
Whether you're a vegan or carnivore, Red Wraps has something for everybody. If you're craving middle eastern asian fusion food, then they really have something for you. A fun twist they have recently added is a food challenge: brave customers are invited to try to eat a 50hz red chicken wrap or red wrap at a level 5 of their hot sauce in 5 minutes or less. No details on what you get if accomplished, but hey, there's only one way to find out.
1199 Airport Blvd.
Located at the end of 12th Street, The Austin Shaker is your source for premium wine, beer and liquor products. It is owned by two bartender veterans who can give you advice on all drinks and tell you how to make that complicated cocktail you've been meaning to learn to make. If you're a local bartender, or just want to buy some drinks, The Austin shaker has all the professional tools you could need and has a variety or your favorite spirits, crafts, beer and fine wine.
2915 East 12th St.
Home of Austin's delicious spicy hot sausage, the Texas Sausage Company provides their customers with top quality meats that are always made fresh daily. They've been doing their spicy thing since 1942 and is a great place to get great tasting sausage and other meats you may want including venison. You can also bring in your own meat and have them process it for you!
1401 Ave Rosewood
If you're looking to avoid the whole putting-pants-on-and-going-out-in-public thing, and instead have killer thin-crust pie from an Austin institution delivered right to your door, check out East Side Pies. No matter what you get, you’ll be able to pat yourself on the back for supporting local farmers. Plus, East Side Pies hosts a pizza of the week every week and give a discount on that pizza; just another reason to try something different than the classic pepperoni or cheese pizza.
1311 Chestnut Ave
Serving up a variety of classic soul food dishes, Roland's Soul Food is said to often get the response of "This taste just like my grandma used to make it." Whether you're craving fish, Ox tails, Chicken, or maybe even alligator, Roland's Soul Food will have you feeling satisfied with a great meal. They also offer classic sides and desserts including peach cobbler and sweet potato pie.
1900 East 12th.
A relative newcomer to the neighborhood, Las Cruxes simultaneously as an art gallery and shop. Located next to the 12th Street mural, this space offers a place for artists to display their work, and also sells jewelry, women's clothing, and more. Since opening on East 12th in May of 2017, Las Cruxes has also hosted in-house performances and events.
1904 E 12th
Another new face in the East 12th scene is Vibe Collective, a self-professed "next level hair salon." Specializing in eye-popping new hair styles and colors, Vibe Collective is a much-needed injection of cool into the East 12th scene. Hey, maybe after having a few drinks at Dozen Street you'll finally have the courage to go get those bangs.
1818 E 12th
Out of office co-working spaces are becoming more and more popular these days, and Urban Co-Lab is just one such example. They provide a very handy place where you can get work done on East 12th that isn't a bar. After all, we all know how getting drinks while you work can very quickly turn into just getting drinks. We have to give them props on the name, as well.
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