Brunch in Austin...or...Why There's No Reason to go to IHop

Don't get me wrong. IHop is perfectly acceptable road trip food. That is, unless you are driving through Austin. Then there's just no reason to stop at one. Just drive a couple more minutes and pull into one of Austin's mannnny places to have breakfast and/or lunch, a.k.a. brunch.

See what I mean:

You can have migas (which don't photograph particularly well, but they do taste yummy!), or a breakfast sandwich with rosemary home fries on the side.

You can find food like this all over Austin. What you can't find just anywhere is food like this combined with a view like this:

Abel's on the Lake is right next to Hula Hut on Lady Bird Lake and has a huge deck to sit on while you eat your yummy migas/breakfast sandwich/eggs benedict.

I'm not gonna lie, and I don't think anyone is surprised by this: it is hot in Austin. Even on the lake. There may be more breezes here to cool you down, but most of their deck is shaded and there are fans and cool drinks. And if it's still too much for you, the indoor dining has huge windows, so you still get the view without the Texas summer temps.

Brunch is only on the weekends here, but if you're going out for brunch during the week, then I want to know what you do for a living. And if you are hiring, please.

'Cause I could eat brunch any day of the week! Mmm yum! Although, it wouldn't be as special if people brunched all week long. It's a special weekend thing, I guess. Plus, it feels kind-of vacation-y to me, so even if you live here, going out to eat breakfast at 11:00 or 2:00 kind-of says, "I'm taking my time today!"

Might as well take a little time on the deck of Abel's!

Jenni