Digital Nomad’s Guide to Austin
Top 10 favorite places to work, eat and enjoy in the live music capital of the world.
—LIVE
01
The Thompson Hotel / Austin
On this trip I stayed in the residences above the Thompson Hotel. It was the perfect place for a workcation because the business center sits right behind the pool area which also has cabanas that provide shade, tabletops and electrical outlets for working while enjoying the pool. And if you or your laptop gets too hot, you can retreat to the business center which is literally connected so that you can easily go back and forth between the AC and sunshine all day long.
The pool also sits alongside Wax Myrtle’s pool bar and restaurant so you can conveniently grab really delicious food all day long including Cold Brew on tap.
Here are a few of my favorite dishes that I tried:
Boiled Peanut Hummus Roasted Salsa Verde, House Bread
Salt Roasted Beets Whipped Feta, Ruby Grapefruit, Pepitas, Citrus Vinaigrette
High Brew Iced Cold Brew
Gem Lettuce Salad Lots of Raw Vegetables, Herbs, Olives, Red Wine Vinaigrette (added Chicken)
French Fries White Garlic Sauce and Ketchup
—WORK
02
Soho House Austin
My favorite place to work (or hang out) was the Soho House Austin located on Congress Avenue. It was surrounded by cute shops and places to grab coffee, juices, food and great pictures. (Except of course no pictures allowed in the Soho House). Needless to say, the interiors are a page out of Architectural Digest and the outdoor patio is stunning.
And of course, they also have great food and coffee while you work. We particularly loved their:
Gem Caesar with garbanzo, radish, pecorino and added chicken
Guacamole and taro chips (plant based)
Cold brew (of course)
Oat Milk Cappuccinos
Matcha Lattes
03
Faregrounds Food Hall
Of course if you’re not a member of the Soho House or don’t know someone who is, my favorite public place to work was at the Faregrounds in downtown right across the river. It’s fairly empty on weekdays and has lots of space indoor and out to work. It also has its own food hall (my favorite was the french rotisserie) and is walking distance from Veracruz a really great taco and juice bar in the Line hotel.
I worked here in the early mornings and evening while I waited for sunset.
—EAT
04
Suerte
Located in the heart of East Austin, Suerte is a really cool little place to grab hands-down the best taco I had in Austin and the best handmade corn tortillas I’ve ever eaten in my life.You’ll definitely need a reservation and its a bit of a walk from downtown, but along the way you’ll pass a lot of picture-worthy murals, shops and restaurants to inspire the rest of your stay.
Their menu is seasonal and always changing, but here’s what we had (and loved) on this trip:
refried lentils y crema appetizer
masa y mas: suadero tacos (confit wagyu brisket, black magic oil, avocado crudo, onion y cilantro)
masa y mas: tl ayuda de hongos (white bean aligot, oak grilled mushrooms, pickled fennel, toasted pepitas y fried allium)
chamomile tea (sounds random, but honestly it was one of the best I’ve ever had)
—DRINK
05
Houndstooth Coffee
One of my favorite summer drinks is a cold brew with lemonade and the version I tried at Houndstooth (called a Nine Iron) was really delicious and refreshing especially for a hot summer day in Austin. Their cafe had a cool, industrial vibe but wasn’t super comfy to work in for long hours so I took my coffee to go. But if you wanted to work there, they do have a lot of seating areas in and outside the cafe.
—MOVE
06
Scooting Around
I love seeing a new city by scooter, but I’ve never been to a city where I actually thought it was a safe mode of transport. Until Austin. Austin is made for scooting with large lanes, sidewalks and bike lanes and very little traffic in general. It was hands down my favorite way to get around and explore the city. It was also the easiest with scooters literally at every corner. I personally prefer Bird scooters but it was easier for me to use my Uber app and find Lime scooters which is really no different, I just don’t like the branding. 😂
Highly recommend hopping on one to get from downtown to East Austin or Congress Ave, and to ride along the river at sunrise or sunset.
07
YTX Yoga
I design my trips to be part workcation, part wellcation so when I’m not swimming or using the hotel gym, I look for a gentle yoga class especially after a long flight. In Austin, my friend and I did a heated Vinyasa class at YTX Yoga (formerly Wanderlust yoga) and I highly recommend. They have a warm, cozy ambience, super friendly staff, and I enjoyed the pace and flow of the Vinyasa. Bonus is there is a coffee counter built in to the studio. This particular studio is also a convenient 2-minute walk from the Thompson hotel so really easy to get a quick class in before starting my work day.
—EXPLORE
08
Downtown Farmer’s Market
When I travel I actually mostly eat at home so I can prepare and cook my foods according to a pretty strict and limited diet that I follow. So, we got a lot of great produce and meats to prepare for the week from Saturday’s pop-up farmer’s market. My favorites were the fresh juices and homemade sourdough focaccia breads. Definitely worth a stroll through for local snacks and produce during your stay.
Honorable mention for getting groceries at a store would have to be the very first, original Whole Foods located in downtown Austin. They literally had everything including a La Colombe coffee bar which is one of my favorite coffee shops of all time.
—SHOP
09
Neighborhood Goods
If my spirit were a store, it might be Neighborhood Goods on Congress Ave. I’m not a big shopper when I travel, but I love to look at cool and interesting objects and books. This store sells itself as a new type of department store, featuring an ever-changing landscape of the world's most thoughtful, progressive, and exciting brands and merchandise. I found that to be true because they even carried my favorite brand of all time—Flamingo Estate. They also had a gorgeous bar in the center with a seating area that made for another great place to work or even take pictures at as it flooded with golden light at the end of the day.
—SNAP
10
Austin Motel
Literally every corner I turned in downtown Austin featured an instagram-worthy cafe, seating area, mural, you name it. I could’ve created content FOR DAYS, it was a dream. But if I had to name one place to grab a pic, it would be the Austin Motel on Congress Avenue. It just seems so iconic and stands out as totally picture worthy.
Other honorable mentions:
Riverwalk at sunset
Don’t Mess with Texas mural (southwest corner of 6th Street and I-35 frontage road)
The Shops on Congress Ave
Along 6th Ave in East Nashville—endless cute shops and outdoor seating areas
—FINAL REVIEW
