Hey there, my Lusters! It's 2019 and we are excited to continue to bring you some awesome (and not-so-awesome) spots for your brunching adventures! Let's kick off this new year with a review of a visit to a fun spot in Austin, TX: Jacoby's Restaurant & Mercantile.
If you haven't been to Austin, know this: Austin is an eclectic city. You can find almost any type of cuisine, any type of music, any type of art form there. The city motto of "Keep Austin Weird" is a hat tip to the diversity of the city. I enjoy visiting Austin, especially as someone who loves food, music, and drinks. All of which can be found in abundance there.
Jacoby's Restaurant & Mercantile is a spot that pretty much embraces the feeling of Austin. Jacoby's is a supper club--they open for dinner and serve some items family style. But don't let that drive you away. They have a menu that covers a number of tastes. Not to be out done, the bar menu caters to everyone, from the craft cocktail drinkers to the beer-on-tap crowd. And with an extensive outdoor patio and sound system, you can enjoy some music for the soul as well. We actually hosted a private dinner at this location before and they asked us to select the music that would make us feel at home--so cool.
So let's get into my brunch experience. Know this: brunch in Austin is just like brunch anywhere in Texas--busy! If you can get there early, you might luck out on a parking spot in the small lot and a short wait time. If not, just be prepared to pay for valet parking and a busy wait.
For the drinks, we did like we usually do. Ordered a carafe. They actually serve it in pitchers and offer two sizes, small and large. The small pitcher would probably pour about 3 to 4 glasses of drinks, so we opted to go for the big pitcher. It was substantially bigger and the champs to juice ratio was about 60/40, a little heavier on the juice side than we like. But it was a good mimosa. Heads up: the large pitcher is $45. When comparing that price to other brunch spots and portion sizes, it's pretty expensive.
For my brunch entree, I went off of the traditional brunch menu and opted to try the Mac & Cheese. Local Austin friends recommended this dish. Now, I love mac and cheese and have been disappointed in a lot of places out there...but this one did NOT disappoint. Smoked gouda, sharp cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese curds, and a panko crunchy topping. I also added bacon in with it. It was so hearty, so satisfying. Also, the portion size is pretty big so you can definitely share it between 2 or 3 people...or do like I did and keep the leftovers for eating later.
Brunchlust Rating: B+ The pricing was a bit higher than an average brunch, however the food and service make you forget about the price tag.
3235 E Cesar Chavez
Austin, TX
