Are you tired of hearing everyone talking about how it's impossible to [insert anything fun, entertaining, or tasty here] in this economy? Well, have no fear, you don't have to give up on stuffing your face with delicious delights all over town. Here are some tips for eating as cheaply as possible:
FrugalFeaster.com This website is genius. It lists all the happy hours and various food deals at dozens of restaurants in the Austin area. They also feature a special restaurant coupon once a week, for you to print out and get a sweet deal.
Restaurant.com. No, this site is not a scam... we've already tested out several of these certificates and can't wait to use more. You can purchase certificates for $10, $25 or $50 at a bunch of area restaurants, just enter your zip code and check out the list. But wait! Stop right there! Don't pay the regular price of $10 for that $25 certificate. Sign up for "exclusive savings" and you'll start getting notified about when their certificates are 50, 60, 70 or even 80% off. Which means you can buy a $25 certificate for between $2 and $5. Pretty much every month they put the certificates on sale.Entertainment.com. If you don't know any school aged kids selling the 2009 Entertainment Books for a fundraiser, simply go to the website and order yours online. There are tons of coupons to restaurants both in the book and to be printed online once you pay your $20 for the book. The only problem is that there are so many coupons, it can be easy to go out somewhere and not even realize you've got a coupon sitting at home. Still, it's not hard to get your money's worth!
Tears of Joy is an awesome shop that sells only hot sauce and salsa. This place is perfect for picking up a local gift for an out of town guest, or for indulging yourself if you're a hot sauce lover. Any flavor and level of hotness you want can be found here.
Mmmpanadas is a food truck that serves a bunch of different kinds of empanadas. They've got both sweet and savory varieties, all for $3.25 We tried the peach cobbler empanada and the soy chorizo & brie empanada which were both very tasty. The truck is in a great central location downtown for grabbing a bite on your lunch break. They're also around in the evening on weekends for those drunken food cravings.
The beginning of the row of flavors:
This place was a very pleasant surprise. We didn't know what to expect, and the food was absolutely amazing. Definitely try this place out if you're a fan of Italian food. The Tiramisu is pretty much the best we've ever had.
Puttenesca: Fettuccine, Tomato, Kalamata Olives, Artichoke, Capers, $15.
Mellow Mushroom is a great spot for cheap and tasty pizza in the UT area. It's right on the drag, so walk off the calories by windowshopping afterwards. You can buy a regular slice of cheese pizza for $2.25, or add ingredients for 75 cents each. They've also got small, medium and large size pizzas with all kinds of toppings and bases. See their Austin menu for all the options.
This coffee shop is up north near the Arboretum. They've got desserts, gelato, lunch items, and lots of coffee drinks, including coffee cocktails. We ordered an Americano ($1.95) and a Chocolate Dream, which is Cappuccino with Govida white & dark chocolate liqueur. ($6.75).
Like all coffee shops you can enjoy wifi, and in the evening they turn the lights down to give it a relaxing, lounge-y feel.
Freeb!rds is like Chipotle, only much better. The chips and queso are perfect- fresh crispy chips with delicious queso that's just hot enough. You get to pick the size of your burrito, from 4 different size choices. We recommend the "Monster" size... it's between $6 and $7 (depending on whether you pick veggies, chicken or steak) and it's so huge that you can save half of it for lunch the next day.
This is the place we go for our cheap, greasy Chinese food needs. They deliver in the north-central Austin area, and you get free fried wontons if you spend at least $19.
