Austin Convention Center – Dining

Good food isn’t hard to come by at the Neal Kocurek Memorial Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas. That’s because this facility features a quaint little café right on site, which serves coffee and other beverages, as well as attendee-friendly eats like pastries and packaged sandwiches.

Good food isn’t hard to find around the Austin Convention Center either. Within walking distance of the convention center are the JW Marriott Austin and Hilton Austin hotels. Both of these luxurious properties offer a handful of eateries between them, along with a few swanky bars for travelers looking to wet their whistle after a long day at the Austin Convention Center.

Foodies interested in experiencing a more authentic taste of Austin’s food scene can grab a bite to eat at local joints near the Austin Convention Center. Popular spots among conventiongoers include Caffé Medici, Downtown Burgers, and Iron Works Barbecue.

Whether you’re looking for a quick caffeine fix or a delicious meal after spending all day navigating the exhibit hall floor, you’ve got plenty of options to choose from during your stay in Austin. Check out the list below for more information about the aforementioned dining options in and around the Austin Convention Center.

 

Atrium Café

The Atrium Café is a quaint little concession stand that’s the perfect place for a quick morning pick-me-up or a midday snack. It is located on the first floor of the Austin Convention Center in an area known as the Solar Atrium, named for its towering floor-to-ceiling windows. Adjacent to the Atrium Café are a few tables where attendees looking to get off their feet can pull up a chair and relax for a while.

The food selection at the Atrium Café consists of what you would expect from a concession stand located in a convention center. Think snacks, sandwiches, and salads; the kind of stuff you’d find at a Starbucks. Beverage options include barista-crafted coffees and an assortment of bottled drinks.

 

JW Marriott Austin

Head less than a half-mile from the Austin Convention Center down East 2nd Street and you’ll find the JW Marriott Austin. This upscale downtown hotel holds the distinction of being the largest JW property in North America, and its numerous dining options reflect this.

On-site restaurants at the JW Marriott Austin include Burger Bar, Corner, and OP Italian. Burger Bar has the most casual atmosphere of the three, serving up Texas-sized burgers made using premium, locally bred beef topped with fresh, regional ingredients.

Corner and OP Italian are both slightly more elevated than Burger Bar but are not stuffy by any means. Corner’s menu consists of local favorites like ribs, steak, and tacos, while OP Italian specializes in traditional Italian comfort food classics, such as wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas and rich baked lasagna.

Also, it’s worth noting that Burger Bar and Corner are both open for breakfast as well. Burger Bar’s breakfast menu is a bit less extensive than Corner’s. It features a few breakfast tacos and one decadent breakfast burger topped with peppered bacon, a fried egg, and white Cheddar cheese. On the breakfast menu at Corner you’ll find tacos too, along with omelets, pancakes, and more.

If you’re in the mood for a drink, the JW Marriott has got you covered with the EDGE Rooftop Pool Bar and the Lobby Bar. In addition to their extensive selections of beers, wines, and specialty drinks, both of these bars also serve dishes like salads, pizzas, and tacos. If you prefer beverages of the caffeinated variety instead, the JW Marriott also features an on-site Starbucks.

 

Hilton Austin

Like the JW Marriott Austin, the Hilton Austin is located less than a half-mile from the Austin Convention Center. This four-star hotel features an on-site Starbucks too, as well as two other eclectic eateries, Austin Taco Project and Cannon & Belle.

As you could probably tell from the name, Austin Taco Project serves up a wide variety of taco creations. Their menu is divided up into two sections, Old School and New School. The tacos on the Old School section are filled with familiar ingredients like barbacoa, carnitas, and al pastor, while the New School tacos feature unconventional fillings, such as curried chicken and collard greens.

Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the menus at Cannon & Belle offer quite a bit more variety than what you’ll find at Austin Taco Project. For breakfast, Cannon & Belle puts a twist on classics with dishes like scratch-made biscuits topped with fried chicken and Creole mustard gravy. Their lunch and dinner menus feature everything from salads and sandwiches to pizzas and steaks, so finding something that suits your culinary fancy will surely come easy.

 

Local Restaurants

As great as the restaurants located in the JW Marriott Austin and Hilton Austin are, they might not be authentic enough for some discerning foodies. If that’s how you feel, no worries! There are plenty of legit local joints located within walking distance of the Austin Convention Center too.

If you’re in the mood for a warm, rich cup of coffee handcrafted by an expert barista, Caffé Medici will not disappoint. Their daily house coffee is the Trouble Maker blend by Wild Gift, a local small batch coffee roasting company. If you order an espresso instead, you’ll be enjoying the Orion blend by Minnesota-based Spyhouse Coffee Roasters.

When it comes to quick, cheap lunchtime eats near the Austin Convention Center, Downtown Burgers can’t be beat. Though it might not be much to look at, this unassuming little red stand really does serve up one of the best burgers in Austin. Patrons can top their burger with ingredients like lettuce, tomato, and onion, and for a few extra quarters, cheese and bacon. Make it a combo meal and you’ll get a side of fresh, crispy fries and a 12-ounce drink.

No trip to Austin is complete without sampling some of the mouthwatering barbecue the Lone Star State is famous for. Fortunately for you, Iron Works Barbecue is an authentic barbecue joint located practically right next door to the Austin Convention Center. They serve all the classics done right, from savory pulled pork to beef ribs as big as your head. Best of all, you can buy their sauces, rubs, and seasonings to put a Texas spin on your own home cooking.