For the past few Sundays, hubster and I have ventured to new brunch places after our morning church service. I don’t think we’ve done this enough times to qualify it as a tradition. Actually, I’m not even sure what the quantitative figure is to create a tradition, but let’s just say we are on our way to Sunday brunch becoming one. We drove down South Congress on a beautiful, sunny fall day in Austin, Texas, only to stop at a red light in front of Central Standard Austin, an eatery within South Congress Hotel. Slowly, we looked at each other and we knew. We needed to brunch here.
PARKING
If you’re from Austin, you know finding parking on South Congress or nearby is an absolute nightmare. We parked in the South Congress Hotel parking lot and made the short walk to Central Standard. You can also valet park for the same amount, so take advantage of the complimentary valet parking. We only learned about that after we had already parked. More of these SOCO neighborhoods require parking permits, so definitely valet park!
DÉCOR
Oh my geeeez, Central Standard Austin is absolutely gorgeous. It screams mid-century modern and is so pleasing to the eyes. My architect husband spent fifteen minutes (give or take) breaking down why all the structures and design ideas were so cohesive, but I didn’t even mind! I actually semi-understood, and his excitement for Michael Hsu (the architect who designed the hotel) is justified. From the beautiful chairs to the amber water glasses, this place is sure to give you some design inspiration. Whether you’re looking for an intimate dinner party or a bigger birthday party, you can rent out this space.
SERVICE
I have literally nothing negative to say. Service here is efficient, prompt, relaxed, friendly, and attentive. We drink a lot of water, and we never had to ask for water once. Our server gave my husband some recommendations that weren’t the highest-priced item on the menu (BINGO). By the way, we were able to just walk in and get a table, but if you’d prefer to make a reservation, go ahead and do that here.
FOOD
Obviously, I have to talk about the food! They serve brunch at the Central Standard on both Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. You can check out their brunch menu here. I went for the ostentatious and very delicious French toast. It consists of griddled potato bread, salted peanut ice cream, and fruit jam. It was incredible! Yes, it was very sweet, but oh man my sugar tooth, sorry I mean teeth, were satisfied. I took most of my ice cream off of the French toast, but there was still a fair amount within the griddled potato bread.
Although I went for sweet, my hubster went for savory. He ordered their cheeseburger, which consisted of cremini mushroom butter, cheddar cheese, caramelized onion, bacon, and house fries. He keeps saying how fantastic that burger is, and he’s a burger snob my friends.
FINAL THOUGHTS
After brunch, we also walked to a coffee shop within the hotel called Café Mañana. Here, we enjoyed delicious lattes and just chatted away for the next couple of hours as our brunches digested. It’s kind of crazy how much time we can spend at this hotel without being a guest at this hotel. That just speaks to what an incredible space South Congress Hotel is. You can enjoy yourself at one of the many bars, restaurants, stores, or even the nail salon! If you’re up for it, I’d encourage you to stay at this hotel.
