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A meat dish from Dai Due
A meat dish from Dai Due
Dai Due [Official]

Where to Eat Near Bass Concert Hall in Austin for ‘Hamilton’

Don’t throw away your shot at a great pre-show dinner

by Nadia Chaudhury
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A meat dish from Dai Due
| Dai Due [Official]
by Nadia Chaudhury

The University of Texas Austin’s Bass Concert Hall is considered the city’s biggest live performance venue, hosting everything from live theater to musicals to concerts to discussions to comedy. Most notably, the campus-area venue is currently playing host to the Tony, Pulitzer, and Grammy-award winning musical Hamilton for the next three weeks starting tonight through Sunday, June 16. If you were so lucky to snag tickets to the sold-out shows or attempting to luck into those $10 lottery tickets, you’re going to want to eat before or after the event.

With that, here are Eater’s best restaurant and bar bets around Bass Concert Hall area, which includes campus, north campus, downtown, and Cherrywood. There are dive bar eats at Posse East, comforting Southern food from Hoover’s Cooking, beer garden vibes at Scholz Garten, upscale meals at The Carillon, and more.

Missing any favorite restaurants or bars near Bass Concert Hall below? Let Eater know through the tipline or within the comments.

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Sao Paulo's

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For Brazilian, head to Central Austin restaurant Sao Paulo’s, where hearty entrees include its bobo de camarao, which consists of shrimp and yucca cooked in coconut milk, plus steaks, galinhada (rice with proteins like chicken or shrimp), cheese rolls, and more. The casual table-service restaurant is open for lunch, plus dinner on Thursday through Saturday

3815, 2809 San Jacinto Blvd, Austin, TX 78705
(512) 473-9988
(512) 473-9988

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Posse East

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For perfect dive bar eats and drinks (think sandwiches, chilis, chili cheese fries, tots, burgers, etc., etc.), head to Posse East. The north campus spot is open the daytime, evenings, and late nights.

2900 Duval St, Austin, TX 78705
(512) 477-2111
(512) 477-2111

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Hole In the Wall

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Want an easy, late night drink in a dark space? Campus dive bar Hole in the Wall is your answer on the Drag.

2538 Guadalupe St, Austin, TX 78705
Hole in the Wall
Hole in the Wall
Robert J. Lerma/EATX

Aster's Ethiopian Restaurant

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Ethiopian is done right at Central Austin restaurant Aster’s right next to I35. The menu is full of classic east African dishes like the national dish doro wat, a spiced chicken and egg stew; spongy injera, kitfo (essentially spiced steak tartare), and lentils. Lunch is served buffet-style, while dinner is table-service.

2804 N Interstate Hwy 35, Austin, TX 78705
(512) 469-5966
(512) 469-5966
Clumbs of bright Ethiopian food with folded injera on a plate
Aster’s Ethiopian food
Aster’s Ethiopian Restaurant/Facebook

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Caffé Medici

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For pick-me-up coffees, head to Caffe Medici’s Drag location on campus. There are said-caffeinated drinks made with espresso, as well as house coffees available during the daytimes into the early evenings.

2222 Guadalupe St B, Austin, TX 78705
(512) 474-5730
(512) 474-5730
A drink from Caffe Medici
A drink from Caffe Medici
Caffe Medici/Facebook

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Dai Due

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The Cherrywood restaurant Dai Due is very focused on all things seasonal and local, which leads to creative and delightful dishes that are typically meat-focused since there’s a butcher shop component too. There’s wild boar confit, deer tartare, and steaks and pork chops, plus weekly specials, like the Sunday night fried chicken and the Friday night seafood feast. The table-service spot is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and brunch.

2406 Manor Rd, Austin, TX 78722
(512) 524-0688
(512) 524-0688
Brunch at Dai Due
Brunch at Dai Due
Dai Due/Facebook

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Hoover's Cooking

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Good ol’ Texas and Southern comfort food can be found at Cherrywood restaurant Hoover’s with an abundance of fried chicken, chicken fried steaks, jerk chicken and ribs, seafood-stuffed po’ boys, and, of course, pie. The table-service restaurant is open for lunch and dinner daily.

2002 Manor Rd, Austin, TX 78722
(512) 479-5006
(512) 479-5006
Hoover’s chicken fried steak
Hoover’s chicken fried steak
Hoover’s Cooking/Facebook

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El Chile Cafe y Cantina

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Across I35 is casual Cherrywood Tex-Mex restaurant El Chile, which is open for lunch, dinner, and brunch. On deck at the table-service spot are plentiful margaritas, tacos and puffy tacos, enchiladas, rellenos, and more.

1809 Manor Rd, Austin, TX 78722
(512) 457-9900
(512) 457-9900
Enchiladas at El Chile
Enchiladas at El Chile
El Chile/Facebook

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The Carillon

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Those looking for a fancier, high-end dinner should head to campus restaurant the Carillon, tucked away within the AT&T Center. The New American menu spans seafood to ribeyes to soft-shell crab to panna cotta, all for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

1900 University Ave, Austin, TX 78705
(512) 404-3655
(512) 404-3655
Carillon’s rack of lamb
Carillon’s rack of lamb
Carillon/Facebook

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Scholz Garten

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Indulge in some fresh air at historic beer garden Scholz Garten, which is great for larger groups. On tap is a lengthy beer list with an emphasis on German and Austin brews, as well as German spirits. The German-Texas food menu is full of wursts, pretzels, and schnitzels. The northern downtown restaurant is open for lunch and dinner.

1607 San Jacinto Blvd, Austin, TX 78701
(512) 474-1958
(512) 474-1958

Also featured in:

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Sao Paulo's

3815, 2809 San Jacinto Blvd, Austin, TX 78705

For Brazilian, head to Central Austin restaurant Sao Paulo’s, where hearty entrees include its bobo de camarao, which consists of shrimp and yucca cooked in coconut milk, plus steaks, galinhada (rice with proteins like chicken or shrimp), cheese rolls, and more. The casual table-service restaurant is open for lunch, plus dinner on Thursday through Saturday

3815, 2809 San Jacinto Blvd, Austin, TX 78705
(512) 473-9988
(512) 473-9988

Posse East

2900 Duval St, Austin, TX 78705

For perfect dive bar eats and drinks (think sandwiches, chilis, chili cheese fries, tots, burgers, etc., etc.), head to Posse East. The north campus spot is open the daytime, evenings, and late nights.

2900 Duval St, Austin, TX 78705
(512) 477-2111
(512) 477-2111

Hole In the Wall

2538 Guadalupe St, Austin, TX 78705

Want an easy, late night drink in a dark space? Campus dive bar Hole in the Wall is your answer on the Drag.

2538 Guadalupe St, Austin, TX 78705
Hole in the Wall
Hole in the Wall
Robert J. Lerma/EATX

Aster's Ethiopian Restaurant

2804 N Interstate Hwy 35, Austin, TX 78705

Ethiopian is done right at Central Austin restaurant Aster’s right next to I35. The menu is full of classic east African dishes like the national dish doro wat, a spiced chicken and egg stew; spongy injera, kitfo (essentially spiced steak tartare), and lentils. Lunch is served buffet-style, while dinner is table-service.

2804 N Interstate Hwy 35, Austin, TX 78705
(512) 469-5966
(512) 469-5966
Clumbs of bright Ethiopian food with folded injera on a plate
Aster’s Ethiopian food
Aster’s Ethiopian Restaurant/Facebook

Caffé Medici

2222 Guadalupe St B, Austin, TX 78705

For pick-me-up coffees, head to Caffe Medici’s Drag location on campus. There are said-caffeinated drinks made with espresso, as well as house coffees available during the daytimes into the early evenings.

2222 Guadalupe St B, Austin, TX 78705
(512) 474-5730
(512) 474-5730
A drink from Caffe Medici
A drink from Caffe Medici
Caffe Medici/Facebook

Dai Due

2406 Manor Rd, Austin, TX 78722

The Cherrywood restaurant Dai Due is very focused on all things seasonal and local, which leads to creative and delightful dishes that are typically meat-focused since there’s a butcher shop component too. There’s wild boar confit, deer tartare, and steaks and pork chops, plus weekly specials, like the Sunday night fried chicken and the Friday night seafood feast. The table-service spot is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and brunch.

2406 Manor Rd, Austin, TX 78722
(512) 524-0688
(512) 524-0688
Brunch at Dai Due
Brunch at Dai Due
Dai Due/Facebook

Hoover's Cooking

2002 Manor Rd, Austin, TX 78722

Good ol’ Texas and Southern comfort food can be found at Cherrywood restaurant Hoover’s with an abundance of fried chicken, chicken fried steaks, jerk chicken and ribs, seafood-stuffed po’ boys, and, of course, pie. The table-service restaurant is open for lunch and dinner daily.

2002 Manor Rd, Austin, TX 78722
(512) 479-5006
(512) 479-5006
Hoover’s chicken fried steak
Hoover’s chicken fried steak
Hoover’s Cooking/Facebook

El Chile Cafe y Cantina

1809 Manor Rd, Austin, TX 78722

Across I35 is casual Cherrywood Tex-Mex restaurant El Chile, which is open for lunch, dinner, and brunch. On deck at the table-service spot are plentiful margaritas, tacos and puffy tacos, enchiladas, rellenos, and more.

1809 Manor Rd, Austin, TX 78722
(512) 457-9900
(512) 457-9900
Enchiladas at El Chile
Enchiladas at El Chile
El Chile/Facebook

The Carillon

1900 University Ave, Austin, TX 78705

Those looking for a fancier, high-end dinner should head to campus restaurant the Carillon, tucked away within the AT&T Center. The New American menu spans seafood to ribeyes to soft-shell crab to panna cotta, all for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

1900 University Ave, Austin, TX 78705
(512) 404-3655
(512) 404-3655
Carillon’s rack of lamb
Carillon’s rack of lamb
Carillon/Facebook

Scholz Garten

1607 San Jacinto Blvd, Austin, TX 78701

Indulge in some fresh air at historic beer garden Scholz Garten, which is great for larger groups. On tap is a lengthy beer list with an emphasis on German and Austin brews, as well as German spirits. The German-Texas food menu is full of wursts, pretzels, and schnitzels. The northern downtown restaurant is open for lunch and dinner.

1607 San Jacinto Blvd, Austin, TX 78701
(512) 474-1958
(512) 474-1958

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