Austin City Limits Music Festival prides itself on featuring predominately local eateries, so if you don’t have much time to explore the city outside of the fest, never fear: ACL offers a full range of foods from revered local establishments.
Over the years, the fest has mirrored its commitment to booking diverse musical acts by consistently upping its culinary game, which emphasizes the city’s flourishing foodie culture by including fine-dining restaurants with adapted menus, in addition to typical chains and street food.
With more than 70 culinary mainstays featured throughout three food centers — ACL Eats, ACL Sweets, and ACL Eats South — making choices can get a little overwhelming. So, we’ve highlighted a handful of options below that are sure to hit the spot, whether you’re running from stage or looking to relax for a few moments between sets.
OKO
Adapted from the fine-dining, family-style format offered at its brick-and-mortar location in East Austin, OKO offers fest-friendly Filipino fusion grab-and-go options. The monok chicken skewers were our go-to: juicy and tender chunks of chicken with a blend of lightly grilled and lime zest flavor that melts on the tongue. You can eat them straight off the skewers, or create a wrap using the provided roti flatbread. Its crepe-like quality adds a sticky sweetness to the savory poultry, resulting in a combined texture bordering on decadence, but not overwhelmingly rich — a meal’s worth of mouthfuls for a reasonable price.
Salt & Time
Though this locally beloved butcher shop shuttered last summer, it’s still making waves with comfortably high-brow-low-brow options at the fest. The sole entree, a wagyu smash burger, does the trick, featuring the classic ingredients of pickles and American cheese on a top-quality patty (or two, for a few extra bucks). The meat is moist but not overly greasy, the bun lightly toasted, and the pickles notably fresh, providing a satisfying crunch (add bacon for extra crispiness). It’s a perfect walking-friendly option for those needing to keep moving quickly, and we’d recommend pairing it with the beef fat french fries. They’re thick and flavorful but light enough that the full meal will fill you without inducing sluggish-ness that might prevent you from staying hyped from the headliners.
Cuantos Tacos
Austin is synonymous with tacos, so if you’re looking to check that box while enjoying the fest, this award-winning trailer (recipient of a 2024 Michelin Bib Gourmand award) is spot-on. The menu offers a straightforward mix: a trio of either suadero, carnitas, or campechana tacos, or a quesadilla with your choice of the three proteins. In our opinion, suadero is the way to go — it’s basically Mexico City-style brisket topped with traditional and fantastically fresh cilantro, chopped onions, and lime.
A lot of taco joints fall short with the corn tortillas (the only option here), but these are perfectly grilled. You know it’s the real deal when it’s not under-cooked and crumbly, and this one won’t break while you bite. Opt for red or green salsa to top it off, or get adventurous and combine the two. Both provide a nice kick, but not so spicy as to overwhelm on ACL’s notoriously scorching days.
Four Brothers Venezuelan Kitchen
Food fit for eating in transit is essential at a festival, and of this restaurant’s half-dozen options, the pork arepa hits the mark. Don’t be fooled by the generous amount of dough (masarepa) used to form the two “buns.” It’s not your typical cornmeal, soft and silky rather than dry and bread-y, and packed with a proportionate amount of slow-cooked, shredded pork bursting with flavor and topped with melted cheddar cheese and garlic sauce. Though you can chow while walking without spilling since it’s conveniently wrapped in foil, its generous juiciness does result in some sticky fingers, so make sure you have a moment to clean up after taking it down.
Saigon Le Vendeur
Carbs, fiber, and protein — all three are necessary to endure at ACL. Might as well make it tasty and healthy with banh mi from the fest-adapted menu of this East Austin Vietnamese staple. We chose the spicy chicken (time for some lean meat after all that pork), which comes packed in a fresh baguette. And we mean seriously fresh — the bread was soft as if straight out of the oven. Topped with gloriously chilled cucumber and shredded carrots, it hit the mark. For an extra kick and a touch of garlic, drizzle on some of their signature hoisin sauce.
We also needed to test the vegan option, a pair of fried tofu spring rolls. These were simple yet filling: an evenly spread slab of flavorful, firm tofu wrapped alongside clean, crispy greens. Pair it with the homemade peanut sauce for best results.