The video above follows a full day in East Austin, Texas — starting with a rough morning after a late night of music and winding through the neighborhood's food spots, live music, and a crawfish-fueled party at Industry. It's an honest look at what this part of Austin feels like on a Sunday during South by Southwest wind-down, complete with hungover walks, ramen, and a set at a packed outdoor event.
What Is There to Do in East Austin?
East Austin around the East 5th Street corridor has changed a lot. It's a gentrified stretch now, lined with tall apartment complexes, lofts, and ground-floor restaurants and shops. There's a light rail station nearby with walking and biking paths connecting the area, and the sidewalks are wide enough to handle the Sunday crowd of dog walkers and joggers. The food and drink options lean trendy — JuiceLand for a morning juice, Ramen Tatsu-Ya for one of the best bowls of ramen in Austin, plus spots like Hopdoddy Burger Bar, Stout's Pizza, Brew & Brew, and Snooze (expect a brunch line). It's walkable, convenient, and easy to spend a whole day in without needing a car.
Live Music Venues Featured in the Video
A few spots come up during this East Austin day, and they're worth knowing about:
- Sam's Town Point — A South Austin honky tonk and dive bar known for late-night live music sets. The bands here ran over their set times and ignored the noise ordinances, which tells you everything about the vibe.
- The White Horse — A popular East Austin honky tonk with live music seven nights a week and multiple acts per night. On this particular Sunday afternoon, Think Lizzy was playing to a daytime crowd.
- Industry — An East Austin event space and bar that hosted the "Take Back Austin" party as South by Southwest wound down. The day-long event featured crawfish, well-priced beer, and a lineup that included DJ Kyle Ourtrip, Benji Lamar, and David Bridwell, who closed things out with an original set for a rowdy, well-fed crowd.
What Does "Take Back Austin" Mean?
"Take Back Austin" is an informal event that happens as South by Southwest wraps up. It's basically the locals and music industry folks reclaiming the city after weeks of festival chaos. The version shown here took place at Industry on the east side, with affordable crawfish, day drinking, and live music from afternoon into the evening. It's less about any official organization and more about the collective exhale once the out-of-towners head home. David Bridwell played a set there and described the crowd as energetic, happy, and very ready to eat and drink their way through the rest of the weekend. If you're ever in Austin at the tail end of SXSW, these kinds of gatherings are where the real city shows up.