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Austin, Texas Food Tour Day 1 – Asian Fusion Food Truck and Bar

One of the best things to do in Austin, Texas is a food tripping, and that’s what I did on my first time in Texas, the Lone Star State.

I did an Austin Food Trip with Bold Food Tour for a 4 day trip of non-stop eating as we devoured Austin’s culinary scene. Here’s Day 1!

Did you know? Austin is on track to be the best BBQ city, with over 700 food trucks and a progressive food scene!

Also Read: Best Restaurants in Austin, Texas


Austin, Texas Food Trip Day 1 with Bold Food Tour including East Side King at Liberty, Small Victory Bar and InterContinental Stephen F. Austin Hotel.

Austin Day 1 Food Trip Itinerary

InterContinental Stephen F. Austin Hotel

For Day 1 of the Austin Food Trip, we all arrived in Austin and checked-in at the InterContinental Stephen F. Austin, one of the best hotels in Austin.

This four-star luxury hotel is located right at the heart of downtown near the Texas State Capitol, the Convention Center and right next to the Paramount Theater.

When you check-in, you get a welcome gift bag from Bold Food with a bunch of goodies, some of which are Texas-related.

I stayed in one of their Classic Rooms which was very spacious. The Queen-sized bed and pillows were all so comfortable, I had such deep sleeps in the 3 nights I stayed.

Four events were happening during our visit: Moontower Comedy Festival, MotoGP, Ob/gyn convention and the Statesman Cap 10K.

The hotel was very busy indeed especially since it was the Moonlight Comedy Festival’s homebase for actor interviews, after parties, etc. We got to see popular comedians like Patten Oswolt, Brian Posehn, Margaret Cho at the lobby.

Check availability and pricing for InterContinental Stephen F. Austin Hotel on Booking.com / Agoda

Classic Room at InterContinental Stephen F. Austin Hotel in Austin, Texas Food Trip

Website / Address: 701 Congress Ave, Austin, Texas 78701, United States


East Side King at Liberty

Everyone met at the lobby of InterContinental Stephen F. Austin Hotel at 6PM. If you haven’t met Muffie during check-in, you’ll meet her here.

Muffie is a neuroscientist turned culinary instructor, now, tour host and one of the most legit foodies I know.

In her foodie resume is deciding to go on a last minute trip to Copenhagen when a friend scored extra seat for Noma.

Once everyone was ready, we headed outside to meet Michael Lawsage of Texas Hill Country Charter and Limousine who took us around in a tour van for the rest of the tour.

With Austin’s food truck scene, it has become quite popular to have food trucks in the back patio of restaurants or bars. That’s how we kicked off the Austin Food Trip!

Our first night’s dinner was at East Side King at Liberty, an Asian fusion food truck owned by Top Chef winner Paul Qui. East Side King is a food truck parked on the back patio of Texas style dive bar, Liberty.

We got to try 8 of the 12 items on the menu, and it was quite a feast! This was just a precursor to how much food we’ll be having for the rest of the tour!

Thai Chicken Karaage from East Side King at Liberty in Austin, Texas
Thai Chicken Karaage: Deep-fried chicken thigh, sweet-spicy sauce, fresh basil, cilantro, mint, onion, jalapeño (Gluten Free)
Poor Qui’s Buns from East Side King at Liberty in Austin, Texas
Poor Qui’s Buns: Roasted pork belly in steamed buns, hoisin sauce, cucumber kimchi, green onion
Pork Belly Meshi from East Side King at Liberty in Austin, Texas
Pork Belly Meshi: Roasted Tender Belly pork belly, jasmine rice, kimchi, green onion, cucumber, beni shoga, furikake, spicy chili paste
Beet Home Fries from East Side King at Liberty in Austin, Texas
Beet Home Fries: Deep-fried roasted beets, kewpie mayo, schichimi togarashi, green onion
Brussels Sprout Salad from East Side King at Liberty in Austin, Texas Food Trip
Brussels Sprout Salad: Fried Brussels sprouts, sweet-spicy sauce, shredded cabbage, basil, cilantro, mint, onion, jalapeño, deep fried bun
Thai Chicken Karaage from East Side King at Liberty in Austin, Texas
Liberty Rice: Steamed jasmine rice, ginger, garlic oil, basil, cilantro, mint, onion, jalapeño, soy sauce
Katsu Meshi from East Side King at Liberty in Austin, Texas
Katsu Meshi: Panko fried pork shoulder, jasmine rice, kimchi, green onion, cucumber, beni shoga, kewpie, tonkatsu sauce
Fried Kimchi from East Side King at Liberty in Austin, Texas
Fried Kimchi: Fried cucumber kimchi, million dollar sauce, shichimi togarashi, green onion with million dollar sauce
512 Pecan Porter from 512 Brewing Company in Austin, Texas Food Trip
512 Pecan Porter from 512 Brewing Company

Website / Address: 1618 E 6th St, Austin, Texas 78702, United States

Also Read: Best Restaurants in Austin, Texas


Small Victory Bar

We were so full after East Side King, but the night was young so we decided to check out a cocktail bar recommended by Brandon Watson of the Austin Chronicle, who also joined us for the Austin Food Trip.

We headed to a small cozy bar, Small Victory Bar, located right next to the InterContinental Stephen F. Austin Hotel. Inside is very dark and intimate.

Cocktails at Small Victory Bar in Austin, Texas

When you enter, the left side is the bar with a row of bar seats and on the right side is a line of 7 tables good for 2-4 people each. At the end of the bar to the left is a round table good for 7-8 people.

One thing that’s interesting in the bar is you’ll find liquids stored in beakers which are used in making the cocktails.

Bold Food Tour Day 1 definitely was a great way to kick off the Austin Food Trip!

Beakers at Small Victory Bar during the Austin, Texas Food Trip

Website / Address: 108 E 7th St, Austin, Texas 78701, United States


MAP: Day 1 of Austin Food Trip

Here’s a map with all the places visited in the Austin, Texas food trip Day 1!


Huge thanks to Bold Food Co. for sponsoring this post! As always, all thoughts/opinions are 100% my own.


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