Better Half Coffee & Cocktails

Whether you’re working on your new script for a Netflix show about an eccentric retirement community of 20-somethings, or finishing that business plan for a startup that’s like Uber for dogs, you need a good all-day spot like Better Half. It’s a cafe on West 5th, and despite being just a few short blocks away from the busy streets of Downtown, it feels like a quiet neighborhood oasis dreamed up by young Austinites trying to reimagine little bits of millennial nostalgia for grown-ups—whether that’s in the form of 7-Eleven Slurpee-inspired frozen cocktails, or an order of crispy, fried cauliflower tots served with beet ketchup. 

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Better Half has one of the best patios in town, and when the weather is nice, there are very few better outdoor places to be (and a huge free parking lot doesn’t hurt, either). It’s difficult to tell where Better Half ends and its sister brewery, Hold Out, starts. At some point the cafe-pink picnic tables scattered about the massive shared patio start to turn brewery-brown. But it doesn’t really matter, because outside of an invisible line that cocktails aren’t allowed to cross (thanks, TABC), you, your food, and your beer can pretty much pass freely between the semi-permeable membrane separating the two spots. There’s also a smaller dining room, with a handful of booths and a bar where you’ll usually find regulars posted up on a stool, chatting with the bartender about the latest boozy slurpee invention. 

photo credit: Richard Casteel

photo credit: Richard Casteel

photo credit: Richard Casteel

By day, you can order excellent cold brews and espresso-based drinks—a perk of mentorship from one of its other sister coffee shop/bars, Brew & Brew. In the afternoons and evenings, there’s a great list of wines by the glass or bottle, cocktails, and draft beers brewed just a 15 second walk away. And the food menu doesn’t really follow any rules or structures, meaning you can course together a meal made up of pastrami-loaded queso, a cheeseburger, chilled ramen with fried chicken, and Basque-inspired burnt cheesecake with cherries. Or you can just get a giant salad and convince yourself that this is the year you finally decide to start training for that marathon/half-marathon/walk-around-the-block that you’ve been putting off. 

Food Rundown

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Cauliflower Tots

Mention Better Half to most people in Austin and they’ll probably say something about these cauliflower tots. They’ve become somewhat iconic, and for good reason—the crispy outside pairs perfectly with a plunge into some cold, sweet and tangy beet ketchup. A shared order of these is almost essential for the Better Half experience.

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Vermicelli Salad

Taking inspiration from Vietnamese bún bowls, Better Half’s cold rice noodle salad may not pack that as much fishy punch—it’s made with a vegan pineapple “fish” sauce alternative—but that doesn’t stop it from being a refreshing meal on a warm weekday afternoon. We like ours with grilled shrimp, but you can also keep this fully plant-based if you want to try a pretty decent vegan approximation of a Vietnamese bún bowl.

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Taiwanese Fried Chicken Sandwich

We’re still grateful for the Popeye’s fried chicken sandwich hysteria of a few years ago because of what it did for the sandwich at large, kickstarting a movement of fried chicken innovation that would eventually lead to this one here. There’s some mala spice coating a not-dry-at-all crispy breast, with a bit of freshness added from the zucchini noodle slaw.

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Better Half Cheeseburger

The cheeseburger is about as classic as it comes—with a semi-thick patty, bibb lettuce, american cheese, and red onions—and pretty well executed. We like to get this if we’re hungry during Happy Hour (or reverse Happy Hour), when the price gets knocked down by half. Otherwise, we’re probably getting our burger fix with the smashed version from Hold Out next door.

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Burnt Cheesecake

Better Half’s burnt cheesecake doesn’t have the soft, ooziness of its Basque counterpart. It’s more like a traditional cheesecake that spent some time in San Sebastián and decided to try and blend in. But the cherry preserve scooped over the whole slice is tart and tangy, providing some much-needed balance to the creamy center.