Launderette

Housed inside (you guessed it) a converted laundromat from the 1960s, Launderette is one of the most attractive restaurants on the East Side. A few blocks away from the hustle and bustle of East Sixth, it’s a great spot for a quiet dinner or a romantic date night, but it’s also bright and airy enough to be one of our favorite brunch spots in Austin. Just don’t come here with a sack of dirty clothes—those days are long gone. 

photo credit: Holly Dirks

In many ways, Launderette is very “Austin.” It’s a place to enjoy fancy small plates in a very pretty atmosphere, where you’ll feel perfectly welcome in a nice polo or in your favorite sundress. It’s unstuffy and unpretentious, with a bright and airy dining room that feels just as well-suited for second dates as it does for Sunday brunch. But the biggest draw here is the patio—it wraps around half of the building, dotted with tables, couches, and big blue and white umbrellas that look like they belong on a beach somewhere in Greece. It’s where you want to be on a weekend afternoon when the weather is nice. 

photo credit: Richard Casteel

The menu is vaguely Mediterranean leaning, but it falls more into the “New American” category that kind of pulls from a lot of global influences. That means you can expect to find things like beet hummus with labneh or a striped bass crudo, right next to sticky pork ribs with a sweet chili sambal or an ultra-simple, yet perfectly balanced burger. But the overarching theme that spans the menu is light and bright. Most of the menu feels like something you can eat when you’re just feeling a little peckish, but you still need to get to yoga in the morning. Whether you’re ordering off their brunch, lunch, or dinner menu, you’ll probably want to finish your meal with the birthday cake ice cream sandwich—just don’t ask them to sing any songs when they bring it out.

Food Rundown

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Roasted Carrots

This is a small plate of roasted carrots with turmeric yogurt, carrot top chutney, and spicy puri chips. It just sounds fun, and for the most part, it is. It’s bright, with a great balance of textures. Our carrots came out undercooked though, but if anything it just made the whole dish feel a little healthier.

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Crab Toast

The crab toast is one of our favorite items off the “snacky bits” part of the menu. The crab is slightly sweet, the fennel aioli is creamy, and the caper-mint vinaigrette adds some brightness to it all. When we think of Launderette, our mind goes to dishes like this.

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Plancha Burger

Launderette’s burger is one of the few items on both the dinner menu at the brunch menu, and fittingly so. It’s refreshingly simple—petite, with american cheese and thin pickles on a challah bun. As much as we love this burger, we don’t like to make a full meal out of it (we’d miss out on too much other fun stuff). Grab one of these for the table and cut it into halves/thirds/quarters so everybody can enjoy a couple of bites.

photo credit: Roger Ho

Birthday Cake Ice Cream Sandwich

We can’t think of a single item at Launderette that people associate more closely with the restaurant than this—it’s become one of the most iconic desserts in Austin. It’s a simple ice cream sandwich with all the flavors of a birthday cake (plus sprinkles on top). The cookie is just a bit doughy, but in a way that prevents it from firming up and cracking like some ice cream sandwiches do.