WHERE TO CELEBRATE FOURTH OF JULY IN AUSTIN WITH FOOD, DRINKS, PARTIES, AND EATING CONTESTS
Fourth of July weekend begins this week — Thursday, July 4 through Sunday, July 7 — which means it’s time to start thinking about outdoor parties, grilling, ice-cold drinks, and the like. The summer holiday and the big fireworks show and concert along Vic Mathias Shores mean there are a lot of food and drink events around the city.
Here is Eater’s guide to the food and dessert specials, parties, eating contests, and more, all happening in Austin during the long holiday weekend.
Wednesday, July 3
- Casual restaurant Better Half is hosting its Honky Tonk Amnesia again, which will play records from Willie Nelson’s 1980 Fourth of July Picnic show while offering food and drink specials starting at 5 p.m. (406 Walsh Street, West Austin)
Wednesday, July 3 through Thursday, July 4
- =Bakery mini-chain Tiny Pies’s summer holiday menu includes a large American flag pie with cherries and blueberries and star-shaped hand pies in cherry and bluebery flavors. Everything is available for online preorders for pickups. (multiple locations)
Thursday, July 4 through Sunday, July 7
- Hill Country brewery Jester King is hosting a whole bunch of fun events and specials for the very long holiday weekend. On the actual Fourth, it’ll host a free concert by the Rhinestone Renegades, have a floral market stand from Nutty Brown Farm, frozen sweets from SNOasis Shaved ice, and food specials like the hatch green chile burger. It’s also running a waterslide all weekend long. And then on Friday, it’s hosting hot dog pop-up Zee’s Weiner System. Its Fourth hours are from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday hours from 11 a.m. to 9.m.; and Sunday hours from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. (13187 Fitzhugh Road, Hill Country)
Thursday, July 4
- Rhode Islander hot dog pop-up Zee’s Wiener System is providing the franks for the hot dog-eating competition at the Mohawk with fun prizes and live musical performances. Tickets are $10; interested competitors must buy a ticket and fill out the online form; and the event begins at 3 p.m. (912 Red River Street, Downtown)
- Sour brewery Blue Owl Brewing is hosting a party full of games (including a watermelon-eating challenge), small corn dogs, patriotic-colored-themed frozen slushies, and its new Tiger’s Blood sour beer (inspired by sno cones). The first 30 guests will get free sparklers and a Casey’s New Orleans Snowball Stand coupon. There will also be $3 beer drags and $5 to-go growler specials all day. It runs from 2 to 8 p.m. (2400 East Cesar Chavez Street)
- Neighborhood bar Nickel City is hosting its coney dog-eating contest again this year. Sign-ups take place in person starting at 2 p.m. with the actual showdown at 4 p.m. There will be $3 coney dog specials as well as highball whiskey drinks. (1133 East 11th Street, Central East Austin)
- Barbecue restaurant LeRoy & Lewis is hosting its first-ever hot dog-eating contest for the Fourth starting at noon a.m. Entry is done in a lottery-style way where people can enter to participate in person, and the restaurant will chose five random people from that, who will then compete with five restaurant staffers to finish 10 hot dogs first. The restaurant is also hosting a cake walk benefitting nonprofit Southern Smoke at 1 p.m., and then a 3 p.m. best dressed contest, plus an all-day dunk tank. The general festivities begin at 11 a.m. (5621 Emerald Forest Drive, Garrison Park)
- Cocktail bar Daydreamer is offering free hot dogs for the Fourth, with the option to add caviar for $10, from 6 p.m. until everything runs out. Then there are beer, small martini, and frozen margarita specials all day long. It’s open generally from 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. (1708 East Sixth Street, East Cesar Chavez)
- Sports bar and restaurant Black Sheep Lodge is running its corn hot dog-eating contest again at 2 p.m., along with food and drink specials. People who would like to enter should email [email protected], and there’s a $20 entry fee, which goes towards nonprofit Helping Hand Home for Children. (2108 South Lamar Boulevard, Zilker)
- Black Sheep’s sibling bar Haymaker is also bringing back its annual pickled egg-eating contest for the Fourth. $20 entry fees and a portion of the day’s sales will go towards Helping Hand Home for Children. The contest begins at 4 p.m.; those who would like to compete should email [email protected]. (2310 Manor Road, Cherrywood)
- New American restaurant Launderette is hosting a seafood boil again for the holiday. The $75 boil includes lobster, shrimp, clams, mussels, sausages, corn, and potatoes, plus family-style sides, and desserts. Reservations for dine-in and takeout orders have to be placed online. Dine-in service is from noon to 8 p.m., with takeout orders available from 3 to 5 p.m. (2115 Holly Street, Holly)
- The Line Austin hotel’s rooftop bar P6 is hosting a fireworks viewing party with welcome cocktails, food, a DJ set, games, and more from 7 to 11 p.m. Tickets are $75. (111 East Cesar Chavez Street, Downtown)
- Outside of Austin, Egyptian-Texan barbecue truck KG BBQ is throwing a barbecue/honky-tonk/pool party for the Fourth at hotel/events venue/ranch Rancho Moonrise. Expect smoked meats and foods from KG, cocktails from Austin distillery Fierce Whiskers, beers from Central Machine Works, two-stepping lessons, the pool, a market, and more. It runs from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., with food starting at 12:30 p.m. VIP tickets are $49.99, which comes with a rice bowl from KG, a canned seltzer, a beer, and access to the concerts; general admission tickets are $29.99 and only come with live music access. (20117 Lockwood Road, Manor)
- The next series of the Carpenter Hotel’s barbecue and pool parties lands on the Fourth, which will include foods like smoked spare ribs, hot dogs, and peach cobbler; live music by Thebrosfresh, and a la carte drinks. Tickets are $55 and it runs from 2 to 6 p.m. (400 Josephine Street, Zilker)
- Similarly, the next of Hotel San Jose’s First Thursday series also falls on the Fourth. On deck will be preview pizza from the forthcoming Loudmouth (margherita, barbecue chicken, and then the not-pizza summer salad), with a live perforamnce by the Pearlsnap Playboys. It runs from 5 to 9 p.m. (1316 South Congress Avenue, Bouldin Creek)
