Austin City Limits Music Festival 2024: My five picks for where to eat at ACL Eats.

The Vitals:
the spot: CM Smokehouse two locations in Austin TX + ACL Eats
the eats: Brisket Crunchwrap 
the bucks: $17 
the full nelson: Texas BBQ meets Chef driven munchies 

As I looked over the food line up at this year’s Austin City Limits Music Festival, CM Smokehouse jumped as a must visit spot. Fun handheld foods are the move at a music festival and CM’s Brisket Crunchwrap is most certainly that.

Chef Cade Mercer loads a large flour tortilla with a generous amount of brisket along with all the other classic elements of the famous Taco Bell crunchwrap. Yes this one will cost you a lot more but as I said when I tried it last year, it’s the size of a small pizza and shareable.

The Vitals:
the spot: Shawarma Point multiple locations in Austin // @ACL Eats Main Food Court
the eats: Gyro
the bucks: $15
the full nelson: one of my fave ACL Eats

Another example of a handheld that shines at Austin City Limits Music Festival is the Gyro at Shawarma Point. Despite the Greek name, this Gyro has the feels of a Halal Cart style shawarma sandwich exemplified by the dueling drizzles of creamy yogurt and a fiery chili sauce. The pita is nice and buttery and does a great job of holding the bold flavors together.

The Vitals:
the spot: Mama Fried @ACL Eats Main Food Court
the eats: Chopped Beef Nacho Fries
the bucks: $16
the full nelson: Essential loaded fries that has been proven to fight hangovers

Sadly, Mama Fried closed its location in Austin but has been resurrected for the Austin City Limits Music Festival. I don’t often eat fries but make exceptions when they are loaded with chopped beef from one of the best barbecue restaurants in the state. Queso, pico de gallo and pickled jalapeños mean salsa isn’t required. Mama tried real good on this one folks.

The Vitals:
the spot: Lamba Royal Indian 80 Rainey St.  Austin TX 78701 // @ACL Eats main area
the eats: Spicy Lamb Curry
the bucks: $16
the full nelson: Solid Curry Fix

Curry might not be the first thing that comes to mind at Austin City Limits Music Festival, I’ll give you that. But consider the plethora of craft beers on tap and consider how well the aromatic spices from hoppy beer pair with the aromatic warming spices in a curry. For me, curry peaks with tender morsels of lamb which is what I have found year after year when I visit Lamba Royal Indian at ACL Eats.

The Vitals:
the spot: La Pachanga: located between the main merch tent and IHG Hotels  Resorts Stage
the eats: all star tacos and Mexican Smashed Burger!
the bucks: $-$$
the full nelson: What I am most excited for at ACL Eats

Far and away the La Pachanga line up is what I am most excited for about the Austin City Limits Music Festival, sorry Dua Lipa. The mashup of who’s who of taco giants in Austin is worthy of a Netflix series, or at least one on PBS. Many of these participants I have highlighted on this blog as well. I can only hope this dream of a food court lives up to my lofty expectations.