Hi friends, this is one of those weekends where the hard part is choosing. The World Cup is still on and the US plays Friday, it is a holiday weekend, and the East Side is busy from Friday morning on.
Three things, as always: one barbecue trailer worth building an afternoon around, one easy Friday plan plus what else is happening around it, and one new city rule worth knowing if you rent here. Here is your weekend.
Eat, this week
Southeast, at Meanwhile Brewing · $$ · 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday to Sunday
Distant Relatives is Damien Brockway’s modern African-American barbecue, served out of a resident trailer at Meanwhile Brewing in Southeast Austin, and it earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand for the reason you would hope: very good cooking at a fair price. Brockway was a James Beard Best Chef: Texas semifinalist in 2022. Order the chicken with chile vinegar butter first, since that is the dish Michelin singles out, and after that let the counter tell you what is on, because the board changes daily with the season: it might be burnt ends with black-eyed peas, or smoky spice-rubbed peanuts. Meanwhile is a big, family- and dog-friendly yard, so make an afternoon of it. I would aim for Friday or Saturday, since the kitchen is catering an offsite event on Sunday and its Sunday hours may run short.
Do, this weekend
Inn Cahoots, East Austin · the US plays Friday · free with RSVP
The US plays Australia on Friday afternoon, and the easiest place to catch it is the East Side: Austin FC has taken over Inn Cahoots for the whole tournament and is showing every match free with an RSVP, through the final on July 19. A holiday Friday, a big match, a patio. That is a plan. The other thing worth knowing is that this is Juneteenth weekend, and the East Side marks it in earnest. The Central Texas Juneteenth Parade steps off Friday at 10am at Leona Street and East Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard, with a fun run from the same corner at 7:45am, and it carries into a festival at Rosewood through the evening. On Saturday the blocks around the George Washington Carver Museum fill up: the Carver Kickback runs 11am to 4pm with barbecue, music, and vendors, and the Carver Branch Library next door runs its own program from 11:30am to 3:30pm. Both of the Carver events are free and all-ages. It is June in Texas, so wherever you land, bring water and a hat.
Know, this week
If you rent in Austin, or you are about to, the city just changed the rules in your favor. The City Council passed an ordinance, signed into law on June 12, that requires any landlord with five or more units to hand you a written, itemized list of every fee before you apply or sign: application fees, move-in fees, the mandatory monthly add-ons, all of it. Listings will have to show the real monthly cost, base rent plus any required fees, instead of a teaser number that balloons at signing. The rules phase in by building size, starting with larger complexes on October 1 and the rest on January 1, 2027. Almost three in five Austin households rent, so this is one of those quiet changes that touches a lot of us. If a landlord skips the disclosure once it is in effect, you can file a complaint with the city.
Worth bookmarking
The Austin barbecue list I keep texting people.
Tell me one thing
Where do you post up to watch a big match in Austin? I am putting together a list. Reply and tell me. I read every one.
See you next Thursday. If someone you know keeps asking where to go this weekend, forward this to them.
