Fun fact, the first restaurant I ever visited in Austin was Kerbey Lane Cafe. That day included many Austin-y things including Hope Outdoor Gallery, Mount Bonnell and Kerbey Lane. Also I just learned that the Hope Outdoor Gallery is scheduled to be demolished here soon for condos and now I’m pretty sad. It is such a fun place for people to express themselves with graffiti in a legal way. So if you are planning a trip to Austin before June, make sure to check it out. Sorry, back on track now, it was a good day with great people and I loved experiencing Austin for the first time.
I have since gone back to Kerbey Lane, at a different location, but still had a great experience. The two locations were different, but had similar feels. They both felt welcoming and fun. The location I went to most recently was on William Cannon in Southwest Austin. It was somewhat modern with an open feel. They display a decent amount of Austin newspaper clippings and other memorabilia. They seem to really be proud to be a part of the Austin community.
At the current time they have eight locations around the city. They serve traditional American food. And breakfast all day, which I absolutely love. Breakfast foods are my jam. I should say sweet breakfast foods, mostly. Since going gluten free I have eaten way too many eggs and am starting to despise them. I only eat them if there is absolutely no other option.
At the time of my first visit I was not blogging, or keeping much record of what I ate, so I think I got pancakes, but can’t quite remember. If I was a betting gal I would say I got pancakes. But anyways, this last time I switched it up a bit and ordered gluten free french toast. I do not remember having french toast much as a kid, and because of that I have always skipped over it at restaurants. Part of the reason I got french toast is because I did not want the weekly special pancake. After the fact I realized the weekly special was not my only option, but oh well.
The french toast was pretty good. I do not know what gluten free bread they use, or if they make their own, but it was impressive. It had good taste and texture and best of all it did not fall apart on contact. If you’ve every had gluten free bread you know what I am talking about. Honestly I wish it was a bit sweeter, but maybe french toast is not supposed to be super sweet. Like give you cavities on the spot sweet. Although it was good I do not know that I will get the french toast again. Not because it was bad, but more based on the fact that I prefer pancakes. I am happy I tried it, and most importantly I had no gluten problems with the food.
Of all the places in Austin so far, I would say if you have a limited amount of time to check out Kerbey Lane. Maybe the people I went to Kerbey Lane with the first time exaggerated or hyped it up more than necessary. But they made me feel like it was an Austin institution. Like nothing could be more Austin than Kerbey Lane. Even so, I do think it is a fun, family friendly, local restaurant with good food. I will be back for pancakes. Oh and they sell their gluten free pancake mix, so even if you do not get a chance to sit down and eat, you can have a partial Kerbey Lane experience with their pancake mix at home.
And to be clear their gluten free options do not stop on their breakfast menu. They have gluten free buns for sandwiches as well as some naturally gluten free options. So if you don’t love breakfast as much as I do, don’t be fearful of not having options.
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