Need to knows:
Stroller or sling? Stroller
Baby friendly restrooms? Yes
Parking validation? Yes, 50% off — keep your receipt
Oh y’all, Fareground Austin is *everything.* If you’re not familiar, it’s Austin’s first food hall, with 6 eateries featuring made to order global cuisine. It’s a posh food court downtown in the 111 Congress building, and it’s a great little outing for you and that baby. The ambience is buzzy yet laid back, there’s plenty of outdoor seating, and there’s bougie touches like a little retail marketplace where you can buy things like pecan oil, fresh flowers, and cookbooks of local haunts.
There’s an easy to navigate parking garage just off Cesar Chavez Street and Congress. We recommend parking on the third level — right next to the elevator — and bringing the stroller. Once inside hit the “P” button for Fareground, and you’ll walk down a short hallway to get to the food hall.
You’ll walk past their retail marketplace on your way in, and there’s an Israeli street food eatery to your right. The other options are all just past the bar and laid out in a semicircle. There are plenty of healthy options, but we opted to check out the farm-to-table style Henbit. Their kale salad with harissa chicken was tasty.
Make sure and get a receipt with whatever you order, because that will be your parking validation. Without that it’s something like $7 for 30 min, so don’t forget. The QR code on top is what you’ll scan to validate, so if it doesn’t print properly ask for help at the bar and they’ll give you a code.
They text once your order is ready, so in the meantime you can hit the restrooms if nature is calling. They are just past the Taco Pegaso stand, and they have a baby changing table in the ladies’ to the left past the first few stalls.
There’s plenty of indoor seating, but the outside is a great experience if there’s space. There’s a few tables tucked neatly under a shade and another couple of tables with umbrellas, so it should be fairly easy to snag a spot in the shade.
The bar serves up coffees, teas, wine, beer, and some delicious looking cocktails if you’re so inclined. I was lusting after the watermelon mezcal margarita yet abstained, and I regret it. Don’t be like me — get the drink. They’re actually open until 9 pm most days, so it’s also a good option for happy hour.
Fareground is an Austin Baby winner! Check out their website for more info.
Austin Baby 