This #SundayBrunchBucketList goes to a new hotspot on the block. While we always love tried and true for our weekend furloughs into farm fresh fare with a side of sparkling spirits – there’s something so fabulous about stumbling onto the new and never-before. Every delicious bite of benedict is a blissful reminder of how current and cool your Insta is about to be, while each sip of a salty-rimmed chilled bloody Mary is a swarthy, validated path into new & perfect brunch territory.
Photo Credit: Nick Simonite
We’ve had our little eye a-spy on the beautiful, recently opened South Congress Hotel since earlier this year when we heard Violet Crown, the hospitality supergroup behind a few of our favorite Austin venues – La Condesa/Malaverde and Hotel Ella, were opening a South Congress sweet spot. The renderings themselves made us weak in our proverbial celebratory knees and it does not disappoint. In fact, friends, they’ve brought bespoke back to boutique hotels and it’s beautiful thing.
Photo Credit: Nick Simonite
Imagine packing up a group of your gorgeous gals, bachelorette party bound for Austin, Texas - not hell-bent on hell-raising but whiling away the weekend at what feels like a one-stop shop of curated experiences tailor-made for you and your crew. You’ll settle into a suite (or two) - think mahogany colored leather sofas, mid-century modern accents, clean lines and Aesop bath products. Bestie bonus? The Bunkroom suite has two sets of queen bunk beds with pillow-top mattresses. But this is just the bespoke beginning.
Photo Credit: Nick Simonite
Rom-Coms Before Brunch With Your Besties
Maybe you hit the town on Friday night on the bikes South Congress has rented you from their onsite rental shop. If you’re not ready for rowdytown, don denim polkadot & stripes robes - Alamo Drafthouse has curated a selection of 40 complimentary films for guests who can also connect their personal electronics to Apple TV to stream content from Hulu and Netflix. Netflix and chill… hello.
You wake up on Saturday morning and grab a freshly pressed and restorative juice from Manana, the onsite juicery and coffee bar. You and your pals head to the radiant rooftop pool where you indulge in intimate chit chat and a poolside mani-pedi. Hip NYC-based Tenoverten nail salon is now open at the hotel - and you can opt for their new "Austin" shade of blue polish, an homage to the denim culture.
Photo Credit: @thevuvobandit
Brunch Bucket List Attire
Before you head into your reservation at the onsite & soon-to-be-opened sushi restaurant, Otoko, helmed by James Beard Foundation Award winner and Top Chef Winner Paul Qui, you’ll need to slip into something seriously chic from Sunroom. A perfectly curated boutique-within-this-boutique hotel – jewelry, homegoods, clothing, it’s like your favorite fashion blogger’s supremely stylish closet.
BFF Bachelorette Brunch Bash?
Now, imagine sitting around a Sunday brunch after a weekend celebrating your bachelorette bestie at a gathering spot that thinks of nothing else except your good time and what that means. You stroll into South Congress Hotel’s Café No Se and sit down. You’re deep in the heart of Texas, but you swear you feel the cool, California breeze on your face.
Whitewashed wood walls with perfect pops of azure blue within carefully curated artwork reminds you of a beach house you once wish you stayed in, in Malibu. You take a seat on a stool around a reclaimed wood table surrounded by butcher blocks, shelves heavy with books, curios, perfect plants and your favorite friends. Everything is very ladies-who-lunch-lovely - but also have a tatttoo... or two.
Currently Craving
You start with a round of custom Café No Sé coffee, blended by local roaster Cuvée Coffee. Maybe you move into dishes like avocado toast with soft-boiled egg, crème fraîche, and aleppo pickled carrot and ricotta gnudi with grilled corn, charred sugar snap peas, and basil. It’s what we’re currently craving.
You know a Sunday brunch wouldn’t be complete without a treat and if there’s anything to sacrifice calories for it’s 2015 James Beard Foundation Award semifinalist and Top Chef: Just Desserts contestant Amanda Rockman’s desserts. Try the Kir Royale paleta featuring a currant raspberry popsicle, raspberry mint salad, and prosecco pour-over (which honestly should be a requirement for every dessert).
You finish off with a round of mimosas - or three. It is a celebration after all. You look around that table, in that moment and you see all the best times of your life reflected in those faces.
Soooo.... Wanna meet us at Café No Sé?
