Austin · Zilker & South Lamar
Cafés in Zilker & South Lamar
Proud Mary from Melbourne on South Lamar, a coffee bar in a 1948 union hall and Radio’s patio on Menchaca Road.
Photo: Drone Task Force, Pexels License
Zilker Park covers more than 350 acres where Barton Creek meets the Colorado River. Andrew Jackson Zilker sold and donated the land to the city from 1917, with the proceeds going to a trust for Austin's public schools, and it was named Zilker Metropolitan Park in 1934. The Austin City Limits Music Festival fills it for two weekends each fall.1
Barton Springs Pool, inside the park, is filled by springs from the Edwards Aquifer and stays between about 68°F (20°C) and 74°F (23°C) all year. It opens daily 05:00–22:00 but closes for cleaning from 09:00 to 19:00 on Thursdays.2 Most of the area's cafés are on South Lamar Boulevard, between the 1100 and 3600 blocks.
Local tip: On a summer morning, swim at Barton Springs from 05:00 and then get coffee at Proud Mary on South Lamar, which opens at 07:00; skip Thursdays, when the pool closes 09:00–19:00.2
At a glance
14Cafés listed
2With opening hours
07:00Earliest opening
23:00Latest closing
- Opens earliest: Proud Mary, from 07:00 (Daily 07:00–16:00).
- Closes latest: OPA! Greek Cafe, until 23:00 (Daily 08:00–23:00).
- Most listed streets: South Lamar Boulevard (4), S Lamar Blvd (3).
- Most common features: outdoor seating (21%), takeaway (14%), open late (7%).
Proud Mary
- Wi-Fi
- Outdoor seating
- Takeaway
- Specialty
Barley Bean
Barley Bean
Catahoula Mama's
Funky Sol
Hot L Coffee
- Outdoor seating
- Takeaway
- Wheelchair access
Love Lamp Matcha
Maha Coffee 78704
Patika
Purr-Fecto Cat Lounge
Radio Coffee & Beer
Stonehouse Coffee Bar
Irie Bean Coffee & Wine Bar
Nothing matches those filters here. See all cafés in Austin.
Coffee chains in Zilker & South Lamar
Chain
Starbucks
Show 5 locations
Chain
Medici Roasting
- 1100 South Lamar BoulevardDaily 07:00–19:00
Chain
Merit Coffee
- 1105 South Lamar BoulevardDaily 07:00–19:00
Chain
Dutch Bros Coffee
Proud Mary and the South Lamar strip
Proud Mary, a roaster that Nolan and Shari Hirte founded in Melbourne's Collingwood in 2009, opened its 2,500-square-foot Austin café in 2022.3 It is at 2043 South Lamar, open daily 07:00–16:00, with Wi-Fi and outdoor seating.
Funky Sol is at 2027 South Lamar, OPA! Greek Cafe at 2050 (daily 08:00–23:00), Patika at 2159, the Purr-Fecto Cat Lounge at 2300 and Maha Coffee 78704 at 2324. Stonehouse Coffee Bar is closer to the river at 1107 South Lamar, and Barley Bean farther south at 3600.
A coffee bar in a 1948 union hall
The Carpenter Hotel at 400 Josephine Street took over the hall of Carpenters Local 1266, built in 1948; the original building now holds the front desk, the café and the restaurant, Carpenters Hall. The hotel opened in fall 2018 with 93 rooms, and its coffee bar serves coffee, tacos and pastries in the morning and cocktails in the evening.4
The Austin Chronicle's review of Carpenters Hall named the café Hot L Coffee and described the outdoor seating area added around the old hall.5 Hot L Coffee has wheelchair access and serves takeaway.
Radio on Menchaca Road
Radio Coffee & Beer at 4204 Menchaca Road pairs an espresso bar with cocktails and local craft beer, has a patio and live music, and opens at 07:00 seven days a week.6 Catahoula Mama's is at 1305 West Oltorf Street, and Love Lamp Matcha at 1601 Barton Springs Road.
Trails and gardens from the park
The Roy and Ann Butler Trail loops around Lady Bird Lake beside the park, and the Violet Crown Trail heads south from Barton Springs Pool to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Zilker Botanical Garden, near the center of the park, holds the Zilker Gardens Festival every spring.1 Outside the pool's fence, a free stretch of water is nicknamed “Barking Springs”.2
Heat and festival weekends
Average highs in July and August often reach 95°F (35°C) or more, so a park visit works best early.7 Fed by springs, Barton Springs Pool holds roughly the same temperature in January as in August.2 During the two Austin City Limits weekends in the fall, the park fills with festival crowds.1
Sources
- Zilker Park, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
- Barton Springs Pool, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
- Proud Mary Coffee, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
- About Carpenter Hotel, Bunkhouse Hotels, accessed October 2026
- Carpenters Hall Is Smart, Beautiful, and Almost Annoyingly Cool, The Austin Chronicle, accessed October 2026
- Radio Coffee & Beer, Radio Coffee & Beer, accessed October 2026
- Austin, Texas, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
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FAQ
Zilker & South Lamar cafés: questions
When did Proud Mary open its café on South Lamar in Austin?
Proud Mary, a Melbourne roaster founded in Collingwood in 2009 by Nolan and Shari Hirte, opened its 2,500-square-foot Austin café in 2022. It is at 2043 South Lamar Boulevard near Zilker, open daily 07:00–16:00, with Wi-Fi and outdoor seating.
What is the water temperature at Barton Springs Pool in Austin's Zilker Park?
Barton Springs Pool is filled by springs from the Edwards Aquifer and stays between about 68°F (20°C) and 74°F (23°C) all year. It opens daily 05:00–22:00 but closes for cleaning from 09:00 to 19:00 on Thursdays.
Where is the coffee bar in the Carpenter Hotel near Zilker in Austin?
The Carpenter Hotel at 400 Josephine Street occupies the 1948 hall of Carpenters Local 1266. The original building holds the front desk, the café and the restaurant Carpenters Hall; the coffee bar, Hot L Coffee, serves coffee, tacos and pastries in the morning and cocktails in the evening.
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