24-Hour Restaurants in Austin

A filibuster had paralyzed the Texas Senate and it looked like it would be an all-nighter.

The Secretary of the Senate summoned one of his young assistant sergeants-at-arms - despite the title mostly a page in function - and told him to collect some money from a certain lobbyist and then go buy the 31 Senators some doughnuts.

Yes, sir, I said, and soon left with a $20 bill on a mission.

The assignment seemed simple enough. Alas, I found nothing open in Austin at that time of the night. Finally, in desperation, I went to the bus station and purchased six stale doughnuts, all they had.

Fighting tears at the certainty my government career had ended quicker than a bill opposed by the Lieutenant Governor, I returned to the Capitol with the half-dozen doughnuts only to find that the lawmakers had settled their beef and adjourned for the night. I got to keep the doughnuts and the change.

That was in 1965, which Austin had about 225,000 residents. Today, in this city of nearly three-quarters of a million, any young man or woman faced with a similar task would have no problem finding a multi-course meal at any time of night, not to mention fresh doughnuts.

Austin has four notable 24-hour restaurants - two of them with multiple locations -- in addition to numerous franchise operations like IHOP, Denny's and Jim's. But unless I'm desperate, I prefer the home-grown places.

Here's my ranking:

No. 1: Kerbey Lane Café: Ever crave pancakes at 2 a.m.? Kerbey (yes it has a second "e") Lane www.kerbeylanecafe.com is the place to satisfy that hunger. I particularly like their ginger pancakes.

The original Kerbey Lane Café, aptly enough, is located at 3704 Kerbey Lane in the heart of the city. Other Kerbey Lane's also operate around-the-clock at 12602 Research Blvd. (the far North Austin outlet), 2700 S. Lamar Blvd. (South Austin) and 2606 Guadalupe (the University of Texas area.)

Kerbey Lane has the most extensive menu of any of the city's all-night eateries. Entrees range from pecan-crusted trout at $11.95 to the ginger pancakes I like, which are $3.95 for a short stack. The cafe also has its own bakery, which produces desserts that should be illegal if you're a calorie counter.

No. 2: Magnolia Café www.cafemagnolia.com , with two locations, not only stays open around the clock, its food is available "24/8" as its Web site proclaims.

The original location is in South Austin at 1920 S. Congress. But the second location at 2304 Lake Austin Blvd. in West Austin has been around nearly as long.

Magnolia's offers breakfast anytime of the day to accommodate people like me who think an omelet makes a perfectly fine supper. Of course, they also have salads, sandwiches, burgers, Mexican food, and pasta.

Nothing on the menu costs more than $9.95, and only a couple of items at that. Most of the fare is in the $6-$7-and-change range. Like Kerbey Lane and Star Seeds (described below), Magnolia also offers ginger pancakes. But I learned to love them at Kerbey Lane and will stick with theirs. On the other hand, I like Magnolia's omelets much better.

No. 3: Star Seeds Café: Weird name, but hey, Austin's unofficial slogan is "Keep Austin Weird." Located at 3101 N Interstate 35 www.starseedscafe.com right in the middle of the city, there's nothing weird about the food. It's good and served in plentitude.

Testing the menu for this article, I had a veggie omelet that was bigger than I could eat. My wife had chicken wraps she enjoyed and my daughter, who lives up to the Austin slogan in her eating, had chocolate chip pancakes. (I told you.)

The place used to be decorated in keeping with its stellar-sounding name, but these days only one section of wall retains any cosmic décor. The motive for the rest of the place is hip urban diner, with black booth cushions and counter stools. Various artsy photos line the walls and Christmas lights add cheer year-round.

The waiter was so cool and friendly he reminded us of The Fonz. It not being too crowded, he sat near us on one of the counter stools reading a paperback until our food appeared in the kitchen window. He had an attitude, but it was a good attitude.

Prices are modest, the menu ranging from salads and soups to sandwiches and breakfast items. They also have burgers and assorted entrees, including chicken fried steak with gravy, mashed potatoes and corn for $8.95.

No. 4: Katz's. As its slogan declares, "Katz's never closes." And the restaurant at 618 W. 6^th St. www.katzneverkloses.com has been open since 1979. Visitors from New York will feel right at home here, where the ambiance is Big Apple deli.

The prices may seem low to New Yorkers, but to locals, they seem New Yorkish.

Pricing aside, you get what you pay for and plenty of it. The menu consists of New York deli-style to Jewish kosher. I like the lox and bagel, but dinner choices range from a 10-ounce New York prime rib for $18.99 to a $4.50 Hebrew National hog dog with sauerkraut. And though you can get pancakes all the other three 24-hour places listed here, Katz's is the only place in Austin you can get potato pancakes.

Finally, since these places do operate around the clock, all of them are subject to being crowded after the final curtain at theaters, the last showing at the movies, sporting events and concerts. Also expect a surge after the bars close at 2 a.m.. But hey, that's why they operate around the clock, to accommodate the after-hours set.