Austin’s eponymous diner achieves that throwback mid-century look with pastel-colored walls and booths, and a collection of kitchen mixers in pinks, greens, yellows, and blues. As it should, everything feels a little grimy, but still homey. A mural near the front door depicts Bevo and several armadillos preparing to chow down on pancakes, and that’s exactly what you should order. Although we don’t really get the pancakes with “cottage cheese baked right in” (we can’t tell them apart from regular ones), they’re still pretty good: they’re fried cakes. Otherwise, the menu’s a mix of Tex-Mex and standard American fare. For breakfast, there are three-egg omelettes served with two sides, like hash browns (real, shredded ones!), bacon, or toast. The omelettes are firm but not overcooked—they’re quite hefty, and the price is right.

Lunch specials include soups of the day and comfort food like turkey meatloaf. Tortilla soup is mild and cheeseless, but heavily garnished with chips, sour cream, and guacamole; there’s a chile relleno in spicy gravy; and cheeseburgers are huge and come in a handy paper wrapper that will help you keep it all together. Those are garnished with delicious pickles that are extra dilly. We love the onion rings—they’re golden, crunchy, and come with just the right amount of grease (which any good diner should have).