Eat Up! Bacon Specializes in One of Austin’s Favorite Foods

Editor’s Note: Bacon closed at its West 10th Street location in October 2016, due to flooding vulnerability. Owner Jed Taylor hopes to open at a new location soon.

This guest blog article is by Cindy Plata.

When I first heard about a restaurant opening in Austin called Bacon, I just knew it would be something I’d have to try. I mean, a whole restaurant dedicated to the deliciousness that is bacon? Yes, please! It took me two long years, but I finally made my way, making sure to go with an empty belly and an open mind. I didn’t know what to expect walking in, but I knew it’d be good.

Follow the Pig and Find Bacon

Bacon is located on 10th and Lamar at 900 W. 10th St. It’s much smaller than I had anticipated, but hard to miss. The building itself looks like a bright yellow house with blue trimming from the front, and once you turn and see the oh-so-distinctive sign in the shape of a pig, you know you’re in the right place.

Once inside, my friend and I were able to see just how small the restaurant really is. The employee behind the walk-up counter was friendly and enthusiastic when we told him it was our first time there. When we asked if he had any recommendations, he basically said everything was good (as any loyal employee would). But he went on to give us a couple of his personal “stand-out” dishes, and showed us the three flavors of bacon for the day. With Bacon having over 20 different flavors of bacon to choose from, they give their customers three different options each day. I chose the crispy bacon for my sandwich, while my friend chose the Cajun bacon for his.

Bacon’s Menu

Despite the many flavors of bacon, Bacon’s menu is pretty simple. At first glance, you see old breakfast favorites, with a slight “Bacon” twist. They have the Bacon Waffle that has bacon baked into the waffle and is topped with sliced bananas. Another breakfast favorite is their Biscuits and Bacon Gravy.

Perhaps the best thing about the menu items is that Bacon serves breakfast all day long! The menu also has sandwiches, salads, breakfast tacos, and their own take on a burger: The Double Grind Burger. It consists of a ground steak and bacon blend with all the veggies, and house mayo.

While I was torn between breakfast and a burger, I decided to try something completely different. I ordered the Bacon Reuben, a sandwich with corned bacon, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, bacon, pickles and Russian dressing on marbled rye bread with fries for my side. My friend ordered the Broken Yolk BLT, a sandwich made with two eggs over easy, bacon, romaine, tomato, and house mayo on Texas Toast. His plate did not come with a side, so he decided to order some Bacon Fries as a side for us to share.

Ah, Bacon!

When our food arrived, we were ready to divide and conquer! My Bacon Reuben was fantastic! The sandwich was big and overflowing with ingredients. I have never had corned bacon before, so I didn’t know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised. It had a consistency of pulled pork, and tasted similar. The corned bacon, pulled together with the sauerkraut, bacon, cheese, dressing, and bread, made for a flavorful meal. My fries were thin, crispy, and slightly salted.

The Bacon Fries were covered with cheese, bacon, sour cream, and chives. There was more than enough for the both of us to share. We did just that, but we were more interested in the sandwiches sitting before us. We both ended up trying the other’s sandwich, and agreed that both were really good! My friend’s Broken Yolk BLT tasted like a delicious, messy breakfast, rolled into one massive sandwich. It had an extra kick with the Cajun bacon, the perfect choice!

The real winner here is no surprise: the bacon, of course! I honestly would have been one happy girl if they’d just given me a few slices of bacon and nothing more. My friend and I were so pleased with the bacon itself, that we actually asked the General Manager, Sarah, if they ever thought about selling bacon by the pound for customers to take home and cook. I know I’m not the only one who would buy it because, yes, it’s THAT good!

Bye, Bye Bacon

Although I was pleased with my meal, and my friend with his, I would definitely like to go back and try their most popular menu item, which oddly enough is their Chicken and Waffles. Chicken and Waffles is the most popular item at a place called Bacon? Well, this IS Austin, so it makes perfect sense to me!

If you haven’t been to Bacon, it’s definitely worth checking out, if for nothing else but the bacon alone. Who knows what flavors you’ll get to choose from on the day of your visit, but I can guarantee they’ll be good. As their General Manager Sarah said: “Everything’s better with bacon, we just make better bacon.” Yes, you do, Sarah. Yes, you do.

 

@cynplata asks:

Will you be paying Bacon a visit soon?

 

Cover photo courtesy of Bacon on Facebook.