Sawyer & Co.

Stepping into the front doors of Sawyer & Co in East Austin feels like entering a small portal to an old 1950s diner, where older waitstaff walk around with thick southern accents and a piping hot pot of coffee, ensuring your mug is never less than half-full (they’re optimists). The interior looks straight out of a movie scene, complete with mustard-yellow barstools set around a low-top diner bar, wood-paneled walls, and lots of muted pastel colors. The menu looks and tastes like what you’d find at a classic diner—with a little bit of Austin and New Orleans touches mixed in. That means you can expect to find dishes like a Cajun scramble with crawfish etouffee right next to a pork carnitas benedict with queso and biscuits. They won’t be the softest scramble or the fluffiest biscuits you’ve ever had, but they also won’t disappoint. Especially on a Sunday morning after a long night out. This is a place that’s at its best in the early hours of the morning—or during brunch on the weekends, when you may encounter a wait. Grab a coffee, immerse yourself in the old-school diner experience, and don’t be too surprised if you forget where exactly you are, until you step out onto a fairly quiet strip of East Cesar Chavez.