If you’re searching for great barbecue in the South Austin area, simply drop what you’re doing and head to Franklin Barbecue. This old-fashioned barbecue joint uses family cooking traditions passed down from generation to generation, but its brick and mortar location is the ideal blend of Austin’s signature eclectic decor and a sleek, modern flair.

The menu is very small, but each dish is so expertly prepared that you won’t even think of anything else. Plates and sandwiches made with chopped beef, pulled pork, sausage, and other smoked meats are served with your choice of pinto beans, slaw, or potato salad, and Franklin Barbecue has sold out of its famous pulled pork every day since its opening in 2009.

Hailed as one of the top barbecue restaurants in the country by Bon Appetit, the New York Times, Southern Living, and many other esteemed publications, Franklin Barbecue is an absolute must-try Austin restaurant.

Franklin Barbecue
900 E. 11th Street
Austin, TX 78702
(512) 653-1187
www.franklinbarbecue.com
www.yelp.com/biz/franklin-barbecue-austin

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/erik forsberg

Computer science knowledge is useful for just about any career nowadays, and these simple, affordable courses from Udacity can help you learn the basics of this interesting subject. With at-home lessons that you can complete at your own pace, you can master the basics of computer science in your free time with Udacity. Best of all, the courses are free to audit!

Introduction to Computer Science
Introduction to Computer Science teaches key concepts in computer science, as well as the basic steps for writing a computer program in the context of building a simple search engine. This course is split up into 11 lessons that you can complete whenever you’d like, and no prior programming knowledge is needed to enroll.

Web Development
If you’re a moderately experienced programmer who wants to learn the basics of how the web works, this course is for you. Throughout its seven lessons, Web Development will teach you how to build your own blogging application, process user input, use APIs, and much more.

Programming Languages
Programming Languages is a course designed to give students an introduction into the fundamentals of, you guessed it, programming languages. Over the course of seven lessons that you may complete at your own pace, you will learn how to specify and process valid strings, sentences, and program structures in order to build a simple web browser.

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/Eric Norris

A number of Yelpers swear that Patika Coffee serves the best cup of joe in Austin. That's quite a compliment for this little coffee truck, but it's not a surprise. You see, the staff at Patika are committed to brewing coffee with the precision of a scientist. Each espresso shot, cup of steamed or foamed milk, and carafe of water is heated exactly to the temperature that will bring out the beans' richest, deepest flavors, and the beans themselves are locally roasted and sourced from sustainable farms.

Try a rich, foamy cappuccino, or treat your sweet tooth to a vanilla latte. Austin locals who have grown fond of the Patika Coffee truck’s wares will be happy to know that the shop also operates a brick-and-mortar cafe in South Lamar, where the same meticulously crafted brews are available, as well as an eclectic selection of wines and delicious baked goods.

Patika Coffee
2159 South Lamar
Austin, TX 78704
(512) 535-3955
www.patikacoffee.com/southlamar
www.yelp.com/biz/patika-coffee-austin

CC-BY-SA-2.0/Flickr/cyclonebill