Retail Roundup: Balcones Village Area Shopping, Dining and Entertainment

Balcones Village is conveniently located near many of North Austin’s most popular dining and shopping spots. For instance, the neighborhood is just a few minutes away from both The Arboretum and Lakeline Mall, two of Austin’s most frequented shopping centers.

The Arboretum is a wooded, open-air mall that features more than 40 stores and restaurants, as well as open picnic areas and a large playground. Some of the most popular retailers include Pottery Barn and The Gap, Orvis, and Restoration Hardware in addition to a number of popular restaurants like The Cheesecake Factory and Brio Tuscan Grill.

Lakeline Mall is one of Texas’ biggest malls. It houses more than 150 retailers, services, and restaurants. The spacious mall includes anchor stores Dillard’s, Macy’s and Sears, as well as American Eagle Outfitters, Bath & Body Works, Express, Gap, Image, Lakeline Day Spa, and Old Navy. A few of the mall’s popular restaurants are Applebee’s, Chile’s, Frullati Café, Little Tokyo, Los Canarios Fine Mexican Cuisine, Phil’s Philly Grill and Simon’s Sushi.

Even More Shopping Nearby

Four other shopping centers are 15 minutes away or closer, including theDomain, Gateway, Arbor Walk, and 1890 Ranch. Together, these shopping centers host almost 250 more fine retailers, department stores, specialty stores, boutiques, services, and restaurants.

The Domain is home to premium natural food grocers Whole Foods Market. A deluxe HEB-Plus is about five minutes away, merging gourmet aspects of HEB’s Central Market grocery stores with the convenience of their mainstream stores.

Fresh Sushi and Mouth-Watering Cajun

The neighborhood is close to all kinds of restaurants, from the dramatic to the cozy. For instance, there is the exciting Midori Sushi, where skilled chefs prepare the freshest seafood right in front of customers, or Bartlett’s, an upscale steakhouse and restaurant with a dining room rich in dark paneling and high-backed booths.

Stuffed Cajun Meat Market is a popular restaurant offering soul-satisfying creole and Cajun food. Famous for their three varieties of scratch-made house boudin sausage, the place also offers stellar red beans and rice, jambalaya, etouffee, po’boys, and more. In addition to the dining room menu, they also offer a long list of mouthwatering food they’ll prepare for you to serve at home or at your next party or event.

Unique Gourmet Sandwiches

The Noble Pig, also known as Noble Sandwich Company, reflects its creators’ love of trattoria fare in fine dining, as well as a love for scratch cooking. Both the breakfast and lunch sandwiches that have made Noble Pig so popular use only high-quality ingredients and are crafted with care.

Lunch classics like BLTs and club sandwiches appear beside unique creations like Thai chicken, duck pastrami, creole catfish, and, of course, the Noble Pig Sandwich itself — sporting spicy ham, pulled pork, provolone, and bacon.

Breakfasts include sandwiches and stuffed biscuits with ingredients including house-smoked bacon, house-made chorizo, and fresh eggs from local farms. Diners also indulge in favorites like oatmeal and waffles as start-of-the-day options. Because the Pig is immensely popular and still gaining new fans, they sometimes run out of items before the end of the day, so get there early and indulge your inner epicurean.