Illustration of a charming historic hotel café with bakery cases and morning light (illustrative, not the actual restaurant)

Menu Guide · Austin

1886 Café & Bakery — Menu Guide

By Firoz Khan · FK Digital Media

1886 Café & Bakery is the daypart café inside The Driskill — Austin's landmark hotel at 604 Brazos St. Opened on July 4, 2002, the café's recipes trace back to the Heritage Society's 1886 Lunchroom and to Helen Corbitt, the legendary Texas chef whose name still carries weight in the state. It's a breakfast-and-lunch room with a serious bakery case, holding a 4.4 Google rating across 951 reviews. Below is our independent walkthrough of the menu, with prices from the hotel's own official menu PDFs — each labeled by its date-era. Everything is written in our own words.

At a glance

Location
604 Brazos St, Austin, TX 78701 (inside The Driskill)
Concept
Café & bakery — breakfast and lunch only
Heritage
Opened July 4, 2002; recipes from the 1886 Lunchroom & Helen Corbitt
Price level
$$ — brunch plates $15–$26, pastries $5–$7
Reservations
Via OpenTable
Good to know
Daypart only — closes mid-afternoon

Hours

The hotel does not publish café hours on its official page. Third-party listings (RestaurantGuru, TripAdvisor, circa September 2026) report daily 6:30 AM–3:00 PM — breakfast and lunch only. Treat this as unverified on the official site and confirm before visiting.

Brunch menu

Prices below are from the hotel's official 2026-era brunch menu PDF (with 2023-era prices from a March 2023 PDF shown for comparison):

  • Texas-Shaped Pecan Waffle — $15 ($17.86 on the 2023 PDF): the signature dish, shaped like the state.
  • Chicken & Waffles — $19 ($24.86 in 2023).
  • Brazos Huevos Rancheros — $18 ($19.86 in 2023).
  • Traditional Eggs Benedict — $17; Hangover Omelet — $17.
  • Avocado Toast — $17; Texas Migas — $16; Bagel & Lox — $19.
  • Quiche Lorraine — $18; Fried Chicken Sandwich — $17; Steak & Eggs — $26 ($32.86 in 2023).
  • Driskill House Salad — $11.

Bakery

From the same official menu era:

  • 1886 Chocolate Cake — $8: the namesake dessert.
  • Butter Croissant — $5; Chocolate Pecan Croissant — $7; Cinnamon Roll — $7.

In-room breakfast prices (official PDF dated 03.01.26): Texas Waffle $14, Migas $21, Driskill Breakfast $21, Breakfast Bun $12, Smoked Turkey Club $24.

What we'd order

  • The signature: the Texas-Shaped Pecan Waffle ($15) — the dish the café is known for.
  • The hearty plate: Chicken & Waffles ($19).
  • The Texas classic: Brazos Huevos Rancheros ($18) or Texas Migas ($16).
  • Save room: a slice of 1886 Chocolate Cake ($8) — the namesake.
  • The budget move: a butter croissant ($5) and coffee in a landmark lobby.

Planning your visit

  • Morning only: the café closes mid-afternoon — this is a breakfast/lunch plan, not dinner.
  • Confirm hours: the hotel doesn't publish them officially; the 6:30 AM–3:00 PM window comes from third-party listings.
  • The Driskill itself: one of Texas's most storied hotels — the lobby and live-music history are worth the trip alone.
  • Pair it: our Geraldine's guide covers Austin's other essential hotel dining room, at Hotel Van Zandt.

Official links

About these prices

Brunch and bakery prices are from the hotel's official 2026-era menu PDF; comparison figures are from a March 2023 menu PDF and are clearly 2023-era, not current. Café hours are not published on the official site — the 6:30 AM–3:00 PM window comes from third-party listings (circa September 2026). Always verify with the restaurant before visiting.

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