Magnolia Cafe, on Lake Austin Boulevard

With two exceedingly popular and weird locales, the endearingly quirky Magnolia Cafe has become a gay Austin fave for its outstanding breakfasts served 24 hours, dishy waitstaff, and incredibly good food. These casual diner-style eateries specialize in healthful but filling regional American chow, from the gingerbread pancakes topped with pecans to the heart-stopping Manga Cristo sandwiches (battered and grilled sourdough packed with turkey, ham, bacon, Swiss, avocado, and tomato). Great burgers, chicken or beef fajitas, and a fabulous side known as the Neptunian Landscape (seasoned grilled potatoes with avocado, scallions, verde-lemon sour-cream sauce and Jack cheese) also deserve plenty of kudos. One branch (pictured here) is just west of downtown, along Lake Austin Boulevard, and another is in the infectiously offbeat South Congress Avenue strip of cool shops and restaurants.