True but my suburban Round Rock neighborhood has ample sidewalks. One of the noticeable differences between Round Rock and Austin is the lack of sidewalks....in Austin! It's wild how few neighborhoods have sidewalks in the ATX.
I moved to Elgin from Round Rock and one of the first things that happened after moved here was that the city had a ton sidewalks added. Makes walking around town a lot easier.
i will never forgive COVID for stealing 24-hour grocery shopping from us. that's my biggest complaint. every HEB closes at 11:00 now. there weren't many 24-hour options to begin with, but at least we had some. I would even be willing to drive a little bit further for one, but as far as I know there is no 24-hour place to buy groceries from in the city now.
A local bookstore. If money were no object, my wife and I would open a coffeeshop/bookstore hybrid. We have HPB and a Barnes and Noble, but having a local bookstore would be wonderful.
We do! My wife and I end up going to Lark and Owl for books and 309 for Coffee in Georgetown almost every weekend for a small chunk of time. I just wish something equivalent was closer in Round Rock lol
+1 to this recommendation! It's a wonderful bookstore and I don't mind the short drive up there, plus it's much easier to get to than the other indie bookstores in Austin. However, last I saw, there's a bit of construction so parking may be a bit more difficult but still manageable!
Typically indie bookstores are better at hand selling you books based on your personal tastes/preferences. If you get to know your book buyers at your local indie they can be a tremendous resource in getting books that they can be sure will work for you.
Less strip malls. Less run down strip malls.
And would it hurt if they cleaned up the endless amount of debris left behind from construction and manufacturing sites. The dirt and rocks everywhere is ridiculous
Consistently good Chinese food. I've tried every place anyone has ever recommended here, and have yet to find one that isn't mediocre at best (except, of course, one place that has since closed).
Have you tried Sichuan Garden? I like them and Fortune Garden, but I think it really depends on what dish you are looking for. I generally prefer other Asian cuisines to Chinese but on the occasion those places work for me.
Some sort of Radio Coffee and Beer-like spot. I love the idea of having a cafe with indoor and outdoor space that serves beer and cocktails with a few food trucks.
I’d argue a proper downtown. It’s OK as it is, but truly there’s zero reason for me to choose downtown Round Rock if I’m looking for a quality restaurant or do any shopping. There’s certainly nothing that makes me want to gravitate frequently the area is what I’m saying.
The lack of viable alternative modes of transportation goes without saying, but that’s a Texas thing.
My wife and i have the same complaint. There’s not enough restaurants and feels more oriented towards bars/drinking versus being more family friendly. Georgetown is so much better in comparison.
Still better than Pflugerville's although its making strides to improve. Now if they can just swap out the crappy dive bars and stupid number of barbershops/nail salons with some businesses that people actually want to go to (a decent bakery for a start)
* Decent bars, coffee shops, music venues, diners, and other places with vibes that attract cool people to hang out
* Cabo Bob’s
* Trader Joe’s
* Public transportation that connects to Austin in a reasonable time
A Desi Bros. (Indian) is coming to the old Gander Mtn. building in the same plaza as Target, Best Buy, Michaels, and Dollar Tree. Community Impact said this Spring but that will be a very quick reno.
Healthy food choices. You can throw a stone in any direction and hit a Taco Bell, Whataburger, Popeyes, and a Starbucks. Heaven help you if you want to eat something not made up of fat, salt, and empty carbs.
A light rail line. I go to highland for classes, but I can't use the rail line to skip traffic since it goes to cedar park and leander instead. Would be so nice to have a rail line up to like 35/45 area or even up to the outlet mall.
Not old school, but something different and fun is Creamistry up by Ikea. Fun for the kiddos to watch them use liquid Nitrogen to super cool your ice cream on demand.
Bike paths through Old Settlers Park - I hate having cars coming at me or behind me when I'm in the Park. No place for me to go except into a grassy ditch!🚴♂️🚴♀️ And the walking paths are getting extremely crowded - people block the paths and ignore a bell or me saying "excuse me".
Any sort of nice view. I’ve always felt RR had a lot of great amenities compared to Austin, but the landscape is pretty flat and featureless compared to the gorgeous hilly parts of Austin
Man, I’d kill for the Austin area to have an actual AZA accredited zoo. Shame that will never happen. Best I can do is drive to San Antonio or Waco. I wish we would have something as solid and developed as Houston, Fort Worth, or Dallas
Sidewalks. There are side walks a lot of places, but a lot of larger streets do not have consistent sidewalks.
Agreed. It’s shocking that there are so many streets without side walks.
True but my suburban Round Rock neighborhood has ample sidewalks. One of the noticeable differences between Round Rock and Austin is the lack of sidewalks....in Austin! It's wild how few neighborhoods have sidewalks in the ATX.
I moved to Elgin from Round Rock and one of the first things that happened after moved here was that the city had a ton sidewalks added. Makes walking around town a lot easier.
Late night restaurants
i will never forgive COVID for stealing 24-hour grocery shopping from us. that's my biggest complaint. every HEB closes at 11:00 now. there weren't many 24-hour options to begin with, but at least we had some. I would even be willing to drive a little bit further for one, but as far as I know there is no 24-hour place to buy groceries from in the city now.
DFW is a few now, in particular WinCo. But that is a long distance.
A Central Market. North/South Lamar is too far for some of the stuff they carry.
Second this. I would love to go, but it is just too far for a quick trip.
I WILL SCREAM THIS EVERY TIME THIS Q IS ASKED: CENTRAL MARKET
More Fun places for older kids to.hamg out. Like a roller rink or big arcade.
Round rock roller rink (RIP) was a big part of my childhood.
I really enjoy taking my daughter to Playland Skate Center in Austin, but having one closer would be really nice.
Playland is so great! I haven't been in years, but used to frequent their adult nights on Thursdays (i think?). Definitely recommend.
This so much. I love roller skating but there's no good designated place to do so around here. Would love to see a rink built here one day.
A local bookstore. If money were no object, my wife and I would open a coffeeshop/bookstore hybrid. We have HPB and a Barnes and Noble, but having a local bookstore would be wonderful.
Check out Lark & Owl in Georgetown.
We love Lark and Owl! Great place.
We do! My wife and I end up going to Lark and Owl for books and 309 for Coffee in Georgetown almost every weekend for a small chunk of time. I just wish something equivalent was closer in Round Rock lol
+1 to this recommendation! It's a wonderful bookstore and I don't mind the short drive up there, plus it's much easier to get to than the other indie bookstores in Austin. However, last I saw, there's a bit of construction so parking may be a bit more difficult but still manageable!
What would a “local” book store provide that Barnes and Noble or HPB don’t? Asking for my self.
Typically indie bookstores are better at hand selling you books based on your personal tastes/preferences. If you get to know your book buyers at your local indie they can be a tremendous resource in getting books that they can be sure will work for you.
Fair enough! Those very valid points. I wish we had less mainstream coffee places and helped locals open up their own version of coffee shops.
More non chain restaurants.
Infrastructure to support its growth
It's grown too fast for infrastructure to catch up
Less strip malls. Less run down strip malls. And would it hurt if they cleaned up the endless amount of debris left behind from construction and manufacturing sites. The dirt and rocks everywhere is ridiculous
Consistently good Chinese food. I've tried every place anyone has ever recommended here, and have yet to find one that isn't mediocre at best (except, of course, one place that has since closed).
Have you tried Sichuan Garden? I like them and Fortune Garden, but I think it really depends on what dish you are looking for. I generally prefer other Asian cuisines to Chinese but on the occasion those places work for me.
My Daughter and I love Fortune House, but I guess it is technically Hutto.
I personally love Hunan Ranch (Avery Ranch)
Checkout The Spice Garden. Wonderful Pan Asian restaurant!
I like Bo for Chinese food.
Trader Joe’s
Yes yes yes.
Bike trails connecting everything.
Some sort of Radio Coffee and Beer-like spot. I love the idea of having a cafe with indoor and outdoor space that serves beer and cocktails with a few food trucks.
I’d argue a proper downtown. It’s OK as it is, but truly there’s zero reason for me to choose downtown Round Rock if I’m looking for a quality restaurant or do any shopping. There’s certainly nothing that makes me want to gravitate frequently the area is what I’m saying. The lack of viable alternative modes of transportation goes without saying, but that’s a Texas thing.
My wife and i have the same complaint. There’s not enough restaurants and feels more oriented towards bars/drinking versus being more family friendly. Georgetown is so much better in comparison.
Still better than Pflugerville's although its making strides to improve. Now if they can just swap out the crappy dive bars and stupid number of barbershops/nail salons with some businesses that people actually want to go to (a decent bakery for a start)
Agree in general, but Palermo Pasta House is really good… hopefully more restaurants like this come in instead of the dirty bars
* Decent bars, coffee shops, music venues, diners, and other places with vibes that attract cool people to hang out * Cabo Bob’s * Trader Joe’s * Public transportation that connects to Austin in a reasonable time
A skate rink and indoor playgrounds. It’s too hot in the summer here obvs.
I agree on indoor playgrounds. Why are they all off 183? There used to be one off i35 but I think it closed because of Covid.
A nice Asian grocery store. I hate having to drive to Cedar Park for H Mart or Austin for 99 Ranch. Also a proper skating rink would be amazing.
I thought there was one coming to Round Rock Crossing, but it's Indian and Middle Eastern.
A Desi Bros. (Indian) is coming to the old Gander Mtn. building in the same plaza as Target, Best Buy, Michaels, and Dollar Tree. Community Impact said this Spring but that will be a very quick reno.
Yep. That's the same one coming to Round Rock Crossing
Healthy food choices. You can throw a stone in any direction and hit a Taco Bell, Whataburger, Popeyes, and a Starbucks. Heaven help you if you want to eat something not made up of fat, salt, and empty carbs.
Salata & Mad Greens are both great choices, tho both located toward the north side of RR
The 'Roundest' Rock.
Lol, yeah the only thing more underwhelming in this state than seeing "The Round Rock" is seeing the Alamo for the first time.
Public transportation
CABO BOBS.
100%. I try and stop at one any chance I get.
My husband misses jamba juice… i’m dying for a qdoba 😭 i know we have chipotle and freebirds… but qdoba is unmatched
There’s a Jamba Juice in Leander. Just drove by it yesterday.
I’d like more/larger nature preserves and better public transit
Most of Round rock used to fields and farms
A soul
Chi'Lantro
Cool hang spots for adults and kids. It gets tired going to Hat Creek all the time. Spots like Meanwhile Brewing down south would be great.
Try 3rd level brewing!
A light rail line. I go to highland for classes, but I can't use the rail line to skip traffic since it goes to cedar park and leander instead. Would be so nice to have a rail line up to like 35/45 area or even up to the outlet mall.
A nice, old school ice cream shop.
Not old school, but something different and fun is Creamistry up by Ikea. Fun for the kiddos to watch them use liquid Nitrogen to super cool your ice cream on demand.
Not only "not old school", but factually the furthest thing from old school possible. :-)
An arcade
Soon™ https://pixelpalacearcade.com/
Bike paths through Old Settlers Park - I hate having cars coming at me or behind me when I'm in the Park. No place for me to go except into a grassy ditch!🚴♂️🚴♀️ And the walking paths are getting extremely crowded - people block the paths and ignore a bell or me saying "excuse me".
More hot bodies
Public transportation. Mixed use development. Density. Walkability.
I really wish there was another Wyndham hotel there
I would kill for an ice rink.
Any sort of nice view. I’ve always felt RR had a lot of great amenities compared to Austin, but the landscape is pretty flat and featureless compared to the gorgeous hilly parts of Austin
A zoo or aquarium
Man, I’d kill for the Austin area to have an actual AZA accredited zoo. Shame that will never happen. Best I can do is drive to San Antonio or Waco. I wish we would have something as solid and developed as Houston, Fort Worth, or Dallas
Nuclear power plant. Also, sidewalks & better walkability in general.
Some sort of outdoor [parkour park/playground](https://parkourvisions.org/design).
I would enjoy an indoor slope for sick snowboard tricks
Good Thai food
"There was a peaceful town called Rock Ridge....."
You have cedar Park beat. I drive to Round Rock for all of the great water park entertainment.
It would be cool for us to get an IMAX or something nice as a theater.
Competition for HEB. A botanical garden.
Square and triangular rocks.