My husband and I attended the bacon fest on Saturday. We arrived around 1215pm and amusingly saw protestors outside the event. It was entertaining to say the least. Once inside we noticed the music was starting up and had limited vendors. I am dairy and gluten intolerant so this festival was extremely hard for me try items. I was surprised that the bacon to eat was not just plain old bacon. The bacon was in food items and or sprinkled on top. A few vendors were able to adjust for me and prepared their items to help me out. Hideaway hooked me up and wow I loved their shrimp!! Thank you Yelp and the bacon festival promoter for allowing me to check out the venue (which was huge) and enjoying the festival. read more

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Today I came to #theatxbaconfest with my little thanks to the Yelp Elite complimentary tickets I received. We got to sample a plethora of bacon concoctions. The best part of the event was trying all the samples that could be made with bacon from the local establishments. Scholtkys had a sandwich that was great that had roast beef, cheese and bacon. There was also a picture booth there where patrons got to take photos and have a small character drawn. Everything considered, it was a nice event. I do however wish that all the establishments actually showed for the event. read more

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Let me start by saying that I think the event coordinators could make this festival a big hit in future years. I can only imagine the amount of planning that goes into any type of festival. I was looking forward to ATX BaconFest since Yelp provided my husband and I with free tickets. We went on Sunday around 12:30. I was underwhelmed by the amount of vendors at the event and that one vendor had not shown up, but they did offer us more than one sample from the vendors, which was a nice gesture. They also passed out a coupon for a free bottle of Yellow Bird Hot Sauce, which was awesome! Out of the 5 vendors, Teal House's bacon cinnamon roll took the cake for me. Fresh out of their mini oven, hot and gooey. The bacon + icing + cinnamon was the perfect dish to to end our day with and they won our vote. It was also quite a big portion. The sample from The Bearded Baking Company was quite small, even though it was a delicious bacon + chocolate cookie. Austin's pizza was handing out pizza slices and you could choose from two different kinds with bacon, pepperoni, or cheese. The Hideaway Kitchen + Bar provided a grits and shrimp sampler, which was also a decent portion. The sauce was a little spicy for me, but my husband really enjoyed it. Schlotzsky's also represented with their Bacon Smoke Cheesy sandwich and jalapeño chips. Yum! Our favorite part of the whole event though wasn't even the bacon, it was the live music! We really enjoyed listening to Paul Val, who we'd never heard of before the event, and we plan to go see a show in the future. Also, they had a photo booth where they provided you not only pictures, but drew a cute sketch of you too! read more

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Bacon! Lots of BACON. Snagged ourselves some good Kevin Bacon photo booth drawings and a caricature of us. Bacon chocolate chip cookies from the bearded baking co, gooey bacon cinnamon rolls, shrimp and grits from Hideout which I voted for, fake bacon which my hubs swore up and down and voted the best of, schlotskys love of their sammich and swag, AND finally the South congress chicken liver bacon jam which came in a close second for me. Yum. Drool. Even graciously gave us some gift cards to go get our eats on! Fun hour to swing through and hang, sips and noms. Got ourselves some nice yellow bird hot sauce scooped up too and EXTRA COOKIES to go for the home snacks. Wish there were more chairs in shade for this 9 month pregnant lady but the inside ac was lovely and made me tolerate going outside this summery day! Good fun Saturday accomplished! Note: there were protesters outside but we minded our own business and they left us alone as we got in, ID'ed and snagged our wristbands. I assume it's the Austiny thing to make sure you get your dissenting voice heard if you don't like meats but since it was daytime I wasn't swayed from peacing out so soon! read more

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Thank you Yelp for gifting free tickets for my fiancé and I to attend this bacon lovers fest! It was unfortunate that we had to see protestors before we walked through the door but we went in regardless. Overall the venue was huge but the event was underwhelming as only 6 vendors were there and some were more appealing than others. Best sample I tasted was the shrimp and grits from Hideaway Kitchen and the warm gooey C4 cookie from Bearded Bakery Company!! I had to try the bacon Bloody Mary which was alright. It wasn't anything special except a simple Bloody Mary with bacon strips added on top. The bacon was not as crispy as I would have liked but still edible. They had a photo booth with a karaoke machine which had that weird Austin but cool vibe. Hopefully this event keeps growing and more vendors will participate. read more

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Not crowded at all which was a little surprising but also meant no waiting in line I went the second day and was glad I didn't eat lunch beforehand since 4 of the 5 vendors gave pretty big samples! A live band started playing around 1 pm and a cute photo booth was present as well. My favorite was Hideaway's bacon-laced sauce over shrimp & grits mostly because I was impressed at how nicely the shrimp was cooked (not overdone at all!) and the complexity of the sauce, though it was a tough call that almost tied with Teal House's bacon-topped cinnamon roll: warm, fluffy, and just a slightly crisper edge (so yummy). All the vendors' samples were tasty and I was pleased that The Bearded Baking Company had other items to sell as well. Looking forward to eating their snickerdoodle and s'mores at home! Thanks, Yelp Elite, for tickets to such a tasty event! read more

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Not bad, but not really what I was expecting. I was hoping for more bacon samples. The six vendors that were represented brought some good little tasters, but on some of the tables, it almost felt weird to ask for the sample that was included with the ticket. I definitely understand that the vendors want to sell some other products and that is cool. I feel like this had strong potential to be an awesome event. Best Bacon Treat goes to Teal House. Their bacon cinnamon roll was absolutely delicious. Honestly the Schlotzsky's sandwiches were really tasty. I love that Turkey Bacon Smokecheesy. The protesters out front were obnoxious but it makes sense. I tried the vegan bacon offering from Plow, but it would never make me want to go vegan. I was glad to see the diversity. read more

Cozy set up with live music. A few vendors to try from and vote of course. My vote goes to Hideaway! They had shrimp and grits with a very unique and delicious sauce. I'm obsessed and will be going to eat there soon. They had other stands of course with varieties of pizza, sandwiches, cinnamon rolls, and cookies. The deserts were really tasty, but I could hardly taste the bacon. The pizza of course was good and they had a variety to pick from. The sandwich from scholtsky's was my second favorite after the shrimp and grits. They would have gotten my token if the bread wasn't hard around the edges. I also tried their Bloody Mary with bacon and it was a very good combination and made well. Cool event and really enjoyed myself. read more

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We were super pumped to get tickets to this day of bacon eating! Thanks again yelp/baconfest! Couldn't believe that there were protesters, but we didn't let that stop us. After all, there was bacon to be eaten. We were a bit surprised at how empty the event was, and how few vendors there were. If we hadn't gotten the sweet hook up from yelp, tickets would have been $30 at the door which would have been an extreme disappointment considering it doesn't include alcohol and there were only 6 vendors (one being strips of vegan bacon so my friend didn't count this one haha). Also, the last thing we tried was the cinnamon roll, but they ran out of bacon? So it was just a regular cinnamon roll, which tasted delicious but kind of weird to run out of bacon at baconfest... Awkward... My personal favorite was the bearded baking company chocolate chip coffee bacon cookies! I could have eaten a dozen! read more

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Baaacon!!! It was everywhere, and boy was it good!! First off, HUGE THANKS to YELP for getting us in the building by providing complimentary tickets. It was a fun and tasty event held in a lovely event space: Palm Door on Sixth. My plus one and I went on Saturday and were initially met by some anti-bacon folks at the entrance, but they didn't engage and neither did we, so we pressed on. We were on a mission... bacon!! Here are some of my highlights from Saturday's event: starting with a drink, I ordered a Bloody Mary that had a perfectly cooked piece of bacon in it. It was great. Then, my plus one and I danced our way over to the first vendor: Hideaway Kitchen + Bar (I say danced because the bands that played that day were JAMMING). Hideaway's dish was blackened shrimp with blue cheese grits with a bacon-y sauce, and it was dang good! The grits were creamy, the shrimp had a snap and the sauce was decadent. They were my favorite of the day and had my vote! The runner up for me was Teal House's cinnamon roll topped with bacon... it was amazing. Another close contender was Central Standard's "Chicken n Pig"- a beautifully plated bite of chicken liver mousse, bacon jam and frisee on a crostini. All of the vendors were fun and friendly, and their dishes were yummy. Something else that was fun at the event was the Quick Draw Photo Booth. My daughter and I sang karaoke and had our pictures drawn and snapped by staff members who were dressed in bacon-- they were great fun! But, the bands created the atmosphere and brought the event together! There were three, but I only got two of the names: D-Soul Davis and Paul Val. They jammed...The END. The bacon bit and I had a great time! read more

Bacon Bacon Bacon! What is there not to like?! Luckily, I didn't run into protesters as others had since I went on the second day a little later. I was surprised at how little vendors there were there, but the vendors that did come had some delicious samples to try. My favorite has to be Hideaway's bacon sauced shrimp.. mmm I also went for seconds! It was extremely flavorful and it worked so well with the cheese grits! The cinnamon roll was so fresh and warm with little bits of bacon came second: sweet and hearty, YUMMY! Schlotzsky had a spin the wheel game where we won some free cinnabons! I was really surprised by how much roast beef was on their sandwich samples - not that it was a bad thing! Their jalapeno chips with their sandwich was divine. There was also a drawing photobooth that I didn't get a chance to use, but the owner had a bacon costume on - so appropriate! Thanks, Yelp! We had a wonderful time eating bacon! read more

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So confused to hear who won... the cinnamon roll with bacon? To me, it was super clear that Hideaway Kitchen should win with their shrimp and grits dish. It was the only real dish being prepared at the event and was definitely deserving of a win. Second place would have been those damn cookies. The cinnamon roll was good too, but definitely not 1st place. Fun little event, though I wish there was more to try. And half of the things were dessert, so while I was full when leaving I felt a little gluttonous. Thanks, Yelp! read more

This was an awesome fest that my guest and I really enjoyed! I was very surprised at how few vendors there were but all were very nice and upbeat! Since a vendor pulled out we were told told we could get as many samples as we wanted. SCORE! There was barely anyone in here which was shocking! I mean hello it's BACON! We didn't care though more samples for us which everyone had generous sized samples except for the bacon coffee cookie. It was ridiculously small. The shrimp and grits were good but way too salty so they couldn't get my vote. Austin's Pizza was delicious and the guy working that station was a total sweetheart! I am a HUGE Scholtzskys fan so I was biased and just knew they'd get my vote before I even walked it. The Scholtzskys Beef Bacon Smokecheesy was bomb so I gave them my vote. Then I tried the Teal House Bacon cinnamon roll and wanted my token back from Scholtzskys! WOW! TEAL HOUSE, THAT BACON CINNAMON CHANGED MY LIFE. I've actually dreamed about it since the event. It was fresh, the icing was thick and creamy, and the bacon on top really set it off! Do y'all actually serve the bacon topped piece of heaven in store or was that just for the fest? The bands were amazing! Definitely had me hootin and tappin my feet! Thank you Yelp for providing the BaconFest tickets! This was a blast for me and my bacon lovin Mom! read more

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Attended on Sunday the second day of the event. We got there at about 12:30, but the music didn't start until a little after 1. The venue was nice and spacious. Good AC inside which of course is extremely important in the Texas heat. Schlotzsky's was set up in the outside part. It was too early to drink so the water station was much appreciated. The crowd was very sparse so no waiting for food. Only six vendors and I didn't detect bacon in three of them. But they were all nice as could be and proud to show off their goodies. Now, let's talk about those cinnamon rolls!!!!!! OMG. They were so fresh and covered with oodles of yummy icing. Good thing they are far south or I might be tempted to make those a regular part of my diet. The vendor was the Teal House Coffee and Bakery. If you live near Slaughter Lane, get yourself over there tomorrow and indulge in a cinnamon roll. Thank me later. read more

Spent the afternoon at ATX BaconFest courtesy of Yelp (thanks for the hook up, y'all!). Pros: Got to try some yummy noms from new-to-me local restaurants/trailers. Met a very friendly slice of bacon working the photo booth. Enjoyed a pretty delicious Bloody Mary, bacon included, of course. The event seemed very organized and all the staff/vendors were friendly and happy to talk about their dishes. There were water stations! Cons: The music was too loud. There weren't many vendors...only 6! I feel like the price was pretty steep for 6 samples and no drinks. There were vegan protesters right outside the entrance shouting at us as we entered with their signs and megaphones. I'm all for freedom of speech...and vegans!...but we definitely saw people leave because of the protesters. Big winner: FOR SURE it was Teal House Coffee and Bakery. You guys. Their bacon cinnamon roll was EVERY. DANG. THING. Ooey. Gooey. Melty. Perfectly frosted. I could eat those rolls on the daily, and can't wait to try some of their other goodies. read more

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Theres nothing I love more than bacon themed anything, so I was more than ready for this event on Saturday. Yelp generously gifted tickets so big thanks to them! The event was centrally located at the Palm Door on Sixth, which was a spacious indoor/outdoor venue and an overall great event setting. After making our way past some protestors outside (yikes), I was ready for bacon-overload; however, I was left underwhelmed with the lack of vendors. There were only 6 vendors participating, but on the bright side, there were no lines to wait in. The absolute highlight was Teal House's cinnamon roll. It was one of the best I've ever had and I can't wait to visit their south Austin food truck for more delicious pastries. It was also a delight to see the effort and lumberjack-chic decor provided by the bearded men fronting the Bearded Baking Co. The live music was a nice touch, and there was even some seating and high top tables outside to relax around. The bar offered a bacon Bloody Mary and the always entertaining quick draw photo booth made an appearance! read more

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We really enjoyed ourselves. This was our first baconFest. There were some protesters outside but we went in anyway. We were greeted with loud jamming music and a guy who explained everything. Got out chip, coupon and wrist band. Within minutes (no long lines) we tasted everything from cookies to cinnamon roll with bacon to vegan bacon. We made our rounds within the hour and sat down to enjoy the music in the AC. Didn't car to be outside in the sun. We had a drink and made our votes. Hubby and I had different votes. I did find a new fave from this event. Can't wait to go buy some. (Vegan bacon) and I'm not even vegan. Again we had so much fun. Be sure to check it out next time it's in Austin. read more

My boyfriend and I had a great time at Baconfest -- thanks to the tickets we won from Yelp! We went pretty early on Sunday, and the event was nice and quiet. I really enjoyed trying all the samples -- the cinnamon rolls were our favorite! I was surprised that there were only 5 vendors, but all of the sample sizes were very generous! The pizza was a close second -- bacon cheeseburger pizza - yes please! The photo booth was a fun touch, and we got a surprise little drawing of us as well, so cute! I was surprised that there weren't more people there, but perhaps they came on Saturday. I think in the future, it could probably just be a one day event, and would love smaller samples from more vendors! read more

Was able to go to BaconFest this year due to tickets provided by Yelp to their elites (Thank you!). It was a yummy experience however it did feel underwhelming. Was hoping for more vendors. There were only 6 food vendors in such a large space. I love bacon and actually enjoyed some of the bites that we did try. LOVED Tealhouse's cinnamon roll topped with bacon!! I could eat that 10x's over. The blackened shrimp with grits from Hideaway was also delicious however you couldn't tell where the bacon was (I think in the gravy?). We were told live music would start at noon but we were there until 12:30ish on Saturday and they hadn't started yet. Music would've probably pumped the place up. They did offer free water at the bar which was nice! The protestors also threw me off. I get it, they are standing for something they're passionate about but don't persecute people for eating meat! Overall, it was Okay. Not sure if I would've paid for this event. I don't mean to sound negative however I can seeing this event improving with more vendors, music playing (even if it's Spotify), and maybe some other fun interactive booths in addition to the photo booth. read more

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Overall, ATX BaconFest was fun and delicious! Shoutout to yelp for the tickets! This event was on Saturday and Sunday and we attended Saturday around 12. I think having it during the UT vs. LSU game made everyone want to attend it in Sunday, but it was nice not having to wait in line for food for any of the vendors there. I enjoyed each vendor and was happy to see sweet and savory options, but I do wish there were more vendors. My opinion is slightly biased because I attended the ATX Brunchfest, which is hosted by the same people at the same location, so l had higher expectations for this event. However, the vendors that were there were AMAZING! My favorite was definite the Scout C4 Cookie, which had bacon, coffee, and chocolate chips! I hate coffee, I never drink it or eat coffee flavored things, but this cookie may be the only form of coffee I ever eat. The cinnamon roll by Teal House provided the most bacon, however, I did think the icing was a bit sweet. All of the savory options were fantastic! I didn't even realize I was eating chicken liver because it was just that great. The shrimp and grits was also a favorite! If you ate the whole shrimp in one bit though, it was definitely too salty. Live music was really great and there was plenty of seating compared to the ATX BrunchFest. Note: There were protestors outside, but they didn't bother me at all coming in or out. There was also a plant based bacon inside that was surprisingly tasty! read more

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We were very excited to check this out! The venue itself is pretty awesome for being right in the middle of 6th street, it's a good size with many different areas to lounge and hang out. Their outside area was cute as well and we easily got free street parking! Everyone working at the event was super friendly, the photo booth was the best!!! I think I remember quick draw at a bridal extravaganza, I wish I had them at my wedding! Anyways, back to the food. Most of the portions were pretty large except for the cookie which I didn't taste any bacon in. The shrimp and grits were good but very salty, the pizza was also good but it wasn't really highlighting the bacon. The hot beef sandwich was good also but I didn't get much bacon flavors so the winner for us was of course the cinnamon roll. They used the right amount of bacon and it was cooked perfectly as well as their gooey warm and totally yummylicious cinnamon roll! I'm surprised it wasn't busier but we were able to enjoy everything without fighting the hoards. read more

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I did expect more samplings. But the bacon was definitely present throughout all the vendors. My favorite was definitely the shrimp and grits from hideaway kitchen and bar. read more

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Oh my goodness being a yelp elite has been so fun! Yelp awarded me tickets to bacon fest and it was such a cool way to experience some of Austin's diverse restaurants. From sweet to savory to vegan, it was there! My favorite bacon item was the bacon topped cinnamon roll while the chicken liver mousse crostini came in at a close second! I'm interested to see who won overall and not just my vote! Thanks again yelp! read more

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While it was an interesting experience and the first Yelp event in Austin neither of us were wowed by the festival. The venue was cool (Palm on Sixth) since we'd never been there - seems like a cool place for concerts - but considering the number of vendors there ~6 it was hardly a "festival". Not sure if this was the first year that it was done but it certainly was underwhelming. By coincidence or planning, there was a large group of animal rights folks outside of the venue, we're assuming were protesting the bacon event - that was kind of annoying. Not to rant but you don't see carnivores protesting people eating plants even though they supposedly also feel things like animals. Maybe next year the event will be bigger, or just not on a home game day, which probably contributed to there not being many people. From what we did try though we really enjoyed, from the shrimp and grits, to liver mousse and cheesy bacon sandwiches! read more

Bacon. That should be all that I need to say, hahaha! The venue was nice and the vendors were very cool. So many bacon dishes to choose from (and I tried EVERY SINGLE ONE! Hahaha). The only improvements that I would like to see would be EVERYTHING air conditioned, because, come on, summer in Austin... Also, the music was LOUD extremely loud. It was great to have live music (and the music was good, but it was so loud that I actually left earlier than I wanted to. A big shout out and many thanks to Yelp for the tickets! read more

I hate to give 2 stars but this could have been so much better. I was so excited for Baconfest (I mean Bacon), but so much fell short. There were only 6 food vendors with small bites. The vendors were great but if I had paid for a ticket (a friend took me as her guest) I would have been seriously disappointed. The space was huge and with only a few vendors it felt empty and weird. I think it could have been so much better if there had been more people. Also the main room with the live music could have used some high top tables so you could set you frood/drink down to eat and enjoy the music. The outside was just way to hot to enjoy the space which is a same because the set up was cute and thats where are the tables were. read more