SFC Farmers' Market Downtown

Very reasonable market. The local produce is amazing! The variety of offerings is very dynamic! Where's the music 🎶 though?! Is Austin the "Live Music Capital of the World"?! 🌍.... Hummmmm.... 🤔 The prices $$$ here are pretty sharp for the Regular crowd @ Republic Square. Food Stamps are accepted @ this Market....Wow 😳.... Never seen that b4... It's a great idea 💡 and really good for the community but, it's not really advertised that well and I'm not sure that someone on food stamps is going to pay $6 for a donut 🍩 or $9 for a cup of coffee ☕. With some tweaks, this market could be both profitable and an asset to the community.....

Cute and small. This small Farmers Market is in a great location but has a small selection on offer. We counted 24 stalls with only a handful actually selling farm products. 3-4 butchers/meat stalls. Only a very limited selection of fruits and vegetables. For example we could not find any tomatoes, or a good selection of leafy greens. The website advertises 70+ vendors which were nowhere to be seen… There are a few ready-to-eat options (tamales, empanadas) which looked great! There’s also free Yoga in the park.

Really great farmers market! However, there are more stands dedicated to baked goods than fresh produce or animal products. There were sadly only three stands that had produce when I visited. I would love to see more farmer stands!

I love it! It’s just the right size, not overwhelming, so that one can get to know the vendors personally and best of all, it has a seating area under the shade of a huge tree where one can drink or eat on a table with one or more companions

Be sure to visit and sample @kurtyscookies 🍪🍪🍪 for the best cookies in Austin. Special cookies are available at their monthly "drops" which are hand-delivered to your door‼️

Your year round hangout for fresh veggies, eggs, meat. Good food options- have breakfast here at one of the many food trucks serving waffles, tamales, Brazilian cheese bread, empanadas and ofcourse, the quintessential Austin taco. Some good stalls put up by local artists. A great park where kids of all ages can enjoy.

Honestly, there wasn’t that much going on there maybe only 12 to 15 booths. A lot of of fresh meat, but not a lot of produce.

Rain or shine this market never disappoints. While not the biggest farmers market you’ll ever go to, it’s a perfect downtown market. Every week farmers bring delicious produce that’s in season. There are also numerous options for meat, eggs, prepared foods, and crafts. Whether you want to do your shopping for the week or just have a coffee and taco while enjoying music, there’s something for everyone at this market.

Great selection of fresh and prepared food. A lot of different drinks as well. Yallatizers has the best hummus and olives. Also fresh kefir. You can use your SNAP/WIC benefit here and they give you "double bucks" as well, so you double your benefit to spend on fresh fruit, vegetable, or mushroom. You can use the SNAP on almost anything, but the double up is only for those 3 select things. There's also free parking at the garage at 300 San Antonio

Nice stroll on one street. Fresh produce to peruse. They have specialties, such as pickled okra, beef jerkies, cold pressed juices, ginger beer and other selections!

This market is small and underwhelming. If you are in the area, it's worth a walk through but I would not come here regularly when there is a fabulous one on Sundays nearby. Typical finds, kombucha, fruits, veggies, coffee etc.

SFC Farmer's Market is on the smaller-side of sizes for a local set up, but don't let that stop you from checking it out. The selection of vendors is phenomenal and has a great variety of options from apparel, to jewelry, to art, to sauces, produce, sweets, and coffees. Our favorite tent hosted the business, Stones Throw Studio Jewelry: We're from out of town and were looking for some women's and men's rings to add to our wardrobe. The non-tarnishing bands I bought were about $15/each ~ a very good price from my experience. I've struck out 3x on sizing my boyfriend's fingers properly at previous vendor tents, so I was reluctant to buy while his fingers were swollen, but the lady working reassured me they have a return program. Even if we lived in another state, we could return his ring if it didn't end up fitting. That is a cool feature a lot of vendors don't typically have.

Pretty cute little market. Masks required at this time even though it's outdoors! We sampled some cbd honey which was cool. We also got some quiche from one of the bakeries and the spinach goat cheese one was bomb. The margherita empanada I had was very fresh but needed some salt. We also bought a cool assortment of mushroom and some delicious local creamed honey. We'll definitely be back!

What a great warm Saturday date with my boyfriend- He found vegan pot-stickers and I found quirky jewelry from a French artist. This market has a wide variety of unique vendors, from CBD connoisseurs to you're usual produce fare. Saturday mornings like this, at amazing open air markets like this, make me really appreciate Austin.

SFC Farmers market is not huge because the republic square itself is just that size, but the vendors are great! You can find all different kinds of home grown produces there, flower bouquets, meats, bakeries, drinks and clothing as well! Strongly recommend to find out more details and the latest updates from their public Instagram page. I enjoy walking around every Saturday morning just to feel the vibe

Not the same scale as Mueller, of course, but more manageable, with a good amount of variety sold amongst the stalls, convenient parking in the ground lot next door. They have some of the key vendors so while mueller is good for new product discovery, downtown is easy to pick up the regulars quickly.

This farmer's market was actually suggested by the hotel concierge and I'm glad I considered this suggestion. I arrived towards the tail-end, but was pleasantly surprised. Hours are from 9am to 1pm. Lots of vendors ran out of their popular items, but selection was still good and ample samples were available. My favorite was the organic tamales booth with piping hot tamales on a chilly day. I got the cactus tamale ($3.50) and it was delicious! I tasted the freshness of the ingredients and didn't feel sluggish afterwards. I also had a few bites of empanadas from a different vendor, also yummy. A couple of vendors sold hot coffee. There was a tea vendor I really liked, but too bad they only sold tea leaves. The vendor informed me that there's a different permit for selling hot foods and beverages. I also bought a ring from a vendor who sold homemade rings. Couple of tables and chairs throughout to enjoy the goodies. Lots of cute pups walking around. I had a great time here! #14/2018

It's a pretty great way to spend a Saturday morning, strolling around and seeing what's local in Austin. I love the variety of vendors and farms here, it seemed like there was a decent variety and not a ton of overlap. They also had live music and SFC had a whole booth with samples from a number of farmers and artisans, from bean-free hummus to duck pate.. it was a great way to spend a leisurely hour and feel like a local. My favorite vendors were: - Lua Brazil - pao de queijo! Brazilian cheese puff bread - so many flavors and you can try them all! - Tamale Addiction - the name is accurate. I've had a hankering for tamales all week - Buddha's Brew Kombucha - $5 to refill a howler??? I will definitely be prepared next time

What a delightful experience during our long-weekend trip to Austin! Headed to sight-see and get ourselves into trouble, we came upon this little Saturday pop-up market... so glad we did! What an awesome vibe! People are friendly, smiling and offering a plethora of samples... YES PLEASE! Tons of local area farmers with everything from food to flowers. Admittedly, the place was crammed with people, somewhat difficult to get around but that is likely what made the experience even better! Tried out some great local lotion and admired some local artists. Really an excellent little market - well organized. Parking is paid but it was worth our ~$5 for the bit that we were there. Especially if you are a local, check it out!

Meager offerings, there was no organic fruit or specialty tea. Found some gems: a local chocolatier $4ea bar and oodles of microgreens! I was very excited to get to graze and then snip/harvest my own to bring along with me. Pick 3 for $11. Cute pups and a nice play area for kiddos, supplying giant blue blocks.

This farmer's market is admittedly not huge, but it still manages to pack a wide array of sellers selling a wide array of fun stuff into the space. There is some good-looking fresh produce, if you're local, but we were on a stopover on our way to a Caribbean vacation, so we were just interested in prepared shelf-stable stuff and stuff we could eat right there, and they had plenty of both - chocolates, teas, baked goods of all sorts, tamales, jerky, one person selling fantastic Indian food, and the coolest thing when we were there, a really tasty youpon tea concentrate from Lost Pines Yaupon Tea (super refreshing, slightly caffeinated), which also came with a cup for unlimited refills of the tea while I was there, that was awesome. A few stalls didn't give samples, but the majority did, which is smart of them, because we then bought several things. We didn't have to deal with parking, though, since we were staying at a hotel downtown.

Going to farmers' markets is one of my favorite activities. I love the artisanal foods and products. SFC is in the heart of downtown. I was worried about parking, but I was pleasantly surprised than there was free parking in the adjacent lot! There were so many great vendors, many of whom gave out delicious samples. I bought a concha for breakfast and it was great! Hope to be back soon!

Located right in downtown, this farmers market is easily accessible. Although it's small, there is a nice variety of items. There are plenty of vendors that you can buy ready to eat food, fresh veggies, cold beverages, and other knick knacks. Come on the earlier side to 1) avoid the heat and 2) get the items you want in case they sell out. Something that stood out to me was how friendly the vendors are. They're all excited about their products and ready to talk to you about them!

Not much selection even in the summer. Only a few stalls had produce, and maybe a couple had drinks. There seemed to be a lot of BBQ, jewelry, meat/cheese, and baked goods. Fun to look, but the Sunday Mueller market is better.

I have been going to this market for 17+years as a vendor and as a customer. Lately it is less safe than before. IMHO, the market appears to be shrinking and aggressive panhandling and other undesirable behavior by vagrants has increased. On the upside, the vendors are great, but there are seldom new vendors, and most of existing ones can be found at other farmers markets (is: Mueller FM on Sundays), which are also bigger, more fun, and better managed.

We make it a point to visit farmers markets wherever we go. It was a cold day with light showers but that did not stop us visiting this farmers market. This market was quite small but had some nice shops. We liked the pasta shop where different flavors of pasta were sold, loved the sweet wine stall too. Most of them were food vendors and many were giving out samples. If not for the market, this is a good place to get a variety of food.

One of my favorite farmers market in Austin, not too small. Lots of good stuff to choose from.

This was a pretty nice farmers market right in downtown Austin. Not as big as I thought that it was going to be but they had some pretty cool businesses from tamales to homemade pies from Cake and Spoon. The farmers market is at a park so its a nice area to lounge around and they were even playing live music as well. Not the best overall variety but if you are into local meat and eggs and produce then this is the place for you.

Great Saturday morning Farmers' market that has live music, nice mix of hot food booths (favorites include the brisket korean sushi rolls and the ever-famous TacoDeli). Appreciate the plentiful samples, especially the booth that demonstrates how you can cook items from the other booths, a little bummed that they didn't have a large selection of fruits and veggies (although I'm visiting from California so don't know if it's normal to not have many fruit stands here).

So I don't know much about history, don't know much biology, but I do know that this is a great way to spend a late Saturday morning. (Okay, I actually do know a lot of history, but I'm writing a Yelp review, and occasionally I just use whatever I'm listening to.) Yes, it's harder to park here, and yes, Barton Creek has a dozen more booths, but here's what makes this farmer's market special: Everything about this place will remind you why you love living in Austin - grass and trees and cute couples and recycling and live music and bicycles and picnicking families and stunning women with dogs - I mean really, I could go on and on. Having this at Republic Park is an ideal choice, and you can't convince me the layout wasn't designed to metaphorically represent the entire City at large - c'mon, there's that SoCo strip of solid booths where you can do some serious shopping, leading to those Central-downtown informative booths (they're going to build more too), which thread around a tranquil greenbelt expanse for a stage and audience, and finally winds up in that far Northwest corner with less booths but great views of the mini hills and dales in that area. I really heart me some Saturday morning symbolism. And as far as I can tell, it pretty much has the same farmer's market stuff you can find in other ones (you have no excuse for not trying TacoDeli by now), but I really think what makes this the best one in town is the people, families, and canines who come here - they are that Austin ambiance that attracted them here in the first place. My favorite thing? Enjoying the sights and sounds of happy folks and happy doggies, and then taking a long leisurely stroll back through West Second street to my car at City Hall: Austin Java, perhaps? Taverna? Teuscher? I really heart me some Saturday morning choices.

How much you love farmers markets depends on what motivates you. If it's saving money, this is not the spot. Four peaches for $5 doesn't qualify as reasonable when you can buy them for 89 cents a pound at the grocery. Neither is time. Taking three circuits to find the best artisan ________ seems a like a huge effort when you can just bust into HEB/Sprouts/Central and go straight to the 'maters. Why go then? Because you want to support local growers. These guys are doing some great work and have some of the freshest produce around. Another reason is because Sat/Sun mornings can be a beautiful time for an adventure with the fam. Your kids will dig all the sights and if you take a picnic blanket, you can have a little fresh breakfast right there on the green. Take your dogs (wearing a Yelp bandana, natch) and just enjoy the warmth and good feeling that comes with shopping with -- and buying from -- your community. Note: Take a water bottle, take your own bag, take a blanket to sit on, take a fan.

My recent whirlwind tour of Austin brought back some opportunities to revisit old stand-bys, and none surprised me more pleasantly than the Austin Farmer's Market, which was a clever nook a couple of years ago but now has arguably turned into a sprawling tome on all things organic, sake, free-range, and dessert, take your pick. Those are happy revelations, and you can reasonably back out the crowd against the weather, since we're all subject to it: on sunny days word is that this spills well into the park, and on rainy ones, less so, but even then, there were miles of smiles as folks angled for something artisan and boutique to savor later. I feel like now more than ever all of this changes a little week over week, so I'll look forward to a stop in down the road when conditions are different to catch the latest.

I am a self professed Farmers Market Junkie. For years this was not my favorite place to score but it has GROWN! This past weekend I went specifically for So.A.P. Organic Dirty Paws Dog Shampoo and ended up going home with Wild Boar Ribs, Bison meat treats for my dogs, Dai Due Bread & Butter Pickles and Pimento Cheese Crack, 5 free samples of wine at the Texas Hill Country Wineries booth and a new wine glass! If you do not find close parking on the street there is a free parking garage SW catty corner to Republic Square Park.

For my first time ever at a farmers' market, I'd say I picked a pretty good one! I was impressed with the different selections of goodies from all sorts of fun vendors. We saw everything from vegan and Indian cuisines to tamales, macaroons, and homemade jams (brown sugar bourbon peach anyone?). Many friendly faces and people who were proud of the products they were selling. My favorite part was the fresh produce vendors who sell their items by the basket full. Figs and peaches were going for $5 a basket today along with okra and gorgeous heirloom tomatoes. I'd be curious to see what prices are like at the end of the day when they don't want to haul all the produce back home. It would be slim pickings at that point though I bet. We had no problem finding parking. We snagged a spot a few blocks away since it was a nice day and we felt like walking. What a cool way to start the weekend!

The Farmers' Market is a great way to get yourself to eat vegetables. They are fresh and beautiful and the farmers will share their delicious recipes with you. Warning to dieters: You may come to the farmers' market with the intention of buying vegetables but you will also be unable to resist buying delicious artisan breads, cheeses, and a sweets. Pro tip: Walk or ride your bike to the market to make up for all the extra calories you will be eating. There are too many good things to pass up!

Moo-ey organic. A long line of local vendors divide up the produce between the meandering buyers, then stay awhile after putting out their "Sold Out" signs when everything's gone. I was happy to find sunflower sprouts. $2 They are huge by sprout kingdom standards, and almost as sweet tasting as clover. I also enjoyed another Austin coma in the chairs set up under the sprawling elms. It was very Austin to hear a classical violinist where guitar picker may have taken up the same spot in any other city, case open for loose change from the appreciative.

Really enjoyed my trip to the farmer's market at 4th and Guadalupe downtown. Arrived a little late, but not too late to score some fresh ripe tomatoes -- for a fraction of what I would have paid at Whole Foods -- and a half-gallon of fresh whole milk from Mill-King Market and Creamery's stand. I also enjoyed a creamy lime popsicle from the Mom and Pop's stand. Yum! Lots of great stuff here, besides the usual fruit and veggies. Honey, jewelry, bacon, beef, vegetable garden starts, herbs, pickles, cheeses and prepared foods were represented. Get there early if you want berries and peaches, as those items go quickly.

It's bad enough to have to deal with the flagship Whole Foods store in Austin. When you go home, you just feel cheated. But then you go to the Austin Farmers' Market, and if you care about food, sustainability, or the provenance of what you put in your body, you realize that you're an exile in most cities. We do have a nascent organic Farmers Market in KC (go Bad Seed!) but we are talking about 4 booths on a slow day, 8 booths on a good day, featuring the very basics with a few garnishments as treats. Not so here. Impromptu cooking classes, ready-to-go breakfasts, rows and rows of organic-only produce, and all staged in a park where all the trashbins are covered over for the farmers' market, replaced instead with several "recycle" stations with separate bins for composting, recycling, landfill. Not content to just "buy" sustainability with money, this was a gesture and milieu that walked the talk. It was home.

I started coming here recently and I really like it. Lots of pleasant vendors with enticing edible (and a few non-edible) wares, and very easy to reach by bus. Lots of samples, both at a booth set up with samples and being offered by the individual vendors. Prices tend to be high but the Double Dollars for people using EBT benefits make it a great option for getting some wonderful fresh produce if you're using SNAP or WIC. A little crowded but the atmosphere is friendly.

The Austin Farmers's Market is another of those little perks that make this town so enjoyable to live in. This is great local flavor left and right. I would to join the ranks of Sample Lovers Not So Anonymous (SLNSA). I think we should have all SLNSA meetings here, and then take a field trip to Whole Foods. After a sample go-round, I will tend to get a pastry of some sort and coffee so as to think correctly around all of the temptation to be had. The farmers and farm stand workers are most often extremely friendly. They take pride in what they do, and will talk about it at length. If you plan to buy produce, get there a little earlier. They can be be somewhat sold out of the usual suspects as afternoon rolls around. There is always music at the AFM. I haven't been knocked out by any of the bands, but it adds some lively flavor to the experience, anyway. The market goers are pretty diverse. There are sandal wearing hippies, Bjorn bearing baby holders, young professionals, and lots of other sub-groups representing. Due to the construction downtown, the location of the market has been been changed temporarily. The AFM website is very, very detailed about that and all other information about the market.

Bloop. I derno what I was expecting...prolly something like the Cali farmers markets but this one was tinyyyy. I paid $5 to park and that is so annoying cuz who pays to go to a farmers market. I was there for maybe 30 minutes and just absorbing everything. There arent many produce stands or food stands. The only interesting thing I saw was this dude who had a typewriter and he would write a poem based off of a few words by you. You pay to have someone freestyle a poem. Mind blown. It was quite awk to watch the dude read it to the requester but whatevs. This is the most popular and yelpiest farmers market in downtown and probably my least favorite out of all I have been to. Bloop

Neat Farmer's Market in the heart of downtown. Though it was smaller than I expected, I thought it had a wide variety of vendors. I particularly loved the man who was there sharpening knives people brought him (very unexpected). The produce looked great and in season. The cheeses, honey, breads and desserts were definitely hard to pass up. The layout was very accessible and I never felt crowded.

While they have a modest selection of produce, they have a great selection of meats, cheeses, etc., and an even better selection of yummy things to eat and drink. The downtown location has a parking lot next door ($5), so it's relatively easy to get in, and it's a nice area to walk around. There was a little music, which was fun, and a couple activities for the kids. Loved the tamales (same vendor is at Lakeway Farmer's Market on Sundays), coffee, jalapeño BBQ pork shoulder kolaches, and the salted carmel gelato. Chose this farmers market over Barton Creek because Texas Coffee Traders was here, and they're awesome. Still want to check out Barton Creek, but the call of coffee on a Saturday morning is strong.

This has the best location of any Farmer's Market. It's nice and central and walking distance for a lot of people. The park is beautiful to walk through on a Saturday Morning (Walker P. was right) and it's always good people watching. It's truly amazing that they offer free parking in the garage and a testament to the good nature of the city and FM organizers. There is a good numbers and range of booths here and you can find everything from veggies to fruit to meat to soap to decorations to iced tea to services here. I love that you can bring dogs and everyone is so nice. There's also lots of shade so you don't get too hot at all.

This was a fun trip for me while visiting Austin. There was a variety of items and the entertainment was good. Only issue I had was the lack of shade to enjoy the entertainment.

Charming little farmers market. It's a great way to spend some of your Saturday morning if you're going to be in the area regardless but I wouldn't make a special trip to come here. A lot of the booths are prepared foods, vegetables, and some soaps and honey. I was able to finish the farmers market in a short amount of time however, I was not shopping for vegetables. I usually go to farmers markets for jams and/or local honeys but there was maybe only 2-3 stands with those items. Bummer. However, I did enjoy myself sampling the different foods and even bought myself a tamale for a small brunch. Yum! Be sure to check this place out and support local! Everybody here is super friendly and seem eager to share stories about their small business!

First, we run to Bola and place a pizza order. We get the last bolognese - I'm telling you, run. Their custom oven, imprinted with their now-deceased doggie's paw prints, is a warming sight, literally and figuratively. Having set a timer for the pizza, we stop by the hemp table. We consider the yummy test-taster and how to incorporate the stuff into our meals. Now we skip over to Fete Accompli. I'm determined to get the cucumber mint lemonade again, but then I try the other drinks... Oh the temptation. The confusion. I'm really frustrated; I'd come here with a plan and then... I get the ginger mint limeade instead. Every sip proves me right. The boy has gotten some combination of flavors and is in a sugar daze. Pizza is ready. We run into a small collection of Aussies on our way back. Had we brought ours, he would've slobbered on his brethren and wagged his tail nub like a fiend. Or post-market plans keep him home this time. We sit down at a shaded table, watching babies, doggies, and free-agent musicians duke it out for air control. Post workouts, the pizza and limeade are as good as it gets. Or are they? There's also Mom & Pops. One pineapple-mint pop later, this really is as good as it gets. It's only noon on a Saturday and the weekend has already been brung.

One of my New Year's Resolutions is to try and make 50% of my diet locally grown/produced, local being defined as 100 miles around Austin. The Austin Farmer's Market makes this a no brainer. I love getting up early on Saturday mornings and heading up to the market with a cup of coffee and my ecologically-friendly-reusable shopping bag. I've tried taking my one of my dogs, but he just pees on everything so I decided I wouldn't do that again. Since I like to cook, it's fun to walk through the market looking at all of the goodies and trying to decide what I can cook that week with what's available. It's also great that there are local vendors with meat, like Peach Creek Farms who raise amazing Berkshire pigs but won't sell me any pork belly because they use it all to make bacon. Mmmmm, bacon. Speaking of which, try their jowl bacon. Yum! I've found that you should do a lap around the market and check out everyone's goods before you buy. Once you've made your lap, go back and buy what you thought looked best. You need to get there early because the good stuff goes fast. And the greatest thing about the Farmer's Market? If you are overserved on Friday and find that you just can't get your hungover ass out of bed early enough for your trip to be worthwhile, you can always head up to the Triangle on Wednesday evening to pick up your goods. You lazy ass.

I am writing this rave review for the fishmongers who are always at the Farmers Market, San Miguel Seafood. I have a difficult relationship with shrimp, mostly contentious. They are supposed to be tasty and wonderful, good for you, blah & Blah & so forth. Most of the time, even when I get supposedly fresh fresh shrimp at either Central Market or Whole Foods, there is always an air of... fishy shrimpiness to them. They beg for a ribald puttanesca sauce or just tons of spicy flavorings to mask the off flavor of the little bottom feeders. But the shrimp I have purchased from the amazing guys with San Miguel Seafood has been, well a revelation. SMS operates out of a series of ice-filled coolers, quite close to the Oh-My-God-I'm-Dying-of-Chocolate-joy Kakawa folks. And they know their fish and their shrimp. And holy my god, people, their shrimp is SWEET. It is JUICY. It is Freaking GORGEOUS. It has made someone formerly ambivalent at best about the little bugs absolutely lousy with craving for them. You don't want anything besides maybe some butter or olive oil, green garlic, and parsley or chervil to come in between you and the pure yumminess that is the shrimp from SMS. Putting anything complicated with those beauties would be sad. And you don't want to see a pouting prawn. Mark my words. Next Saturday, you must go to the Farmers Market. Take your bike, or brave the parking madness, and visit those nice men with the white coolers. And buy a bag of shrimp. Or, if you must have a perfect fillet of snapper or grouper or other Gulf Bay fish, avail yourself of their pristine, fresher than your dirty mouth (do you kiss your mother with that thing??) fish pieces. I love those guys. A deep-as-the-sea gourmand kinda love.

So you want to go to the Farmer's Market, eh? Well, I hope you like dogs and their Type-A owners, who have already jogged several miles by 9 am in their perfectly tailored LuLulemon gear, and are now off to pick up fresh foods for their perfect children who are on vegetarian diets at age 2. Because you'll see a lot of that here. But you'll also see a lot of wonderful fresh produce, humanely raised meats, fresh local dairy and eggs, and interesting prepared foods (and, of course, all the dedicated people who bring said products to our lazy city-slicker booties). This is pretty much the biggest, baddest Farmer's market in Austin, and it is not afraid to be who it is. If you want something very specific, do get there early. Foodie Things tend to sell out quickly here, but almost all producers are amenable to making special arrangements to bring you an order if you can place it in advance. The parking is rather ample for downtown, but even if you can't park close, the whole point is to go for a stroll, no? Just do yourself a favor and stop by the coffee stand first. They give you 1 free refill for your $2 cup, so that's like $1/cup, right? It will make your experience that much more enjoyable. While you're at it, get a ginger cream scone from the Cake and Spoon, but do tell them to save one for Samantha G, won't you? Or march down to the Zubik House for a kolache. You know what? Do whatever you want. I don't care. I'm only trying to help. Also, bring cash or be prepared to barter with your vegetarian baby. Sometimes the crowds can get large, and there is a pretty good chance that a dog recently peed right where you're walking. But at the Farmer's Market, that's called fertilizer, so get over it, you dirty capitalist, you.

Now seems like the perfect time to write a yelp review. I'm still on the "I'm a genius" kick that was spawned by my Cash Cab mobile shout out. So what if it was Canadian Cash cab? I'll still be known as "Valerie, [the] roommate in Texas who is good at trivia" to Canadians everywhere... in Canada. So basically, you should trust my opinion. unsolicited gush I love Farmers' markets. I love them so much I could spend hours and hours wandering around, buying produce, eating local treats, and sweatin' bullets. The Austin Farmers' Market has all of that and more! There was even a children's parade when we were there last week. Adorable. Kelly S. is right: it ain't cheap, but supporting local farmers is going to ignite those warm and fuzzy feelings in your belly. Also, you'll be enjoying the freshest produce around because it doesn't have to travel very far. If you're like me, you'll eat one blackberry and think, "Oh, THIS is how blackberries are supposed to taste." Simply divine. /unsolicited gush Alright, now that I got that out of the way, here are some practical tips for the Austin Farmers' market: -Do a little research and plan what you're going to buy ahead of time. Otherwise, you'll probably end up spending way too much money, or just wandering around aimlessly. -Wear sunscreen. The sun punishes those who think its power does not affect them by covering their exposed skin with blistered, tender burns that even chilled aloe vera can't relieve. Our sun is a vengeful sun. -Eat breakfast there. I'm a sucker for TacoDeli anything, so I waited in line for a couple of breakfast tacos. There are lots of other local vendors making delicious breakfast and lunch time treats, as well. -Bring water. Drink water. Buy some iced tea. Basically, just stay hydrated, because it's ungodly hot in Texas right now. -Try the stuff from the Happy Vegan bakery. The lady was super nice, and the chipotle brownie brought pure, unadulterated joy to my life. That's really all I have for now. Support local farmers!

It has been my belief for years that any downtown farmer's market is the pulse of how well or poorly a) the local agriculture industry and artisan's are thriving; and b) the community is supporting said groups. There is no doubt in my mind that Austin embraces its local agriculture and artisan's. It is much of what has drawn us to this community. I won't even pretend to know how well the city supports local agriculture. Hopefully it is well supported. Having lived on a farm for over 10 years (since our kids were little) and among farmers (both organic and non-organic) who farmed fruits, vegetables, orchards, vineyards, cattle, dairies, fiber, and so on, I have a deep respect and admiration for the industry. So, because of that, I have edited my review drastically. I hold tight to the two stars, but I did change all of my comments because I was concerned they did not reflect my respect for the farmers. I can draw from my experiences at amazing farmers markets (again: Mount Vernon, WA; Seattle, WA and the best being San Francisco, CA) to know that it would take a lot to give a farmer's market 5 stars. Two stars it is for the Austin Downtown Farmer's Market. I recommend anyone who can, frequent the Austin Downtown farmer's market because it is such an important aspect of the downtown. It truely should connect the city with its first need: for food. It is my feeling that reviews should be authentic, yet thoughtful. I hope this one is both.

I love farmer's markets. There's very few things that connect you back to thousands of years of commerce like paying for homegrown goods at a stand, in cash. Also, I have mastered the art of walking around holding a coffee, some type of breakfast food and bunch of little bags, while still having a free hand to point and pick up stuff. This is defnitely a small-ish market, you can see everything in under 20 minutes. But there's always something good to be found. Last time, I left with some natrual blackberry jam, brazillian empanadas, chutney salsa (not bad with roti), and some type of pastry. Texas isn't known for its awesomely fresh produce, so the veg department here isn't all that.... Lots of normal stuff like spring onions, chard, potatoes, etc.... All in all, It was cool. I'll be back every now and again.

Three stars for the hummus seller alone. Absolutely DELICIOUS. I rarely am up before 1 p.m. on a Saturday, so minus one for closing down early. Plus one for being by the pretty Republic Square Park. I love public squares and wish we got more use out of them in general. Yeah, yeah, the veggies are great too, but the hummus rocks my little world.

If you're free this Saturday morning, go to the AFM. This place is a ball of excitement in itself for those of us food junkie's out there. I was a little skeptical at first glance--there didn't seem to be enough vendors for my taste. But after spending about 2 hours from walking around and eating, I was quite impressed. Of course, there are some stands that you pass by and not give another glance, but there were many that I kept coming back for. And what's great about farmers markets are the samples! Try it before you buy it (for most things at least)! You can also get a good breakfast/lunch while you're there for a decent price and go home with a bunch of fresh goodies! I agree with Jaime M. The hummus is delicious. That vendor also sells tabbouleh and baba ghanoush, but the hummus is what I go for. There's also organic lamb, goat, fresh eggs, in season veggies, honey, bread, pastries and tons more from the AFM--dog food/treats, shirts, arts, etc. The best deal last time was delicious watermelons from a vendor (2 for $5)--such a good deal, compared to grocery stores that charge you $5+ for a watermelon! Check out AFM if you're free on Saturday. And if you think it's "too hot" to go, don't worry, JimJim's WaterIce stand is there to cool you down ;-)

There's few places that make me feel good by just being there, but the Downtown Farmer's Market is one of them. Any free Saturday morning, I am there. I can be in the grumpiest sleepy mood, but when I see all the stands waiting (seemingly just to greet me!), I am lifted out of my funk. I often go with nothing in mind (albeit with an anticipatory bag in tow) and leave with my bag bulging of fresh produce, pesto, pastries, hearty bread and cheese. I love the surprise aspect of buying food here-- you get what's in season, so there might be an abundance of radishes and swiss chard one week, shallots and squash the next. This is the way we were meant to eat. The subsequent trip home and inventing ways to cook everything is one of my favorite parts about my trips to the market. I nerd out about things like that. There's so much more here than an average farmer's market-- there's granola, dog biscuits, music, the best caramelized onion and gorgonzola quiche i've ever had (i have to close my eyes for a second upon first bite), soap, eggs, crafts, prepared foods, cheese, chocolate... it's a great way to spend a Saturday morning. So I don't know if you knew this, but the vendors here put love in their food. You feel it when you interact with everybody there, you can see it in the product; you taste it when you get home.

Saturday morning after eating breakfast we decided to check out the Farmer's market. It's a fun place just to walk around. There are plenty of samples and everyone is so nice. It feels like a huge block party.