Haute Insider: Designer Brittny Button’s Guide to Austin F1

Formula 1 rolls back into Austin October 23–25, 2026, for the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas, and the city will do what it always does on race week: sell out, stay up and pretend nobody’s tired. Knowing how to do race week well is another matter entirely. For that, I’m taking my cues from Brittny Button (interior designer, founder of Button Atelier and wife of 2009 Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button), whose Austin black book runs 23 addresses deep. It goes from Franklin Barbecue and Uchiko to The Driskill Bar, a zero-gravity recovery chamber at Fairmont Spa Austin and a hotel dressed by Kelly Wearstler. Not one of them requires a paddock pass.

Photo Credit: Brittny Button

Photo Credit: Brittny Button

As founder and principal designer of Los Angeles–based Button Atelier, Brittny makes a living recognizing what gives a space its character. Her interiors balance architectural integrity with romance (curved arches, vintage furnishings, wrought iron), the kind of thoughtful details that make a beautiful home feel like somewhere you’d actually want to live. She told Haute Living last summer that her parents restored furniture and homes, which explains a lot. That same instinct shapes how she works a city. Yes, there’s a Wearstler hotel on her list. There’s also a no-nonsense gym in East Austin, gluten-free mochi doughnuts in Govalle and a saloon that’s been pouring since 1871 for date night. (Taste, it turns out, travels well.)

For trackside logistics, start with our complete guide to F1 weekend in Austin. For everything else, here are Brittny’s Austin essentials.

Photo Credit: Sean Pavone/Shutterstock.com

Favorite Restaurant: Franklin Barbecue

900 East 11th Street

Franklin Barbecue started as a trailer in 2009, moved into its East 11th Street home in 2011 and earned pitmaster Aaron Franklin the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest in 2015. It’s Brittny’s overall favorite, beating out the sushi, the pasta and the steakhouse on her list. This is Texas, after all, and the brisket has sold out every day since the place opened. Get there early. The line is part of the ritual.

Best Sushi: Uchiko

4200 North Lamar Boulevard

Uchiko is chef Tyson Cole’s North Lamar follow-up to Uchi, the restaurant that made Austin a serious sushi city. Brittny books it for an intimate dinner and singles out the private dining experience for its atmosphere as much as its food. Her orders: the hama chili and the gyutoro, a 72-hour short rib. Trust her on the short rib.

Best Italian: Sapori Italian Roots

800 Brazos Street

Sapori Italian Roots is the downtown brick-and-mortar from the team behind Il Sapori, the beloved South Austin pasta truck, and handmade pasta is still the point. When the craving is Italian, this is where Brittny goes. Consider it the carb-loading stop on her race-weekend circuit. (The drivers are on strict diets. You are not.)

Best Steakhouse: Jeffrey’s

1204 West Lynn Street

Jeffrey’s has been a Clarksville fine-dining institution since 1975, reopened by McGuire Moorman Lambert Hospitality after a 2012 renovation, with dry-aged prime steaks, a serious wine list and private rooms including the Napoleon Room. For a steakhouse evening, Brittny’s vote goes here. Book it for the night dinner deserves a little more occasion, and a little more Bordeaux.

Best Pizza: Bufalina

1519 East Cesar Chavez Street

Bufalina was one of the early movers in Austin’s Neapolitan pizza scene, firing pies on East Cesar Chavez. It earns the pizza slot in Brittny’s rotation, because even a weekend of lavish dinners needs one night of eating with your hands. One pie per person. Sharing is overrated.

Best Lunch: Caroline

621 Congress Avenue

Caroline is an all-day restaurant on Congress Avenue, open from breakfast until late with a menu that leans regional. It’s Brittny’s choice for lunch, a useful address to keep in your back pocket between the weekend’s many commitments. Downtown, central, reliable. On race week, that’s practically a love language.

Best Dessert: OMG Squee

4607 Bolm Road

OMG Squee is a Govalle bakery-café with an entirely gluten-free menu: mochi doughnuts (some shaped like animals), taiyaki filled with soft serve, plus boba and matcha. Brittny loves it for the doughnuts and the playful personality. “The gluten-free donuts and branding are FUN!” she says. A designer’s appreciation clearly extends to the dessert course.

Best Sunday Brunch: épicerie

2307 Hancock Drive

épicerie is a Rosedale café and grocery known as much for its pastry case as for its bistro plates. It’s Brittny’s Sunday brunch pick. If your Austin stay stretches beyond race day, save it for a Sunday with nowhere else to be. Lingering is encouraged.

Best Date Night: Scoot Inn

1308 East 4th Street

Scoot Inn has poured drinks at this East Fourth Street address since 1871, which makes it Austin’s oldest saloon, and today it’s a live-music venue with stages indoors and on the back patio. Brittny’s idea of a romantic night out comes with a soundtrack, and this is where she finds it. In the self-styled Live Music Capital of the World, that’s hardly a stretch. It’s still the right call.

Best Bar for an Old-School Texas Atmosphere: The Driskill Bar

The Driskill, 604 Brazos Street

The Driskill Bar is the lobby-level bar of The Driskill, the downtown hotel that opened in 1886 and remains Austin’s grande dame. Brittny loves it for its sense of history and its slightly intriguing air. It “feels like a secret society of sorts,” she says. “Almost like walking back in time, Texas style.” Order something brown and stirred, and act like you belong.

All-Around Favorite Spot: Zilker Metropolitan Park

2100 Barton Springs Road

Zilker Metropolitan Park is Austin’s 350-acre backyard, home to Zilker Botanical Garden and the spring-fed Barton Springs Pool. Brittny’s favorite place in the city comes with considerably more breathing room than a grandstand. Her reasoning is simple: it’s a beautiful place to walk. After three days of engine noise, simple sounds perfect.

Best Spa: Fairmont Spa Austin

Fairmont Austin, 101 Red River Street

Fairmont Spa Austin offers the Ammortal Chamber, a zero-gravity session that layers red and near-infrared light, PEMF, molecular hydrogen inhalation and vibroacoustic therapy. It’s the treatment on Brittny’s radar as an escape from a packed schedule. Her verdict on the prospect: “The most divine meditative break!” (Floating weightless in a light pod while the rest of the city chases autographs? I’d call that a podium finish.)

Best Gym: Lift ATX

1005 Springdale Road

Lift ATX is a community-minded East Austin gym; the city proclaimed September 30, 2023, Lift ATX Day. “There’s a no-nonsense attitude here that I love!” Brittny says. She also rates the friendly crowd and the reasonably priced daily passes, which is exactly what you want when the workout has to fit between qualifying and a dinner reservation.

Favorite Campus Walk: The University of Texas at Austin

Main campus, north of the Capitol

The University of Texas at Austin’s main campus sits just north of the Texas State Capitol, crowned by the UT Tower. A walk through it is one of Brittny’s favorite ways to see another side of the city, particularly in the fall. She finds the mix of students, visitors and fresh energy restorative. Late October delivers all three.

Best Art Stop: The Contemporary Austin

Jones Center, 700 Congress Avenue · Laguna Gloria, 3809 West 35th Street

The Contemporary Austin runs two sites: the Jones Center on Congress Avenue and Laguna Gloria, a 14-acre lakeside estate with a sculpture park and the 1916 Driscoll Villa. Brittny is drawn to both the rotating exhibitions and the permanent collection, a natural pull for someone whose work depends on looking closely. Only have time for one? Go to Laguna Gloria. The lake view does half the work.

Favorite Place for Jazz: Parker Jazz Club

117 West 4th Street

Parker Jazz Club is a 21-and-over Warehouse District listening room with live jazz Tuesday through Saturday. It’s where Brittny goes to settle into the evening. “It makes you exhale while listening to their talented musicians,” she says. Book ahead: shows sell out, and race week is no time to gamble on a walk-in.

Favorite Charity Event: Road to the Race

The Long Center, 701 West Riverside Drive

Road to the Race, presented by Circuit of the Americas and The Exotics Network, returns for its fourth year on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, at The Long Center. Expect more than 100 hypercars and supercars, F1 display cars, live music, a C-130J flyover and a live auction, with net proceeds split between The Long Center and Dell Children’s Medical Center. It’s Brittny’s favorite charity event. Dress code: cocktail. Consider it race week’s real opening night.

Favorite Austin Spectacle: The Congress Avenue Bridge Bats

Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge, Lady Bird Lake

Roughly 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats roost under the Congress Avenue Bridge each year, arriving in spring and heading south for the winter by November, so race week catches the end of the season. Watching them pour out at dusk is one of Brittny’s most memorable Austin experiences, and a reminder that the city’s spectacles aren’t confined to the track. “Nothing more mesmerizing than nature!” she says. If they emerge in daylight, watch from the bridge; near dark, head to the lakeshore below.

Favorite Vintage Shopping: ByCloudia

Online at bycloudia.life

ByCloudia is Claudia Geoly’s home-décor business, pairing pre-owned furniture and décor with new finds and sourcing pieces for clients and designers. This is where the interior designer’s eye really comes into play: Brittny credits Geoly with a knack for finding pieces that feel collectible. For anyone who’d rather bring home something with a story than a T-shirt, she’s the call.

Favorite Jewelry Stop: Kendra Scott Flagship

1701 South Congress Avenue

The Kendra Scott flagship is the hometown store of the Austin-based jewelry brand, set in a refurbished South Congress house with a café on site. Brittny appreciates the breadth of styles and price points, which makes it her pick for a browse with plenty of possibilities. Translation: you can leave with a souvenir for yourself and a gift for everyone who didn’t get to come.

Best Business Lunch: Aba

1011 South Congress Avenue

Aba is the Mediterranean restaurant from Chicago’s Lettuce Entertain You and chef CJ Jacobson, built around a multi-level patio shaded by a century-old heritage oak. For a meeting over a meal, Brittny recommends it: the greenery and outdoor setting give it the European feeling she gravitates toward in her own work, and the food seals the deal. Close yours over hummus. It’s more persuasive than it sounds.

Where to Stay: Austin Proper Hotel

600 West 2nd Street

Austin Proper is a 238-room downtown hotel a block from the Lady Bird Lake hike-and-bike trail, with rooms Kelly Wearstler furnished using vintage pieces she collected across Texas. It’s where Brittny sends out-of-town guests, for its sense of place, its central location and those Wearstler interiors. From a designer, that’s a telling endorsement. (Following the full calendar? Here are Haute Living’s picks for every F1 race.)

Driving Service: Austin Prestige Limo

11331 North Lamar Boulevard

Austin Prestige Limo runs limousines, chauffeured cars and event transportation across the city, from airport runs to nights out. It’s Brittny’s call for getting around. Keep the number handy. On race week, the car you booked beats the rideshare you’re begging for.

That’s the list: 23 stops, zero pit lanes. The race is Sunday. The rest of Austin is open all week.

Photo Credit: Brittny Button

Read More

Heading to COTA? Start with Haute Living’s SingleThread, Post Malone and a Seat at Turn 20: The Haute Guide to F1 Weekend in Austin, then get to know Brittny’s design world in Brittny Button Is Redefining Luxury Through Button Atelier.