The historic, narrow streets are lined with local and family-owned businesses. You'll find pizza and pasta places aplenty, plus Italian regional specialities on many menus, and scores of traditional Italian desserts, too. There are multiple food tours here in the North End, and both tourists and locals line the sidewalks to get into must-try spots. However, most people don't mind waiting around because the area is incredibly charming.
Clarksville is one of Austin's few truly walkable neighborhoods, with a main commercial street, school, and public park all within a roughly square-mile radius, satisfying the needs of daily life. It was here that romance blossomed for architect Michael Hsu and his now wife, Sarah, a contemporary art adviser. Soon after the couple met in 2020, she moved into a bungalow just down the street from the plot that he had recently purchased, envisioning settling down in the area.