I lived in Austin for about eight years and watched it grow from a cool little college town to the burgeoning culinary capital of the Southwest!

In a whirlwind of images, smells, tastes and tweets, the Austin food scene went viral on glossy magazine covers, broadcasting on TV travelogues and food shows while appearing on so many Twitter feeds and foodie-focused blog sites.

It wasn’t always like this - at the start when I lived there, Austin was mostly known for it’s southwest focused cuisine with a sprinkling of international food.

Now there are creative chefs heading up restaurants with world class Japanese food, inventive Tex-Mex, and Michelin star worthy dishes!

Here are some of my favorite restaurants and places to eat in Austin:

Kerbey Lane Cafe

One of the original 24-Hour Brunch focused cafes in Austin, this local favorite has stood the test of time. When I lived in Austin, I remember heading over to Kerbey Lane, be it 3 am or 3 pm, and walking away immensely satisfied with the great food and attentive service.

Along with amazing brunch food, they have great Tex-Mex food here!

What is Tex-Mex you ask?

It’s basically a fusion of Mexican and ingredients from the USA, but since the movement started in Texas - it’s called Tex-Mex. The main differentiator is if the dish includes beef, yellow cheese, wheat flour, black beans, canned vegetables (especially tomatoes), and cumin then it’s most likely Tex-Mex.

Favorites here include:

Kerbey Queso - oh so sinfully good, especially shared amongst groups!

French Toast - a classic French Toast artfully made!

Migas - I love these anytime of day!

Crispy Chicken Benedict - who doesn’t love fried chicken covered with hollandaise sauce?

Dolce Neve Gelato

Owned by Italians who are obsessed with gelato - you won’t be able to find anything better than actually flying to Italy.. and even then I’m fairly confident Dolce Neve is just as good as any gelato I’ve had overseas!

What I love about Dolve Neve as well, is that they use mostly local and seasonal ingredients in their gelato in small batches. The result is delicious gelato bursting with seasonal flavor!

They move through batches so quickly that sometimes I see a whole new menu of flavors at noon and at 6 pm!

Also, in case you’re wondering what the difference between gelato and ice cream..

Due to the process in how it’s made, gelato is a bit more dense, elastic, and fluid compared to ice cream. It uses more milk, less cream, and has no egg yolks compared to ice cream. The ingredients also stand out a bit more vs ice cream.

Torchys Tacos

Founded in 2006 before the taco craze had spread around Austin, this now taco staple has several locations around the city.

They became popular for their modern take on Tex Mex tacos with choices no one had ever seen before.

For example they have a Fried Avocado Taco, a Trailer Park Taco (Fried Chicken), and a Jamaican Jerk Chicken Taco called the Brushfire. These might not sound that ‘inventive’ nowadays, but back in 2006 it was pretty out there for taco fare.

They’ve also added things like Street Corn, Salad Bowls, and Hillbilly Queso over the years.

BBQ

The Central Texas style of BBQ, influenced by Czech and German immigrants, is the most popular type of BBQ in Texas. It’s made with a dry rub over the meat and then indirectly smoked over pecan or oak wood.

When I lived in Austin before the hyped up BBQ craze, Rudy’s was always my go to for delicious brisket, good service, good prices, and most importantly no long lines!

They have a motto calling themselves ‘the worst bbq’ in a bit of self-deprecation. But in fact, I think they have some of the best bbq in Austin!

I usually go for the ‘moist’ brisket which is the fattier, juicer cut. They give you a bunch of white, fluffy bread and all the bbq sauce, pickles, and onions you want to make yourself the tastiest BBQ brisket sandwich in the land!

The other place that deserves some hype is of course the famous Franklins BBQ. I can’t stand waiting hours in line for food, so I’ve only had their BBQ once or twice. It was pretty good but honestly not worth all the heavenly hype. I just go to Rudy’s when I want good Texas BBQ. :)

Uchi

One of the most famous Japanese restaurants in America - Uchi has been dazzling for many years and stayed on top of their game even to this day, which is a rare feat for a restaurant on the cutting edge of Japanese cuisine.

You can choose to go ala carte or go with the Omakase which is basically the chef’s custom made menu for the day.

What I love about Tyson Cole’s cuisine is that it’s a magical blend of techniques ranging from Southeast Asia, Japan, USA, and all the way to Brazil.

Uchiko

If you can’t land a reservation at Uchi, the sister restaurant Uchiko is just as good. People rave about the Omakase, or Chef’s Menu, at Uchiko - so that’s what I’d recommend here as well. I promise, you won’t be disappointed, but rather you’ll be sad when the meal is over!

Ramen TATSU-YA

If you like authentic Japanese ramen, definitely head over to Ramen Tatsu-Ya for a comforting bowl of delicious Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen. It’s made slowly with pork bones and has delicious pork chashu, ramen egg, bamboo, and silky smooth noodles.

Tonkotsu means ‘pork bone’ in Japanese. The ’Shoyu’ part means the type of tare or extra soup seasoning added. Shoyu is a type of Japanese soy sauce.

Also, don’t worry about slurping your noodles loudly - it’s recommended actually!

Magnolia's Cafe

Another one of Austin’s original 24 hour funky cafes - this place was one of my go to’s during all night cram sessions and 3 am madness after all the bars closed on 6th street.

What to get here? Pretty much anything on the menu! But my favorites were:

Migas - because who doesn’t love Migas? It’s eggs, tortilla chips, chilis covered with queso..

Mag Mud - basically Tex Mex Queso Dip!

Pancakes - nothing more comforting than pancakes!

Via 313

This Detroit style pizza joint is all about great pizza! The pizza is thick, chewy, with a great crunch to it. It’s baked in the Detroit square style with so many topping choices.

What is Detroit style pizza?

Detroit-style pizza is a square pizza that encourages savoring of the corner bits, where crust real estate is most abundant.

The closest thing to Detroit pizza would be the Sicilian style focaccia pizza, which is baked in a rectangular pan with toppings directly pressed into the dough and topped with olive oil and tomato sauce.

Favorites include:

Cadillac - Gorgonzola, Balsamic Glaze, Fig Preserves, Shaved Parmesan and Shaved Prosciutto

Detroiter - Cheese, Double Pepperoni (Smoked and Natural Casing)

Veracruz All Natural

Another one of Austin’s famous and old school taco food trucks, you’ve got to try their Migas, chicken mole, al pastor, and breakfast tacos!

Everything is outrageously delicious here, especially if you’re looking for more authentic Mexican food.

Fonda San Miguel

This Austin institution has been around for over 40 years! When you’ve been open that long, you’re definitely doing things right.

They are committed to showing you an authentic Mexican dining experience as shown right when you enter through the carved wooden doors.

Much of the original menu focused on regions of Oaxaca, Puebla, Yucantan, and Veracruz is still there such as the cochinita pibil and mole poblano.

They also have new interpretations of Mexican food and their most glitzy affair is the Sunday Brunch.

Did you know that Texas used to be part of Mexico before winning independence in 1836? It’s no surprise there is such great Mexican food in Texas as a result! Check out more fun facts about Texas here.

Xian Sushi and Noodle

I’m a sucker for hand pulled noodles and Xian does it so well! You can see them cutting them and pulling by hand right when you enter.

Choose from noodles soups, braised beef noodles, or something like Dan Dan noodles. They’re all so good!

A primer on hand pulled noodles:

Hand-pulled noodles are formed by pulling wheat flour dough into long, elastic strips by hand. They typically have a more silky, springy and chewy feel compared to machine-made noodles. Usually the pulling and cooking process happen at the same time, so they are served super fresh.

Three basic ingredients are found in hand-pulled noodles: wheat flour, salt and water. Sometimes an alkaline agent is added to make the noodles more springy.

Olamaie

Situated in an adorable white cottage, this upscale restaurant focusing on Southern cuisine is one of the best restaurants in town, winning several awards many years in a row.

The ambiance of the dining room is classic Southern with perfect dim lighting and attentive service.

The inventive cuisine here merges Southern fare with global influences. An example is the Georgia peanut spread combined with compressed watermelon and cucumber. The airy hush puppies and delicious biscuits are big winners in my book as well.

Saigon Le Vendeur

For some fantastic Vietnamese food, Saigon Le Vendeur makes banh mi and vermicelli bowls out of a converted shipping container.

The banh mi has the perfect airy, crispy french roll combined with pate, Vietnamese cold cuts, and pickled vegetables.

About the history of Banh Mi:

Its origins come from the French colonization of Vietnam when the French imported many of their food into the country. When the French left, many of the staples of the French cuisine stayed, such as baguettes, cold cuts, and cheese.

Over time, the Vietnamese started placing cold cuts, pate, and various other ingredients into a convenient to-go sandwich, which morphed into the Banh Mi sandwich of today!

Bufalina

Austin has some great pizza joints, but if you’re looking for Neapolitan pizza in particular - Bufalina is one of the best for that!

The pizza dough is fermented for 24 hours and then proofed longer after that. The result is a nice chew in the dough with a nuttiness and tang from the long fermentation. Add on the char from the super hot oven and it’s Neapolitan pizza heaven!

What is Neapolitan pizza you ask?

Hailing from Naples, Italy - the main characteristics are the usage of more sauce over cheese, being cooked at 900 F for about 90 seconds, and usage of 0 or 00 wheat flour.

Emmer & Rye

Focusing on grains from around the world, the small plates are sent out dim sum style on push carts for all to see. You still order starter and mains from the menu but I love the push carts because I love seeing food before ordering.

Much attention is shown to the food such as advanced fermentation techniques. For example they often use Japanese techniques that I recognized from my time eating in kaiseki meals in Kyoto.

They bake all their own bread and make their pastas as well.

Some favorites include:

Mackerel with daikon radish & tomato water

Johnnycakes with cheddar & roasted pork

Butternut Squash with ricotta & black butter

Cacio e Pepe

Any of the pasta dishes

Launderette

Located in a previous coin operated laundromat, this adorable restaurant has cool vibes, shining white subway tiles, mid-century furniture, and turquoise floors. There’s even a large chandelier over the bar!

The menu is built for sharing with lovely small plates and interesting cocktails.

On crispy sourdough, the salmon tartare features radish, cucumber, sesame, and miso aioli, while semolina bread is the basis for crab hunks topped with avocado, fennel aioli, and vinaigrette caper-mint.

Options for the mains include octopus, whole branzino, pork ribs and hanger steak. There is also a long list of vegetables and salads for vegetarians that might serve as a main dish.

Also, make sure to get dessert or a pastry, as the pastry chef Laura Sawicki is as good as it gets. We loved the lemon curd tart with compressed strawberries, rhubarb, sweet pea puree, and basil ice cream.

Another popular favorite is the birthday ice cream sandwich, topped with bright sprinkles!

Evangeline Cafe

With it’s proximity to Louisiana - there’s bound to be great Cajun Creole food in Austin. One of our favorites is Evangeline Cafe, which has been making authentic Cajun food since 2004. The owner is from Louisiana and makes consistently delicious gumbo, jambalaya, étouffée, red beans and rice, boudin, and shrimp creole.

On top of it all, they like to book a wide variety of great live music including some really fun Cajun bands!

Best Restaurants and What To Eat in Austin, TX

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