Austin restaurants and dishes are featured in my Flavors of the Month posts. Check out this post for recommendations on where to eat next!
Last year I started keeping a list of all the Austin restaurants I tried (108), and I continued doing that this year. It came from curiosity and my general love of list-making. So, that’s why I can tell you I ate at 41 Austin restaurants in the first quarter – January, February, and March. Here are 15 to check out.
Dinner at Eastside ATX
If our first event of the year at Eastside is any indicator, Austin Food Blogger Alliance will have a good year of eating. Here’s what I love about EastSide:
- Free parking lot and street parking
- Spacious restaurant with a bar and upstairs patio
- I had a non-alcoholic cocktail and it was just as pretty and I’m sure as delicious as all the others
- I tasted the crispy chicken sandwich and Cesar Chavez burger (double patties with pickled green tomatoes and gruyere) and I’d order both again
- Lots of variety on the Southern-inspired menu, like ceviche and salads
- Yes, they have happy hour M-F, 4-6 pm
- They source their dessert from Austintatious Cheesecakes and this blueberry cheesecake was delish
Dinner at Este
The new Mexican seafood restaurant, Este, on the east side is a winner! You’ll want to make a reservation at this sister restaurant of Suerte.
What we enjoyed:
- Half a dozen oysters
- Mixta Tostada – tuna, poached shrimp, clams
- Tuna Tiradito – favorite dish that melts in your mouth!
- Trout a la Pulla
- Semifreddo – frozen Oaxacan crema, lime, puffed amaranth
Happy Hour is Sun-Thurs, 5-6 pm: half off oysters & bottles of wine, $25 off seafood platters and towers.
Coffee at Daydreamer
This coffee shop’s gorgeous! Daydreamer Cafe opened to the public a few months ago and now you can enjoy a matcha latte (mine was good!) while taking photos of every unique corner of this spacious shop. From statement colors to cozy nooks, Daydreamer will have you wanting to remodel your house. You’re more likely to find street parking (metered) on a weekend morning since it’s located in West Campus. No public wi-fi available!
Brunch at Electric Shuffle
Have you gone to Electric Shuffle yet? The whole experience – food, drinks, and the game – is worth telling everyone about! Electric Shuffle hosted us for brunch and we enjoyed a spread of breakfast pizza, quesadillas, truffle fries, avocado toast, Trillionaire’s bacon (basically magic), chicken biscuits, and donut holes. For the brunch package, you get a bottle per guest and they also have a big cocktail list.
It also includes a game of high-tech shuffleboard. The screen will keep track of points, turns, and instant replays!
Read more about my experience in this post.
Burger at NADC
This is one juicy burger! NADC features a 1/3 lb of wagyu beef in its burger! Plus cheese, pickles, and special sauce. Definitely a top burger in Austin!
BBQ Sandwich at Slab BBQ
I had one of my best dishes of the year the other day – the McDowell sandwich at Slab BBQ. The de-boned ribs are so juicy and the Soul Glo sauce is perfect. There are multiple locations around Austin so go try their barbecue sandwiches!
Dessert at Whiskey Cake
We got a reservation here on a busy Friday night, and while our appetizers and entrees were ok, the restaurant’s namesake – the whiskey cake – was worth it.
Cupcake at Bakery Cloud Nine
This bakery window in South Austin was delightful! I had a double chocolate cupcake and it was perfectly moist.
Wine at Blurred Vines
This tasting room in Downtown Austin is a classy place for wine lovers. If you’re looking for a curated experience, this is the place to visit. Read about Blurred Vines and the Austin Wine Collective here.
Wine at Cape Bottle Room
This wine bar and tasting room is all about wines from South Africa. It’s a place to pop in for a casual glass or a flight. Read about Cape Bottle Room and the Austin Wine Collective here.
Dinner at Dovetail Pizza
This pizza place – Dovetail Pizza – opened in South Austin a few months ago.
We started with the corn-fried calamari and then enjoyed the casarecce with mushrooms and spinach and also the white pie with ricotta cream, snap peas, corn, and arugula.
Which dessert would you pick?
- Chocolate Torte
- Pear Crostada
- Creme Brulee
Viet Cajun Crawfish at Happyrito Seafood
Yay for crawfish season! Tried out Happyrito and really enjoyed it. It’s about $10/lb and the order is 3 or 5 lbs. Depending on the size of the crawfish, it’s pretty easy to casually consume 3lbs.
Cake at Paper Route Bakery
Best cake in Austin? Paper Route Bakery has some magical cakes! The creative flavors, the quality ingredients, the Chantilly cream. They have 8 signature flavors and 2 specialty flavors each week. I highly recommend getting more than one flavor or the whole flight. Read more in this post.
Ramen del Barrio
There’s a new food spot in the food court at Hana World Market! Christopher Krinsky started serving his Mexican-Japanese ramen in a private garage pop-up before joining the food court a few months ago. This flavorful and rich ramen is becoming a favorite in the area. I tried the carnitas tonkatsu and I want to try the menudo and mole ramen next. I’ve also tried the pork belly (chicharron), chicken karaage, and pork belly taco – good options if you want something other than ramen.
Dessert at Cafe de Margo
I love this new dessert spot in North Austin that makes croffles – croissant waffles! Cafe de Margo, located at Hana World Market, has 6 different croffle flavors. Here’s the savory flavor – cheese. I love the mix of sweet and savory on this one. I also had to try the strawberry. I love that the croffles are crunchy on the outside. It’s so good, I’ve already gone back multiple times.
What have you been eating lately?
P.S. Need more recommendations? Check out these Austin restaurants.
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