32 Best Restaurants in Austin, Texas

Local critics consistently rank this West Sixth Street hot spot as one of the area's best restaurants, and the sprawling patio is almost always packed. It's a lovely downtown-adjacent atmosphere to enjoy upscale, indulgent takes on juicy burgers and pastrami (as a sandwich or a queso topping), and with great coffee and cocktails served all day to boot. There are even more burgers at the Quonset hut next door, where Hold Out Brewing slings food and beer all day. Both eateries have a hot weekend brunch ticket and host live music, outdoor vintage markets, and other special events periodically.

The predominantly outdoor layout of Texas ranch–inspired Contigo consistently draws a steady evening crowd—even when summer temps are well over 100 degrees. With a chef-driven stable of cocktails and a creative Southern-comfort-meets-contemporary-American menu, it's easy to understand why: ox tongue sliders, house-made pigs in a blanket, a gooey cheddar-filled grilled cheese sandwich on brioche, and the cast-iron sautéed okra with jalapeño and walnuts are among the top menu picks. The varied list of weekend brunch offerings includes buttermilk biscuits and gravy, beef tongue hash, and pecan coffee cake.

This Manor Road hot spot hangs their hat on seasonal local cuisine, with an emphasis on farmers’ markets, Texas beer and wines, and even ingredients foraged by the chefs themselves. A butcher-shop display-case greets patrons upon entering, showcasing various charcuterie and house-made canned and pantry goods. The cozy dining room, accented with exposed brick walls and reclaimed wood fixtures, is down the hall. Their initial prix-fixe “supper club” menu quickly expanded to include nightly à la carte items and a breakfast and lunch service (only on the weekend). Chefs and servers are passionate about their carnivore-heavy cuisine, and it shows. Charcuterie plates are an obvious staple, and daily creations span wide-ranging territory, from venison ceviche to turkey tamales. Try the refreshing house libations, like wild persimmon sodas or sparkling peach jam cocktails.

This food truck turned brick-and-mortar was an early trailblazer of the city’s farm-to-table movement, thanks to chef Bryce Gilmore’s inventive take on locally sourced, modern American cuisine. Gilmore and his team’s artistic approach to Southern seasonal fare comes in tapas-sized portions, so servers recommend a few dishes per patron. All the better to sample their variety of rotating dishes, from charred eggplant baba ghanoush and fried whole quail with peaches and squash puree to buckwheat crumpets and beer-battered sweet potatoes.

This East Austin success story began as a humble food truck offering just a few breakfast sandwiches. Today, it occupies a two-story, full-service breakfast and brunch destination in the heart of a rapidly developing stretch of East 11th Street. Paperboy specializes in upscale American comfort classics with a gourmet twist, such as their classic B.E.C. sandwich made with bacon, egg, pimento cheese, and jalapeño jam on a bolillo roll, and deviled egg tostadas with pickled cauliflower and cabbage slaw. The full bar features signature cocktail, like Cold Brew Martinis and PB&J Old Fashioneds, which are a huge hit with the brunch crowds that fill the indoor and outdoor rooftop seating areas every weekend.

A gem in the midst of Dirty Sixth, Parkside’s austere interior features exposed brick walls, a shotgun bar, and bare light bulbs suspended by black cables. Celebrated chef Shawn Cirkiel has created an equally simple menu, but delivers on taste with fresh oysters and ceviche-style offerings from the raw bar, in addition to a meat-centric array of bone marrow appetizers, savory grilled lamb, and shareable portions of steak and (perfectly crisped) fries. Floor-to-ceiling windows look onto 6th Street for ideal people-watching while lingering over desserts like homemade doughnuts, served warm and sugar-dusted in paper sacks. Dinner can be pricey, but the daily happy hour (5:30–7 pm) is one of the best bargains in the city.

Don't miss out on the state dish of Texas at this celebrated downtown dive. Just a stroll away from the Capitol, the Chili Parlor has been a favorite of legislators, lobbyists, and local hell-raisers alike for a midday meal (or late-night beer) since 1976. Get a gut-sticking bowl of bean-less chili (marked X, XX, and XXX for spice), an ice-cold Lone Star beer, or a fully loaded Bloody Mary, and soak up some Old Austin history in a classic setting.

The upscale breakfast fare and comfort food eatery might carry an unconventional price tag for a diner, but the quality of dishes (from Belgian waffles to meatloaf sandwiches) has earned a loyal fan base. The always bustling interior is a welcoming mix of mid-century retro and contemporary efficiency, with booths and barstool seating at high tables. The menu rotates with the seasons, but staples include chicken and waffles, three types of breakfast hash, and a weekly chicken and dumpling special. There’s an expected list of coffee drinks, plus a full bar and specialty milkshakes, from chocolate cherry to coconut cream, to satisfy any craving.

The strictly seasonal, locally sourced daily specials at the celebrated Barley Swine blend the artistic style of Japanese sushi with the familiarity of Southern comfort food. Be sure to list any food allergies when reserving as dinner comes in the form of a fixed daily menu of chef-selected small plates ($115 per person) with expert beverage pairings (starting at $65 per person). Executive chef and owner Bryce Gilmore and his team deliver innovative dishes like duck-blood crepes with sweet chiles and pear-and-turnip soup with apple cider and chanterelles. Reservations are essential at this intimate eatery and can be made well in advance or sometimes the day of.

Another upscale New American eatery hit downtown this year, with an impressive culinary and cocktail program led by husband-and-wife chefs. The bistro-style restaurant, just across from Lady Bird Lake, is modern and full of light, making it a great date night or business happy hour option. Lunch and dinner menus change with the seasons, but patrons can expect anything from lamb osso bucco and seared scallops atop a crispy scallion rice cake or flatbread pizzas like the “Fig & Pig” with smoked bacon, fig jam, and caramelized onions. Crowds flock to the Sunday brunch for decadent options like bananas foster french toast, homemade pecan sticky buns, and bacon tater tots.

This fine-dining destination tucked away on the UT campus is a convenient bonus for guests staying at the AT&T Hotel and Conference Center. The simple but elegant interiors are a classic backdrop for gourmet, locally sourced fare at anytime of day. Buffet and à la carte items are available for breakfast and lunch, and the three-course, prix-fixe dinner ($45) is an artfully presented, well-proportioned sampling of any starter, main entree, and dessert on the menu. Full dinner offerings fluctuate, with evergreen signatures like Rosewood Ranch steak and Niman Ranch pork shanks and seasonal standouts, like creamy carrot risotto and crispy pork belly with peach butter and fennel.

Downtown’s Radisson hotel finally ousted an outdated TGI Fridays location on their ground floor and made way for yet another hit from chef and restaurateur Shawn Cirkiel. The delicious contemporary Southwestern cuisine is delivered in shareable or a la carte portions, from oyster taquitos to grilled hen with yellow mole. A limited menu is available in between lunch and dinner service and the Sunday brunch features more than 50 dishes served buffet style. Interiors are chic and floor to ceiling windows show off spectacular views of Lady Bird Lake.

This east-side location of this beloved upscale diner operation has enough square footage to suit its adoring fanbase. The mid-century-styled interiors are clean and cozy, with wooden countertops and a blackboard of daily specials next to the line of expert short-order chefs who serve up a familiar menu of classic breakfast and lunch dishes. Patrons can find crab cake Benedict, enormous homemade pancakes, succulent grass-fed burgers, and favorites like the quail and eggs.

This swanky spot injects a lot of glamour into the otherwise laid-back South Lamar scene. Honoring Angelina Eberly, a storied local innkeeper who helped preserve Austin as the capital in 1842, the contemporary New American restaurant takes inspiration from its courageous namesake with an ambitious slew of snazzy dining areas, like a beautiful interior "atrium" room, an inviting rooftop terrace, and a historic Cedar Tavern bar that hosts an excellent daily happy hour.

This upscale, 47-seat North Loop gastropub was a major trailblazer in the city's locavore and “nose-to-tail” movements. And it’s remained a reliably inventive spot that keeps loyal patrons on their toes with seasonal (and daily rotating) creations, from fried pig ears and shishito peppers to fresh market fish artfully accented with squid ink and foamed butter. F&D's menu isn't tailored to finicky eaters, but this is the place to be for adventurous foodies. The restaurant now offers a decadent Sunday brunch with standouts like a cast-iron frittata with seasonal vegetables.

Located within the historic Hotel Ella—formerly known as the Goodall Wooten mansion—this stately restaurant is a wonderful added luxury for overnight guests and nonguests alike. The old-world charms of the bright, tastefully decorated dining room are ideal for an indulgent cocktail or special occasion meal. But reviews can be inconsistent regarding service, and many patrons desire an expansion of the limited menu. Breakfast and lunch are served on weekdays, with brunch and special high tea services available on weekends. Snag a table on the wraparound porch if the weather is nice, and valet to avoid the stress of finding parking in west campus.

Austin’s favorite over-the-top doughnut destination, born out of food-truck fame, is now a brick-and-mortar café, where diners can get their favorite perforated pastries topped with everything from chicken-fried steak to beer-battered oysters. Salads (served with garlic doughnuts) and sides like creamed corn and fried brussels sprouts, plus a full bar and rotating selection of local beers, round out the extensive menu. A weekend brunch features doughnut French toast and savory-sweet egg sandwiches, along with Bloody Marys and pitchers of mimosas. But plenty of folks still show up for the giant-sized coffee and dessert doughnuts, like the “Sin-A-Bomb,” with melted cinnamon butter drizzled over cream-cheese icing. A food-truck location is on nearby South 1st Street.

Housed in a 1920s drugstore owned by one of Austin's first African American pharmacists, this historical landmark now serves up a different kind of "medicine" to the east side with a gorgeous menu of farm-to-table Central Texas cuisine in exquisite antique-laden interiors. Stop by any time of day, whether it's a quick weekday breakfast or a boozy late afternoon happy hour (try their house punch made with gin, hibiscus syrup, grapefruit juice, and bubbles). Dinner service features wonderful seasonal specials and weekly offers like a popular Sunday Steak Night. Weekend brunch is first come, first served.

This welcoming Hyde Park hangout has kept the locals coming in since 1982 with a classic, Southern comfort food menu and signature French fries. Interiors are cozy and decorated with pleasant, colorful paintings (for sale) by local artists, and there's an easygoing atmosphere for both the shorts-and-T-shirt crowd and the dressier, special-occasion fraction. The variations on simple fare run from black-bean veggie burgers and chicken-fried steaks to fresh seafood. Weekend brunch and lunch hours are busiest—look for the hungry crowd milling around the fork-in-the-road sculpture staked in the front parking lot.

The adorable little sister of Jeffrey’s, located just across the street in a beautifully restored navy bungalow, offers a slightly more approachable, but still very sophisticated, daytime option for modern American cuisine and cocktail service. Locals love to sit at the patio or front-lawn tables, and reservations are recommended for the popular Monday Steak Frites Night, when a three-course meal (featuring a choice of steak, from rib eye to tartare) costs around $50. There's no lunch, but brunch is served daily (9 am to 3 pm), and an afternoon snacks menu pairs perfectly with the daily happy hour menu.

South First Street's best date-night destination might have limited dining space, but the seasonal prix-fixe selections, expertly prepared culinary creations, and fanciful decor are worth the hype. In addition to the nightly à la carte menu offerings, diners can indulge in a chef's choice menu ($72) with five courses that could be creations like striped-bass crudo and bowfin caviar, green curry fumé, seared antelope heart, or jerk quail with pecan butter and watermelon radish. The shady backyard wine garden has expanded with additional seating for weekly happy hours and dinner service. Walk-ins are accommodated.

Housed in an old East Austin tire shop, this counter-service outdoor café is a favorite of families and on-the-go locals. Local hospitality juggernauts Larry McGuire and Liz Lambert kept the Aztec iconography, walk-up service, and sparse layout of the preexisting spot, and the new back patio is ideal for lazy lunches, family outings, and weekend day-drinking. The rotisserie chicken and burgers are popular, and ice-cold draft beer keeps things cool on hot summer days.

This local institution serves a full complement of the simple breakfast/brunch foods that Austinites tend to crave at all hours. The typical selection of sandwiches, omelets, salads, and desserts is supplemented by seven enchilada options and signatures like the Love Migas (eggs scrambled with crisp tortilla chips and fresh salsa, spiked with garlic-serrano butter and served with black beans). Breakfast, including stellar Frisbee-sized pancakes—buttermilk, whole wheat, cornmeal, or luscious gingerbread—is available 24/7. Service is always friendly and the worn booths and tables host a diverse gamut of loyal patrons, from hungover UT students to old-Austin early birds.

Sandwich lovers once had to trek out to 620 and Anderson Mill Road to experience the blissful creations of chefs John Bates and Brandon Martinez. But the modest sandwich shop (formerly known as Noble Pig) recently expanded their renowned finger-lickin’ empire with a Burnet Road location that draws big crowds, especially during peak lunch hours, when the line can stretch out the door. Choose from a menu of flavor-packed sammies such as duck pastrami with Russian dressing and the Noble Pig, with ham, pulled pork, and bacon. Homemade sides, like the spicy jalapeno slaw, pack a punch. Breakfast hours have also been added, with knockouts like biscuits and gravy and a braised oxtail with potato and leek waffles.

This campus-adjacent hangout, walking distance from DKR Stadium, has been the preeminent destination to meet with friends and fellow sports lovers, knock back brews, and eat burgers on game days since 1971. The patio can be packed to the gills on weekends or just dotted with casual groups of friends on slow weeknights, but the kitchen is always serving its pub-grub menu of sandwiches, burgers, and wings—and the flat-screen–covered walls are always flickering.

Sure, it’s become a hipster-certified option for locally sourced charcuterie, meatball subs, and an intimate (and meat-heavy) dinner service, but many Austinites still frequent Salt & Time solely for their expert butcher selections and services. Traditional salumi, tartare, and daily offal specials aren’t always for the faint of heart, but the lunch and dinner menus are extremely satisfying, with entrées like a popular “butcher’s burger” and a braciole stuffed with Parmesan, garlic, smoked tomatoes, and okra. Be sure to ask for the day’s butcher’s cut special. A weekend brunch offers hearty options like smoked-pork hash, deep-fried eggs Benedict, and pancakes with seasonal butters like smoked jalapeño and peach and chili.

This porcine-themed gastropub in the midst of Manor Road specializes in contemporary farmhouse cuisine that extends far beyond pork. Diverse options include bacon and Gruyère–roasted bone marrow, slow-cooked beef shoulder, and chicken liver mousse. Sides like crispy brussels sprout leaves with golden raisins and duck-fat fries, topped with a 110-minute egg and béarnaise sauce, are equally indulgent. The daily happy hour is one of the city’s best, with crowds filling out the patio and two indoor dining rooms for specialty cocktails and spectacular small plates, like honey-rosemary–dipped fried chicken, for around $5 each.

With all the high-class sophistication you get from Chef/owner David Bull's Congress restaurant, his adjacent brasserie-style restaurant is his answer to presenting diners with a more relaxed style of food. Here you'll find a steady crowd of patrons in for business, pleasure, or both, feasting on a wide selection of small plates, entrees, salads, and brick oven pizzas. You'll find diverse brunch, lunch and dinner options, from blistered shishito peppers with miso aioli and a chart-topping burger to "black and bleu" pizza with pork belly confit, dates, red onion and bleu cheese. Beers are local, cocktails are hand crafted and the wine list is replete with food-friendly selections.

If any one restaurant defines the laid-back, somewhat goofy Austin aesthetic, it's probably Shady Grove. On any clear day, expect the stone patio here to be packed with folks fighting the heat with schooner-sized frozen margaritas. Visitors to Barton Springs Pool frequent this state park-inspired establishment for its casual, but funky vibe and huge servings of affordable, simple fare. Burgers and hot dogs are big movers here, as are the vegetarian "hippie sandwiches" (roasted eggplant and grilled vegetables) and impossibly large salads. Their live music series, Unplugged at the Grove, draws high-wattage talent to the outdoor stage throughout spring and summer.

The award-winning team behind local restaurants Odd Duck and Barley Swine opened their "everyday" restaurant in east Austin in 2018 to rave reviews from critics and locals alike. The bustling gathering spot consists of two buildings (the main front entry, with counter service for pastries, snacks, and drinks, plus the back bar) that are connected by an outdoor patio that serves as a beer and wine garden. The alfresco tables are popular with groups (and their four-legged friends) at any hour of the day thanks to Sour Duck's diverse morning-to-night menu offerings.