Bistros, trattorias and the everyday places where Austin actually eats.
Bistros, trattorias, taverns and neighbourhood rooms: the mid-tier places where Austin actually eats.
Loro in Austin is the Franklin and Uchi teams' Asian smokehouse on South Lamar, a casual walk-in patio for Texas BBQ and Southeast Asian small plates.
OrderSmoked brisket with rice noodle and Thai chiles, plus a tall papaya salad.
TipWalk-in only; come at 5pm sharp or after 9pm to dodge the 90-minute weekend wait.
Ramen Tatsu-ya in Austin is Tatsu Aikawa's Hakata-style tonkotsu ramen on South Lamar since 2012, the city's most-followed ramen counter with no-booking.
OrderTonkotsu Original with the extra-fatty setting; the menu calls it Kotteri.
TipWalk-in only; the 6pm window moves slowest on Friday. The Research Boulevard location is the shortest queue.
Matt's El Rancho in Austin is the Martinez family's South Lamar Tex-Mex room since 1952, home of the Bob Armstrong queso dip and a citywide birthday-dinner.
OrderBob Armstrong dip, beef enchiladas with chili gravy, plus a frozen margarita on the side.
TipThe patio under the oaks holds 200; arrive 5:30pm to dodge the 7-to-9 family wait.
Hopdoddy Burger Bar in Austin is the South Congress flagship since 2010, a counter-order burger room that grinds chuck daily and built a national chain.
OrderThe Llano Poblano with house-ground chuck and truffle fries on the side.
TipThe line moves; queue at 5pm or 10pm. The Sack of Sliders is a four-burger flight worth ordering once.
Kerbey Lane Cafe in Austin is the central all-day diner since 1980, the 1930s bungalow that started a chain on pancakes, queso and 24-hour breakfast service.
OrderGingerbread pancakes and a bowl of queso; the queso comes with bacon for an extra dollar.
TipThe Central and South Lamar locations run 24 hours; Mueller closes at midnight, useful to know on weekends.
Lin Asian Bar in Austin is Ling Qi Wu's dim sum and Chinese kitchen on West 6th, a bright counter room with an open kitchen and Sunday brunch dim-sum carts.
OrderThe xiaolongbao and pan-fried beef buns; dough rolled in front of you at the counter.
TipSunday brunch is the only dim-sum-cart service; book a week out for the 11am seating window.
Kemuri Tatsu-ya in Austin is the Tatsu-ya team's izakaya-meets-BBQ casual room on East 2nd, a Bib Gourmand kitchen built for big shared plates and sake.
OrderThe brisket ramen and the smoked-tongue maki; the menu cross-references both kitchens.
TipThe sake list runs 80 bottles; ask the bar to walk you up from Junmai to Daiginjo as a flight.
Bouldin Creek Cafe in Austin is South First's vegetarian neighbourhood cafe since 2000, a bungalow-cum-coffeeshop with all-day breakfast and gluten-free.
OrderThe award-winning veggie burger and a side of migas; both run all day.
TipWalk-in only; Sunday brunch from 11 to 2 has the longest queue, weekday breakfast moves fast.
Joann's Fine Foods in Austin is the Bunkhouse Group's Tex-Mex diner at the Austin Motel on South Congress, a palapa-bar patio of fajitas, queso and frozen.
OrderWood-grilled fajitas and a frozen margarita; the tortillas are pressed in-house each morning.
TipThe Austin Motel pool is members-only but the diner patio runs walk-in; arrive 5pm Saturday for shade.
Magnolia Cafe in Austin is the South Congress 24-hour diner, a counter institution running queso, migas and pancakes through the night, weekends round.
OrderMag mud queso and the Love migas; both run 24 hours, 7 days a week.
TipOpen 24 hours Thursday through Saturday; otherwise closes at midnight. SXSW makes Friday 1am a scrum.
Cisco's in Austin is Rudy Cisneros's East 6th Tex-Mex breakfast counter since 1948, the room that ran the city's politician breakfasts and helped make huevos.
OrderHuevos rancheros plate with refried beans and a side flour tortilla.
TipThe morning rush peaks at 8:30am; smoother before 7:30 or after 10. Cash and card both work fine.
Perla's in Austin is the McGuire Moorman South Congress seafood patio, a Gulf-leaning oyster bar with dozens of half-shell varieties and a wraparound porch.
OrderHalf-dozen Gulf oysters and the whole grilled snapper; the patio at sunset is the room's signature shot.
TipWeekend brunch from 10:30am; reservations a week ahead for the patio or walk in at 11am Monday for the quiet oyster hour.
Pueblo Viejo in Austin is Nestor and Margarita's East Riverside Mexican taqueria since 2010, a brick-and-mortar grown from a taco truck and a citywide.
OrderBean-and-cheese breakfast taco on a homemade flour tortilla.
TipThe Tillery Street trailer and the St. Elmo and Pickle Road locations run the same kitchen with shorter lines.
El Naranjo in Austin is Iliana de la Vega's James Beard-winning Oaxacan dining room on South Lamar, a family kitchen of regional moles, ceviches.
OrderThe mole negro de Oaxaca; de la Vega trained at the source in Oaxaca City.
TipDaughter Ana Torrealba runs the kitchen as chef de cuisine; the Sunday-supper menu is the most experimental.
Guided tour · 3 hours
Six East Austin smokehouses in three hours, including a MICHELIN One Star pitmaster and three Bib Gourmands. Skip every line, ride in an air-conditioned van, and come hungry.
11 hours
Get ready to have a road trip experience to the Capital of Texas. We will enjoy the beautiful hill country stopping at wonderful places.
Water activity · 6 hours
Join a guided boat tour of Lake Travis in Austin. Enjoy a BBQ lunch, swim in the lake, and learn about the area's history. Choose this tour to join a group and to meet...