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Check out the best restaurants in Austin, TX. Our Austin Restaurant Guide features 25 top dining experiences based on atmosphere, originality, menu quality, and style.
Last updated on Sep 14, 2023 by Ivan Collins
An American Gastro Pub located a few miles east of IH-35 off Manor Road, Salty Sow is known for its unique savory menu, featuring appetizers like Triple Fried Duck Fat Fries with a 110 minute egg and cold béarnaise.
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Located in the Warehouse District, Bar Chi Sushi features Austin's best sushi happy hour from 4-7 daily and all day on Sunday. On weekend nights the energy level amps up to give it sort of a club like feel worthy of a night out on the town.
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The only Chinese restaurant to make our list, Wu Chow offers a very modern take on farm to table Chinese with a menu that offers "dishes representative of all eight styles of Chinese cuisine" with dim sum service on Sunday evenings.
View Wu Chow on West 5th
Tucked alongside the Thompson Austin Hotel around the corner from Historic 6th Street, Diner Bar is NOT your typical hometown diner, folks! Chefs Mashama Bailey and Kristine Kittrell have locked into something sensational.
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Intero is one of our city’s best Italian restaurants. Austinites Ian Thurwachter & Krystal Craig have joined their talents to bring us fantastic farm-to-table cuisine from at least 20 different farms.
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Ember Kitchen in downtown Austin's Seaholm District brings a modern and elegant twist to upscale dining with the use of a Josper Grill to combine the effects of a charcoal grill with temperature controlled oven to deliver an amazing Caribbean infused menu
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A relative newcomer to the Austin dining scene, Ten Ten opened in January of 2020 on West 6th street. Ten Ten features a modern sushi and robata kitchen with stylish décor, a killer happy hour, and large bar area serving great drinks.
View Ten Ten on West 6th
Nestled up next to the entrance of the W Hotel on 2nd street, Trace offers a stylish dining retreat with a large outdoor seating, live music 2-3 nights per week, and an easy to peruse menu.
Trace at the W Hotel
A relative newcomer to the Austin scene, Ramen Tatsu-ya locations have brought the upscale ramen concept to the town with 4 locations. The South Lamar location is a short block from Alamo Drafthouse and features a hip interior, some outdoor seating, and fantastic bowls of ramen.
View Ramen Tatsu-ya on South Lamar
The Clay Pit is Austin's only legit upscale Indian restaurant. It's located in the Bertram building, one of Austin's oldest, that is packed with history and often featured on TV shows and local tours for it's legendary ghost hauntings. The menu is amazing and priced reasonably well. Highly recommended for date night.
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Nestled into what turns into a remote part of downtown during the night near the Capitol, is a cool Italian spot called Quattro Gatti Ristorante y Pizzeria with a brick oven delivering true Italian fare.
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A staple of causal dining scene in the Rainey Street District, Banger's Sausage House delivers gourmet sausages in a variety of flavors, an exceptional beer selection on tap and the outdoor community seating is energetic and fun.
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The Salt Lick offers some of the best BBQ in Austin plus an adventurous drive into the Texas Hill Country. It's crazy busy on the weekends when the weather's nice. Buy hey, at least it's BYOB!
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Since opening in 2014, Dai Due on Manor Road has earned quite a cult following among Austin foodies. Owner Chef Jesse Griffiths's wrote, won a James Beard Award, and opened hunting school.
View Dai Due on Manor Road
A Larry McGuire hit and the third seafood focused restaurant to make our list, Perla's has one the most happening patio scenes in Austin that nestles up to the main drag of the hip South Congress Avenue area.
View Perla's on South Congress
Formerly the Holly neighborhood laundromat, Launderette quickly became an East Austin staple of fine food in a comfortable setting. The menu features classics like a Plancha burger as well as items from the wood grill like pulpo, branzino, and ribeye.
View Launderette on Holly Street
What was once a drugstore in the 1920, Hillside Farmacy is now one of Austin's favorite spots for farm-to-table faire. They feature fresh produce from a sister farm in Bastrop, meats from Texas ranchers and fish from the gulf coast.
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One of Austin's first upscale seafood and steak locations, Truluck's anchored the Warehouse District as it became Austin's top spot for upscale dining and cocktail lounge. They are known for the pinnacle of service, elegant dining, and the highest quality steaks and seafood.
View Truluck's Downtown
For years, Uchi has reigned supreme as one of Austin's best restaurants. Many of those working under chef Tyson Cole have gone on to open their own restaurants over the years, making Uchi a bit of a training ground for high end kitchens around Austin and the country.
View Uchi on South Lamar
One of many Austin BBQ rivals and alternatives to the long lines at Franklin's, la Barbecue was founded by the daughter of BBQ's legendary Bobby Mueller whose family tree has been the subject of many meaty stories to grace local and national magazines.
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Located off South Congress a few blocks south of the Soco Shopping district, Vinaigrette is a sustainable salad bistro and the only salad focused restaurant in our guide. It features a giant Live Oak tree that provides a unique outdoor patio dining area.
View Vinaigerette South Congress
Known for packing an edge, Justine's website showcases some girls sharing a bath in a grainy video that has been known to rile up some prospective customers. The restaurant features indoor and outdoor seating with a nightlife vibe and a menu focused on French dishes.
View Justine's in East Austin
One of the first restaurants to open in the 2nd Street District, Taverna has staying power by adhering to a simple formula of authentic high quality food at reasonable prices. It's proximity to the ACL theater and several Austin condos can fill this place up early.
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Downtown Austin gets a lot of buzz when it comes to food and fun, but a quick drive north to The Domain, where top shelf is the standard, you'll find Culinary Dropout where you can hit happy hour, grab some dinner, and check out some live music all in one setting.
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Situated at the corner of South Congress and Annie Street, June's All Day has upscale, casual vibes and elevated American food. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, this spot is great if you're looking to grab a pastry on the go in the morning and ideal for a sit down meal, and everything in between.
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