12 places I recommend•4 in the Michelin guide
These are the 12 restaurants, bakeries, bars, breakfast places and ice cream shops in Austin I have eaten at myself and would recommend.
Where a section has more than one place, they are numbered from my favourite downwards. 
marks the ones not to be missed.
Don't forget you can take the map with you
Bryce Gilmore's farm-to-table restaurant on South Lamar, which started out as a food trailer in 2009. It serves seasonal small plates for sharing in a bright room full of plants and wood, with big windows and plenty of counter and bar seating. The menu changes often. We had their famous burger, which has won multiple awards, and it lived up to our expectations. The cast-iron cheddar cornbread and chocolate peanut butter pie were also delicious.
Address: 1201 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704, United States
A small, walk-in restaurant in East Austin from chef Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel and her husband, sommelier Arjav Ezekiel, with most of the seats out on a back patio. It serves a set menu of around five courses that changes every month and usually includes a handmade pasta. Arjav won a James Beard award for the wine service in 2025, and Food & Wine named it Restaurant of the Year in 2023. It's a pleasant place with a nice ambiance and I enjoyed the pasta (when I went it was a vodka and bacon pasta). However, overall it's not exceptional.
Address: 2944 E 12th St Unit A, Austin, TX 78702, United States
A huge, family-run Tex-Mex restaurant on South Lamar, open since 1952 and still run by the Martinez family, with several dining rooms and a big patio around a fountain. It's known for the Bob Armstrong dip (queso, taco meat and guacamole, named after a former Texas land commissioner) and for its fresh lime margaritas. Their asadero tacos, made with beef fillet, are on Texas Monthly's list of 120 tacos you must eat before you die. Definitely a must-visit if you're in Austin. There's usually a wait but it moves quickly.
Address: 2613 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704, United States
Mexican cooking on East 6th from chef Fermín Núñez, built around masa they make in-house. The room is bright and desert-styled, with cacti, Oaxacan textiles and lights made from old mezcal jugs. The suadero tacos with 'black magic oil' are the dish it's best known for, and there's a bookable brunch at weekends. We had the suadero tacos and they were absolutely delicious, a definite must-order. The guacamole and cachete de res (grilled beef cheek) were also standouts.
Address: 1800 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78702, United States
A casual counter-service taco shop on Riverside Drive, just south of the river, making its flour tortillas by hand and serving breakfast tacos all day. It only opens in the daytime and is closed on Mondays. There's a patio, and a second branch up by the UT campus. We went for breakfast and it was good, and the place is fun with nice outside seating.
Address: 134 E Riverside Dr, Austin, TX 78704, United States
A big barbecue hall on Barton Springs Road, opened in 2014 by twins Mike and Mark Black, whose family started Black's Barbecue in Lockhart in 1932. You queue cafeteria-style, order meat by the pound sliced in front of you and pay at the end. No reservations. It's known for its prime brisket and beef ribs, and the queue can stretch out of the door. They also have tons of different sides to choose from. We tried the ribs, the sausage and the brisket. Everything was delicious but my favourite was the brisket.
Address: 1003 Barton Springs Rd, Austin, TX 78704, United States
Tyson Cole's modern Japanese restaurant in a converted bungalow on South Lamar, open since 2003, with booths, floral wallpaper and a long sushi bar. It's known for cold plates like the hama chili (yellowtail with ponzu and orange) and for its nigiri. Bookings open a month ahead and go fast. Walk-ins can try for a bar seat when it opens. If you're living in NYC or London (or any major city) this place won't impress you, but if you're in Austin and craving sushi it's your best option.
Address: 801 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704, United States
The steakhouse inside The Driskill, Austin's grand 1886 hotel on 6th Street. The dining room first opened in 1930 and reopened in May 2026 after a full redesign: walnut panelling, brass, booths and a pewter bar, with April Bloomfield as creative director. The steaks are dry-aged in-house, there's a long martini and cocktail list, and the dress code is cocktail attire. Dinner only. This was my best meal in Austin. Really mouthwateringly delicious food in a classic American steakhouse setting.
Address: 117 E 7th St, Austin, TX 78701, United States
A kolache bakery and craft beer bar in a renovated stone house on Manor Road, with a big, dog-friendly beer garden under the elm trees. The kolaches (the filled pastries Czech settlers brought to Texas) come sweet or savoury, and it's open from breakfast until late. Tasty pastries, and the setting has a fun 60s feel to it.
Address: 3220 Manor Rd, Austin, TX 78723, United States
A reservation-only cocktail bar next door to The Driskill. You go through a keypad gate on Brazos Street and down a stairwell covered in black-and-white doodles to a dim, brick-walled lounge below street level, and the door code arrives once your booking is confirmed. The cocktail menus change by theme; the milk punch takes about 30 hours to make. Tasty cocktails, and you can just describe what you like to the bartender and they'll come up with something you're bound to like.
Address: 612 Brazos St, Austin, TX 78701, United States
The original branch of a local breakfast-and-lunch diner on Oltorf, opened in 2017 and named after the chef's daughter, with red stools at the counter and a green-and-white checkerboard floor. Everything is made from scratch, a lot of the menu is gluten-free, and there's an online waitlist instead of reservations. The pancakes are perfect here. I also had the brisket benedict but it was a bit too much for me.
Address: 533 W Oltorf St, Austin, TX 78704, United States
The South Congress branch of Austin's home-grown ice cream shop, started by Amy Simmons in 1984. The staff work your mix-ins (they call them crush'ns) into the ice cream and toss the scoops around while they do it. Mexican vanilla is the house flavour. I had it with hot fudge. I would say it's good but not worth queuing for, so if you see a major queue I wouldn't waste my time.
Address: 1301 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704, United States
