Austin: Top 10 Restaurants

Whether you are into barbecue trailers or fine cuisine, you are going to love eating in Austin.  This is the second post in a three part series – make sure you also check out Austin:Top 10 Hotels, and Austin:Top 10 Things To Do, to get all the inside scoop. 

Note: The following list is not organized in order of preference, but rather grouped by category: barbecue, tex-mex, burgers and then foodie. Happy eating!

1. Franklin Barbecue

Unless a committed vegetarian, please don’t leave Austin without trying some incredible BBQ. For those seeking the arguably most famous, authentic experience, get up early and head to Franklin Barbecue (you might have seen the commercial featuring famous sushi master Nobu Matsuhisa eating BBQ at Franklin’s – if not, check it out below). I’m not joking about the early part – although Franklin’s opens at 11, locals recommend getting in line by 8:30 if you want to make sure you will actually get to eat their world famous brisket and ribs (not just on holidays or weekdays either – get in line early, every day). Sometimes the “sold out” sign will even be up before Franklin’s official opening time (they ask how many pounds you want while in line). Besides, you can do it the Texas way and bring a cooler of beer – waiting in line at Franklin’s after all is a cherished Austin tradition. Two ways to get your Franklin’s without waiting in line: ask your concierge to arrange for someone to stand in line for you (the Four Seasons charges $150 plus the price of your order for its BBQ “courier” service); or advance purchase your bbq (must be for at least five pounds of meat and ordered at least two days in advance).

http://youtu.be/3CegFDBnaVM

2. La Barbecue

If the Franklin’s experience doesn’t appeal to you, try La Barbecue (John Lewis, this award-winning barbecue trailer’s co-owner and pit master, used to work at Franklin’s). Be warned: although the wait might not be as long, you should still expect lines of up to an hour or more for their delicious brisket, pork, sausages, and turkey. One highlight: La Barbecue serves free beer on the weekends.

3. The Salt Lick

My friend Laurie R. suggests taking the 20 minute scenic drive out to The Salt Lick, a casual, family friendly restaurant (think picnic tables) with delicious barbecue without the long lines. Keep in mind The Salt Lick is cash only and doesn’t have a liquor license (luckily you can bring your own beer or wine). Tip: you can also eat The Salt Lick’s barbecue on your way out of town at it’s airport location.

4. Lambert’s Downtown Barbecue

Despite the fact that my Austin friend Lee made fun of us for eating “fancy BBQ” at Lambert’s Downtown Barbecue, our family had a delicious meal at this cool downtown restaurant. We loved the crispy wild boar ribs (don’t knock them until you’ve tried them), the ribeye and the moist and delicious brisket, not to mention the mashed potatoes and waffle fries. The Four Seasons concierge booked us a great table upstairs directly facing an excellent duo on piano and sax (even my three teenagers liked the live music). And p.s., Lee has since eaten at Lambert’s, and he admitted it was “very,very good”.

5. La Condesa

One other Austin speciality is Tex-Mex. We went to Guero’s Taco Bar in the happening SoCo district – I loved the hip, cool atmosphere (and good margaritas) but I found the food just average. My friends Wendy and Howard B. suggested that next time we try La Condesa which is included on many Best of Austin lists. La Condesa is an upscale, modern take on Mexican street food. Bonus: La Condesa is widely regarded as serving Austin’s best margaritas (made with organic agave and plenty of fresh lime juice) and for having the city’s most extensive tequila selection.

6. Habernero Cafe

If like me you like more traditional, down and dirty mexican, try Habernero Cafe near SoCo. The fresh salsa is hot, the marinated meats are mesquite grilled, and the beans and rice are old school. Expect to wait (cheap, good mexican is popular) but the service is efficient, friendly and fast. Some other traditional mexican options: Polvos (authentic, unpretentious mexican, good margaritas, make sure to try the salsa bar and homemade tortillas); and Matt’s Famous El Rancho (old school tex-mex; popular, expect to wait).

7. Hopdoddy

For burgers, we loved Hopdoddy, an Austin original in the So Co area which we thought was better than Shake Shack and almost as good as In-N-Out. Expect to wait in line but luckily Hopdoddy has set up a pretty painless system: a table is reserved for you while you wait, and cocktails are available in line (their long list of craft beers on draft definitely helps pass the time). Hopdoddy offers a wide variety of burgers, but we all loved the Classic (and I was especially pleased with the yummy gluten free bun option). The milkshakes are legendary, as are the decadent truffle fries.  Bonus: one relatively new addition to the Austin burger scene is the perennial (and my personal) favorite In-N-Out Burger, which opened in Austin in 2013. You will need a car to get there but for this New Yorker, In-N-Out is always worth the effort.

 8. qui

After winning Top Chef Season 9, Paul Qui came home to Austin and opened qui to great acclaim (among other awards, GQ named qui the best new restaurant in America in 2014). Qui features unique multi-culturally influenced seasonal plates and tasting menus (elect omnivore or vegetarian) in a minimalist Asian setting. Tip: don’t miss the cheddar cheese ice cream sandwich for dessert.

9. Uchiko & Uchi

For Japanese with a Texas twist, try Uchi, and its sister restaurant, Uchiko – both of which would be right at home with the best restaurants in New York or LA. While both are excellent, Uchiko is preferred by some only if because its space is larger (think Japanese farmhouse) making it somewhat easier to get reservations than at Uchi (interesting fact: Paul Qui was the executive chef of Uchiko when he won Top Chef ). Some dishes to try at Uchi: baby octopus pops, hama chili, wagyu hot rock, and maguro sashimi with goat cheese. At Uchiko, try the wagyu short rib, the jar, jar duck and fried milk dessert (note some of the Uchi favorites are also served here). You can’t go wrong with the sushi and sashimi dishes at either restaurant.

1o. Barley Swine

And for something a little different, check out Chef Bryce Gilmore’s Barley Swine, a gastro pub offering a price fixed menu of small plates created exclusively from local farms ($75 per person). Menu changes daily – expect to eat anything from sushi to Southern cooking (make sure they know about any food allergies in advance). Servers work as a team and are all excellent at giving wine and beer pairing suggestions. Reservations are available up to a month in advance for their very popular 36 seats; keep in mind there is also an 8-seat communal table open for walk ins.

Bonus: Amy’s Ice Creams

Don’t leave town without trying Amy’s Ice Creams, another local favorite you can’t get outside of Austin (except for one location each in Houston and San Antonio). Although Amy’s makes over 350 flavors, each store offers seven standards daily as well as other rotating flavors, including some that contain alcohol. You can also customize by adding “Crush’ns” (sort of a much cooler Cold Stone Creamery). There are multiple locations around Austin – we went to the walk up window in SoCo after dinner at Guero’s (tip: grab some Amy’s for the flight home at their airport location).