37 Best Restaurants in Austin, Texas

Start your day at this timeless, Victorian-style café in the historic Driskill Hotel. Admire the classic architecture and expertly appointed interiors as you wait to place your order at the counter, whether it's a Texas-shaped pecan waffle or a cup of their famed cheese soup. The expanded breakfast menu features contemporary additions like the Hippie Hollow Omelet and brunch cocktails like the "Breakfast in a Cup," made with Jameson, orange juice, butterscotch syrup, and spicy maple bacon.

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.

One of local restaurateur Larry McGuire's white-hot eateries, Clark’s has occupied a top seat in the repertoire of Austin's best restaurants since its 2012 debut. The hip, and decidedly cozy, oyster bar tucked into a modest corner lot of West 6th has all the appeal of a sophisticated seafood restaurant, with the comfort of a neighborhood bistro. You'll find a pristine, daily rotation of raw oysters served with fresh horseradish, house cocktail sauce, and a tangy mignonette. The lobster roll is a signature home run, but the house burger is a surprising favorite, which spikes in popularity during the daily happy hour, when burgers and martinis are all half-off.

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 clever French-Vietnamese concept sitting on the corner of South First is a picture-perfect café and boulangerie known for its delectable menu of banh mi and pho as well as a fantastic array of classic French pastries made in-house, including a daily selection of macarons. Pork and shrimp crepes, drunken beef noodles, and the fried chicken banh mi are safe bets. In addition to sake, beer, and inventive cocktails, the drink list brims with French wines that pair beautifully with this cuisine. Brunch is offered on weekends.

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.

This Red River staple is known as much for its live music as its food. The casual venue, an old stone building with wooden floors and tables, suits the fare, which many local barbecue aficionados rate as average; the hickory-smoked choices—beef brisket, pork ribs, sausage, chicken, turkey breast—are very tasty, but sides, like spicy serrano creamed spinach, are crowd-pleasers. Plus, their popular line of barbecue sauces and rubs make for great souvenirs. Live music on the indoor and outdoor stages host both local bands and huge touring headlining acts throughout the year, and the Sunday gospel brunch is always packed.

Relaxed and locally sourced, this no-frills café is a staple for lovers of high-quality Thai food in a casual neighborhood setting. Part grab-and-go market and coffee bar, part café, and part cooking-class destination, Thai Fresh is a popular breakfast, lunch, and dinner spot, with a diverse range of curries, stir-fries, and noodle and fried-rice dishes. Homemade breakfast tacos are also available throughout the day. Locals drop by for their iced chai lattes and sparkling Thai basil lime aguas frescas, or stick around to indulge in one of their organic vegan ice creams and kombucha cocktails with sake, sparkling rosé, or white wine. Brunch is served on weekends.

This casual Bouldin Creek neighborhood bistro with a breezy back patio is a refreshing respite for a leisurely happy hour or a midday meal during a day of shopping around nearby South Congress. The French-inspired cuisine is light and straightforward, with a wonderful wine list and craft cocktail selection.

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.

This sophisticated Mediterranean fine-dining destination, an outpost of the original Chicago-based restaurant, is a venerable hot spot within the bustling Music Lane mixed-use enclave on South Congress Avenue. Specializing in Israeli, Turkish, Greek, and Lebanese cuisine, the extensive menu would be overwhelming without the helpful direction of servers, but you really can't go wrong with the variety of hummus, whipped spreads with homemade pita bread, and delicious mains—shawarma-spiced skirt is a standout. Save room for sticky date cake for dessert. Lunch is served on weekdays and swapped with a brunch service on weekends.

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.

A bevy of new pizza places debuted in Austin over the past couple of years and one of the best is this hip eastside eatery, specializing in authentic Neapolitan pies. The rotating menu is simple and compact—the wine list is actually longer—but what they offer is expertly prepared. The classic margherita is just as impressive as the calabrese (salami, roasted peppers and mozzarella). The space itself is cozy, seating about 40 diners at large communal tables and a handful of private two-tops and counter seating. The white-bricked pizza oven (shipped from Italy) takes up a majority of the dining room. Fresh seasonal salads, traditional Italian starters and simple desserts, like homemade vanilla ice cream doused with sherry, are worth trying.

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.

If you're looking for high-quality authentic Mexican food, head to Curra's. Their house-made cochinita pibil is moist and tender and the enchiladas are a cut above most local establishments. Try the enchiladas con chile Colorado, filled with melted Monterey Jack cheese and braised pork-tip, marinated in guajillo and chipotle sauces. Portions are hearty, and the house avocado margarita has a devoted fan base. There's another lively location in the Hyde Park neighborhood just north of downtown.

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 “ranch-to-table” cuisine of this far-east restaurant speaks to the Southern comfort cravings of Austinites, with savory classics like stuffed Salisbury steak, pickled fried green tomatoes, and shrimp-and-grits. The shabby-chic interiors, boasting natural hardwoods and salvaged materials from the Jacoby family ranch, provide an ideally casual place to kick back and relax with cocktails like mezcal margaritas and West Texas shandies; the scenic back patio overlooks the Colorado River. Jacoby-brand beef is featured in the house burger and chicken-fried steak, both of which are diner favorites. The expansive patio gets crowded during happy hour and weekend brunch service.

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.

This is another South Congress standby that matches its impeccable style with a heft of substance. The sunny-side-up neighborhood café and wine bar is a sophisticated injection of Parisian, alfresco attitude on the pedestrian-heavy strip of south Austin. Kick up your heels after a day of SoCo window-shopping to enjoy tasteful bistro classics like smoked salmon Nicoise salad, croque madame, and snapper carpaccio. And as the name implies, there's something on the menu to satisfy any type of craving, at any time of day.

After an award-winning debut in 2013, this sophisticated spot for modern Mexican cuisine has remained a staple of downtown's Second Street District. Diners can expect reliable mainstays, such as crispy carnitas tacos, carne asada with mole, and cochinita pibil, a traditional Yucatec Mayan slow-roasted pork dish. The popular weekend brunch service doesn’t disappoint.

On the glamorous grounds of the Commodore Perry Estate, this chic garden restaurant seems far removed from the daily aesthetic of Austin. The hotel's dreamy Italianate mansion lends to the restaurant's Jazz Age vibes, with opulent, floral decor and a decadent menu of Texas heritage cuisine to match. The atmosphere of an exclusive soiree hangs over the artful presentations of signatures like barbecue scallops and Delta Blues rice with halibut and smoked trout roe.

Korean for "please come in," this Korean restaurant has a chic, organic atmosphere complete with an inviting garden courtyard. Dinner menus include traditional and nontraditional dishes "inspired by mom's recipes," from bibimbap to the comforting kimchi bokkeumbap, alongside wood-grilled bulgogi and japchae. An expanded lunch, weekend brunch, and kids' menu is very accommodating for families.

Seafood, service, and panache are pretty as a pearl at this homage to New England yacht clubs. One of Austin’s original high-end patio destinations still delivers the city’s best fish, punched up with Texas style and zing. Case in point, the Crab Louie served as luscious lumps of crabmeat piled upon crunchy fried green tomatoes and served with lemony aioli. Market fish selections are ordered to preference and served with spicy garlic-herb salsa verde, house tartar, or red chimichurri sauce. Sit at the cold bar and watch the expert oyster shuckers at work. At night and weekend brunch hours, the patio is ideal for South Congress people-watching with a tropical cocktail in hand.

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 Cajun diner attracted attention for its stylish, retro interior, complete with vintage booths and an Astroturf rear patio, before Austinites even had the chance to sample its New Orleans–style comfort food. But the mid-century motif has only bolstered the growing reputation of its all-day breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus. Brunch crowds flock here for the NOLA-style French toast, omelet specials, and Bloody Marys, while lunch and dinner menus feature staples like shrimp-and-grits, crawfish étouffée, and Creole shrimp po’boys.