Over the past 12 months we've been to roughly 100 new restaurants, trucks, bars, and coffee shops. Some of them made our Hit List, and two are so good they landed on our list of the 25 highest-rated restaurants. It was a great year for eating.
LessClassic Texas barbecue gets the Cajun treatment. Go if you like Texas barbecue that’s a little different. Or if you just really like Louisiana boudin and smoked ham.
Austin’s best taco truck has a new home base steps away from where it all began. Go if you like al pastor hunting, Cuantos Tacos, and wondering how tacos that simple can taste so great.
French fine dining gets transformed into something looser, louder, and distinctly Texan. Go if you like understated luxury, unconventional chicken wings, and the idea of a Texas-ified Justine's.
A great pizza trailer moves indoors and doesn't miss a step. Go if you like NY-style pizza, dirty martinis and gin and tonics equally, and eating in an old post office.
Fried chicken that's better traveled than you are. Go if you like Spicy Boys, juicy chicken, and crispy skin.
Big Sichuanese flavors, packed into a tiny footprint. Go if you like competitive pepper eating, numb lips, House of Three Gorges, and eating leftovers for days.
A tasting-menu spot seemingly designed to pull you and your date a little closer. Go if you like welcome cocktails, Intero, creaky floorboards, and desserts that make you forget everything you just ate.
Crispy fried chicken and punchy Thai flavors unite. Go if you like dipping your nuggets in sriracha, foods that make you sweat a little, P. Thai’s, really juicy chicken, and a casual atmosphere.
Austin’s first foray into Georgian cuisine is a love letter to cheese, butter, and bread. Go if you like cheese, carbs, and butter. Ideally, all at the same time.
Score hard-to-find Cambodian dishes next to a plant shop. Go if you like No Reservations marathons, Southeast Asian flavors, and reminding yourself why Austin is an incredible food truck city.