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Best Restaurants in Austin Texas

It’s that time again: The time when we give you a fresh roll call of Austin’s best and buzziest restaurants, and this season has bestowed some true gems upon us. group party experiences Said gems include upscale Japanese shabu-shabu from the Tatsu-Ya team; an Eastside Korean spot with excellent cocktails; and brick-and-mortar evolutions for some of Austin’s beloved, yet small scale, food entrepreneurs. And, as usual, we have your cheat sheet to the old and new-school BBQ spots, the fine dining establishments you can wear shorts too, and the funky food trucks who cut through the noise to be recognized as the Best Restaurants in Austin.

DipDipDip Tatsu-ya

Raw ingredients are swished in simmering broth at this modern shabu-shabu joint

DipDipDip Tatsu-ya is the new-school shabu-shabu restaurant from chef/owner Tatsu Aikawa and the team behind acclaimed concepts Ramen Tatsu-Ya, Kemuri Tatsu-Ya, and Domo Alley-Gato. Don’t feel like a dummy if you don’t know what shabu-shabu is, you are not alone. The Japanese hot pot style starts with choosing a simmering broth kept hot via tabletop heat source. Uncooked meat, veggies, dumplings, and noodles are brought for you to swish and cook in your boiling broth along with dipping sauces and rice. At DipDipDip, the interactive dining experience is given the full Tatsu-ya treatment–expect local Angus beef, a spicy queso dip spiked with yuzu, and a “pot pocket”, tofu skin filled with cheese, grits, and sausage meant to be “swished” in your hot broth. This place is great to celebrate with Austin strippers for a bachelorette or bachelor party. While dining here comes with a bit of a learning curve, expect a unique DIY restaurant experience, very attentive service, Japanese-inspired cocktails, and a happy belly.

Comedor

Modern Mexican in a sleek space, from an all-star team

Housed in an impossible-to-miss, glass-topped black box, Comedor has opened its doors to a very eager Austin, with the anticipation stemming from the names behind this project. Chef Philip Speer (formerly of Uchi and Bonhomie) has teamed up with chefs Gabe Erales (formerly of Dai Due Taqueria) and Daniela Vasquez (a veteran of Mexico City’s food scene), William Ball and Conor Oman (co-owners of cocktail bar Garage), and acclaimed architect Tom Kundig. The menu is packed with ingredients native to Mexico, treated respectfully according to tradition but given a Texas zhush. Favorites like the huauzontle fritters, bone marrow tacos, and Texas quail milanesa are perfect examples of this reimagined Tex-Mex influence. The bar program focuses on Mexican spirits and flavors, from margaritas to a mole Old Fashioned (our favorite!), as well as an impressive list of over 100 agave-based spirits, perfect for sipping on their breezy courtyard.

Uroko

Casual hand rolls and omakase from Japanese culinary vets

Springdale General, the mixed-use complex built to provide affordable real estate to Austin’s creative business community, is now home to Uroko (which is Japanese for “fish scales”). Newly open, the shoebox-sized restaurant comes from Kayo Asazu and Takehiro Asazu (cousins and co-owners at Kome) alongside chef Masazumi Saio (formerly at Uchi). The casual eatery focuses on temaki (sushi hand-rolled into a seaweed “cone”) as well as reservation-only, omakase sushi dinners on the weekends, which allow your chef to choose the menu. Go simple with a salmon, avocado, and cucumber hand roll, or creative with the beef tataki consisting of chopped raw beef tenderloin, pickled jalapeño, shiso, garlic chip, ginger, and umami jelly. Wash down your meal with drinks that highlight Japanese flavors, like the bright yuzu-sake slushy or non-alcoholic frozen soy matcha latte.

Oseyo

A small menu of traditional Korean fare, in a contemporary rustic space

Oseyo’s modern Korean cuisine is inspired by the home cooking of owner Lynn Miller’s mother and overseen by executive chef Mike Diaz. The pair bring loads of experience to the table (literally) — Lynn Miller has cooked at the New York Palace Hotel and the Savoy in New York, while Diaz has loaned his talents to Olamaie, Dai Due Taqueria, Bufalina Due, and McGuire Moorman Hospitality group. The space is simultaneously rustic and modern: tasteful tchotchkes fill the shelves, a few dozen seagrass baskets dangle above a communal table, and wooden accents are kept streamlined and simple. Menu favorites so far include the wood-grilled kalbi (marinated short rib) and the bossam (made with slow-roasted pork belly), both meant to be wrapped in lettuce or perilla leaves and dipped into soybean paste. Diners are also digging the comforting japchae, a hot dish of warm sweet potato noodles stir-fried with veggies. The cocktails a highlight of the Oseyo experience as well; try the Doenjang Daiquiri, a blend of two rums, coconut liquor, lime, and pine nut-miso orgeat for a spin on the classic version.

Vaquero Taquero

Family-run taqueria serving traditional Mexican al pastor and fresh tortillas

The Vaquero Taquero brothers, Dani and Miguel Cobos have finally opened their long-awaited brick and mortar in Hyde Park. (Don’t worry, the truck will remain open.) They’ve recently earned a lot of attention for their tacos laboriously made with juicy al pastor sliced off the trompo (vertical rotisserie), as well as their freshly handmade corn and flour tortillas, but it’s the sincerity and passion of the duo that also sets them apart. “…we plan to be that classic taqueria who preserves the culture and shares it with everyone else,” says Miguel. Well, this community is happy to accept. Try the al pastor, obviously, but don’t snooze on lesser-known offerings like the quesadilla de nopales, pan-seared Oaxacan cheese, and chopped cactus garnished with queso fresco, cilantro, onion, roasted salsa Roja or Verde, and avocado cream.