Regional food specialties
- Austin's Rapidly Growing Food Scene
Prepare to be flooded with ATX eating options. The third installment of my series is the biggest yet. In fact it might be the largest post this site has ever seen. Fitting since everything is bigger in Texas. I'm at the point now where I've been to more Austin restaurants than many locals. What does that mean? Not much other than I like to eat out while in town. There's tons of good options and for those willing to seek them out theres also some gems. The dining scene continues to grow at the same rapid pace as the rest of the city. Lucky for me I'm a frequent guest. You can check Part One of this series HERE and Part Two HERE. As always I included the BBQ in it's own post and you can check the most recent installment HERE. The first one is HERE, and the second HERE. Prepare for food.
Old East Austin
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Food Trailers
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Romanouskas Delicatessen
When the people behind Mickletwait Meats open a Deli trailer specializing in smoked meats where everything is made in house, you get your ass on over. So I did exactly that and took myself over to East 6th street in front of The Grackle. The food trailers in Austin can vary as far as goodness and it's of my belief that the best are attached to bars. The Reuben sandwich from here includes both smoked corned beef and also a very potent almost too salty pastrami. That said the bread and Swiss, Sauerkraut, and Russian Dressing cut it all into a fantastic tasting sandwich. Need to try the beef.
Reuben Sandwich
The Insides
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Pick-A-Chili
One afternoon before a meeting I needed something to eat. So I took a walk around the block and spotted a little Trailer Park in an empty downtown lot. It boasted about three or four food trailers including chili being served out of an air-stream. Considering I had never had any chili while in Texas I figured it was time. They offer a handful of options served in a handful of ways but I stuck with the original Texas Red served as is. I'm a picky chili eater and my favorite is my own. So I was surprised to find this brew being similar to mine in terms of spice and flavor. An excellent bowl.
Texas Red
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Eye of the Thai Girl
One of our favorite spots to Happy Hour is a place that will probably be gone sooner than later. The evolvement of East Sixth street continues, for better or worse. For a while it housed a popular Thai food trailer which has since moved to another bar. But for a while they had replaced it with a different Thai food trailer. I had to try it and was glad I did. Run by a sweet little Thai lady the reviews kept mentioning her Pla Duk Fu aka fried catfish salad which is a favorite of ours. Crispy Catfish mixed with mango salad and lots of funk was a delightful dish and proof the trailers pack punch. It looks like Eye of the Thai Girl is currently looking for a new home to setup shop. Stay Tuned.
Pla Duk Fu (Catfish Salad)
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Thai Kun
Speaking of Thai food trailers, Thai Kun is still killing it. They moved down the block into the back of Whisler's Bar on East 6th street. Named one of the ten best new restaurants of 2014 they're still rolling out the bold Thai flavors that earned them the honor. One visit in we went with an order of Issan Sausage which was as good as any representation I've had and we have wonderful Thai food in Chicago. It was funky, it was sour, and it was crisp in terms of the casing. This place rocks.
Sai krok Isan
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Tibetan Momo
Here we have a trailer serving one of my most craveworthy foods in the game. Located in a trailer park on Lamar Boulevard I rolled over new years day and talked with the young owner. He is from Tibet originally and grew up in the States. He's making his family momo recipe which for those not in the know are Tibetan style dumplings. In the old country yak is the meat of choice but in the States beef is preferred though chicken and veggie are also common. Momo are seasoned with spices common in Tibetan cooking so there's always a wonderful hint of garam masala amongst other stuff used. They traditionally come served with a chili sauce with similar spicing. It's a shame we don't have a legit beef momo option in Chicago because I'm still craving these weeks later. Wonderful.
Momo Dumplings
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Tacos Guerrero
You didn't do Austin unless you ate breakfast tacos. The preferred breakfast diet of locals is found all over town. Obviously quality can vary from spot to spot so it's good ta have a guy like Mike Sutter aka Fed Man Walking covering the scene. This past year he unleashed a fury of breakfast taco options over on his site. Titled #500Tacos the man reviewed a taco shop a day for the entire damn year. And I thought I was bonkers. His words on this little stand run by a sweet old Mexican lady spoke to me as did the picture of the tacos. So of course I rode over and was rewarded with a terrific breakfast.
Breakfast Tacos
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Glorieta Delicias
Another #500Tacos rec here. Food trailers are found all over Austin, not just near the heavy drinking areas. Many of the ones away from the action tend to be found in gas station parking lots as is the case with this place putting out homestyle Honduran food. Mike spoke good things on the 'Taco Hondurenas' which are made with tortillas handmade after you place your order. They're filled with chicken and then rolled and fried. Once ready they're topped with an array of cheeses, crunchy cabbage, and a creamy butter sauce that soaks into the flautas with each second passed. They eventually took on the consistency of enchiladas but that didn't stop me from chowing down.
Tacos Hondureños
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Taqueria San Luis J.C
This taco trailer is in a trailer park with a few other trailers worth checking out. One of the more popular taco fillings in Austin is Carne Guisada which is stewed beef in chiles. Its often the first taco option listed under fillings and I think I remember that being the case from here. I was actually visiting this park to go to a BBQ trailer so I only had room for a small appetizer. The beef was extra tender and joined by a lighter than most sauce that had hints of cumin and other spicing. It was a taco I'd happily eat again. As I later learned I ordered the wrong taco here. Mike actually recommends the asado de puerco which looks very good. I'll be coming back here next time I'm in town.
Carne Guisada Taco
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Rosarito Food Truck
New Years Eve in Austin is a fun one. Lots of people running around and plenty of food trailers, trucks, and carts are eager to serve them. I spied this taco truck parked off 6th street and was intrigued by the Baja style offerings. I got one fish and one shrimp gobernador which is sauteed shrimp mixed with peppers and melted cheese. Both were better than I was expecting with the fish being one of the better fried fish tacos I've ate of late. Not bad for my last bites to eat in 2015.
Shrimp Gobernador Taco
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Halal Time
Unfortunately my first bite in 2016 wouldn't be as good. Here we have one of the handful of carts taking the Halal Guy approach which is basically throwing a bunch of stuff in a container and serving it to hungry drunk students. I got a lamb plate which came with tons of rice and both hot and white sauce as well as a salad but wasn't feeling the meat portion of it I think it was chunky hacked up gyro meat which doesn't taste right when diced and not thinly sliced. I guess I wasn't drunk enough.
Lamb Plate
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Local Favorites
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Tyson's Tacos
If asked to describe Austin's taco scene I would have to say hip. There's numerous spots making tacos like those served at Tyson's where they have at least 30 different options to choose from. It's a popular spot and you can understand why in the tasting of some of the tacos. From the breakfast options is the 'Balls O'Sunshine which takes fried egg yolk and bacon with hollandaise and cheese. Weird but it works. The steak fajita came with tender medium rare pieces of grilled beef that I ended up eating as is because it was too good to use as filling. That said the tortillas were the weak link here. The fillings are the star. The biggest of them being the crispy pork belly which she cant get enough of. Covered with fried parsley and mandarin oranges this is indeed a happening taco.
Balls O'Sunshine
Beef Fajita
Crispy Pork Belly
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Top Notch Hamburgers
Austin is full of big neon signs tempting people to come in. I had to have a snap of this one from a local burger drive-in thats been in business since 1971. Of course I also had to have a burger. Believe it or not this was my first burger from an independent establishment in Texas. I dont count that time I went to an In and Out in the suburbs of Dallas as one. No this place isn't related to Chicago's.
Charcoal Grilled Burgers
There's a wonderful aroma when you enter and thats the smoke from the grill where they're using real charcoal to grill the beef. I probably should've gone double but I decided a 1/3 pound patty was best as I just ate elsewhere. I got a very respectable burger for one looking for that true char taste in one. This is what Burger King wishes their burgers tasted like. An All American eat for sure. One day I'll start to further explore the burgers in state because you know they're great. This is beef country.
Top Notch Cheeseburger
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Happy Hour
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Alcomar
This spot was opened up last year by a group of people who own a few other eating establishments around town. Its a Latin inspired seafood eatery but we wanted to check out the cocktails. Happy Hour is a good time to do so at many spots as everyone in Austin has one. The drinks were soothing on what was a hot Fall day. Another popular thing in Austin is the frozen cocktail and Alcomar made a good one. What I love about the frozen drinks in Austin is they always pack a punch.
XALARITA- frozen margarita, house cucumber-xalapeño purée. el chile rim.
We also tried a calamari salad off the happy hour menu and it too was refreshing. I'm not sure it's on the menu anymore as the season has changed but I'd go back and further explore the menu.
Grilled Calamari
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Isla - Tiki Bar worth checking out of walking by and it's hot outside
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Hillside Farmacy - Cute little food/drink stop with a nice happy hour menu. Service wasn't great and while the fries could've been good they weren't fried right. Both problems that can be fixed.
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Whisler's - Fun cocktail bar on East 6th street with a great food trailer in the back (Thai Kun). Happy Hour is the best time to go. Get the Old Fashioned.
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Olive & June - We enjoyed the happy hour drinks here at this place she found. The food was also good. The pork meatballs were tasty but the mushroom polenta was phenomenal.
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Taco Flats
One of our favorite happy hour spots we find ourselves here each visit into town. I love the spicy house margarita and she's a fan of the paloma and we both like the tacos. Last trip in a tried a carnitas that I liked, an American style hard shell that was just ok and a steak fajita which was the best example of that I've tried in state. Taco Flats makes both their corn and flour tortillas in house.
Trio of Tacos
Hangover Helper on New Years Day (Chips and Queso)
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International Eats
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Chicken Lollypop
Austin is a city these days. This means there's little gems to be found all over town. I found this place by taking a wrong turn and deciding it was as good as ever of a time to go get a water. So I went into this convenience store and noticed this little spot in the back. As always I had to see what others online had said and sure enough the reviews were mostly wonderful. Plus I love Indo-Chinese food and lollypopped wings. There were other intriguing options but I had to go with the wings they consider good enough to name the place after. These were some heavily spiced jumbo in size wings. This dish reminded me of the tandoori chicken at Khan BBQ here in Chicago.
Chicken Lollypops
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Ramen Tatsu-Ya
She's a big fan of ramen and wasn't feeling Tex-Mex one night (we had just ate it for lunch, haha) so we decided to try this ramen shop that may locals love. I must say we have become somewhat spoiled in Chicago with ramen compared to places like this. There's maybe one other place serving ramen so the culture is just starting. It will only get better once more places open up. The Tsukemen was significantly better than the ramen but the bowl of potent broth got lukewarm a little too quickly for my liking. I'm sure they'll get some good Japanese imports soon.
Tonkotsu Ramen
Tsukemen
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G'Raj Mahal Cafe
Our photographer took us out to eat after a shoot and insisted we try this former food trailer turned brick and mortar on the popular Rainy street. Like us she wasn't all that familiar with Indian she just knew she loved this place and what she orders. We ended up with a wonderful spread for dinner that started with samosas. These were actually the most average thing in the bunch. But the breads and the curries were really enjoyed. We got the Rogan Josh which is a yogurt curry described as slightly sweet and sour. Again I'm no Indian food expert but I liked our meal here and would return.
Samosas
Naan
Puri
Rogan Josh
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Trendy Dining
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Fukomoto
I didn't plan NYE all that well as far as eating out. Actually I didn't want to plan anything as most spots switch over to a set menu and I prefer to eat off the regular everyday menu. This popular sushi and yakitori spot off of East 6th street was doing their regular menu so we had a meal here before heading back to the hotel and getting ready to go out. I never expect much from the sushi in places where there's no water nearby. I'm not a regular sushi eater because of this but I wont balk at the notion of trying some if I'm in an area like Austin. Its busy enough and flights come to and from here each day so why not fresh fish. That said the sushi was just good. Not great. However they do know how to grill in these parts and the yakitori was excellent. Particularly the chicken tail which was humorously nicknamed chicken booty on the days specials menu.
Tuna Belly
Sashimi Platter
Chicken Tail
Beef Heart and Pork Belly Yakitori
Bacon Wrapped Mushrooms
Chicken Karaage aka Japanese fried chicken
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Italic
We met up some some friends in town one night and enjoyed dinner here after some drinks at Geraldine's in the newly opened Hotel Van Zandt. Italic is downtown and draws praise for their simple well made Italian food. Pizza and Pastas are the focus and both were satisfying. Though I was really hoping to try an agnolotti del plin with smoked goat that wasn't on the menu that night. It switches up regularly so beware on that. The drinks also hit the spot. I'd go back for that plin.
Bucatini all’amatriciana
Sausage Pizza
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Emmer & Rye
As soon as State Bird Provisions in San Francisco was called one of the best restaurants in America the American style dim sum craze began. I've seen lots of different spots serving modern dishes from a cart and Emmer & Rye is one of them. When perusing a list of critics picks for best new restaurant of 2015 this place commonly got mentioned. They describe their food as contemporary American. I'd describe it as excellent. The trendy dining scene is really picking up steam and this place I thought could hold it's own in a city like Chicago. They do the aforementioned dim sum as well housemade pastas and other seasonally inspired dishes. We mostly stuck to dim sum and then got one additional pasta dish and devoured every single bite. I really liked the lamb tartare, best of that I've tried. I've since followed them online and everything they make looks great.
Emmer Johnnycake - Deer Creek Cheddar, Pork Shoulder, Creme Fraiche
Lamb Tartare - Green Cherry Tomato, Charred Fennel Oil
Shrimp, Charred Kale, Broccoli Rabe, Chili Broth
Porkbelly, Cabbage, Tossed Whey Broth, Mushrooms
White Sonoran Pappardelle, Pork Ragout, Basil
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Tex-Mex
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Matt's Famous El Rancho
This family favorite has been an Austin staple since 1952. It sports one of the best neon signs in the game and also some pretty decent Tex-Mex. Its all about the Bob Armstrong dip which is a famous queso made for a longtime regular customer who was also the Texas Land Commissioner. You can read all abut this distinctly Tex-Mex dip over at Eater. Melted American cheese gets spoonfuls of spiced ground beef and guacomole and somehow it works. It's something I crave when in Austin.
The Famous Bob Armstrong Dip
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Mi Madre's
I was browsing around Yelp trying to find the best carne guisada in town and this place had the most mentions. Its popular for breakfast and the menu sports all sorts of Tex-Mex favorites. We started out with a bowl of queso that was good but none will match Matt's El Rancho.
Queso with Chorizo, Avocado, Sour Cream, Pico de Gallo, and Jalapeno
The carne guisada plate was very satisfying. Just what I was looking for. Tender pieces of beef simmered for hours in chile sauce. I made 2 or 3 tacos out of it then finished the rest as as a snack later that day. If you don't have leftovers when dining out on Tex-Mex they didn't do you right.
Carne Guisada
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Habanero Cafe
I stopped in here on a whim and came to find a full house of people dining in. I decided to get a couple tacos to go and settled on a steak fajita option as well as a carne guisada. Both come topped with pico de gallo and as is the case with Tex-Mex flour tortillas are standard. I liked the carne guisada more than the steak which was tough and chewy. The guisada was nice and tender.
Steak Fajita and Carne Guisada Tacos
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Amaya's Taco Village
Despite some not so favorable reviews in the #500tacos series I still wanted to try this locals favorite. Tucked in between a bunch of hotels with the highway overhead this place feels like a classic roadhouse both inside and out. I was here to try the Village taco but also wanted a chicken enchilada. I ordered one got a plate filled with cheese and sauce. I know it's not authentic Mexican but I don't care about that. It's authentically Texas and it was glorious on a hungover New Years Day.
Chicken Enchilada in Red Sauce
As I was saying though I was actually here for the popular village taco. They've been serving it since they opened in 1979. Its not quite a hard shell taco and it's neither a softshell nor puffy. Its kind of a mix of all three and it's filled with some pretty average ground beef and standard gringo toppings like lettuce, tomato and cold cheese. Yet I still enjoyed it for what it was. I love eating regionally.
Village Taco
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Javi's Tex-Mex
This place is in a strip mall out by the airport. I don't recommend staying near the airport but if you're in town on business or something like that Javi's might be near you and it's worth going to if you like Tex-Mex as I do. I tried Edgar's Enchiladas off the specialties of the house menu. They were chicken enchiladas topped with a tomato sauce that looked more like cheese. They were a well put together plate of Tex-Mex and the chips were fried fresh. I'd go back here if I find myself near.
Edgar's Enchiladas
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Maudie's Tex-Mex
It was a combination of a huge easily visible neon sign along with the want for Chili con Carne Enchiladas that got me into this local chain. Maudie's had all the things one would expect in a Tex-Mex dining establishment including tables full of patrons with large margarita glasses outnumbering the people sitting at it. An order of cheese enchiladas bathing in a flavorful chili con carne with visible beef was just what I wanted. I happily ate it knowing many would find this dish to be too much like their -forgettable college cooking days. But unless you grew up in a Tex-Mex restaurant, you cant make sauce like that. This would be a guilty pleasure if I was an ATX resident.
Enchiladas Con Chili Carne
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BBQ
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Last but certainly first in any passionate food persons explorations of Austin is BBQ. So important it deserves it's own series. Austin is the best metropolis in America to eat BBQ. You can check Part 3 of my Texas BBQ series to see the great smoke shops at which I ate on this trip. See ya next time!
Brisket from Kerlin BBQ
________________________________________________________________________________Romanouskas Delicatessen
1700 E 6th St
Austin, TX 78702
(512) 720-0371
Pick-A-Chili
122 W 5th
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 534-5337
Eye of the Thai Girl
Temporarily Closed
Thai Kun
1816 E 6th St
Austin, TX 78702
(512) 407-8166
Tibetan Momo
2323 S Lamar Blvd
Austin, TX 78704
(203) 503-1285
Tacos Guerrero
96 Pleasant Valley Rd
Austin, TX 78702
(512) 939-2308
Glorieta Delicias
1723 E Oltorf St
Austin, TX 78741
Taqueria San Luis J.C
2730 E Cesar Chavez St
Austin, TX 78702
Rosarito Food Truck
http://rosaritoatx.com/
Halal Time
1501 E 6th St
Austin, TX 78702
(512) 750-3746
Tyson's Tacos
4905 Airport Blvd
Austin, TX 78751
(512) 451-3326
Top Notch Hamburgers
7525 Burnet Rd
Austin, TX 78757
(512) 452-2181
Alcomar
1816 S 1st St
Austin, TX 78704
(512) 401-3161
Isla
208 W 4th St
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 322-9921
Hillside Farmacy
1209 E 11th St
Austin, TX 78702
(512) 628-0168
Whisler's
1816 E 6th St
Austin, TX 78702
(512) 480-0781
Olive & June
3411 Glenview Ave
Austin, TX 78703
(512) 467-9898
Taco Flats
5520 Burnet Rd #101
Austin, TX 78756
(512) 284-8352
Chicken Lollypop
1005 E Braker Ln
Austin, TX 78753
(512) 909-9826
Ramen Tatsu-Ya
1234 S Lamar Blvd
Austin, TX 78704
(512) 893-5561
G'Raj Mahal Cafe
73 Rainey St
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 480-2255
Fukomoto
514 Medina St
Austin, TX 78702
(512) 770-6880
Italic
123 W 6th St
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 660-5390
Emmer & Rye
51 Rainey St #110
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 366-5530
Matt's Famous El Rancho
2613 S Lamar Blvd
Austin, TX 78704
(512) 462-9333
Mi Madre's
2201 Manor Rd
Austin, TX 78722
(512) 322-9721
Habanero Cafe
501 W Oltorf St
Austin, TX 78704
(512) 416-0443
Amaya's Taco Village
5804 S IH 35
Austin, TX 78723
(512) 458-2531
Javi's Tex-Mex
7709 E Ben White Blvd
Austin, TX 78744
(512) 386-8329
Maudie's Tex-Mex
10205 N Lamar Blvd
Austin, TX 78753
(512) 832-0900