Where to Eat Like a Local in Austin - Travel Like Anna

From traditional Texas barbecue to wild boar pepper pots and red berry concha (a sweet bread), the Austin food scene offers a diversity of flavors. It’s hard to choose between the longstanding famous icons—Franklin’s Barbecue for brisket and Kerby Lane for pancakes—and newcomers—Taqueria De Diez’s volcan tacos.

Planning is key when it comes to Austin’s food scene: Make reservations in advance. For places that don’t take reservations, arrive early with sunscreen—waiting in line for food is a Texas pastime. Expect queues at all barbecue joints (an hour minimum on weekends), weekend brunch and famous spots. The best barbecue spots open at lunch, so arrive early for the best selection and visit on a weekday for shorter wait times. Online orders are also a possibility to save time.

Now, you know the rules—it’s time to eat. Keep scrolling for the best restaurants in Austin, Texas. To help plan your trip, check out my guides on the best things to do in Austin and

The Best Barbecue in Austin, Texas

Left: A brisket sandwich from Franklin’s Barbecue. Right: The pomegranate-glazed pork ribs at the Egyptian-inspired KG Barbecue.

There is always a line for barbecue, but most places have free beer while you wait. Order online to skip the queues.

• If

  is your destination, wake up early and join the roughly 4-hour-long queue before 9 a.m. It’s just like tailgating for a football game, minus the traffic, so bring a chair and some local brews. Order online to skip the queue.Franklin Barbecue
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• For shorter lines, try

  for sausage, turkey (my favorite) and jalapeno cheese grits. This is one of my favorite go-to spots because I’m a sucker for good sides.Micklethwait Craft Meats
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• ’s Eastside location is great for brisket, pulled pork and shells & cheese.La Barbecue
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• a 2024-Michelin star winner, serves up tasty brisket and beef ribs in their brick-and-mortar location. The brisket burger and cheddar cheesecake are also phenomenal.LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue,
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• in North Austin has made the Texas Monthly’s top five list. Aside from the brisket, the turkey, jalapeños slaw and banana pudding are delicious.Interstellar BBQ
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• fuses Egyptian and Middle Eastern flavors with traditional barbecue—the pomegranate-glazed pork ribs and brisket shawarma pitas.KG Barbecue

The Best Brunch in Austin, Texas

• is one of my favorite dinner spots that serves a scrumptious brunch ranging from Spanish frittatas to brioche French toast. Grab a pastry basket with one ofLutie’spastry chefSusana Querejazu’sfamous Kouign Amanns.Saturday and Sunday. Reservations recommended.
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• chef Sarah Heard cooks upForeign & Domestic’sthe best pancakes in townwith the perfect amount of crisp on the outside. (She perfected the cooking technique thanks to her picky daughter.)Sunday only. Reservations recommended.
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• is legendary thanks to the Manmosa, a behemoth-sized mimosa consisting of a bottle of champagne with a splash of orange juice. The menu features house-made sausage, meat-heavy egg dishes and gigantic flaky made-from-scratch biscuits. The restaurant has plenty of seating thanks to an expansion a few years ago but doesn’t take reservations, so expect a line.Banger’s Sausage House and Beer GardenSunday only.
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• serves dim sum on Sundays only. Menu highlights include pork pot stickers, char siu bao (steamed pork buns), scallion pancakes, pineapple bao and a Thai-chili infused Bloody Mary.Wu ChowReservations recommended.
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• is my go-to Eastside brunch spot that takes brunch reservations! The grits and strawberry cake are delicious.Jacoby’sSaturday and Sunday. Reservations recommended.
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• is another favorite breakfast eatery located in theCafé No Se. Start off with one of their signature pastries—a delectable croissant served with homemade raspberry jam. (Their pastry chef, Amanda Rockman, is a James Beard Award Semifinalist.) I also recommend the ricotta hotcakes.South Congress HotelBreakfast is served daily.

These restaurants are organized by type from casual to upscale.

Upscale Restaurants in Austin

• should be your first stop in Austin. The new-age Caribbean restaurant is named after the national bird of Guyana and serves up one of my favorite dishes in town: wild boar pepperpot, a slow-cooked stew. The Guyanese-style roti pairs well with the Wagyu beef West Indian curry.Canje
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• is a must for dinner. The garden restaurant’s playful interior was designed by Ken Fulk, which really sets the mood for a fun evening. The menu includes a variety of small, highly seasonal dishes meant to be shared. Highlights include the estate bread with layered butter, the green dish, Texas beef and the kouign-amann dessert, a French pastry that’s broken into pieces and folded into vanilla ice cream. It is located on theLutie’s, a 1928 mansion turned luxury hotel.Commodore Perry EstateReservations recommend.
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• is a truly hidden gem located in a secluded 19th-century home just a few blocks from the buzzing South Congress neighborhood. The resident peacocks provide ample entertainment while you dine on fried chicken and biscuits.Mattie’s
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• is a swanky multi-room restaurant with two patios and a separate bar with a stunning centerpiece – a mahogany wooden bar that was moved from New York City’s Cedar Tavern to Austin. It’s one of the most beautiful restaurants in Austin.EberlyReservations recommend.
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• Fixe,an upscale Southern restaurant, is famous for its made-from-scratch, while-you-wait biscuits. It’s the best $12 you will EVER spend.
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• specializes in live-fire cooking with Latin flavors. Order the pork chop and carrots. Trust me. Snag a seat at the bar by the kitchen to watch the magic.Ember Kitchen

Casual Dining in Austin

Taqueria de Diaz’

s volcán tacos are arguably the best in town.

Right: Yellow Jacket Social Club beet and goat cheese sandwich.

• is an award-winning brewery that serves up Sicilian-style pizzas. They have three locations and a gigantic South Austin brewery. Pinthouse’sPinthouse PizzaElectric Jellyfishbrew helped ignite the hazy IPA trend in Austin. It’s my favorite pizza in town (Via 313is a close second!) and one of my first stops when I get back from a long trip.
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• is the best spot for hot chicken! For sides, try the mac and cheese and slaw. Formerly a food truck, there are now three brick-and-mortar locations.Tumble 22
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• hasEasy TigerBEER CHEESE. The bakery bar combo has a full menu of pastries, sandwiches and giant pretzels that go well with the beer cheese. Both locations have great patios, but I prefer the South Lamar one.
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• is a funky izakaya located in an old barbecue restaurant. The Texas-influenced menu includes brisket ramen, Mexican street corn, sticky rice beef tongue tamales and roasted banana pudding.Kemuri Tatsu-ya
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• serves up American Chinese food with a flair in a dive bar (Yellow RangerGolden Horn) off Airport Blvd. Menu highlights include black garlic queso dip with house wonton chips, semi-smashed burgers served on Taiwanese milk buns and wok green beans.
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• South Austin food truck has a variety of homemade pastas from gnocchi to Fusilli and pizzas. The panna cotta is also delicious!Artipasta

The Best Tacos in Austin, Texas

Choosing the best tacos in Austin is a tough call because of all the strong contenders. While the Taco Deli and Torchy’s Tacos chains are all over the city, there are better options. (Taco Deli’s white queso is great!)

Nixta Taqueria is arguably the best in town—they make their own masa and tortillas—and serve up some unconventional dishes like duck carnitas tacos. For traditional tacos, I love Veracruz All Natural, started by two sisters from Mexico. There are seven locations around town dishing out excellent migas tacos.

The best newcomer in town is Taqueria de Diaz, famous for the volcán tacos served with cheese and meat on crunchy corn tortillas. It’s hidden in an alley off Trinity Street downtown. The taquitos at Arriba Abajo at the Thompson Austin are another favorite.

The Best Bakeries & Desserts in Austin

Left: Comadre Panaderia’s concha. Right: Jacoby’s strawberry cake.

For sweets and desserts, there are endless options from desserts at all the restaurants listed above and specialty pastry and ice cream shops below.

• is a bakery known for its concha, a sweetbread topped with a flavored cookie shell. I love the masa sugar cookies! Arrive early for the best selection.Comadre PanaderiaOpen Thursday to Sunday.
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• is a classic, whileAmy’s Ice Creamserves up coconut milk flavors!Gati Ice Cream
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• Everyone in Austin can spot a box from a block away. The cookie shop is known for delivering boxes of fresh, warm cookies. You can buy cookies individually, and I recommend the Tiff Wich – two warm cookies with a scoop of ice cream between them. Double yum!Tiff’s Treat’s
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• makes the most beautiful and hilariously decorated giant sugar cookies with icing!Hayley Cakes
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• has the best cupcakes I’ve ever eaten in my life. I’m drooling on my keyboard thinking about them.Sugar Mama’s Bakeshop

The Best Bars in Austin

Years of experience went into crafting this list. I’m a dive bar fan, so that’s most of the list!

• is the coolest bar in Austin. Inspired by a fictional backstory, this tropical paradise has two levels and elaborate decor with a menu of tasty drinks and bites.Tiki Tatsu-YaReservations required.
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• Eastside Bars:is one of my favorite dive bars in Austin, with a spacious patio filled with picnic tables. This East Austin dive has a wide variety of good beer and excellent food, including the beet and goat cheese sandwich and Frito pie. Around the corner isYellow Jacket Social ClubThe White Horse,an Eastside honky tonk with live music nightly and free dance lessons. They have a nice patio with a food truck. The nearbyandThe Liberty BarThe Gracklehave large patios.is a hip spot a block away known for cocktails and a mezcal bar.Whisler’sis an Arkansas-themed dive bar with hilarious décor and quirky drinks like the Memphis Michelada made with barbecue sauce.Mama Dearest
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• has the best patio in town with a pool for lounging on hot days and a tropical-themed bar. Be sure to check out the amazing flamingo wallpaper in the ladies’ bathroom!Kitty Cohen’s
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• is a great spot near Mueller with the best (and cheapest!) happy hour in town. They serve up sweet and savory kolaches along with a massive selection of craft beers. (There’s a wall of beer fridges to choose from!) Happy Hour is all day Monday and Tuesday and nightly the rest of the weekdays.Batch Craft Beer & Kolaches
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• Ask around for the passcode to get into the (also referred to asRed Headed StepChild), a small speakeasy with great drinks and a creepy decor that looks like the set of a horror movie.Floppy Disk Repair
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• Many of the restaurants I mentioned in the previous food section are also great spots to grab a drink, including Easy Tiger,Cedar Tavern Bar andEberly’sBanger’s.

The Best Breweries in Austin

Left: Baked pretzels and beer cheese from Easy Tiger. Right: Brews from Hold Out Brewing.

While several craft breweries have closed in the last few years, there’s still a great scene in Austin. Most also offer nonalcoholic options, including hop water. Here’s a roundup organized by location.

• Downtown (kinda):is my go-to spot. Located in walking distance of downtown, this quirky half-domed building has East Austin vibes with a gigantic courtyard it shares with its sister restaurant,Hold Out Brewing. The brewery’s hazy pale ales and IPAs are tasty along with its happy hour burgers. There’s free parking in the lot in front and behind.Better Half Coffee & Cocktails
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• East Austin Breweries:on East Sixth Street is a great spot with rotating food trucks and walking distance to downtown. Located in the heart of the Eastside in an old gas station,Zilker Brewingserves up brews, tacos and coffee.Lazarus Brewing Companyhas a huge patio that’s a great hangout spot on the far Eastside.Central Machine Works’s spacious taproom is located slightly farther east.Hi Sign Brewery
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• North Austin Breweries:is just a few minutes’ walk from Q2 Stadium.HopSquad Brewingis another Northside favorite.Austin Beerworks
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• South Austin Breweries:While these aren’t all in walking distance of each other, South Austin is another great area for breweries. A few highlights areNomadic Beerworks,ABGB,St. Elmo Brewing Company,Meanwhile Brewing,andVacancy Brewing. (Vacancy and St. Elmo are within walking distance of each other.)Pinthouse Brewing