10 Great Restaurants in Austin

The Odd Duck is an Austin restaurant that serves upscale and innovative food and drinks in family-friendly comfort. You'll find exciting refreshes of old classics like fluffy cornbread alongside new favourites like chorizo-stuffed quail.

Ingredients are locally sourced and the culinary team present unique flavours that also extend to the beers and wines on offer. Sit before the open kitchen and watch your aged pork loin or wagyu sirloin cap being prepared, or choose a more intimate table away from the excitement.

The Salty Sow is a place in Austin for pork done right. But don’t expect BBQ on paper plates here. The farmhouse feel is upscale, and the dishes are unique.

Their tender and hearty pork belly is best followed by a swig of local craft beer. If you're into something fancier, try a charcuterie plate followed by a dessert cocktail. Beef lovers can also indulge in burgers and slow-cooked beef shoulder. The wine and cocktail list is impressive, and a daily happy hour makes it easy to try more than one. Come early for some happy-hour Texas starters like deviled eggs and tacos.

Suerte is a Mexican restaurant in Austin where you can satisfy your craving for beans, rice and spice. The restaurant specialises in homemade masa, a corn-based flour with a satisfying texture and full flavour.

Though the dishes have an upscale feel to them, the large plates and shareable meals make Suerte a great option for the whole family. There’s nothing like passing around a plate of delicious Suadero tacos! Don't skip dessert either. Their Chocotaco is heavenly.

III Forks combines a chic atmosphere with all the trimmings of a high-end steakhouse. It’s one of the cool places for a classy evening in Austin. Start with a cocktail made with top-shelf spirits, like the Classic Sidecar with Remy Martin VSOP and Cointreau – you won’t want to rush your time here.

For dinner, must-tries include their juicy USDA-certified prime steak. III Forks hand-selects its beef and serves only the ones with top-quality marbling. Enjoy Texas beef at its finest and pair your steak with a bottle of red wine from the extensive list.

Kemuri Tatsu-ya is a casual dining spot that’s like a typical izakaya transported straight from the streets of Tokyo into the heart of Austin, Texas. Like all good fusion restaurants, there is enough local flavour in here to make each noodle bowl verifiably Texan while still maintaining its Asian roots.

What better way to try octopus than in a Texas-style barbecue? You can also try smoked mackerel or just meat skewers to top your tender noodles. No matter what you choose on your first visit to Kemuri Tatsu-ya, your tastebuds will be delightfully confused.

True Food Kitchen is your one-stop joint for eating healthy and in an upscale setting in Austin. Dishes like the double vegan cheeseburger, kale guacamole and edamame dumplings will make you positively rethink your whole diet. Unlike other Austin restaurants which tend to be meat-heavy, the True Food Kitchen fills you with impeccably healthy ingredients and nutrients.

These beautifully-presented dishes don’t just look fantastic, but they leave you feeling great, too. You’ll hardly experience a Texas food coma here. True Food Kitchen’s seasonal menu is specially-crafted to serve up what the weather has you craving, and the craft cocktails ensure any dish you order goes down easy.

Barley Swine is an American diner in Austin and the kind of place you set aside a whole evening for. The large beer menu and American tapas-style snacks have made it a foodie hot spot. Barley Swine suggests you set aside 2 hours for your visit so you can enjoy the multi-course tasting menu of the day.

The pear and jalapeño bacon is just one possible item from the first course. The dishes get progressively more interesting as your evening continues, with plates like red snapper, Muscovy duck and dry-aged Akaushi beef. At Barley Swine, you can choose to fine dine or just unwind. Either way, you’re guaranteed to be surprised by the flavour combinations. 

Dai Due is an American restaurant in Austin that serves tangy and juicy meat dishes straight from the farm. Wild boar wraps and Reubens are must-tries, but anything you choose will pair well with the wine and cocktail selection.

The rustic interior and picturesque patio are the perfect settings to make you feel like you’re miles away from the city. It enhances the experience, with the rich flavours of grass-fed beef, organic veggies and wild-caught fish. Dai Due is a spot to let your stress melt away and enjoy an upscale dining experience with none of the pretentiousness of a fancy restaurant.

Juniper is an Italian restaurant in Austin that focuses more on big flavours than large portion sizes. If that’s ok with Texans, you know it must be good. Puffy potatoes, Mafaldine pasta, ricotta doughnuts and pistachio gelato offer something closer to an aesthetic experience than a simple meal.

The Italians are known for unlocking pasta's potential, but Juniper is on another level. Their traditional Cacio e Pepe pasta is decadently cheesy and perfectly al dente. Start your evening with a gin cocktail to become truly immersed in the elegant atmosphere.

Hestia is a fine-dining establishment in Austin known for its generous portions. With 12 courses of meat, seafood, seasonal veggies and local cheeses, Hestia takes the “everything’s bigger in Texas” trope to another level. For example, you might be treated to a scallop, halibut and Wagyu steak, followed by sourdough ice cream.

Foodies will love the presentation. Hestia even serves their food with postcards that describe the inspiration for each course. Watch the chefs prepare in the open kitchen or enjoy the subdued atmosphere from a quiet corner. If you’re hungry and curious at the same time, Hestia is one dining spot in Austin to head to.