Breakfast Tacos, Texas BBQ, Fresh-Baked Conchas: This Is Your Austin Food Bucket List

Austin is a city so packed with incredible restaurant options it can bring even a self-described gourmet to their knees. The last thing you want to do in a city, whether you’re traveling there for a short time or if you’ve lived here for a long time, is Google restaurants on an empty stomach. That’s why we’ve built this food bucket list for oddly specific, but totally realistic scenarios you might find yourself in. Traveling around the Greenbelt—get post hike bagels and schmear. Want to hit up the latest James Beard–nominated Austin restaurants while you’re in town? We have a favorite or two… Don’t get lost in an online search spiral.

Check out our picks below for the best options to set the mood for any food-related situation, and never be burdened by the malaise of “where should we eat” again.

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Driving by restaurant and wine bar, Birdie’s, for the first time, you may not even notice that it's open. That is, if not for the ever-present line (it doesn’t take reservations) that often wraps around the nondescript building. Birdie’s casual outdoor patio, and its impressive selection of whites and reds, already set it up to be an ideal place to dig into some Italian cuisine. The orecchiette and cavatelli are fantastic; however, it is the seasonal Panisse that really takes the plate for us. A unique dish on any restaurant menu, this chickpea-based dish is accented simply with black pepper and pecorino. The perfect combination of this dish, an ice-cold glass of grüner, and a 70-degree day will make you understand why Birdie’s line is worth the wait.

There’s a stereotype that the southwest is devoid of a singularly good pasta dish. However, Mueller’s fabulous Italian food haven, L’Oca d’Oro, will prove to your taste buds that such slander is just East Coast propaganda. The technique involved in making their palate-pleasing homemade pastas is perhaps most perfectly highlighted in their outstanding, deeply flavorful Rigatoni alla Bolognese. While your idea of a normal bolognese may involve a sauce red enough to permanently stain any white t-shirt it falls upon, L’Oca’s bolognese is a lighter sauce which delicately coats every nook and cranny of the fat, fluffy rigatoni noodles it is ladled on. The hearty meat and cheese forward flavors of the Berkshire pork shoulder, chicken liver, and grana padano used in the dish make it feel like a hug from nonna, while the accent of parsley brings a nice, bright herby finish. It’s certainly a meal to enjoy with a date, as the love that went into it will pour from the plate and set the tone for the rest of a cozy night with your cutie.

It’s hard to have a bad day if your morning starts with breakfast from Casper Fermentables, the South Austin bakery and deli which can rightfully claim the title of best bagel in Bat City. What makes their holed bread delights better than anyone else’s is the way each yeasted wonder pays both homage to the traditional bagel style, as well as takes it a step forward. While they hit the ideal, classic ratio of a soft, doughy inside to a crisp, boiled outside, Casper’s sourdough base provides a new, tangy flair you haven’t yet experienced between layers of cream cheese. Which is why it is best to keep your order simple: Everything Bagel with sweet roasted garlic schmear. This is carbohydrate artistry at work here. Pair this with their turmeric kombucha, or one of their other on-tap, homemade fermented teas, for a sip that feels like an adult-version of a refreshing lemonade from a fair stand.

As most locals would attest, Austin is a place both rooted in the heritage of Texas, as well as a cultural outlier from the rest of the Lone Star state. The alternative, quirky vibes which make the city such an oasis for the unique and open-minded is reflected in the boom of top-notch, new-school barbecue spots found here. And of all the pioneering pit masters putting their twist on the traditional “Texas trinity” of meats, LeRoy and Lewis stands tall above the rest. Their must-try trademark dish, the Sliced Beef, is like a brisket whose volume has been cranked to 11. The tender, melt-in-your-mouth inside of the cut is complemented by the spicy, peppery seasoning that coats the outside edges — infusing every bite with a hint of the smoky, caramelized sensation of burnt ends.

Perhaps it’s the ubiquitous UT Longhorns symbol that appears all around the city, or the classic cowboy associations of Texas itself, but having a great steak in Austin seems like a no-brainer. Any red-meat connoisseur will most likely be familiar with, and drooling from the mouth at the mention of, local restaurant and butcher shop, Dai Due. With all their ingredients regionally sourced, you can bet your bottom dollar that the beef you get at this East Austin gem has been raised on a real-life Lone Star ranch. The superior taste of Dai Due’s Wagyu Ribeye certainly speaks to the high quality of cuts that make our state’s cows world renowned. The inside is rich, juicy, and as tender as a ballad sung by George Strait. And, since Dai Due’s master meat handlers know better than to mess with such pure perfection, the simply spiced crust adds just the right accent of salt to each bite.

Forget your artisanal sausage and micro-green toppings you can’t pronounce; Habanero Cafe is here to deliver the real deal tortilla-filled Holyfield to give that one-two punch to your hangover. This is a true neighborhood spot that has been serving Austin Breakfast Tacos for over 20 years, where the service is friendly and the horchata is always served in large, red plastic cups. But let’s get to the tacos, which are price-friendly, cheesy, and just greasy enough to provide the necessary line of coating for your post-rager vodka stomach. One of the must-orders is the bacon, egg, and cheese, where the bacon bits are chopped up right into the egg mixture for a morsel of hammy scrumptiousness throughout. Or, make your morning by ordering a machacado taco, made from a mix of shredded beef, egg, jalapeño, tomato, and onion, that will rival any steak and eggs you’ve ever had.

As Austin grows, the closure of many of its most sacred dining institutions has become a sad and inevitable reality. While that’s not “alright, alright, alright” with us, there’s still an authentic taste of the city left to be found on Burnet Road at Top Notch. Pulling up to this burger-and-fries joint, you might recognize its tricolor, neon-lit marquee from the scenes filmed here for the classic, coming-of-age flick, Dazed and Confused. If not, the set memorabilia on display within the building will certainly remind you. And just like the characters played by Parker Posey and Ben Affleck, you can order an upgraded version of fast food favorites here. Alongside a hand-spun vanilla shake and an order of massive onion rings, complete your combo meal with the Longhorn Special Burger. With double meat, cheese, special sauce, and all the fixings, it will leave you with the kind of high you would normally only catch from a party at the moontower.

Perhaps the only thing as beloved as Willie Nelson in Austin is a perfectly-mixed, salt-flanked margarita. And the unofficial drink of the city comes in many forms and varieties, beyond just the standard frozen or on the rocks, at East Austin Mexican hot-spot, Licha’s Cantina. However, among all the categories of the cocktail found on their menu, one sweet and spicy concoction reigns supreme. While the traditional version of the agave-based libation is like your starter skin in a video game, the watermelon-infused and jalapeño-topped Lupita is the armor-decked, leveled-up character you take into the final battle. This drink contains all the same citric and tart elements that give a margarita its crisp, refreshing jolt, but amps it up with a fruity and slightly hot finish—a flavor profile echoed in the tajin rim it’s finished with.

In the stereotypical imagination, nothing on a Texas food bucket list could possibly include the word “vegan.” This established, accepted association between meat and the Lone Star state makes the elegant, plant-powered fare found at Fabrik even more surprising. With only two nightly Tasting Menu seatings capped at sixteen people each, the intimate, yet welcoming, atmosphere of this fine-dining restaurant is mirrored in the dishes served there. Charming and creative are apt descriptions of whatever is currently being featured on their seasonally-changing, locally sourced menu. While the vegetables, which serve as the courses’ focal points, may be beets one night and carrots the next, Fabrik’s ability to transfigure their produce into piquant purees and pastas remains consistent.

Nixta Taqueria takes its name from the process of nixtamalization. This traditional, labor-intensive Aztec method of making tortillas involves partially cooking the corn and soaking it in lime powder. If this doesn’t tell you that Nixta takes the creation of the cuisine it serves seriously, nothing will. The extra time, effort, and care that goes into the delicious dishes at Nixta is exemplified by their crowd-favorite taco: the Enchilada Potosina. A cornerstone of any celebratory meal in chef Edgar Rico’s familial hometown of San Luis Potosí, the indulgent flavor of the taco’s duck fat refried beans and chorizo-potato puree will evoke nostalgia for the big holiday feasts you’ve shared with your own clan. The richness of these ingredients is consummated by a counterbalance of earthy purple cabbage and the umami funk of queso enchilado, as well as a smokey edge emitted by the guajillo salsa incorporated into the dish’s masa base.

The legendary reputation of Austin’s award-winning, fine-dining Japanese restaurant, Uchi, is surely known by anyone with a refined palate and a hefty expense account. However, Uchiba, their recently opened, izakaya-inspired spot in Downtown Austin, updates that culinary concept with the sort of sleek, modern vibe that every start-up aspires to. Amid the hip, lounge decor, and a few rounds of yuzu-flavored cocktails from their backlit bar, closing a deal feels like a natural occurrence. But you can really seal the sale with an order of their Sake Toro, which is a highlight even among the superior slices of sashimi found throughout Uchiba’s menu. This smooth cut of Atlantic salmon belly delivers that peak buttery, delicate sensation that every sushi lover craves, and is so fresh it will have you questioning if Central Texas is land-locked.

Whether you grew up devouring the bouquet of treats offered up at Mexican bakeries, or your only experience with these kinds of desserts is off a Taco Bell menu, the goods at Comadre will feel like a revolution either way. The spot’s founder, and James Beard award semifinalist in the pastry category, Mariela Camacho, has truly crafted a heavenly menu inspired by her Mexican American heritage and the Latinx community as whole. You can’t go wrong by ordering any of the delights featured in their pastry case, but their conchas really exemplify Comadre’s ability to honor traditional recipes while still adding their own creative pop. The unique flavors of their pan dulce rotate daily, and have included such vibrant variations as earl grey, Meyer lemon, and strawberry red bean. Regardless of type, you can always count on the Conchas to have a lusciously fluffy inside, and the ideal amount of sugar to enhance, but not

Get the energy to take on back-to-back sets at ACL with the powerful fuel of cheese, meat, and toppings at Little Deli. This local go-to has been offering New Jersey-style pizza by the pie or by the slice since 1992, as well as a selection of superb subs that are not to be slept on. However, it’s hard for the meatball sub to stand a chance once you get a whiff of the intoxicating scent of their hand-tossed, thin-crust dough baking in the spot’s stone hearths. While there, your best move is to fully give into the Italian flavor palate by ordering the #7. This pie is a piece of Pisa, with freshly roasted garlic, a light red sauce made with cherub tomatoes, and plenty of pepperoni. And, for your post-fest night cap, be sure to grab one of their criminally underrated chocolate chip cookies.

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