Austin - Insider Guide 2027
Austin Eats
2026-08-28 08:50:27
Lively food trucks, luxe dining rooms and mom-and-pop joints — Austin’s restaurant scene delivers on every level.
MICHELIN STAR
Austin is home to six prestigious MICHELIN One Star restaurants. Sit at the bar at rustic-chic Barley Swine to watch the masters work with Texas ingredients, from Akaushi beef to Fredericksburg peaches. Tiny Craft Omakase seats just 12 for its nightly 22-course tasting menu of fresh, cured and dry-aged bites in a warm, intimate hideaway.
InterStellar BBQ is a little old, a little new. You’ll find classic kielbasa alongside pulled lamb tacos in its strip mall setting.
Balance the peppery dry rub on woman-owned la Barbecue’s tender brisket with spicy pickles and sweet pepper kimchi. The cow takes center stage at midcentury- inspired LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue, from shoulder to cheek to brisket.
Nearly every dish touches the 20-foot hearth at New American Hestia. Charred, seared or blistered, it all gets the live-fire treatment. Sustainability and value unite Austin’s three MICHELIN Green Star/Bib Gourmand winners. Dai Due’s rotating menu features seasonal and house-preserved Texas ingredients like wild boar, nilgai antelope and Texas citrus.
Heirloom grains and housemade pasta are the stars at Emmer & Rye, where a roving bread cart delivers house sourdough throughout the airy dining room. Nixta Taqueria is chef Edgar Rico’s love letter to handmade tortillas — the duck carnitas tacos and ahi tuna tostada are standouts.
BARBECUE
Bib Gourmand barbecue, anyone? Franklin Barbecue chef Aaron Franklin helped put Austin on the culinary map. Their best-in-class brisket is always worth the wait. Micklethwait Barbecue is a sanctuary of low-andslow, with pork ribs and Tex-Czech sausage served in a renovated church.
Even food trucks earn Bib Gourmand status. Briscuits has sweet-and-savory down pat, with brisket and smoked strawberry jelly served on perfectly flaky biscuits. Middle Eastern flavors punch up the menu at KG BBQ, with inventive eats like za’atar and pomegranate-glazed pork ribs.
Try the oak-smoked wings and rotating monthly sausage at Stiles Switch BBQ & Brew — waits are typically short. Savor something different at Space Kat Barbecue, with smoked tri-tip, lamb and hot links. Sam’s Bar-B-Que is an Austin institution, serving tender smoked mutton and ribs since 1957. Peruse the photos on the walls as you eat.
MEXICAN
La Santa Barbacha taco truck dishes up tender, aromatic barbacoa on green and red tortillas, earning it a 2026 James Beard Award Best Chef: Texas semifinalist spot. The Mexico City-style tacos at Cuantos Tacos are just two bites, so you can sample brisket, barbacoa, pork and beef cheeks all in one meal. Veracruz Fonda & Bar honors the Gulf city with regional mole, spicy crab-and-shrimp soup and sweet conchas. All three eateries earned MICHELIN Bib Gourmand distinction.
A Tex-Mex favorite since 1952, Matt’s El Rancho still satisfies with sizzling fajitas and fruity margaritas in a colorful hacienda. Modern Comedor is art-gallery chic. Try bone marrow tacos and tuna aguachile in a showroom of concrete and glass.
ASIAN
Three of Austin’s Asian restaurants have earned 2026 James Beard Award Best Chef: Texas semifinalist nominations — and each one delivers. Lao’d Bar serves pork bao buns and herb ribeye lahb in a breezy dining room, At Thai-Chinese spot P Thai’s Khao Man Gai & Noodles, authentic Thai chicken comes with chicken fat rice and fermented bean sauce. The 21-course omakase at Tsuke Edomae features seafood imported directly from Tokyo’s famous fish market. Reservations only open twice a year!
Casual izakaya Kemuri Tatsuya received a MICHELIN Bib Gourmand for their Japan-meets-Texas smokehouse eats, like pork ribs with carrot-ginger glaze. Try carnitas-tonkotsu ramen from Bib Gourmand-awarded Ramen del Barrio, now in a new brickand- mortar location. Romantic Uchi has been a sushi favorite for 20+ years. Treat yourself to traditional nigiri and hot bites in this cozy converted bungalow. Light tempura and elevated rolls make Neighborhood Sushi loved by locals.
SWEET BAKERIES & PASTRY SHOPS
Down a festive alley, Mercado Sin Nombre serves Mexican specialty coffee and masa-based “twinkies.” They’re a MICHELIN Bib Gourmand and 2026 James Beard Award semifinalist for Outstanding Bakery. Quack’s 43rd Street Bakery has been helping Austin celebrate with multicolor cookies and festive pies since 1983.
Peruse the glass case at bright Rockman Coffee + Bake Shop to choose sweet or savory croissants and chewy sourdough chocolate chip cookies. Sit down for an avocado toast at Swedish Hill, but save room for a Nutella morning bun or almond croissant.
As the name implies, Tiny Pies offers personal mini pies, baked fresh daily. A mixed box of cherry, pecan and chocolate cream will keep everyone happy. Pink-hued OMG Squee makes Asian American treats like mochi donuts and soft serve sundaes served in fishshaped waffles.
Cupcake lovers are sweet on Sugar Mama’s Bakeshop, where red velvet, buttery vanilla and funfetti pound cake never disappoint. Stop into Comadre Panaderia for sweet pan dulce, conchas and masa sugar cookies (don’t skip the masa-and-oat milk atole).
Organic sourdough loaves from ThoroughBread Bakery elevate any meal. Their cookies are dense, doughy and decadent — try the chocolate chip-pecan. The tidy macarons and flaky croissants at La Patisserie would be at home in any Parisian bakery window
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