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. 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 Tatsu-ya 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 brick-and-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 fish-shaped 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. 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 & SCAN HERE to explore Austin’s top dining & drinking spots Rockman Coffee + Bake Shop CHAD WADSWORTH PLAY VIDEO 17
Austin Insider Guide 2027: Page 17
