Austin Restaurants You Must Try

It’s no surprise that Austin has risen in the ranks of the culinary world for its vibrant food scene. This Texas city has made a name for itself as a bustling metropolis on the cusp of modernity while maintaining a laid-back atmosphere. If you’re a foodie interested in purchasing a home in Austin, you might be wondering what restaurants and culinary experiences are available. Real estate expert Camille Casper recognizes that finding the perfect home also means finding a robust, thriving dining scene with chef-derived bistros, ethnic cuisine, and craft cocktails sure to impress. Here are Camille’s top Austin restaurants you must try.

It’s difficult to create a restaurant that critics have compared to Tom Keller’s iconic The French Laundry. However, owner and Austinite Bryce Gilmore have shaped Barley & Swine to offer the same astounding features of a seasonal tasting menu while crafting an environment of laid-back elegance. Proudly local and celebrated for its commitment to sustainability, Barley & Swine has become a leader in farm-to-table cuisine. Each month, diners have a chance to try new dishes and taste bold flavors created in the restaurant’s carbon-neutral kitchen.

Since 1975, Jeffery’s has elevated the steakhouse experience by allowing ingredient availability to dictate its menu of flavorful sides, establishing itself as an Austin legend. The menu consists of many high-end, flavor-packed dishes, such as caviar service, hamachi carpaccio, and Dover sole in lemon and dulse butter sauce. These dishes support the star of the menu: the dry-aged steaks, particularly the bone-in ribeye, which has earned itself a large following. Charming and highly experienced, head chef Mark McCain allows the ingredients to speak for themselves, pairing perfectly with the extensive list of vintage wines made to enhance the flavors.

Residents come to Jeffery’s to celebrate engagements, anniversaries, birthdays, and graduations, with many eager to take part in the locale’s private dining option for privacy and large gatherings.

Named after the Greek goddess of the hearth, Hestia honors its namesake through a 20-foot hearth in the center of the restaurant, which is used to cook nearly every dish on the menu. Offering a chef’s tasting menu of earthy and rich flavors, this beloved restaurant has earned critical acclaim amongst both locals and food critics. Exuding rustic luxury, Hestia aims to embody the power of old-world cooking by using low and slow techniques to draw out sumptuous flavors. Hestia is a unique gem, honoring bold tastes and sustainable ingredients. Each dish is paired with one of the 400 wines stored within their cellars.

Critically acclaimed and locally beloved, owners Sarah Heard and Nathan Lemley created their restaurant to be Austin’s original nose-to-tail eatery. Foreign & Domestic follows the farm-to-table ideology, where local farmers are the center of each dish, creating a menu where the seasons dictate the dining experience. Heard and Lemley believe in embracing the unconventional, balancing out off-the-wall dishes like beef tongue and lamb's heart with staples like leek risotto and Parisian gnocchi. No matter what is ordered, the food on your plate has been crafted to create a pitch-perfect taste.

Opened in 2015, Emmer & Rye is a restaurant designed around the farmer’s haul, featuring a menu that changes daily with a focus on seasonal and local cuisine. Heirloom grains are milled fresh for house made pastas, breads, and desserts, whole animal butchery is done on site, and an extensive in-house fermentation program captures flavors at their peak and preserves them for the off season. Emmer & Rye works with Zero FoodPrint to be a carbon neutral restaurant.

Classic Southern cuisine is given the five-star treatment at Olamaie, a local Austin restaurant that has become a fan-favorite amongst locals. This charming locale elevates comfort favorites without sacrificing tradition and flavor. Each dish is buttery, perfectly cooked, and steeped in fresh ingredients, honoring the foundational elements of Southern cooking. Chef and founder Amanda Turner is a James Beard Award semifinalist, crafting dishes like Texas-raised Wagyu beef with creamy cheddar green chile grits and Hopi blue corn hushpuppies created crispy on the outside and pillowy on the inside, made to be dipped in a caramelized onion sauce and topped with trout roe. This restaurant does more than serve Southern cuisine; Olamaie celebrates it.

The dishes and drinks created at ATX begin with respect for the Mexican tradition and then molded into our own vision. The experience is meant to be shared. The excitement exuded from the kitchen create a communal atmosphere and vibe throughout the restaurant. The focus on natural and clean ingredients extends to the bar as well, which features organic agaves and curated tequilas and mezcals sourced from Mexico, hand-shaken margaritas, craft cocktails, freshly-squeezed juices, and an assortment of wine and beer. ATX Cocina is proudly a 100% gluten free restaurant!

Picture the perfect plate of barbecue — melt-in-your-mouth brisket dripping with juices, creamy coleslaw, pickles and onions, pinto beans, potato salad, and, as tradition demands, three slices of white bread to sop up the smoky flavors. You’ll find all this and more at the Michelin-star nominee Franklin Barbecue. Slow-smoked meats and quintessential barbecue methods are what made founder Aaron Franklin the perfect teacher for the establishment’s world-famous cuisine.

One of the few American sushi masters, Chef and Owner Tyson Cole is a passionate student of the Japanese tradition. Having trained for more than 10 years in Tokyo, New York, and Austin under two different sushi masters, Chef Cole combines a honed craft with creative twists on Japanese cuisine. Building from a foundation of Uchi’s innovative dishes and impeccable service, Uchiko and Uchibā offer their own distinct variations on Chef Cole’s vision. Together, these restaurants form a signature collection of fine dining and cocktail experiences that continue to surprise and delight visitors from around the globe.

If you’re ready to conduct a home search and find the perfect slice of Austin real estate or want more recommendations on top restaurants in the area, reach out to Camille Casper. Her expertise and knowledge of the local market will have you looking at homes for sale in Austin in no time.