Austin is a city well known for it’s amazing food and foodie culture. As with almost any place in the US, you’ll do better going local. Here are a few spots that every Austinite knows:
Kerbey Lane
Kerbey is an absolute staple for UT Austin students, as well as the broader student community. With two locations that are both nearby campus, this is the go-to spot for everyone in the area.
Kerbey Lane is generally consistent in quality across its 3 locations. You can pretty much drop by any of them and know that you’ll get a taste of Austin.
We’re a sucker for eggs benedict, which happens to be where Kerbey truly excels. They have 4-5 different types of benedict on the menu at any time.
The highlight is probably the Crispy Chicken Benedict for which they are well known. It comes with hollandaise sauce, of course, as well as their special verde sauce. It tastes like 70% normal eggs benedict, and 30% fried chicken and salsa verde.
Sushi Japon
This one is a little less well known. It’s just south of St. Johns Avenue on the northbound IH 35 frontage road, and it is a hidden gem.
Sushi Japon has a very relaxing environment. It’s rarely crowded, and the food is actually incredible. Their hot and sour soup is some of the best we’ve ever tried, and all their sushi comes out perfectly at room temperature. The fish is soft with just the right amount of flavor, and the service is always on point.
This is one local business you should go out of your way to support. Every employee there gives it 100%, and they let us do messy sake bombs with no complaints!
Magnolia Cafe
Magnolia is a late night spot for Austin musicians and general night owls. There is a South Austin location, and one just north of the river on Lake Austin Blvd.
Both locations are excellent, and their breakfast foods is where they excel. They have a variety of delicious pancakes – we recommend the pumpkin spice. This place is open all night long, so for a true Austin experience, show up at 3 in the morning and get some pancakes, waffles, or other breakfast sweets.
Torchy’s Tacos
Torchy’s is probably the most well known establishment on this list.
You will not find a single person raised in Austin who has not at least been to Torchy’s.
It is not your standard Mexican fare, and you should not expect such. Torchy’s has a unique take on tacos that cannot be found anywhere else. They are extremely heavy and flavorful – the best are The Wrangler, the Republican, and the Green Chile Pork taco.
Torchy’s, however, is most famous for their exceptional queso. It comes in great quantity, and it is the best we have found.
If you want dirty, cheesy goodness, go directly to Torchy’s.
24 Diner
We know this list has been a little heavy on the breakfast spots, but you simply cannot ignore 24 Diner.
If you want to cut loose and undo a few belt buckles, you must try any of their hashes, or the chicken and waffles. They really take chicken and waffles to the next level, and in large portions. You can get a half or a full order, but we say you should go all out.
For the brunchers out there, they make some of the best Bloody Mary’s ever – with a wooden spiked covered in a variety of pickled things you may or may not have ever seen before.
Final thoughts
It was almost impossible to narrow down a favorites to five choices, but these are the ones you can’t miss.
Every spot on this list will be a hit with most visitors. They all have their unique take on Austin cuisine, and are a great place to start if you don’t feel like prowling Yelp and throwing a dart into the darkness.
If you want to see some awesome Austin food bloggers, check out our 2018 Austin Blogger Survey for a place to start!
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