Location: Austin
Top Restaurants in Austin
Countries
Top 10 restaurants in Austin, United States
Every year thousands of hipsters, groupies, and die-hard fans flock to Austin for the annual South by Southwest festival, which has catapulted the Texas city up the must-visit charts for many travelers. The sandstone Capitol building is symbolic of the Lone Star State’s "bigger is better" mentality, featuring a gorgeous whispering gallery rotunda and 22 acres of grounds. Cool off with a dip in Barton Springs, a huge natural limestone pool that’s fed by underground sources.
Things to do in Austin
1. Truluck's Seafood - Austin Downtown
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 870 reviews
We invite you to escape to Truluck's. A getaway for the senses. Come savor the freshest Crab, direct from our own fisheries. Delight in our fresh-catch seafood menu or select tender, juicy steaks prepared to perfection. Then complement it all with delicious wines by the glass and bottle.
Reviewed By bnaysrl - Los Gatos, California
Service 10; Food 6.
First, the restaurant is a marvelous experience. We were greeted warmly, the MD saw it was an anniversary dinner, and this was communicated to our server as well. Harley is an excellent server. Atmosphere befits a top-rated restaurant. Austin is replete with foodies from around the world; standards and expectations are high. Piano soloist is throughout the restaurant, in a good and welcome way. Energy is well above average and Truluck's is NOT noisy.
Regrettably, the kitchen's product failed to meet our expectations. I returned my Lobster Bisque as bland. It is a very rich preparation but, without real character and distinctive taste, it was not worth the calories. Service/presentation was excellent; the product fell short. I skipped the appetizer course.
My partner ordered the stone crab entree--8 medium claws. Here, our standard is Joe's in South Beach. Truluck's comes close with taste and freshness. There's a but: Believe it or not the claws were over cracked. The meat was easy to get to, but tiny bits of shell accompanied each bite. This doesn't happen at Joe's and many South Florida wannabes.
My Redfish Ponchatrain was just OK. What looked like a remoulade sauce wasn't. Not sure what it was. As sides, we had Steakhouse Hash Browns, which disappointed. Large chunks of potato suggested Steakhouse Fries. The "cake" was topped with sour cream. Had we enjoyed the hash browns, we would have requested a serving without the topping.
The next side was Crab Fried Rice. It went back, as it could not hold a candle to the wonderful dish of the same name we had a Eddie V's two evenings earlier. The rice stuck together and was overwhelmed with mushrooms. No opportunity for the delicate flavors to come through. The sautéed spinach was basic; nothing special like Eddie V's product.
The mini-baked Alaska complementary anniversary plate was nice, but not all that enjoyable. Coffee ice cream? Our standard here is Sardi's. Now THAT'S Baked Alaska.
We will make at least one more visit to Eddie V's, and try out some of the other Trip Advisor top-rated restaurants in Austin.
2. Eddie V's Prime Seafood
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1 reviews
If you want seafood, the buzz in town is Eddie V's Edgewater Grille. The Gulf Coast menu features lots of seafood - oysters, gulf snapper, fresh tuna, lobster, plus great prime steaks and chops. Expect a hip and high energy dining experience. Savor classic seafood starters like oysters on the half shell, fried coldwater baby lobster tail, and famous All Lump Crab Cakes. The extensive wine list features over 150 selections.
Reviewed By Kevin W - Katy, Texas, United States
In town for a conference and friend and I met there first night. We sat in bar so we could hear the jazz music - great band just right level of music such that we could still talk. We had fish tacos as an appetizer...been years but remember they are so good! We shared a caesar and I had Lemon Sol and my friend had an 8 oz. steak. Everything was perfectly cooked and flavorful. The service was good. My only complaint is that it is very crowded in there. I felt like we were in on conversations on both sides of us.
3. Micklethwait Craft Meats
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 162 reviews
Reviewed By KendraDawnRN - Houston, Texas
My goodness! I was at a vintage store and the employees overheard me talking about being hungry. They told me about Micklethwait. My niece and I went there and had brisket sandwiches. It was wonderful! I haven't had great BBQ since I've moved to Houston. This place is the real deal. The meat was cooked to perfection. It was tender, flavorful, smokey, and just delicious. Their BBQ sauce is vinegar based but you don't need it. I tasted it just because. I may have to go back just to taste more meat. It's a must try while in Austin. And the crew is super nice!
4. Uchi
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1 reviews
Reviewed By Shaun B - Danbury, Connecticut, United States
This was amazing Asian food and the service was perfect. We didn’t know what to order from the menu so the waitress recommended everything. Everything single dish we had was flavorful. Tastes I hadn’t experienced before. Good luck getting in though unless you reserve way in advance. I reserved months in advance and didn’t have a problem.
5. Franklin Barbecue
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1 reviews
Reviewed By DocSnarky - Burbank, California
I really did believe that Franklin was going fall short of my expectations! I figured that there was no way on earth a BBQ joint, (with a 4 hour wait), could EVER live up to the hype, particularly with so many other great BBQ restaurants around. I was actually hoping that it would just be good BBQ so I could debunk the myth. With really good BBQ around like Salt Lick, Stubbs, Cooper’s, etc., etc. (without the lines), there was no way Franklin was going to be worth the wait! Nothing could justify those lines! That said, as impossible as it sounds, it was even better than the rave reviews suggested!! There’s a reason Franklin is number 1 on most every list of best BBQ!! It is the best BBQ EVER!!!!!! Almost otherworldly!! I don’t know Aaron Franklin, but while eating the amazing brisket, I was actually reminded of the Robert Johnson myth. Who knows?!? Anyway, I won’t be debunking the Franklin myth. In fact, I’ll be standing in that line again next time I’m in Austin to have more!!
6. Eddie V's Prime Seafood
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 207 reviews
Reviewed By Leslie M - Austin, Texas
This was a birthday celebration for just the two of us and it came together at the last minute. The only problem was the cocktail. We each had pomegranate Moscow mules. The ginger beer was so sharp that we could taste nothing else. The manager brought carafes of lime juice, pomegranate juice and vodka so we could tweak the blend. The additional pomegranate juice did the trick. Our seafood entrees were wonderful as were the salads. The bananas Foster cake should be a meal in itself.
7. True Food Kitchen
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 125 reviews
Reviewed By Timothy T - Houston, Texas
Located only a walking distance from the Capitol, True Foods offers a great selection of diverse, healthy foods for all to enjoy. The restaurant here is fairly large, so a reservation is not necessary but I wish one could reserve a parking lot - it was not easy to find! The service was a little bit slow, but it may have been due to the large number of customers that day. The food was excellent; it was a pleasure to eat. Overall, I felt it was pricey for the smaller portions, but nonetheless I definitely recommend whenever visiting Austin!
8. Torchy's Tacos
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 336 reviews
Reviewed By Kevin R - Austin
The food was on par with other local outlets, but the price for the tacos is ridiculous. This is not a spectacular restaurant by any means and is not deserving of the prices they request.
9. Whole Foods Market
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 594 reviews
Welcome to your Austin, TX Whole Foods Market! Founded in 1978 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market is the leading retailer of natural and organic foods, the first national "Certified Organic" grocer, and uniquely positioned as America's Healthiest Grocery Store™.
Reviewed By dieswaytoofast - Austin, Texas
It's big. Real big. And has pretty much everything that you'd expect from a WFM (including the goofy "naturopathy" aisle).
But thats not the reason to go here - there is an *excellent* selection of wee restaurants in here (and bars), and you can, happily, go in, hang out, eat, drink, and make merry, all in side a grocery store (kinda, sorta, vaguely, but not really, like being in japan)
My fave was a few weeks back when there was a string quartet playing, and a few couples waltzing. Cool....
10. Hopdoddy
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1 reviews
Reviewed By bjm1271 - Lyndhurst, New Jersey
Stopped in after catching a little music at the Continental Club across the street. Expect to wait on line but it does move quick. Sat at the table and waited a little while for the burgers to be delivered. Both burgers were excellent. Fries were okay.
