Austin, TX

Austin is one of the most exciting cities in the US – a proverbial Petri dish of creativity and youthful exuberance, a hotbed for start-ups, musical and artistic epicenter and home to the world-renowned South by Southwest festival (SXSW). With so much going on, it’s little wonder that the Texan capital also happens to be a great place to eat, with its famous barbecue joints, fantastic food trucks and excellent high-end restaurants.





1.The capital of barbecue

Barbecue is synonymous with Texan dining. Every corner of Texas boasts its own distinct barbecue style.  All styles of Texan barbecue are available in Austin, and all are very popular with locals and visitors alike.






2. Food trucks

You could argue that food trucks embody Austin’s entrepreneurial spirit. You could also argue that the variety of cuisines served at said food trucks aptly reflect the city’s cultural and culinary diversity. But, in all likelihood, the popularity of the food truck is probably down to the fact that they serve affordable and tasty fare, which can be enjoyed in the Texas sunshine. What more could you possibly ask for? Beer? No problem – more often than not, food trucks are parked right next to bars and music venues. The city’s wacky and wonderful food truck culture is epitomized by Paul Qui and Moto Utsunomiya’s East Side King (eskaustin.com) food trucks, which can be found in various locations around the city: at SoLa (solastyle.com) boutique on South Lamar, near the popular hang out Cheer Up Charlies (cheerupcharlies.com) on Red River Street, at The Liberty (thelibertyaustin.com), and next to the Hole in the Wall (holeinthewallaustin.com) music venue on Guadalupe.

3. Fine dining
Austin’s culinary innovation isn’t limited to the four walls (and wheels) of its food trucks. The city is home to a number of fantastic chefs who are constantly pushing boundaries and putting the Texan capital on the culinary map in the process. Before, you could open a restaurant and let it run for decade or so, and there wouldn’t be any competition. But now there’s crazy competition. People are raising the bar, they’re trying harder and harder, and that’s what’s great about our food scene,’ says chef Tyson Cole, the brains behind Austin restaurants Uchi and Uchiko. Cole is one of the top sushi masters in Texas, if not the country, and he has wowed critics with the intelligent, artfully constructed and downright delicious Japanese-Texan fusion dishes. He also happens to be the man who mentored the aforementioned Paul Qui, who went on to set up self-named Qui (quiaustin.com) restaurant. The menu at Qui is an exercise of daring and originality – a fusion of European and Asian culinary practices that results in mind-blowingly original creations. Take the gazpacho, for instance, which is made with marcona almond, shavings of foie gras and Pedro Ximénez gelée; or the Texas wagyu short rib with kimchi broth, braised daikon, radish, leek and wasabi. But not all of Austin’s high-end restaurants riff on Asian cuisine. Texas meets Provence, France, at laV (as in “c’est la vie”) on East 7th (lavaustin.com). The breath-taking venue plays host to some wonderful fusion food and an incredible wine list – unsurprising, really, considering the manager is renowned sommelier Vilma Mazaite.


The next post about Madison, Wisconsin is coming SOON!!