If you’re the way we are here at Resy, you’ve been spending the past weeks thinking every day about your favorite restaurants. What do we miss most about them? What are we most looking forward to returning to, as they begin to fully reopen for dining? Yes, there’s plenty of takeout and delivery to enjoy, groceries and wine to buy, and lots of other ways to support the restaurants we love. But nothing beats the experience of being in a restaurant, enjoying the dishes you adore.
We’ve compiled a list of favorite things about dining in Austin we’re hoping to get back to soon.
- The sliced brisket sandwich at La Barbecue, a juicy and tender feat, stacked on a Martin potato bun.
- Diving deep into the orange-wine selection at Lenoir, and the ensuing French-inspired hot-weather prix fixe.
- The perfectly charred and tomato-intense anchovy pie, paired with a bottle of bubbly at Bufalina.
- The tuna tostadas and duck carnitas at Nixta Taqueria, served on their signature blue enamel plates.
- The shiitake dumplings at Barley Swine — a soup dumpling by way of Texas, and an umami bomb.
- Sitting out in Comedor’s open courtyard, one of their excellent mezcal cocktails in hand.
- Dropping by Sour Duck for some live music or for the mini farmers market that occasionally sprouts in the backyard.
- Imbibing in one too many bottles of natural wine on the back patio with friends at LoLo.
- The incomparable BBQ tsukemen ramen at Kemuri Tatsu-ya, best slurped noisily on a hot summer day.
- Coming to Austin’s iconic Tex-Mex eatery, Matt’s El Rancho, for two specific things: margaritass and queso. If you know, you know.
- Our go-to Kerlin BBQ order: A mix of savory brisket, pulled pork, and sausage kolaches, with their phenomenal burnt ends on the side.
- The ever-reliable Tyson’s Tacos being open 24/7, guaranteeing a bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast taco at 4 a.m. whether you’re ending a long night, or starting an early day.
- Little Deli, for an earnest slice of New York-style pizza.
- Never-ending, fresh-off-the grill filet mignon at Estância Brazilian Steakhouse.
- Starting a lazy Sunday morning in a booth at Julio’s Café, with a gargantuan bowl of homemade chicken soup.
- Entering the soothing and elegant space at Sway, before diving into the heady jungle curry and Son-in-Law: tender morsels of pork shoulder and a crispy soft boiled egg on top of sticky rice.
