Now on Resy: Lucky Robot, The Backspace, Jjim Korean BBQ, and More Local Favorites

Because when sushi is enhanced with Nikkei notes — think ají panca, chimichurri, and salsa huancaina — it can only be good. The street food-inspired kitchen menu ranges from spicy edamame to chicken skewers with macha ponzu salsa, and best of all, the ingredients are 100% sustainable. Let’s just say this is a Japanese restaurant like no other.

In the converted “back space” behind his thriving Parkside, chef Shawn Cirkiel serves a scattering of antipasti and salads, plus a curated selection of thin crust Neapolitan-style pizzas, which cook magically in just 90 seconds in the heroic-scale wood-burning brick pizza oven. Just so you know, some say it’s the best pizza in town.

At this Anderson Lane spinoff from his downtown original, chef Shawn Cirkiel (of Parkside and Olive & June) serves the same don’t-miss-’em thin crust Neapolitan pizzas, but also expands the possibilities with a handful of pasta dishes and a signature chicken parm platter, with spaghetti pomodoro on the side.

Don’t mistake this modest storefront restaurant for just another neighborhood sushi bar. The range of sushi and sashimi is vast, including more than 50 rolls, both traditional and wonderfully imaginative. An enticing menu of Japanese fusion dishes also sets the place apart.

Here’s something different on the Korean restaurant scene, from the team behind Donkey Mo’s Korean Fried Chicken: a place where the specialty is meat not grilled but braised (jjim is a slow-cooking technique) or sautéed. Chef Youngmin Noh refined his chops at The Modern and Daniel in New York City and Benu in San Francisco, and it shows.

This small-scale speakeasy-style cocktail lounge (unmarked door, chiaroscuro lighting) from Christopher Crow, who ran the bar at Here Nor There, offers a tranquil getaway from busy 6th Street, fueled by Biblical-themed libations like the Fruit of the Forbidden (Plymouth gin, Grey Goose vodka, St. Germain, and pomegranate syrup, in case you were wondering).

This fiesta-bright upscale classic has long defined “interior Mexican” (as opposed to Tex-Mex) cuisine in Austin since it opened in 1975. These days, Fonda San Miguel is better than ever — complete with an innovative menu section offering 100% plant-based, gluten-free tacos, enchiladas, and more.

With its blend of Victorian and midcentury modern elements, a historic mahogany bar plucked from New York City that’s over 150 years old, and a stunning glass-enclosed atrium-like dining room, Eberly is is one beautiful spot. Come for the buzzy scene and people-watching, stay for the Japanese milk rolls and housemade pastas.

The second brick-and-mortar location of Naomi Seifter’s something-for-everyone restaurant continues the original concept, offering an array of gluten-, sugar-, and peanut-free dishes, pumped up with superfoods and adaptogens, plus sustainable wines, zero-proof cocktails, and Picnik’s signature butter coffees.