The 10 Restaurants That Defined Austin Dining in 2025
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We asked our contributors to the Resy Hit List to share their top dining experiences in their cities this year — to choose 10 restaurants that define the state of great dining right now. Welcome back our Best of The Hit List for 2025.
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2025 was a complicated year, with an onslaught of hurdles for Austin restaurants: rising prices of food, never-ending construction outside patios, and, of course, more than our fair share of 100-degree days. We’ve gotten past the “everyone is moving to Austin” moment and transitioned into the “can everyone make it in Austin?” phase. So this year’s list includes established restaurants that have stood the test of 2025 — like Lenoir and Eldorado Cafe — and new spots — like East End Ballroom and VanHorn’s — that are establishing a solid foundation.
These 10 standout restaurants defined Austin dining scene with their creative programming, their bees-in-the-brain hot sauce creations, their loyalty to Austin’s taco traditions, and ability to withstand the challenges of 2025. We’re glad to get to celebrate them.
1. LENOIR Bouldin Creek
We didn’t need Michelin to tell us that Lenoir was a beloved and slightly hidden gem in South Austin — though we were excited to see their well-deserved official recognition. For more than 13 years, they’ve offered a twist on local ingredients alongside a stellar wine program. This year, we’ve seen prices higher than ever in Austin. But with omakase and aged steak offerings, the $88-per-person tasting menu at Lenoir feels like a fair price that matches the level of service and food. Don’t miss the crab fingers in a creamy curry sauce, or the honeycrisp apple salad along with a glass of chilled red wine. You can choose between bar seats, dining room, or, our favorite, the wine garden — and no matter what, will still feel that magic that makes Austin dining at its best so special.
2. Uptown Sports Club East Austin
The theme of nostalgia carries throughout the walls of Uptown Sports Club. Exposed brick, hand painted signage from the ’60s, and a historic building that was delicately renovated a few years ago bring a vibe that’s fun but doesn’t take itself too seriously. The regular menu offers favorites like crab and shrimp salad served with Ritz crackers, a pork chop covered in gravy nestled next to a bed of mashed potatoes, and a fully stacked wedge salad. Recently, they’ve upped their nostalgia game on Sunday nights with Frankie’s Supper Club — an homage to the Midwestern supper club scene, serving steak au poivre, creamed spinach, and boozy milkshakes. Uptown Sports Club has been the perfect Resy this year for pre-concert dinners and Sunday early bird specials with friends.
3. Parish BBQ Cherrywood
Just when we thought there wasn’t any room for another barbecue spot in Austin, Parish made its way on to the scene quietly with a food truck behind Batch Craft Beer & Kolaches. The menu is unapologetically a nod to Louisiana (sorry, Texas), which may explain why it’s already attracting a daily lengthy line and even recognition from Texas Monthly. The brisket is made with Louisiana hot sauce and Cajun spices; the house-cured ham is another meaty standout. As for the sides, each is packed with flavor, like crawfish cornbread stuffing, coleslaw made with remoulade, and fried rolls with Tabasco honey butter. The combination of Texas traditions and Creole sensibilities makes Parish worth waiting in line for any season.
Find more info here.
4. East End Ballroom East End
This year more than ever, we’ve needed a spot to turn to for a fun night out that’s not surrounded by bachelorette parties and conference attendees. Lucky for us, East End Ballroom opened on the East Side near Justine’s with a focus on music and cocktails — and just far enough from the Convention Center. Petite martini happy hour, DJ sets, and local bands are a regular thing. Dinner options include steak frites, fried olives, and nori Caesar if you want to dine before you dance. While we appreciate the nighttime energy, you can also come for a daylight matcha, cortadito, and pastries from Swedish Hill. East End Ballroom is trying to do a lot this year, but we appreciate having a new option for meeting people, drinking nice cocktails, and snacking any time of day.
5. Small Victory Downtown
There’s a lot of fanfare around cocktails these days. From giant tiki glasses to 15-ingredient recipes and ice luges, sometimes we just want to take a beat. Small Victory continues to be the spot for that. Hidden in a parking garage, it’s the kind of place you’re really only going to if you planned ahead and snagged a Resy. The bartenders aren’t putting on a show, they are creating what you want: from classic cocktails to martinis to sours to something with bubbles in it. They offer some light bites, but if you’ve found yourself at Small Victory you’re there to enjoy your cocktails and actually be able to hear your friends talk. It’s the kind of speakeasy that is emblematic of quiet Austin cool — which sounds really great to us right about now.
6. Paprika Brentwood
Most of the best tacos in Austin are from food trucks. Paprika in Brentwood was one such beloved truck, winning over so many hearts (and stomachs). This year, they upgraded into a brick-and-mortar counter-service restaurant. The new spot still allows for the same casual energy of a food truck, but with more space to sit and enjoy your tacos right away. Carnitas and suadero tacos are tender, tasty, and set atop two high-quality corn tortillas. If you want a bit more, try any of the meats served in a torta or quesadilla. We love Paprika for their far-from-mild hot sauce options and rotating list of agua frescas you’ll inevitably need to give your mouth a break. There are no frills necessary here — you’re going to get exactly what you came for: spicy tacos and great, casual service.
No reservations. Find more info here.
7. All Day Pizza Hyde Park
The third iteration of All Day Pizza opened in 2025 in Hyde Park, in the old post office space. And while it would be easy to think “third one, old news,” or “too close to Home Slice,” you would be wrong. Drenched in natural light and set up for small groups, the Hyde Park location quickly became a spot that attracts pizza lovers from all around town. The Caesar salad is piled high with fresh lettuces and plenty of breadcrumbs, while the pizza by the slice will please almost anyone. Standouts this year included the Pickle Pie slice and the Butter Chicken pizza for Diwali. The sweet cream gelato is the perfect end to any meal, especially when topped with birthday cake crumbles or crushed pretzels in caramel. While waiting in lines is so 2024, the line to eat at All Day in Hyde Park is absolutely worth it.
No reservations. Find more info here.
8. Eldorado Cafe North Central
Eldorado Cafe remains a key player in Austin’s Tex-Mex scene. Its menu has remained mostly the same for many years, yet it’s still a hard table to get — and always crowded for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast tacos like the Jo’s favorite (refried black beans, pico, avocado, and Jack cheese) and the carnitas con huevo are winners. The Big Papas with papas rellenas, bacon, egg, and cheese even was featured in Food & Wine this year as a best breakfast taco. For lunch and dinner, the plates are substantial, made with fresh ingredients, and fairly priced for a solid meal. Competition and traffic in town are worse than ever, but Eldorado loyalists are doing whatever it takes to get their tacos and platos. We don’t blame them.
9. VanHorn's Downtown
At this point, we’ve come to accept spots with non-Austiny vibes finding their way into the Austin food scene. VanHorn’s is a new steakhouse from the team behind Bill’s Oyster and Teddy’s. Located downtown, it offers that New York classic steakhouse scene with just a touch of Austin casual. The steaks all come with sauce options like Bearnaise, chimichurri, and creamy horseradish. If you’re not up for meat, we also were wowed by the miso-glazed black cod and tuna carpaccio. At a time when there are too many uptight steakhouses both in and out of Austin, VanHorn’s is a bit more casual, but still delivers a quality experience end to end. It’s ideal for date nights, birthday dinners, and corporate meals — where you can have an excuse to get the biggest steak on the menu.
10. Lin Asian Bar + Dim Sum Clarksville
It’s chef still Ling Wu’s world of dumplings, and we’re all just living in it. From south Austin with Ling Wu Lantana to Ling Wu Grove up north, she’s making sure that Austin has easy access to high quality dim sum service. But even as she expands, her original downtown restaurant remains better than ever. Crispy sui mai pork and shrimp dumplings, scallion pancake with spicy curry, and egg drop soup with fresh corn are exquisitely executed classics. On Saturdays and Sundays, we love experiencing the dim sum brunch. It’s the perfect kind of weekend choose-your-own-adventure that seems to get better each time we go back. We can only hope Ling Wu’s Austin takeover continues in 2026.
