Because it’s from-scratch Italian from a pair of Michelin-starred chefs. This comes to life in the form of bone marrow garlic bread, spicy rigatoni alla vodka, and thin-crust pies — don’t forget the local beer.

Los Angeles, New York, and now Austin are home to this listening bar and natural wine haunt. Know that in Texas, the dining area is completely outdoors (don’t worry, misting fans abound), so plan accordingly. Keep an eye on their Instagram to see who’s spinning when.

It’s an all-day restaurant housed in the Domain hotel, which means you can breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner to your heart’s content. This is not your average hotel fare, though: Think Navajo fry bread, mezcal shrimp cocktail, and tres leches French toast.

This new coastal Mediterranean spot offers respite from the nearby buzzing Barton Springs road. The menu is meant for sharing, so grab a group who isn’t shy about sharing items like wood-fired pitas with your dip of choice, the cauliflower shawarma, and tuna tartare. The entrees are substantial, with options like the butcher steak with chimichurri or whole branzino that’s roasted in their hearth. If visiting Barton Springs Pool nearby, we’d recommend planning your visit to Oria around a time when you definitely have shoes and a shirt to match the upscale energy of the space. 

This longtime local sushi legend has had a few different locations in Austin history, but their current one in West Campus is nicely hidden from the chaos. The space is casual enough for a weeknight meal and the food is impressive enough to take your parents, with favorites like tuna tataki, grilled escolar skewers, and baked avocado with spicy mayo. Choose from a lengthy list of nigiri, rolls, and hand rolls to build your ideal sushi experience. 

If you’ve been to Estancia at the arboretum, you already know about the gauchos, the premium cuts of meat, and a pretty major salad bar. The second location is now open in Leander with the same lively environment for date nights, family meals, and big group outings. You can get the full churrasco experience to sample all of the meats, salad bar, and sides or order à la carte if you want to focus your meal a bit, especially on non-meat items which are also worth saving room for.