Every summer I update my highly requested 100 Things You Need To Eat This Summer In Austin list but as I was putting together the list for summer 2018, I struggled to fill all 100 spots. Instead of putting together a list of 60 solid spots and 40 filler spots, I decided to only list only the best.
SEE ALSO: Top Restaurants in Austin
The spots on this list were either (1) a new hot spot, (2) classic Austin spot that’s a must visit during the summer, or (3) a #kokoapproved spot. I present to you the 67 Things You Need To Eat This Summer In Austin.
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1. WATERMELON MARGARITA AT CRAFTSMAN
Let’s kick off this Austin summer list with a refreshing watermelon margarita served out of an ENTIRE watermelon at Craftsman!
2. RICE BOWLS AT LORO
Love the rice bowls at Loro with coconut rice – I’ve had the crispy Szechuan tofu which was delicious but I heard the grilled Malaysian chicken is really good. The smoked beef brisket is mandatory too.
SEE ALSO: 9 Best New Restaurants In Austin TX Right Now
3. POPSICLES AT POP BAR
Pick your pop (left to right: blood orange, passion fruit, and matcha), dip in chocolate, and coat with toppings.
4. MINT ICED LATTES AT HANK’S
I’ve been too many times to Hank’s and just discovered their mint iced latte, which is perfect for our hot and humid summers. Their $5 frosé is also excellent during happy hour.
SEE ALSO: Ultimate Guide To Best Happy Hours In Austin
5. OMAKASE AT OTOKO
Snag a seat at Austin’s hottest Japanese restaurant, Otoko, that only has 12-seats.
6. ALIGOT AT GUILD
I call these “better than sex” cheesy potatoes.
SEE ALSO: Guild Austin, Austin’s Newest Seafood Restaurant
7. AFTERNOON MENU AT BETTER HALF COFFEE
I don’t like the lunch menu at Better Half Coffee but I hear the savory churros and cauliflower tots on the late menu that runs 3pm to 10pm are really good.
8. PIZZA & APEROL SPRITZ AT IL BRUTTO
I normally don’t like Aperol spritzes but the one at Il Brutto is really good. Make it a pizza date night!
SEE ALSO: Il Brutto Is My New Favorite Italian Restaurant In Austin
9. WHOLE FISH AT THE BREWER’S TABLE
Beer and food come together at The Brewer’s Table, a new neighborhood restaurant and brewery in East Austin. Go with friends and order the sharable whole grilled snapper ($60). It comes with 3 sides: farro tabbouleh, marble potato salad, and hearth roasted summer succotash.
SEE ALSO: 12 Best Austin Breweries For Craft Beer
10. HANG OUT AT COSMIC COFFEE
I’m warning you that Cosmic Coffee is packed on the weekends and it’s because their outdoor patio is perfect for hanging out. They also have food trucks (Leroy & Lewis, Quality Seafood) selling food if you get hungry.
11. KOLACHES AT BATCH
12. PORCHETTA AT INTERO
Intero serves farm-t0-table Italian in a cozy spot in East Austin. You must order the porchetta if it’s on the menu, it’s incredible. Also be sure to try the homemade artisan chocolates.
13. TACOS AT SUERTE
You can’t miss this millennial pink building in East Austin so head inside for mezcal cocktails and home-made masa dishes.
14. MARKET EATERY
Make a trip to North Austin to HMart (aka Korean Disneyland) and it’s food court, Market Eatery. There are 8 Asian concepts in the food court.
SEE ALSO: 8 New Asian Restaurants Open Inside H Mart Austin
15. SEAFOOD BOIL AT TLC
Snow crab legs, mussels, shrimp, crabs, and crawfish – all in a delicious seafood boil with a side of fried orka, please.
16. RAMEN BURGER AT YOSHI RAMEN
I really like the ramen at Yoshi Ramen but it might be just a little hot during the summer so try their crispy ramen burger!
17. WINE AT AVIARY
I love trying different wines while catching up with girlfriends at Aviary on South Lamar.
18. CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES AT COLLEEN’S KITCHEN
No, this is not a photo of the chocolate chip cookies at Colleen’s Kitchen because I ate them before taking a photo. But their chicken biscuits are really good too.
19. FAREGROUND
If you haven’t heard of Farground, you’ve been living under a rock. Fareground is Austin’s first food hall in downtown Austin with 6 different concepts. I love Antonelli Cheese Shop, Easy Tiger, Henbit (get the crispy shrimp rice bowl, monster cookie, and iced matcha lavender latte), Ni Kome, and Contigo (chicken wings are soo good). The outdoor patio is perfect for dining al fresco!
20. VEGAN GELATO BOWLS AT SQUEEZERY
Pictured above the vegan matcha cashew gelato bowl at Squeezery served out of a real coconut shell! Squeezery is located inside The Refinery in downtown Austin – I really want to try their acai bowls next time.
21. CHICKEN WAFFLES AT WILD CHIX & WAFFLES
The chicken & waffles at Wild Chix & Waffles are so good and they’ll even make you a matcha latte with a cute design.
22. PISCO PUNCH AT YUYO
I’m obsessed with the pineapple pisco punch with a maracuyá swirl at Yuyo. Give me one of those along with the chicharrones and I’m in my happy place.
23. BRUNCH AT AH SING DEN
The drinks at Ah Sing Den are perfectly crafted and delicious. When you step into their backyard patio, you’ll feel transported back into time into Ancient China. Nom on dumplings and cockctails!
24. THAI TAKEOUT AT DEE DEE
The Thai food at Dee Dee, a tiny food trailer parked behind La Holly, is SO good but so spicy so be sure to order a Thai iced tea with your meal.
25. HAPPY HOUR AT GARBO’S
$6 food and $6 cocktails at Garbo’s happy hour that’s Tuesday – Friday from 3pm to 5pm. What else do you need in life?
26. HEALTHY BOWLS AT HONEST MARY’S
Gotta work on that summer bod right? Luckily the bowls at Honest Mary’s are both delicious and healthy.
27. UCHI LATE NIGHT HAPPY HOUR
Uchiko broke my heart when they took the Brussels sprouts off the happy hour menu but then Uchi launched a late night happy hour on Sunday – Thursday from 9PM – close.
28. BURGER + FRIES AT LITTLE BIG BURGER
Portland’s burger spot comes to Austin with their little but big flavored burgers. Make sure to get the truffle fries with the ketchup!
29. CAT CUP COCKTAILS AT KEMURI
Small bites and excellent cocktails are why Kemuri Tatsu-ya, a Texas izakaya in East Austin, has been rated one of the best restaurants in America by Bon Appetit.
30. CHARCUTERIE BOARD AT LA MATTA
Be like the Europeans and have a charcuterie board for lunch with a glass of wine.
31. BITES & NIBBLES AT LAUNDERETTE
I boycotted Launderette 2 years ago when I had a terrible service experience but decided to pop in recently and the food was spectacular.
32. BURGER AT LE POLITIQUE
The burger at Le Politique is one of my favorite burgers in Austin with those oh-so-perfect fries.
33. PASTA & WINE AT NORTH
While NoRTH is considered a restaurant chain, I will say it’s always consistent. Love their pastas and the fried calamari.
34. FRIED CHICKEN AT PITCHFORK PRETTY
The fried chicken at Pitchfork Pretty is finger licking good – it comes with 4 pieces, buttermilk dressing, hot sauce, mustard, and pickled daikon. It’s also gluten-free because it’s coated with a chickpea flour!
35. BREAKFAST AT BIRD BIRD BISCUIT
Start your morning off with a cherry note at the newly opened Bird Bird Biscuit on Manor Rd. The inside is super cute and the breakfast biscuit sandwiches are perfect.
36. COOKBOOK CAFE
Ever opened up a cookbook at the library and wondered if that recipe tastes good? Austin Public Library’s newest cafe, Cookbook Café, serves a menu inspired by culinary-themed publications. So you can now eat and drink at the library.
37. VEGAN ICE CREAM AT NADA MOO
If you love Nada Moo like I do, you can now get scoops from their first brick-and-mortar on South Lamar!
38. BRUNCH AT MATTIE’S
Put on your Sunday’s best for a Southern brunch at Mattie’s while peacocks walk the grounds at Green Pastures, the beautiful historic Victorian home.
39. BREAKFAST AT PAPERBOY
Start your morning with farm-to-table breakfast sandwiches at Paperboy – they have two locations on East 11th and in South Austin at Radio Coffee.
40. FROZEN POPS AT STEEL CITY POPS
All-natural pops made with organic and locally sourced ingredients – covered, drizzled, and coated with toppings of your choice. All of the fruity pops are vegan and dairy free!
41. THAI DATE NIGHT AT SWAY
Sway just opened their second location at the Domain! I love the jungle curry, blue crab fried rice, tiger cry, crispy whole fish, and the affogato thai tea.
42. DEEP DISH PIZZA AT VIA 313
I don’t eat Via 313 often because of how decadent the pizza is (can pizza be decadent? you know what I mean) but every time I do, I’m like damn that’s so good. Via 313 has a new location on East Austin too.
43. ETHIOPIAN FOOD AT ASTER’S
I just listed Aster’s in my 9 Best Restaurants For Food Delivery In Austin blog post but if you have a longer lunch hour, I recommend going to their all-you-can-eat lunch buffet!
44. SNOWBALLS AT CASEY’S NEW ORLEANS
It’s officially snowball season! I like my snowballs at Casey’s with cream.
45. BÚN BOWLS AT ELIZABETH ST CAFE
The pho at Elizabeth St Cafe is too expensive but I do love the Kaffir Lime Fried Chicken bún bowl.
46. BRUNCH AT HOLY ROLLER
If you have a hangover, take yourself to Holy Roller and you’ll thank me for it. The trash fries with green chili and sunny side up egg and bombshell burger with hashbrowns and a fried egg is the perfect remedy.
47. CHINESE BUNS AT BAO’D UP
All the baozi at Bao’d Up – they now do breakfast!
48. NEW SUMMER LICKS AT LICK ICE CREAMS
Lick just launched their new summer flavors:
- Blackberry, Lime & Basil
- Blushing Blueberry
- Dewberry Corn Cobbler
- Honeyed Peaches with Rosemary
- Lemon Lavender
- Lemonade Pound Cake
- Ranch Road
- Roasted Mesquite Bean Cookie
- Vegan Vanilla Strawberry Swirl
- Tequila Lime Coconut
And a new ice cream sandwich: True Blueberry with housemade classic soft chocolate cookies.
49. LABNEH AT EMMER & RYE
The labneh with the white sonora roti at Emmer & Rye is heavenly.
50. QUESO AT FRESA’S
Fav queso in Austin? Fresa’s.
51. GELATO + COCKTAILS AT GEMELLI’S
I love the earl gray gelato at Gemelli’s and then the Vietnamese coffee and olio d’oliva. They serve cocktails, bubbles, and beer so it’s a great spot for a pre-game before going out on East Austin or the perfect nightcap afterwards.
52. TACO TUESDAY AT GRIZZELDA’S
On Tuesdays, it’s Tacos & Tinis at Grizzelda’s – 3 for $15 tacos and $10 Mexican martinis!
53. SOFT SERVE AT IRENE’S
$2 vanilla soft serve plus $1 extra for rainbow sprinkles.
54. TOKYO BRUNCH HAPPY HOUR AT LUCKY ROBOT
30% off food at Lucky Robot from 10 – 11am on the weekends – happy brunching!
55. DONUT MILKSHAKES AT PEACHED TORTILLA
Donut milkshakes the first Sunday of every month for brunch at The Peached Tortilla – booze available as an add-on. The August event is in partnership with Sprinkles!
56. BUBBLE TEA AT SHARETEA
Popular bubble tea chain from Taipei, Taiwan has officially opened in North Austin! If you like fruity bubble tea, try the strawberry iced. I always go for the classic oolong milk tea but the QQ bubble tea with all the toppings was so fun to drink!j
57. CEVICHE AT LA CONDESA
Summer of ceviche has returned to La Condesa featuring local produce and sustainably sourced seafood highlighting different regions like Rosarito and Baja.
58. BEEF RIBS AT LA BARBECUE
Austin bucket list #34: eat the beef rib(2) at La Barbecue.
59. NASHVILLE HOT CHICKEN AT T22
Fire in the hole – literally, if you can handle the heat at T22. Or if you’re a wimp, get the wimpy.
60. MOROCCAN FOOD + BYOW AT THE FLYING CARPET
I’ve been wanting to go to The Flying Carpet for year and years so I was so excited to finally dine there. We have to support our local old restaurants! The Flying Carpet serves authentic Moroccan food and it’s BYOB + BYOW.
61. DIM SUM AT LIN ASIAN BAR
Austin’s HOTTEST new restaurant is Lin Asian Bar, a dim sum restaurant, and by hot, it’s a 2-hour wait hot. If you’ve had the dim sum at Wu Chow, this is the same chef but with an expanded dim sum menu and Chinese dishes during the week. The soup dumplings were MAGICAL along with the spare ribs with black bean, beef potstickers, pan-fried beef bao, and egg cream bun. I highly recommend calling ahead and making a reservation.
62. ICED MATCHA AT ALFRED’S
LA comes to Austin with Alfred at the new Line Hotel (previously the Radisson).
63. BENTO BOXES AT BENTO PICNIC
Healthy and delicious bentos at Bento Picnic – gotta keep that summer bod right? You can pick from garden, rice, or noodle bentos. Be sure to also try the smoothie bowl with coco whip – so good!
64. GREATER GOODS COFFEE
Austin gets another stunning coffee shop and it’s in East Austin at Greater Goods Coffee.
65. ACAI BOWLS AT ACAI HUT
You can now get Brazilian acai bowsls in Mueller at the cutest little space, Acai Hut. They also have those heavenly Brazilian cheesy breads.
66. SOUTH TEXAS CUISINE AT ROSEWOOD
Rosewood is the new East Austin bar and restaurant in a historic Victoria home serving up South Texas cuisine. Come for drinks at the bar and stay for barbacoa tacos and the daily chef specials like the Asian noodles.
67. ASIAN PASTRIES AT 85 DEGREE C
85 Degree C is a popular bakery from Taiwan and it’s opened in Austin next to 99 Ranch! Welcome to Asian pastry heaven – get the egg tarts, cheese tarts, and basically all the pastries.
