*Blog research by intern Bianca Hsieh
Farm-to-table Austin restaurants are what makes this city special. When ingredients come directly from a local farm and local ranch, not only are we supporting local farmers and ranchers but also eating a fresher and more nutritious meal. What is local? USDA defines “local” as less than 400 miles from the origin of the product, or within the same state where the product is produced.
SEE ALSO: Best Patios In Austin To Wine & Dine
When Chevrolet took me on a ride on their new Chevy Bolt EV, an all-electric vehicle that uses no gas, they wanted to feature Austin restaurants that are also taking care of the environment. Here are the farm-to-table Austin restaurants that source locally.
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JACK ALLEN’S KITCHEN
Jack Allen’s Kitchen is considered a pioneer for farm-to-table in Austin because it was one of the first restaurants to have a menu consisting of local ingredients. Partnering with local farmers and ranchers, Jack Allen’s Kitchen offers Southern-style dishes with a happy hour inspired by unique Texan flavors and locally sourced, seasonal specials. You can get chicken fried anything at Jack Allen’s like the New York strip, chicken breast, pork chop, and beef ribs (above).
WHAT TO ORDER: Bacon wrapped Texas quail, green chile pork tacos, or fried beef ribs.
Multiple locations, jackallenskitchen.com
EDEN EAST
For a truly farm-to-table Austin experience, go to Eden East in East Austin. Eden East is located at Springdale Farm, the same farm that it receives its ingredients from, where guests dine together at community tables under the trees. Eden East serves a monthly prix fixe menu every weekend, and an a la carte breakfast on Wednesdays and Saturdays with an onsite bar. Eden East is BYOB.
755 Springdale Rd, edeneastaustin.com
ODD DUCK
Austin is notorious for food trucks that start here and grow into brick-and-mortars, acquiring national fame along the way and Odd Duck is the star example. Odd Duck started out as a trailer and is now a restaurant, offering New American dishes to Austin’s residents. The restaurant partners with over 30 farmers and lets the ingredients shape the menu, resulting in adventurous food combinations.
1201 S Lamar Blvd, oddduckaustin.com
SALT + TIME
Salt + Time is a local full-service butcher shop, salumeria, and restaurant featuring fresh cut meats from sustainable Texas ranches. Interested in butchery? Salt + Time offers classes for those who are interested in learning more about butchery and charcuterie.
1912 E 7th St, saltandtime.com
JACOBY’S
Jacoby’s in East Austin is famous for its Southern-style dishes, with Jacoby’s brand beef burgers being its claim to fame. The meat is sourced right from the Jacoby’s family ranch located out in Melvin, Texas. Talk about farm (or ranch in this case) to-table!
3235 E Cesar Chavez St, jacobysaustin.com
EMMER & RYE
Located on Rainey Street, Emmer & Rye embraces sustainability as it crafts a menu that changes dishes every 11 days. Small dishes travel throughout the restaurant, delivered via dim sum carts. Grains, as the name would imply, plays an interesting role in the restaurant as Emmer & Rye sources and mills grain in-house every morning to create bread, tortillas, and more. Coupled with a fermentation pantry and an in-house garden (and gardener!), Emmer & Rye is constantly serving up new farm-to-table dishes.
51 Rainey St #110, emmerandrye.com
CONTIGO
When people ask me for a farm-to-table Austin restaurant dining experience, my go-to recommend is Contigo. Contigo is modeled after the family’s Texas ranch in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. The menu features Texas orka, chicken from Dewberry Farms, and responsibly-raised Texas beef.
2027 Anchor Ln, contigotexas.com/restaurant
OLIVE & JUNE
We’re rounding off the farm-to-table Austin restaurant list with Olive & June. Olive & June is inspired by the cuisine of Southern Italy and serves Italian food and wine. Despite Italian influences, the restaurant is still committed to partnering with local farmers and producers, which is embraced in constantly rotating small dishes on the menu. On Sundays, the chefs put together a selection of seasonal dishes that change every week, in addition to their usual dinner menu. Pictured above is the Texas steak that’s from 44 Farms out of Cameron, TX.
3411 Glenview Ave, oliveandjune-austin.com
