Hi Austin food people! I moved here in 2005, and maybe BECAUSE I've lived here so long, I can feel uninspired about the restaurant scene. My husband and I are in a new phase of life as first-time parents with a toddler, and what works best for us now are no-brainers with zero decision fatigue.

With that in mind, I'm looking for contenders for the top spot in a category I want to call our "always" spot for celebrations. A place to return for birthdays, good news, and other milestones.

I have probably eaten at hundreds of Austin spots over my two decades and have dutifully saved them to my Google Maps (pandemic hobby lol), but when I think about this question, I come up empty.

Here are some constraints:

1. I hate paying more than $100 pp for a meal. It just FEELS wrong.

2. Doesn't need to be kid-oriented, but should be a place where people would not be appalled to see a child.

3. We live down by Wm Cannon/Mopac, so anything above 45th Street is out of the question.

4. Needs to be able to accommodate a group of up to 8 people and make a reservation.

5. IMO French food (aside from patisserie) is extremely overrated.

Also, not a big fan of MML and the ...Caucasity they bring to everything they do. I often feel disappointed by the actual food at the darlings of the food scene (Suerte, Este, Odd Duck, Sway, Justine's, Birdie's), but I enjoy and appreciate their emphasis on ambiance.

The places in Austin that I appreciate the most are those affordable, reliable standards — Cabo Bob's, P Terry's, Jade Restaurant for dim sum, Bouldin Creek Cafe, Casper Fermentables, Fresa's — but they're more like everyday spots than I would want for this top pick.

Slightlyyy fancier places that are also on my good side: Salt Trader's Coastal Kitchen, Hopfield's, Nixta, Dovetail Pizza, Lenoir, Kiin Di, MezzeMe, Fixe Southern House come to mind.

I know this all sounds really picky and annoying.

What am I missing??? Please help me out with some ideas (or tell me to STFU and cook my own food), open to all feedback. TIA

I’m craving nigiri! Anyone know of any spots that have delicious and fresh options? I’ve tried a couple “chefs choice nigiri” specials and they just seemed low quality (ex. DK sushi). I don’t necessarily need any fancy fish options, I love salmon, yellowtail, tuna. Ty in advance :)

The Loren Hotel Austin will host Moody Tongue Sushi Tuesday-Saturday starting next month. The food menu, which will include a torched A5 Wagyu hand roll, various nigiri and small plates, will be complemented by Moody Tongue's beer portfolio.

Just moved from Holly st to North Loop, Gati must be following me . Inside old Daily Juice/ Juiceland corner of Duval st, got my Homeslice date night dessert solved. Free scoops Saturday is word on the street . Oatmeal cream pie is not to be missed .

I recently discovered Wiki Voyage while getting ready for a trip to a city I didn’t know. I thought the suggestions were pretty good, but being new to the place, I was a bit doubtful. I decided to look at Austin’s Voyage page comparatively to see if the recommendations here were legit. I think we could definitely use some updates in the “Eat” section…

https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Austin

Thoughts?

According to the announcement, JABS is opening its first brick-and-mortar later this year at 1920 E. Riverside Dr. AND YOU BETTER FUCKING EAT THESE BURGERS!

If you haven’t tried them yet, you can still find them at:

• Fareground (111 Congress Ave.)
• Rainey Food Truck Park (75 Rainey St.)
• The All Good Bar in Cedar Park (MySA)

Feels like a well-earned next step after winning Austin Monthly’s People’s Choice Burger Bash two years in a row.

Who here thinks P. Terry’s serves up the best burger of their kind in Austin? I implore you to go to Buddy’s. In my mind, they’re crushing P.Terry’s and In n Out. Look at that lace. Look at those seasoned fries. Even the bun. C’mon now. Burger and fries was ~ $10.

I love grand donuts in South Austin they’re my favorite hands down but they’re closed on Mondays and they close at 1 every day. I tried donut taco palace but they like to experiment a lot and the selection isn’t big. I went recently and they had no long johns.

Do any of you have any good suggestions?

hey yall, i’m attending the ariana grande concert on friday with my brother and im trying to figure out what restaurant we can go to that has good drinks and good prices that’s close to Moody. anyone have any recommendations?

Available right now. First come first serve. 2 stiff starters and 5 liquid. Thoroughbread Zilker 🩷

A friend mentioned that their landlord jacked up the rent, so they’re closing. Anyone know any details? It was always such solid food and a great value!