courtesy of 1776 Cheesesteaks
Austin may not be known for our cheesesteaks, but this Buzz Mill-parked favorite has people pondering the question – with whiz or without? Their hearty East Coast-inspired menu is stuffed so full of meat you might need a fork, but they also offer a vegan option, falling perfectly in line with the other on-site trucks.
1516 Tinnin Ford Rd.
www.instagram.com/1776cheesesteakco
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With a menu representing all types of curries, Thai noodles, pho, and anything else you’re craving at prices that keep them busy from open to close, 888 remains the one true king of affordable and accessible pan-Asian restaurants in Austin.
2400 E. Oltorf Ste. 1-A
512/448-4722
888panasianrestaurant.com
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Photo by David Brendan Hall
Photo by Jana Birchum
Scratch-made pasta is what dreams are made of, and we share this Italian food truck’s obsession. Bring wine to complete your picnic of tagliatelle and gnocchi with a pal, or take it to go and you’ll have enough grub to last through all 17 seasons of Grey’s Anatomy
7800 S. First
512/228-7489
www.artipasta.com
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Remember when hordes of people lined up for cronuts in New York? Brooklyn native Ryan Rosen has been busy inspiring that same energy level at his “farm-to-trailer” breakfast sandwich shop since 2019, and the weekend crowds still can’t get enough of those monthly fried chicken specials.
7800 S. First
737/229-0808
www.instagram.com/brooklynbreakfastshop
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courtesy of Brooklyn Breakfast Shop
photo by David Brendan Hall
If you and your beer-drinking buddies wind up at Southern Heights Brewing (or at the Arbor Food Park), make sure you come with an appetite for one of Vernetta Weston’s juicy mushroom Swiss burgers or a barbecue Harold burger and those jalapeño fries. IYKYK, you know? There’s even a vegan option, you lucky, ethical ducks.
6014 Techni Center Dr.
281/660-4109
www.burgerliciousatx.com
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Southies know that this is the place for handmade sweets for nigh on a decade. Pre-pandemic, it was a full-service restaurant with a brisk brunch trade; owners Jessica and Janessa Tomberlin pivoted the business into a de facto food bank during the hairiest and scariest days of the past year. Now, they’re pivoting again to focus more on pastries and coffee.
9001 Brodie Ste. B-3
512/282-1300
www.cremabakerycafe.com
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photo by John Anderson
Photo by David Brendan Hall
If, like us, you’ve been crushing on the Hajimalecki brothers’ expanding empire (hello, Keepers; hurry up, Roya), you should definitely be well-versed in their menu at District – it features contemporary American with Middle Eastern and Cajun flare all zhuzhed up with local farm goods. They offer a helluva happy hour (and a second location on Shoal Creek) to boot.
5900 W. Slaughter Ste. D-500
512/351-8436
www.districtaustin.com
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International trips to the Pink City may have been thwarted by a global pandemic, but here you can sample a taste of owner Sunil Kumar Yadav’s home city in Northern India, one dish at a time. Though it’s a vegetarian wonderland of flavor, your carnivorous friends will be happy, too.
9900 S. I-35 Ste. P-900
512/599-4025
jaipurpalaceatx.com
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Photo by David Brendan Hall
photo by John Anderson
The birria craze is warranted, and La Tunita has been slanging this style of beef taco since late 2019 from a nondescript trailer on Burleson. Consommé for dipping, rich stewed beef in guajillo peppers and spices, and melty beef birria tacos loaded with Monterey Jack cheese. Very rich, very tasty, San Luis Potosi-style. Look for collabs with numerous taqueros around town.
2400 Burleson Rd.
la-tunita-512.square.site
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Austin’s OG vegan pizza truck has more than just vegans tripping over themselves to get a pie on a Friday night (at either the truck or the new Big Nonna’s brick-and-mortar joint in North Austin). We won’t say it’s just because of the house-made vegan mozzarella and the fan-fave Chik-fil-Ain’t Special, but IYKYK.
440 E. St. Elmo Ste. A-1
512/993-8998
www.lilnonnas.com
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Photo by Jana Birchum
photo by Edgar Yepez
A perfect evening in Austin includes a thick and cheesy Jalisco-style quesa-birria plate with rich consommé, live music, and tasty bevs, all enjoyed al fresco. This Oaxacan food truck at the Far Out Lounge is that destination station.
8504 S. Congress
losdanzantesatx.com
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Sure, we could highlight the delicious chimichurri hummus, (nondairy) crema de elote, or the brunchy duck carnitas, but we really want you to focus on the tlayuda. Big, bold, and eternally memorable, it’s a giant corn tostada topped with chorizo, asiento, black beans, queso Oaxaca, and lovely produce like watermelon radishes. Even mour, they source responsibly and offer carryout bottles.
1414 Shore District Dr. #120
512/442-6687
mourcafe.com
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Lauren Warnke / ATX and Chill
Adding to SoCo’s food tableau is this upscale hangover food destination with a European twist. Classic breakfast sandwiches are upgraded with shakshuka aïoli, radish leaf pesto, and Bavarian croissants. Marry any of the impressive teas with unexpected pastries like Ukrainian sweet cheese cookies or Franzbrötchen, a German cinnamon roll, for international panache.
6501 S. Congress #211
512/580-1388
ovenbirdatx.com
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Founder Tinku Saini has been quite busy over the last decade, expanding from one Southwest Austin location to 10 in Texas by the end of 2021. Austinites are fortunate to have four to choose from, where they’ll find approachable Indian cuisine like customizable curries, vegan pakora, and fresh lassi.
5207 Brodie #120
512/892-2008
www.tarkaindiankitchen.com
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photo by John Anderson
courtesy of Trill Foods
Owner Nick Belloni knows how to have a good time. After changing up his formerly-known-as-Trill Taqueria truck, the chef extraordinaire added food from his Louisiana roots to fan-favorite tacos, notorious mesquite-charred broccoli, and specials like lobster roe tostadas at South Austin’s Vacancy Brewing.
415 E. St. Elmo Rd.
www.trillfoodsatx.com
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Valentina’s is a verified “Monsters of Barbecue” first stringer, and in 100 years their legendary Real Deal Holyfield taco will be rapped about by future Bay Area expats the same way modern-day Austinites opine about the gloriousness of the OG mustard blend cheesesteak sandwich. Valentina’s newest location in Austin FC’s Q2 stadium is the ideal way to pass the months between goals.
11500 Menchaca Rd.
512/221-4248
www.valentinastexmexbbq.com
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