10 Best South Austin Restaurants

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South Austin restaurants have never been better. Just when you think you’ve hit up all of the great places to eat and drink in south Austin, another great restaurant opens. 

And this restaurant scene is quite different from the new restaurants that are opening in downtown Austin, which are often multi-million dollar build outs at the base of glitzy new high-rise condo buildings. (Not that I don’t love a fancy downtown restaurant from time to time!) 

Nope...here are 10 simple, wonderful, OG South Austin restaurants that I hope you try.

Maie Day South Congress
Kelsey Kennedy The Austin Things

About me: I’m Kelsey, a bestselling travel book author and the creator of 3 Texas travel websites. As a native Texan, I spend my own time and money exploring this state to help millions of readers find the best food, things to do, places to stay in Austin and beyond. Check out my other sites: TheSanAntonioThings.com and TheWacoThings.com! 

TL;DR : Here Are 4 Great South ATX Restaurants To Get You Started

Best patio restaurant in south Austin: Fresa's Chicken. Creekside vibes, twinkle lights, delicious charcoal-grilled chicken dishes and charred sweet potatoes, tacos, salads, and the best ice cream in Austin. There are a few locations, but shhhh this one is the best! 

Best lunch spot in south Austin: Thai Fresh. Old school Austin, little neighborhood cafe, and you just can't beat their pad thai.

Best BBQ in South Austin: LeRoy and Lewis. They recently moved to a brick-and-mortar AND won a Michelin star.

Best dinner spot in south Austin: Lenoir.  Locally-sourced "hot weather food" served in their tiny and beautifully renovated bungalow house/restaurant. The backyard wine garden is the true star of the show.

Those options will get you started, but if you want more ideas, read on! Here are my top picks for the best places to eat and drink south of the river in Austin.

10 Best South Austin Restaurants

1. LeRoy and Lewis

LeRoy and Lewis

"New School BBQ, Old School Service." LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue won a Michelin star for their exceptional (and original) approach to Texas bbq. You won't find the standard menu items here. Instead, they have things like pork hop sausage, smoked beef cheeks, and cauliflower burnt ends.

WEBSITE | 5621 Emerald Forest Dr, Austin, TX 78745

2. ABGB

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This popular Austin craft brewery was named the Best Large Brewpub in America by the Great American Beer Festival 3 YEARS IN A ROW! It’s one of the best Austin breweries with food where you can enjoy a pitcher of light, crisp lagers and a few pizzas with your friends. 

ABGB has live music on the weekends. It’s pretty unique in that they have an indoor stage, which is excellent when the weather is just too hot to sit outside. But if it happens to be a gorgeous afternoon, there’s no better place to enjoy an award-winning beer than on ABGB’s tree-shaded outdoor patio. 

WEBSITE | 1305 W Oltorf St, Austin, TX 78704

3. Lenoir

Lenoir

Todd Duplechan’s “hot weather food” south Austin fine dining establishment is the perfect spot for an upscale date night or a celebratory meal with a group of friends. The menu rotates with the seasons and ingredient availability, but you can always expect an interesting selection of natural wine, mediterranean-inspired food that’s sourced locally here in Texas, and some of the best hospitality in Austin. 

Dine in the teeny-tiny indoor bungalow dining space if you want something incredibly unique, or opt for the gorgeous tree-shaded back dining space if you’re in the mood for a patio meal in Austin. 

WEBSITE | 1807 S 1st St, Austin, TX 78704

4. Elizabeth Street Cafe

Elizabeth Street Cafe

Mcguire Moorman Lambert  Hospitality now has more than a dozen Austin restaurants, but Elizabeth Street is one of their oldest and most popular! It’s a French-Vietnamese cafe in Bouldin Creek with excellent pho, banh mi, chocolate croissants, and wine. The brunch menu is very popular, but this also happens to be one of the best spots to meet up for an upscale lunch in south Austin.

Psst: Elizabeth Street Cafe has a great happy hour menu!

WEBSITE | 1501 S 1st St, Austin, TX 78704

5. Thai Fresh

Thai Fresh Austin

Thai Fresh has solidified its place as the best Thai food in south Austin! Owner Jam Sanitchat is originally from Thailand, and she started this bakery, coffee shop, ice cream counter, and Thai restaurant way back in 2008. She uses her own authentic Thai recipes in the menu, serving scratch-made soups, stir-fries, and noodles to hungry Bouldin Creek guests.

Thai Fresh

Thai Fresh is still just as quirky and Austin-y as when it opened back in 2008. The furniture is a little mis-matched, and the open kitchen is between two dining rooms on opposite sides of the neighborhood cafe. It’s one of the best places to dine solo, because you seat yourself and order from the QR code at your table. But it’s also a fun spot for a big meal with friends, or an easy place to get comforting food to-go. 

WEBSITE | 909 W Mary St, Austin, TX 78704

6. Fresa’s Chicken

Fresa's Chicken

Fresa’s Chicken  on South First is, to me, the epitome of Ausin dining: prickly pear margaritas, spicy grilled chicken with homemade corn tortillas, a creekside patio, hundred-year-old live oak trees, twinkle lights, fresh ice cream. 

There aren’t many restaurants in Austin where I can dine again and again and again and seemingly never get tired of it, but Fresa’s is one. The healthier salads and bowls are great if you need a protein pick-me-up for lunch, or indulge in happy hour queso and margaritas if you just want to chill. Their shareable grilled chicken platters with all the sides are perfect for a big group dinner in south Austin. And 100% get that ice cream for dessert - the flavors rotate, but the banana cream pie flavor is the best if it’s there. 

WEBSITE | 1703 S 1st St, Austin, TX 78704,

7. Polvos

Polvos Tex Mex

If you’re looking for the best Tex Mex in south Austin, be sure to head to Polvos! This restaurant on South First street is so quirky and Austin-y (I love that they just use plastic folding tables and chairs outside and no one really cares) but the food is PHENOMENAL.

their flour tortillas are made fresh in-house every morning and are (no joke) the best flour tortillas in Austin. Try the fajitas al guajillo, made with sun-dried peppers, pecans, raisins, peanuts, grilled onions, and poblano peppers.

WEBSITE | 2004 S 1st St, Austin, TX 78704

8. Proud Mary Café

Best New Restuarants in Austin: Proud Mary

Proud Mary Cafe is a Melbourne-inspired cafe that started in Portland before opening an additional location in Austin. Their coffee-roasting program is well acclaimed, but since this isn’t a guide to the best south Austin coffee shops, let’s talk about their food! (But also, like...get a coffee while you're there.)

The breakfast and lunch menus at Proud Mary rival the best in the city. These aren’t your typical American breakfast dishes like eggs and bacon or pancake platters. Instead, the ingredients are a little more unique. The ricotta hotcakes are served with vanilla poached apples, whipped sour cream, coconut and oat crumble, and apple and thyme syrup, with a little garnish of parsley on top. And the pork and watermelon salad, made with tamarind glazed crispy fried pork belly, watermelon and cucumber salad, peanuts, fried shallots, sesame, mint, cilantro, and nam jim dressing, is a totally new lunch concept for Austinites who are used to tacos and burgers.

WEBSITE | 2043 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704

9. Odd Duck

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Similar to Uchi, Home Slice, and Tacodeli, Odd Duck is one of those “Austin institutions” that people who are in the foodie scene just know about. Odd Duck really put Austin on the map as a restaurant destination with their approach to farm-to-table ingredient sourcing and whole animal butchery. They recently received the coveted Michelin Bib Gourmand award. 

The South Lamar brick-and-mortar is lovely, with a vintage/chic flair and a big open kitchen concept where you can watch the chefs prepare you food. Try to reserve seats at the bar/chef’s counter if you enjoy watching everyone working in the kitchen while you eat. It’s a fun show! 

WEBSITE | 1201 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704

10. Maie Day

This chophouse in the South Congress hotel is from the same team behind Olamaie, the James Beard Award-semifinalist southern restaurant that’s oh-so-famous for those delicious biscuits. You won’t find the biscuits here at Maie Day, but you will find absolutely phenomenal shareable steakhouse sides, locally-sourced cuts of prime meat, and legit the BEST slice of chocolate cake in Austin. 

Maie Day South Congress
Maie Day South Congress

WEBSITE | 1603 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704

A Few More South Austin Restaurants I Recommend...

It was nearly impossible to narrow this list down to 10. There are just too many great places to eat in South Austin! So here are a few more of my tried and trues.

Loro Asian Smokehouse

Tyson Cole (Uchi) and Aaron Franklin (Franklin Barbecue) teamed up to create this Japanese smokehouse on South Lamar. It’s grown SO popular, Loro has actually opened additional locations around Texas! Seriously…there’s typically always a wait around evening time if you don’t have a reservation. Make a reservation if you’re trying to visit with a big group! 

The interior was designed by Michael Hsu Architecture. It’s a beautiful ambiance with its soaring ceilings, live plants, and lots of windows. The covered porch has a few long tables, and there’s an additional tree-shaded patio that’s very popular in the spring and fall in Austin. 

Start with a flight of boozy slushies before venturing into the menu of rice bowls, smoked meat mains with Asian influences, and delicious desserts. This is a fast-casual concept where you’ll order at the bar and then take a seat, but make a reservation if you want to visit on the weekends. Like I said, Loro is very popular! 

Loro Asian Smokehouse

WEBSITE | 2115 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704

Pinthouse Pizza - South Lamar

Pinthouse Pizza and Beer on South Lamar is one of the best restaurants in south Austin for families. They have the best pizzas, award-winning beer (lots of it), and big, shareable tables in their dining room. This is one of the most award-winningest breweries in Austin, so it’s definitely worth getting a flight of beer to try out a few of the options they have on tap when you visit.  

Pinthouse Piza

WEBSITE | 4236 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704

Uchi

Uchi is one of the most popular restaurants  in all of Austin, and it’s easily one of the best restaurants in south Austin. It’s a sushi restaurant located inside a “little house” (hence the name “Uchi”) on South Lamar. Chef Tyson Cole started Uchi way back in 2003, and shortly after won his James Beard award for Best Chef: Southwest. 

Psst: this is a very expensive restaurant, so check out their happy hour menu! 

Best Upscale Special Occasion Restaurants In Austin

WEBSITE | 801 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704

Dovetail Pizza

There are plenty of excellent pizza restaurants in Austin, but Dovetail has created a little niche for itself by marketing as a neighborhood pizza spot with cocktails. It’s a friendly, small space that’s made for walk-ins and locals. On any given night of the week, there will be Bouldin Creek residents stopping by for a negroni at the bar or a quick pizza with their family before heading on their way. 

Dovetail Pizza
Dovetail Pizza

WEBSITE | 1816 S 1st St, Austin, TX 78704

Kelly’s Irish Pub

I tend to kind of scoff at Irish pubs in the United States because most of them are just so cheesy and kitschy. But Kelly’s Irish Pub is actually a truly authentic Irish establishment, owned and operated by an Irishman who greets you at the front door. 

The menu is pretty much what you’d expect - shepherd’s pie, bangers and mash, and fish & chips. The bartenders are all required to go through training to learn how to properly pour a Guinness for optimal frothy, creaminess. And the rest of the beer list is a good representation of authentic Irish pub drinks. 

Kelly's Irish Pub

WEBSITE | 519 W Oltorf St, Austin, TX 78704

June’s All Day

June’s All Day is a little neighborhood cafe located on South Congress Ave. It feels casual and intimate, yet they have an incredibly robust wine list, upscale cuisine, and a Parisian atmosphere. June's is perfection. 

The sidewalk bistro is a fun spot to stop by during your day of shopping on SOCO. Order that rosy pink burger and shoestring fries and a glass of bubbly, or try their delicious matzo ball caldo and a big glass of red. 

June's All Day

WEBSITE | 1722 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704

Perla’s

Perla’s is from the same hospitality company as June’s, but it’s an entirely different feel. It still has that welcoming, casual energy to it, but Perla’s is a big, beautiful coastal seafood restaurant. Without a doubt, you have to dine on the patio here. It’s the best patio on South Congress! 

Order some raw oysters and a fun cocktail to start, and then get one of their grilled seafood platters or a fresh po’boy with fries and an ice cold beer. 

Perla's
Perla's

WEBSITE |1400 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704

Carpenters Hall

Located in the cool and trendy Zilker boutique hotel Carpenter Hotel, Carpenters Hall is the lunch and dinner restaurant that was named “best new restaurants in America” by Bon Appetit when it opened in 2019. 

The cuisine is casual hill country fare, like roasted pecans and cashews to snack on with your natural wine, zingy salads, and various cheese and charcuterie boards. The burger here is awesome. Try the seafood or steak dishes, like their delicious diver scallops with chestnut puree, or the grilled Texas redfish. 

Carpenters Hall

WEBSITE | 400 Josephine St, Austin, TX 78704

Home Slice Pizza

Home Slice is one of the most recognizable Austin restaurant brands, and yet it’s still one of the best local spots for NY-style pie. Fame hasn’t gone to its head! 

These are just really good, classic, giant pizzas that are cooked to order in their brick oven. No need to get fancy here. Just order a slice of pepperoni pizza and an ice cold coca-cola from their walk-up window and enjoy it at their sidewalk cafe on South Congress. 

Home Slice Pizza

WEBSITE | 1415 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704

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I LOVE SOUTH AUSTIN! All of these south Austin restaurants that I shared have a certain amount of quirkiness to them. 

Take, for example, the Polvo’s location on South First Street. It’s commonly regarded as the best Tex Mex in Austin, and I’ve been there more times than I can count.

And when I try to explain the vibe to people who aren’t from here, I struggle. “It’s tiny with a low ceiling! It has an awesome patio…with plastic folding tables and chairs…” and then I just kind of fall short of words. Because how can you explain the AWESOMENESS of Polvo’s in south Austin, complete with its weird plastic folding tables on the patio and bass-thumping tejano music played at all hours of the day, without just visiting it? 

South Austin is so great, y’all. 

I hope this guide to the best south Austin restaurants inspires you to get out there and explore as many as possible! Many of these restaurants are in the popular ‘04 area code, but some of them are a bit further south. 

Be sure to use the map to find one of these restaurants near you, and don’t forget to share it with a friend!

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