How to Make Iconic Austin Dishes With These 14 Local Cookbooks

Buying cookbooks for yourself or as gifts from Austin restaurants is a great way to support both the restaurants and local bookstores (hi, BookPeople) while also recreating favorite dishes at home.

Have the urge to bake, like most of America? Dive into recipes from Easy Tiger’s “head doughpuncher” David Norman, who nabbed a James Beard Award semifinalist nod. Looking for something comforting? Jack Gilmore (of Texas-centric Jack Allen’s Kitchen) has excellent recipes for Southern cooking. Want more of a memoir feel? Eric Silverstein of the Peached Tortilla chronicles his journey from lawyer to food truck owner to restauranteur, with recipes along the way.

Explore Austin cookbooks and other restaurant-related books below, listed in alphabetical order by title.

• Mando Rayo and Jarod Neece, hosts of the television show Tacos Across America, have two taco cookbooks with a heavy Austin presence. The first chronicles Austin’s breakfast tacos, while the second branches out to classics found throughout the state. [Austin Breakfast Tacos: BookPeople | Amazon; The Tacos of Texas: BookPeople | Amazon]
• The Austin Cookbook, from Eater Austin founding editor Paula Forbes, provides recipes from several local institutions, like Barley Swine’s pig skin noodles and Matt’s El Rancho’s Bob Armstrong dip. [BookPeople | Amazon]

Johnny Autry

• Easy Tiger: James Beard-nominated baker David Norman’s cookbook Bread on the Table: A Baking Book is a guide to making European-style breads. [BookPeople | Amazon]
• Elizabeth Street Cafe: This book features home cooking recipes from the French-Vietnamese restaurant from the McGuire Moorman team. [BookPeople | Amazon]
• Franklin Barbecue: With all the time at home, now is as good of a time as any to try to smoke meat. James Beard Award-winning pitmaster Aaron Franklin has two cookbooks, covering steak and barbecue. [Franklin Steak: BookPeople | Amazon; Franklin Barbecue: A Meat-Smoking Manifesto: BookPeople | Amazon]
• Fonda San Miguel: The co-founders of the Mexican restaurant stalwart, Tom Gilliland and the late Miguel Ravago, wrote this cookbook documenting the history and recipes of the longtime Austin institution. [BookPeople | Amazon]
• Dai Due: Owner Jesse Griffiths extolls the tasty beauty and importance of hunting and cooking wild Texas hogs through his self-published book The Hog Book. For a broader look at Texas hunting and fishing with recipes, check out his first book Afield. [The Hog Book: Kickstarter; Afield: BookPeople | Amazon]

Photography by Richard Casteel/Illustrations by Brock Caron/Courtesy of Cattywampus Press

• Jack Allen’s Kitchen: Jack Allen’s Cookbook: Celebrating The Tastes Of Texas, which covers seasonal recipes with Central Texas produce, is for sale in the restaurant’s online shop. [Official store | BookPeople | Amazon]
• Odd Duck: Grab the first and second issues of The Odd Duck Almanac, a cookbook and community zine from the award-winning restaurant. [Official store]
• The Peached Tortilla: Owner Eric Silverstein’s cookbook The Peached Tortilla: Modern Asian Comfort Food from Tokyo to Texas is part-life story (going from lawyer to food truck owner to restauranteur), part-delicious recipes. [Official store | BookPeople | Amazon]
• Thai Fresh: Chef and owner Jam Sanitchat self-published this cookbook, detailing coveted recipes and techniques from the Bouldin Creek Thai restaurant. [Official store: shipping; pickups | BookPeople]
• Uchi: This cookbook from the fine dining Japanese restaurant highlights everything from sushi to its iconic dishes, as well as the story of founding chef and owner Tyson Cole. [Official store | BookPeople]

Update, November 8, 2021, 3:36 p.m.: This article, originally published on April 9, 2020, has been updated to include additional cookbooks.