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2023 has marked yet another exciting year for Austin diners. From an intriguing forthcoming bar to a role-playing gaming headquarters with food, beers, and bread, the city’s dining options continue to expand and grow.
A few projected openings are or were holdovers from 2022: The expansion of Uchi’s casual Japanese Dallas restaurant Uchiba, chef Ling Qi Wu’s new Asian restaurants, and wine bar/restaurant Underdog.
Of the year’s most anticipated restaurants, 16 have already opened this year, including one serving Mexican fusion ramen, a Latin American live-fire spot, the latest spot from an acclaimed Austin Chinese chef, a top-notch bar and restaurant, Aaron Franklin’s New Orleans-ish bar, and a Korean American wine bar. To come are Origin Studio House, a coffee shop and bar and Black community space; a French comfort food restaurant courtesy of Top Chef contender Jo Chan; and long-awaited bar and pizza spot Day Dreamer.
Some openings have been pushed to 2024, like the first-time physical restaurant iteration of beloved barbecue truck LeRoy & Lewis.
Read on for 2023’s most exciting restaurant openings, listed in chronological order, plus a rundown of which restaurants have already opened. This guide will continue to update as the year progresses.
Day Dreamer
Address: 1708 East Sixth Street, East Sixth
Opening: September 2023
There’s a powerhouse hospitality team behind this forthcoming neighborhood bar — the partners come from East Austin patio cocktail spot Kitty Cohen’s, honky-tonk dive bar the White Horse, East Austin retro bar High Noon, and East Riverside bar Frazier’s. There will be hand-cranked cocktails from a Crawler Champion Shaker. Food-wise, there’s Allday Pizza, which will serve pies, slices, meatballs, and soft serve from two of the founders of Sammataro (this is Allday’s second location; see Flo’s below)
Tiny Grocer/Bureau de Poste
Address: 4300 Speedway, Hyde Park
Opening: End of September
The South Austin grocery store-slash-deli is opening a second location across the river. Owner Steph Steele is doing something different too: along with retail goods and foods, she’ll add a whole full-service cafe with French bistro foods — from former Top Chef contestant Jo Chan — for dinner and weekend brunch.
Palm Pizza
Address: 1701 East Cesar Chavez Street, East Cesar Chavez
Opening: September
Neapolitan pizza experts Bufalina are taking on New York-style pizza with the forthcoming Palm Pizza. The restaurant has a stacked team: there’s Bufalina owner Steven Dilley, Chef Grae Nonas is behind the pies, Clint Elmore formerly of pizzeria 40 North is on operations, wine superstar Rania Zayyat is managing partner and wine director. Per Dilley, expect a fun ’50s Palm Springs/’80s Miami color scheme.
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Uchiba
Address: 601 West Second Street, Downtown
Opening: Early fall 2023
Austin’s well-known Japanese restaurant Uchi, run by chef Tyson Cole, is bringing its Dallas-based casual spin-off Uchiba into Austin (not to be confused with its other spin-off Uchiko) this year. The menu will include yakitori, and if the original location is any indication, dumplings, bao, and lots of sushi and sashimi.
Origin Studio House
Address: 2925 East 12th Street, Rosewood
Opening: October 2023
This new coffee shop and bar is intended to become a community space for Austin’s Black population. That means featuring food trucks owned by people of color and drinks taking its cues and ingredients from Black-owned brands and the African diaspora.
Zoé Tong
Address: 1530 Barton Springs Road, Zilker
Opening: Fall 2023
New York chefs and couple Simone Tong (Little Tong Noodle Shop, Silver Apricot) and Matthew Hyland (Emily, Emmy Squared) are opening a new restaurant in the former Austin Eastciders with an Austin-influenced take on Chinese food. That means roast duck with a flour tortilla/spring pancake hybrid, dan dan noodles, soft serve, and many smoked items like Chinese sticky ribs, tofu, and vegetables.
Bambino
Address: Springdale Road and Airport Boulevard, Govalle
Opening: Fall 2023
Austin Italian restaurant L’Oca d’Oro’s next trick is this pizzeria, focusing on pizza in the style of New York-meats-grandma pies, according to the team.
Tiny Minotaur Tavern
Address: 2701 East Cesar Chavez Street, Holly
Opening: Fall 2023
The really exciting role-playing gaming and dining pop-up is setting up shop with a permanent location, complete with a co-op food truck, bread from Dripping Springs bakery Abby Jane Bakeshop, beers from Central Machine Works, and areas for gameplay and workshops.
Tare
Address: 12414 Alderbrook Drive, North Star
Opening: Fall 2023
Previously a pop-up, sushi restaurant Tare is opening a 10-seat omakase restaurant. Tare focuses on kappo-style service, which is a Japanese term for casual omakase with nigiri and other cooked forms of fish and proteins. Tare comes from Michael Carranza who has quite the sushi restauranteur resume including Salty Cargo, Osome, Texas Sushiko, and others.
Wolf and Wheat
Address: 1009 East Sixth Street, East Sixth
Opening: Fall 2023
Margarita Kallas-Lee, co-owner of fancy omakase spot Sushi by Scratch the pastry chef and the genius behind the restaurant’s makrut ice cream bon bons, is opening a bakery and dessert shop on East Sixth. The shop will serve will be bread, baked goods like buckwheat brownies, desserts like oolong tiramisu, and more for takeout.
Murray’s
Address: 2316 Webberville Road, East Austin
Opening: Late 2023
The Nickel City-Juniper teams are opening a new New York City-ish tavern this year. Named after co-partner Travis Tober’s grandmother (Murray was her maiden name), the bar will offer classic cocktails, including Rob Roys and frozen Brandy Alexanders, alongside staple tavern pub food.
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Already Opened in 2023
Luminaire & Las Bis
Address: 721 Congress Avenue, Downtown
Opening Date: February 1, 2023
Six-time James Beard Award nominee Steve McHugh, of San Antonio’s Cured, opened a restaurant and bar in the new Hyatt Centric Congress Avenue Austin hotel. It serves seasonal Texas fare and charcuterie, while rooftop bar Las Bis offers another place to grab a cocktail with skyline views.
Ling Wu Asian Restaurant
Address: 7415 Southwest Parkway, Lantana Place
Opening Date: February 15, 2023
Chef Wu’s fourth restaurant opened with an overarching Chinese menu with East and Southeast Asian influences for lunch, dinner, and weekend dim sum.
Ember Kitchen & Subterra Agave Bar
Address: 800 West Cesar Chavez Street, Seaholm
Opening Date: February 15, 2023 (the bar opened on February 1)
The Latin American live-fire restaurant from Austin hospitality financial startup InKind debuted, taking over the former Boiler Nine space in Seaholm. The menu, which had been led by Nayely Castillo with consultation by Puerto Rican chef María Mercedes Grubb during its opening months, includes sopes with caviar, fried tamal ahogada, and loads of meats and vegetables with accompanying sauces. (Now Austin chef Julio-Cesar Florez is overseeing the kitchen as of July.)
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Ramen del Barrio
Address: 1700 Parmer Lane, Scofield Farms
Opening Date: February 17, 2023
This Mexican fusion ramen spot opened within Hana World Market in North Austin. Owner Christopher Krinsky initially found success serving ramen out of his garage, and he offers dishes like menudo ramen.
Flo’s Wine Bar & Bottle Shop
Address: 3111 West 35th Street, Tarrytown
Opening Date: March 1, 2023
Two friends — Flo Clemons and Adair Belisle — opened their perfect neighborhood hang with this wine bar-slash-bottle shop. The long wine list is available for to-go bottles and on-site drinking by bottle or glass. Also on deck is the first location of Allday Pizza, boasting pies and slices, along with salads, meatballs, and soft-serve gelato.
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Holiday
Address: 5020 East Seventh Street, Govalle
Opened: March 24, 2023
Three Austin industry vets — bar wizard Erin Ashford, chef Peter Klein, and John DiCicco — opened a fanciful new bar in East Austin. From Ashford, expect agave, amaro, and gin cocktails, which they’re calling “fancies;” from Klein, look out for general thoughtful food; and from DiCicco and company, expect soft and lush vibes.
Uptown Sports Club
Address: 1200 East Sixth Street, East Sixth
Opened: March 27, 2023
Barbecue great Aaron Franklin of Franklin Barbecue teamed up again with James Moody of the Mohawk (his partner in the Hot Luck festival) to open a neighborhood bar and sandwich shop in the long-vacant Uptown Sports building. The menu focuses on sandwiches like po’ boys, gumbo, and breakfast. Cocktails will come from Robert Björn Taylor. The space was designed by lead designer and project manager Tenaya Hills, with drawings and collaboration by the ubiquitous Michael Hsu Office of Architecture, who also designed Franklin’s other collaboration restaurant, Asian smokehouse Loro.
La Popular
Address: 7415 Southwest Parkway, Building Five, Suite 100, West Oak Hill
Opened: April 24, 2023
The Mexico City Mexican restaurant opened its second American location right in Austin this year. Executive chef César de la Parra Coghlan’s menu includes lots of tacos (pastor, chicharrónes, milanesa), quesadillas, and gorditas, alongside a drinks list of tequilas, mezcals, and beers.
Ezov
Address: 2708 East Cesar Chavez Street, Holly
Opening: April 27, 2023
The Emmer & Rye team opened a new Mediterranean restaurant with chef Bertie Richter (shuttered TLV, Ladino in San Antonio) at the helm. The menu draws from Tel Aviv and the Galilee region of Israel and serves cocktails and wine. It’s opening in the former Pitchfork Pretty space.
Underdog
Address: 1600 South First Street, Bouldin Creek
Opening: May 10, 2023
South Austin got a new wine restaurant and retail store courtesy of couple/partners sommelier Richard Hargreave (who is a Momofuku alum) and Claudia Lee. Wine-wise, expect biodynamic wines from smaller wine producers and winemakers. The wine list will include bottles that pair well with a Korean American-tinged menu from chef de cuisine David Whalen (who recently worked at finer-dining restaurant Jeffrey’s) and consultant chef/partner Morgan McGlone (Australian hot chicken restaurant mini-chain Belles Hot, roast chicken restaurant Sunday Potts Point in Sydney. and he had been the chef de cuisine of Southern restaurant Husk’s Nashville location). Expect fried chicken, crispy served with crab and mentaiko (pollock roe), ebi burgers, and crispy potato-leek pancakes topped with caviar.
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Double Trouble
Address: 111 North Loop Boulevard, North Loop
Opened: May 31, 2023
Vegan taco truck Vegan Nom and coffee shop Barrett’s Coffee are moving into the former Phara’s location in North Loop, teaming up to offer coffee drinks, breakfast tacos, cocktails, and new vegan entrees like mole wings in a fast-casual, all-day environment.
Saturn
Address: 906 Congress Avenue, Downtown
Opened: June 15, 2023
Owner Steven Smith is bringing “disco cocktails” downtown, with day-glo colored drinks like a Pornstar martini.
P. Thai Khao Man Gai
Address: 8557 Research Boulevard, North Austin
Opened: July 17, 2023
Thai Kun chef Thai Changthong is opening a new counter-service food stall within Hong Kong Supermarket dedicated to Thai-style khao man gai, a chicken and rice dish. he’s making use of his mother’s own recipe, and there will be steamed chicken and fried chicken versions.
Elementary & Hopscotch
Address: 2026/2032 South Lamar Boulevard, South Lamar
Opened: July 28, 2023
New American pop-up Elementary is opening a permanent space on South Lamar with a separate wine bar, Hopscotch. Elementary will offer new American fare like al pastor tortellini served with mole. Hopscotch will be smaller, with only 15 seats, and will use Elementary’s food waste to create snacks — which means an ever-changing menu.
Pushed to 2024
LeRoy & Lewis
Address: 5621 Emerald Forest Drive, Garrison Park
Opening: Early 2024
Some of Austin’s best barbecue is finally opening a permanent location in far south Austin. This larger space will allow for an expanded barbecue menu with whole-animal butchering, as well as wine and beer and retail space for its sauces, rubs, and to-go orders. Don’t worry — the truck at Cosmic Coffee + Beer Garden will stay put.
The Dead Rabbit
Address: 204 East Sixth Street, Downtown
Opening: Early 2024
Acclaimed New York Irish bar the Dead Rabbit is taking over the former B.D. Riley’s this spring. It’s known for Irish whiskies, Irish coffee, and a menu that includes fish and chips, Scotch eggs, and the like.
Ling Wu at the Grove
Address: 2625 Denali Summit Pass, Rosedale
Opening: Spring 2024
Chef Ling Qi Wu — of Chinese restaurants Lin Asian Bar and Qi, is opening her fifth Austin restaurant sometime this year. This one will focus on lighter Asian cuisine with locally sourced ingredients.
Hattie B’s Hot Chicken
Address: 2529 South Lamar Boulevard, South Lamar
Opening: Winter 2024
Nashville hot chicken spot Hattie B’s is moving into the former Maria’s Taco Xpress on South Lamar. It will serve its signature spicy fried chicken in sandwiches and platters along with desserts (banana pudding, cobblers), and cocktails (like boozy slushies).
Update, August 14, 10:55 a.m.: This guide, originally published on January 10, has been updated to include new details and restaurants.